Makili questions DCGA’s promised infrastructures for the MOI border
CHAIRMAN of the Malaita Outer Islands Fisheries Taskforce, Lawrence Makili has questioned the border infrastructures the Democratic Coalition Government for Advancement (DCGA) promised to build at the MOI border through the Covid-19 National Oversight Committee (NOC).
He said the absence of these DCGA-promised infrastructures is another clear reason why he has accused the Sogavare-led regime of continuously lying to his people.
“Another reason that I am convinced that DCGA continues to lie is to do with the COVID-19 National Oversight Committee.
“Under the State of Public Emergency (SOPE), a programme that the national government embarked on was securing the borders. And the two borders they were to focus on were the western border and MOI border.
“The infrastructures were to be funded by aid donors. MOI was included as a designated entry point because of its location.
“So having been designated as an entry point, the MOI border should have been equipped with the following infrastructures: immigration, customs, police, communication, agriculture (biosecurity) and quarantine. An entry point necessitates the establishment of these mentioned facilities,” Mr Makili said.
Mr Makili added that the DCGA Policy clearly talks about the establishment of these infrastructures at these strategical entry points under donor-funding but to date none is seen at MOI, except for a police post.
He said people of MOI have been left to fend for themselves by the national government for so long.
“We are a people that past and the present governments continue to neglect and worst still a people that DCGA continues to lie to since coming into power,” he said.
“The border facilities for the Western border have already been built but for the MOI nothing has happened up until now.”
Mr Makili said all the government officers and members of the NOC had been to MOI and talked with the chiefs.
“They have told our chiefs that these were the border facilities the government would build at MOI.
“But to date, only a police station is there, other facilities have been swept under the carpet as no explanation was given by the government for their absence.
“So, I’m not wrong to say government officers have lied to our chiefs too. I was there when they went to MOI to talk to them but nothing happened,” Mr Makili said.
“SOPE and COVID-19 are gone but nothing happened, these are some examples why I said DCGA lied to the people of MOI.
“People asked me why I blamed the Prime Minister. I told them that I blamed him because he is the head of the government and hence this country.
“Everything that happens in this country under the DCGA points to the Prime Minister as the boss.
“That is why I pinpointed that ‘Sogavare lied to us,’ Mr Makili added.
Mr Makili said he has often wondered if MOI’s long-standing negligence by the national government is due to it being part of the minority ethnicity in the country.
The people of MOI are Polynesians.
Mr Makili has been highlighting the plight of MOI people on newspapers and social media because he believes no one else cares to speak out for them.
By LACHLAN EDDIE
Solomon Star, Honiara
