A SENIOR citizen from the Are’are (Maasina) region of Malaita Province, Jeffrey Aihunu, pictured, has urged all Malaitans to allow their land for development to provide them with ‘milk and honey.’
Speaking at the opening of the three-day celebration of Malaita Province’s 41st Second Appointed Day in Honiara on Thursday, Mr Aihunu said, “let us not repeat the mistakes of our forefathers who chased out development when they had the opportunity for development. Let’s allow Malaita to be developed.”
He said the canned tuna processing factory in Noro, Western Province, should have been established in Takataka in West Are’are but the turning down of the project proposal by the West Are’are people led to its initial establishment in Tulagi in the Central Province before being relocated to where it remains till now – Noro in the Western Province.
Mr Aihunu lamented that, “West Are’are people had the opportunity before, but they turned it down over some silly reasons of discrimination against the Japanese.
“They did not want Japanese men but the factory could’ve been built in Takataka and provide more jobs for Are’are people. Today, Are’are people have to travel over the sea to search for jobs on another island.
“So Malaitans let’s not repeat the same thing that happened to my people of Are’are. Let’s allow Malaita to be developed. Just like we the Are’are people say, we mankind are not the owners of the land, we are just custodians. The owner of the land is God Himself and He gave it to us to use it as our milk and honey.”
He added, if they had allowed their land to be developed, they will have more money.
“The land will not expire. If we put our focus on development, we will have milk and honey,” he added. Milk and honey is a phrase that means prosperity and abundance.
The Malaita Day celebration in Honiara this year is a low-key celebration as many Honiara-based Malaitans have travelled to Auki for the major official celebration, an event which the Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele, Malaitan Cabinet Ministers and Members of Parliament and donor partners have graced.
The Honiara Malaita Day celebration concluded, Saturday.
By IAN LADDS OSO
Solomon Star, Honiara
