As we celebrate to Easter Vigil, we are entering the most crucial and mysterious period of time. On the part of the disciples and those who were close to Jesus, it was a time of confusion, a time of loneliness, doubts, and uncertainties. But more than this, it is a time of darkness and death.…
THE Chief Electoral Officer, Mose Saitala, announced on Tuesday’s paper that the Governor General will make the Proclamation/Announcement of the date of election on the 5th of February 2019. There is now a flurry of activities and a buzz in the voters of this country, political parties intending to contest the elections, supporters, and oppositions…
TRANSPARENCY Solomon Islands is deeply concerned that the Traditional Governance and Customs Facilitation Bill 2018 is currently in its second reading before the Parliament. When the Traditional Governance and Customs Facilitation Bill wasfirst introduced a few months ago, there was ahuge outcry from the public opposing this Bill and the shallow policy or no policy…
OVER the last two years, I have had the pleasure of meeting many Solomon Islanders during my travels outside Honiara. Approximately 80 per cent of Solomon Islanders live in rural areas, making Solomon Islands a “country of villages”. I am always impressed by the resilience of these villages. Many people in Solomon Islands, particularly those…
MANY Solomon Islanders and even the court have been led by hired QC lawyers of APID to believe that APID mining lease of West Rennell has merit; but where did that merit comes from? If the merit of APID mining lease comes from some politicians in the Government Executive that manipulate the administrative system to…
BROADCASTING can touch the heart, inspire the mind and set ideas into action, but in the Pacific it is struggling. It has been four years since the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s (ABC’s) respected voice in the region was almost silenced by budget cuts. Now China is using former ABC radio frequencies and the Australian government is…
WORKING together to ensure economic growth, security and stability in the Pacific is at the cornerstone of Australia’s strengthened engagement in the Pacific as highlighted in Australia’s new Foreign Policy White Paper. For after all, Pacific island countries are some of Australia’s nearest neighbours; their sea lanes are our sea lanes; their security challenges…
The Church – Part 3 By Rev. Eric D. Maefonea (SWIM) Once again, I invite you to our continuing discussion of the above topic. Last week we looked at the birth of the Church and the pictures used in the New Testament to describe the Church. This week, we will discuss the criteria’s for becoming…
Moves to stop new candidates from contesting national election SOLOMON Islands will go to the polls early 2019 and the political race for the 50 parliamentary seats has begun. We are now halfway into 2018 and to date there has been no information available from the Solomon Islands Electoral Commission as to when the Registration…
ON May 30, 2018, PRC’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) spokesman An Fengshan asserted that mainland China and Taiwan have entered a phase of competition for better system and talents since CCP’s (Chinese Communist Party) 19th Party Congress last November. Mr An quoted Taiwan’s public opinion, stating that (Taiwan’s political parties) KMT, DPP and CCP should…