Out spoken Rennell landowner Pautangata Hakatingisa’a commends the series of investigative report produced by Alfred Sasako to expose Asia Pacific Investment Development (APID) in the media.
Speaking to this paper yesterday Hakatingisa’a applauded the reports by stating Renbell people owes him so much in his efforts to put things right under the laws of this country.
“I encourage Sasako to continue write to the media over the mining controversy on Rennell and not to worry about anybody who tries to shut him off,” the chief of Niteni tribe stated.
Mr Hakatingisa’a added continuous attack from Sasako’s student Takika Tu’ata should not stop him from writing about mining issues on Rennell, because Renbell people needs journalists like Alfred who exposed the truth, but not journos like Takika who fight against his teacher and now against his biological family.
However, Takika Tu’ata responded to the statement denying being a student of Alfred Sasako.
“I’m a journalism student of Solomon Islands National University (SINU) and not Sasako,” Takika stated.
Takika added his response to Sasako was for him to adhere to the ethics of media, which is to balance his media reports, rather than reporting on one side of the story to mislead the public.
“He is a qualified journalist exposed to international media, so he should uphold the very principles of journalism over this mining issue, seeing that he is from a different province and should be neutral and fair in his reporting about issues concerning Rennell landowners,” he said.
Takika added Mr Sasako should leave this issue to Renbell academics to investigate because he cannot intrude in any matters arise in Sasako’s home soil for reasons of respect for other ethnicity.
Mr Takika stated that his argument with his biological family over land is an internal issue that he wants to remind his brothers they already have shares over land and no one to override another.
By AATAI JOHN
