Dear Editor – Someone just sent me the opinion piece of Jimsyn Diodi that you ran. I would like you to publish an answer to that, please.
Dear Mr Diodi,
Thank you for your letter (article?) to the editor.
It is for people such as you that I wrote the book ‘Redeeming Moti’ and your article/letter has confirmed to me that the book is indeed long overdue.
I don’t mean to be rude, but your article is ignorant.
It has so many errors of fact and chronology and sets of assumptions made without being in receipt of all the facts that it would take far too long for me to answer them all individually.
In some instances, to correct your egregiously incorrect assumptions I would have to start from a very fundamental base and I don’t intend to do that.
Let me give you just one example: While Justice Heydon did indeed dissent, the six other judges assented.
That’s a ratio of six to one – pretty conclusive in my view. What’s more, Justice Heydon agreed that the Australian State had committed an egregious wrong but felt that it warranted a solution other than that which was being suggested.
You’d know that if you’d read the judgment – I have.
The solution proffered (the permanent stay of prosecution) did not give Australia’s High Court any avenue to censure the state and Justice Heydon wanted one.
So you see Mr Diodi, the one dissenting judge did not mean anything like what you were suggesting to your readers.
In fact, as to the behaviour of the Australian authorities, his dissent was probably more damning of their behaviour than the other six assenters.
So, I suggest to you, as I suggest to all those interested in the Solomon Islands: read the book.
It’s called ‘Redeeming Moti’ and is obtainable on Amazon books, iBooks, and all other ebook (online) booksellers.
Susan Merrell (Dr)
Author
Redeeming Moti
