THE Malaita Ma’asina Forum (MMF) yesterday explains that their accusation of the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI) was misunderstood by Duran Angiki.
MMF’s media officer Henry Daukalia said if Mr Angiki understands what MMF had been vocal about, he would have responded accurately.
Mr Angiki, in a widely circulated article, said accusation and labeling by some members of the Forum Solomon Islands International (FSII) of the Australian-led and funded Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI) as a “failure” is simply out of ignorance and motivated by ethnic politics and biases.
In his view column, he said that some Solomon Islanders and groups are very quick to shift the blame and blindly blaming Australia and RAMSI for the failures of “our own government, politicians and leaders to deal with escalating socioeconomic problems in Honiara”.
“What’s disappointing is critics, including the leadership of Masina Forum, have failed to realise that we create the ethnic conflict between February 1998 and June 2003.
“It was the by-product of our politicians perpetuating corruption, bastardizing of the civil service, the police, the judicial system and so on. It led to RAMSI’s intervention.”
But Mr Daukalia in response yesterday said MMF appreciates the intervention but said selective policing tactics employed were distasteful and unfair to citizens.
“A classic example is the arrest of former politician Charles Dausabea in relation to the April 2006 riots in Honiara.
“There were no evidence gathered before arresting Mr Dausabea and at the end, Mr Dausabea was found innocent for allegations of inciting the riots.”
Mr Daukalia said current leaders have committed obvious and hefty crimes but RAMSI has never proved their promptness in making arrests.
“That is clear selective policing that we said is unfair and must never be entertained in this country.”
Mr Daukalia added that the issue of aid has been clear.
“It is unfair to boast about millions of dollars in aid money that were only spent in Australia.
“Only a very little fraction stays in the country.”
He said it was obvious what Mr Angiki, a former Solomon Islands journalist who now lives in Australia, would say because he is enjoying a luxurious life-style there.
