PRIME Minister (PM) Jeremiah Manele has endorsed the Pacific Policing Initiative (PPI) in-principle based on a Solomon Islands Cabinet decision that national consultations have to be first undertaken for a consensus and that Solomon Islands Government is in the process of reviewing its national security and border strategies.
The PPI put together by the Australian government was endorsed by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his Pacific Islands Forum counterparts, including Prime Minister Manele, at the 53rd Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ Summit in Tonga last week.
The Australian PM said the PPI continues a long history of Pacific police forces working together to strengthen regional peace and security and to support each other in times of need.
When asked about the PPI at a press conference on his return from the 53rd PIF Leaders’ Summit, PM Manele said, “in terms of the Pacific Policing Initiative, as a government and I did say this at the forum retreat, we endorsed the initiative in-principle. That is the Cabinet decision.”
He said the regional consensus on the initiative was that ‘it’s fine.”
PM Manele said the Solomon Islands cabinet decision for the endorsement of the initiative in-principle is to allow for national consultations, adding that national consultations are crucial because Solomon Islands Government is in the process of reviewing its national security strategy and border strategy.
He said there are gaps in the national security and border strategies and the outcomes of the consultation and national security and border strategies’ review will help Solomon Islands Government on where these gaps can be filled by the PPI.
“The national consultations will ensure the PPI is country-specific and there is a national sense of ownership over it going forward,” the PM added.
When asked if the PPI will affect Solomon Islands security agreement with the People’s Republic of China or the Boe Declaration which gives the freedom for Pacific Island Forum states to enter into bilateral security arrangements with any country of choice, PM Manele said the Solomon Islands-China Security Pact is a bilateral arrangement, while the PPI is generally about improving policing capability of PIF member states as not all of them are on the same level of policing.
The Solomon Islands-China security pact was signed in early 2022 by PM Manele in his capacity as Minister for Foreign Affairs and External Trade under the Democratic Coalition Government for Advancement. This followed the Honiara 2021 Riot, which the Royal Solomon Islands Police was found wanting in containing despite the presence of deployed Australian and Papua New Guinea police personnel.
PM Manele said the experiences from the Aitutaki Declaration, Biketewa Declaration and Boe Declaration, are lessons to be learned from although they are more to do with general peace and security issues.
By DELI-SHARON OSO
Solomon Star, Honiara
