Dear Editor – There is enough evidence in the public fore to convince us that we can bring about change in this country.
But that depends on you and me (everyone) to do the right thing come 2018.
We must not be proud and arrogant as not to do the right thing for ourselves because genuine as they may be, the truth is that our foreign friends will never ever do it of us.
We have to decide on what we want and do it ourselves.
No one must demand any candidate money or anything for that matter in 2018 for their vote.
If a candidate gives you money from his or her own initiative, that is his or her problem but that doesn’t mean you will vote for him or her.
You must use your own independent assessment, whether he is fit for this honourable (role) or not and vote accordingly.
The word “honourable” is attached to the role as provided for in the constitution, but not to the person.
In other words, if we vote criminals, medically invalids, (sick leaders) into those positions of respect, it shows that the voter has no respect for himself or herself or the country as a whole.
You are playing around with the life of your children and that of everyone.
By voting for criminals, invalids; uneducated, undisciplined, morally low individuals, we are by our actions degraded the position of leadership in our country.
In doing so we do not deserve any better than what and how we are being treated by our foreign and especially the “helpem frens” who have exploited our ignorance in the last ten years.
If we do not respect ourselves by voting for poor quality leaders, do you expect our foreign friends’ to respect our leader?
Of course they will pretend to respect them but in reality they are not? Time for liar lo iu mi finis nao. (?), ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.
To think or believe that we can vote anyone without giving due consideration to the poor economic situation we are in, which is a direct result of poor leadership in this country, would be like committing suicide.
People who commit suicide do not think of anyone else not even themselves because their mind is blocked and they have no hope for tomorrow.
But for Solomon Islands, there is still some ray of hope for tomorrow if we vote the right team of MP’s in 2018.
And therefore do not commit suicide as yet.
We can make a U-turn through independent, strong will power, hard work, understanding, cooperation, common sense undergirded by the mottos “suffer first enjoy last”. We need to be truly independent in our minds and action.
We need to be frank and open with our donor friends about what we want now and for the future.
And if they want to remain as friend they need to work with us and not against.
If they by their own judgment know that they have amassed enough from us and wanted to depart they are more than free to do so.
But tell you what this is the time to make such decisions. To wait would be disastrous.
We need to create clear visions for ourselves in the logging, fisheries, tourism and the mining sector.
We must not be dictated by our friends’ in these areas as has been the experience so far in our country.
We are not a productive country and so our economy depends on our raw materials but at the moment we are not benefitting from our copra, cocoa, logs fish, minerals etc. but agents of our foreign friends have amassed wealth in these sectors at our expense.
No one in his or her mind will deny this unless one is only interested in an argument which doesn’t benefit the people of this country.
It is sad to say that if you continue to vote the kind of leaders and leadership we have now who are only interested in themselves, you have no future.
That is why you must vote for people who understand the true situation we are in to be able to bring about positive change in our country.
Enough of leaders who say one thing and do something completely different altogether.
By Shirley Ifunaoa
Honiara
