LEADERS and people of Renbel need to sit down together and seriously look at the current dispute that is now fragmenting their communities.
The current mining and logging activities on the island of Rennell is not doing any good for people on the island.
These activities are instead causing disunity and hostility to a people who are essentially blood relatives.
Today, relatives who once lived together can no longer see each other in the eye.
They can no longer talk to each other. They instead attacked each other in the public media and in other social networks.
The Renbel that Solomon Islanders know – a peaceful and harmonious province with happy people – is no longer there.
The peace and harmony the people there once enjoyed have sunk into the maize of logging and mining activities that are wreaking havoc on the picturesque island of Rennell.
The province is heading down a dangerous path. Unless the situation is quickly reversed, people may soon end up killing each other.
This is why leaders of the province need to quickly sit down together and talk.
They need to realise that the foreigners who arrived on their island with logging and mining machineries are not there to help them.
Rather, they are only there because they wanted the bauxite deposits and trees on their land.
These foreigners don’t care about the welfare and unity of the people. In fact they would love to see divisions within the community.
Some of these so-called investors are eager to see relatives turning against relatives. They used the evil tactic of divide and rule.
Rennellese must not allow themselves to be controlled and used by investors whose only interest is the people’s natural resources.
By allowing yourselves to be used by these foreigners, you are basically selling your soul and that of your children to aliens.
The battle by these foreigners to control the rich bauxite deposits and trees on the island will not stop unless the people of Renbel stand up and say “enough is enough”.
Foreigners have no right to come in and fight over what they don’t own. And landowners must not allow greed to get the better of them.
Landowner must work together for the good of their family, community, and province.
Resources on Rennell belong to the people.
It is the people, with the help of their leaders and province that must dictate the terms – not foreigners and their greedy local associates.
The situation in Renbel has reached a critical point.
Renbel leaders and people must act now to prevent a possible blood-path.
If it means kicking out all the investors who are currently staking their claims into the island’s natural resource, and starting afresh, so be it.
Renbel must not allow foreigners to come here and fight over their resources.
They must be in control of their resources and deal only with investors who are genuine, honest, and have the people at heart.
