It was on the country’s 37th Independence Day celebrations that an extraordinary incident happened in front of heads of our Government, diplomats, visitors and our people.
The country’s national flag had fallen during from the flag pole to the ground in what was described as a disgraceful and a bad omen for a country that promises change to its people.
This event is quite interesting because a month had past but it still lingers in the minds of the people especially our older generation as to why the national flag fell down on the occasion of the country’s 37th birthday.
Is it a premonition; a sign for our country and our leaders? This is something a lot of citizens have been asking and talking about in every corners of the streets and markets; and even in our rural areas in the villages where our old men and women interestingly also have their own interpretation of the fallen flag.
My own analysis however, might also be analyzed similarly by most citizens of this country. And that is our fallen flag might be a sign for our country that the future that awaits us might be unpleasant and God has shown as that this is our turning point.
A sign that at 37 years of age, we have come to nothing but destruction and our people have suffered in the hands of corrupt, greedy and self-serving leadership.
My analysis should not be questioned given the current trend of dogmatic behavior shown by our Government leaders that are currently running the affairs of the country with a no-care attitude agenda.
But let us go back to a similar incident that occurred in Mexico, on September 16 2014 during their independence celebrations.
As Mexican President Peña Nieto watched over the raising of the red-white-and-green flag right in the center of the square, the flag unsnapped from its pole and fell in front of thousands of Mexicans, diplomats and the international media.
It drew vast criticisms describing it as a sign that the fallen is a disgraceful and ominous omen about the state of affairs in Mexico.
This incident came as no surprise to Mexicans that in less than two years in office (since elected 2012), the Mexican president has dropped to his lowest approval ratings ever.
A Pew Research Center poll released August 26 2014 shows that 60 percent of Mexican citizens disapprove of Peña Nieto’s handling of the economy, a rate that grew by 14 points since 2013.
In Mexico City, the country’s customary left-leaning bastion (a civil movement), indicated that 78 percent of residents says they are dissatisfied with the direction of their country.
The fallen flag on Independence Day in Mexico was predicted by scholars as Mexico’s downfall from bad to worse as the country was hit by arsons, mass violent protests following continuous controversial scandals, with the president accused of putting Asian summitry above their citizen’s needs.
So what can we learn or be warned of our fallen flag on the Friday of 10th July?
Is it a worrying sign that our country is heading for disaster?
Amidst all the controversies and the manner in which our country’s affairs have been handled by our Government politicians is nothing but frustrating.
Controversy after controversy, all in favor of our leaders and not our people; a sad story for citizens of a country that struggles despite the hardships of life one has to encounter each day.
On Friday 3rd of July, taxpayers were caught by surprise that they were going to foot a compensation payment to MV Sun Express incurred by MPs on the eve of the Prime Minister’s elections in December last year.
There were public outcries, condemnation by Opposition, Transparency International Solomon (TSI) and civil society groups questioning the legality of the payout in an attempt to pursue the Government to put a halt to the payment.
But it was too late as the Government has already acted on the Cabinet decision and made the payment on June 26th to Aggressor Solomon’s Limited (ASL); a tourism operator who has close family links with the Forest Minister; a revelation made by the Island Sun newspaper on July 28th 2015.
It was forthcoming as a Government statement in response to the issue stated that it was a collective Cabinet decision and Cabinet stands by its decision.
Information has it that QBE insurance has already paid for the cost of damages to the boat costing about $1.3 million.
This brings the question as to what is the $3.7 million payment from the Government for.
It was a double payment that the recipient and the Prime Minister and his Cabinet have never clarified and remain ignorant despite public calls to do so.
To add more salt to the wound, the SSPM in a failed attempt to cover-up on that matter was nothing but contradictory and a blatant lie in trying to disguise the real motive behind the payment.
How many more scandals against this Government will be surfaced before we realize that we are heading for doom?
Not to forget, the $3.3 million disaster funds channeled through MPs, the housing scheme which the Government surprisingly offered to a ghost investor Skyline Investment Group Company.
It was an interesting revelation by the Opposition Group that the company and its directors have the same company and individual addresses as that of the Office of the Prime Minister & Cabinet (OPMC) as their contact address.
And the fact that the director of the co-contractor in this projects the Solomon Islands Development Corporation Limited (SIDCL) is none other than the Special Secretary to Prime Minister (SSPM) Rence Sore, only confirms that this is conflict of interest at its best. And one can only imagine how foolish these people are to register their company under the address of the highest office of this land.
Despite many calls for the Prime Minister to ‘please explain’, he has been advised to take a silent approach without realizing that he is only brewing up frustration amongst the people.
Mr Prime Minister your silence is just as good a guilt; and I might be guessing that what the little bird whispered to me might be happening.
And that is the Government is in the process in loaning about $US300 million from Exim Bank China in return for a 50 year sovereign guarantee for investors from China.
If this turns out to be true then we are truly selling our nation to the monsters and we will reap what we sow.
It comes as no surprise that the Malaita premier announced last week the province’s intention to become a sovereign nation.
Such intention was forthcoming as Malaita has always been used for political convenience.
As such, the fallen flag might just be the sign of a dark future ahead of us.
The fear that the fallen flag is a premonition must be taken seriously as this has never happened before.
As every old man in the village would like to interpret that ‘it is a sign from God that we might be heading down the wrong path’.
Who knows as different people have their different interpretations of the incident? But the current issues unfolding before our eyes points directly to a broken path that we should best avoid before it’s too late.
God Save Our Solomon Islands!
By Jack Beaur
Honiara
