Dear Editor– Saturday 21st marked the end of 2020 by-election for Central Honiara and North East Guadalcanal.
It marked the end of a period that culminated in two months of intense campaigning.
In the heated battles, parties clung to strategies they calculated would woo the important component in the election process — the voters.
However, that panned out, campaigning reached unprecedented levels of attacks, some personal at times.
The attacks inched their way onto the various social media platforms, raising the profile of this particular election.
In the end though, before the writ for election was handed over by the officials of the Solomon Islands Electoral Commission to the Chairperson/CEO of our nation yesterday, the masses had spoken.
The Solomon Islands UNITED PARTY ( UP) got 3,670 votes when the final results were tallied.
SIPRA got 2,948 votes as the first runner-up whilst the rest of the votes were shared by all the independent running candidates.
A total of 11081 ballots were cast in all the Central Honiara Polling stations with a total of 21 votes were rejected ballots.
The 15,986 and 5000 were registered voters of both Central Honiara and North East Guadalcanal respectively.
It was good to note that the parliament will now have 3 women MPs in total with the new addition of Ethel Vokia as the new member of parliament for Northeast Guadalcanal Constituency, 1 now for UP in the Opposition which is “one plus one equals two”.
Congratulations certainly are in order for Mr. GOV & Mr. OPPO.
The challenge for you both Victors of North East Guadalcanal and Central Honiara constituencies would be to task for bringing together a community that has been split in this by- elections.
You are challenged to understand the needs of the 15,000 and 5000 voters, non-voters, the marginalized as well as those who did not vote for your political parties.
Hence, the Simple message is to give back what belongs to the people of Central Honiara and North East Guadalcanal Constituencies. For now, all battles must be put on the back burner for the good of your respective constituencies and this nation, and start serving as our nation’s legislators.
The challenge for individual voters is to cast aside differences and unite for a common goal, to move your constituencies and the nation forward.
The masses have spoken.
You all have given Messer’s ( GOV & OPPO) the mandate to govern for the next 3 years.
We must embrace that fact.
That is the beauty of democracy.
By John Preecely Murite
Concerned Citizen
