VURA Ward within the Honiara City will be conducting a survey in its communities to gather information as to why residents are vulnerable to riots and looting following two unfortunate incidents in the past.
Councillor for Vura Ward, Reginald Ngati said the survey is important, as it will be used to create defence mechanisms to help authorities avoid any future riot and looting incidents in the future.
He stated that if one cares to follow the sequence of the 2006 and November 2021 riots, the latest one is quite massive and this is because authorities have failed to prepare ahead.
Cr Ngati said the survey will also be used to ask residents about their views on how responsible authorities should act in defending Honiara City, when riots or looting incidents arise in the future.
“As a community leader, I feel that we should go down to the communities around Honiara City, collect information put together a document to assist us.
“In the case of the proposed survey, we would like to identify first instance approaches to help deal with future incidents that might lead to rioting and looting,” he said.
He also made reference to the recent riots that information and gossips of the protest and riots have already been circulating three to four months before the actual incident happened.
“What I am trying to say is that, if Honiara City have had these defence mechanisms in place, the riot and looting could have been avoided in its early stages,” Mr Ngati added.
This would be through assistance from government authorities and communities around Honiara.
“We have a lot of components in our communities that we can use in this set up, such as churches, pastors, community leaders, chiefs, youth leaders, women leaders, business owners, and educated people.
“These are components that we can use in the first instances if any matters involving riot and looting pops up,” Cr Ngati stated.
By doing a general survey in seeking thoughts from people as to why these things have happened and why people in the city are involving in it is important, he said.
Besides that, the Councillor said rumours that mentioned only one ethnic group was heavily involved in the recent riot and looting is quite unfriendly to him.
Therefore, he thinks that doing a survey on the events is important because the blame might be on one ethic grouping but there are also other ethnic groups that are involved.
The Vura Ward Councillor stated that he will be calling on City Mayor, Eddie Siapu to see if the proposed survey can be included in the HCC’s 2022 budget.
“…so that all the 12 Wards in Honiara City will be engaged in this survey by January 2022 and come up with a document.”
He said he is also concerned that the HCC was called for a dialogue after the recent riot to maintain peace in the city ahead of the Motion of No Confidence against the Prime Minister – a call that should have been made prior to the destruction of the city.
“This is what I see as a first instance approach, if the HCC was requested prior to incident.
“I therefore insisted that this survey must happen,” the Councillor stated.
Meanwhile, Cr Ngati also calls on the national government through the Ministry of Home Affairs to support the Honiara City Council (HCC) in this kind of idea.
“At the same time, I would also like to call on the government line ministries that are aligned with communities around Solomon Islands that if they want to make things to support us become effective, they must involve in this.
“I want these government ministries to be serious with this set up and their budgets must seriously consider this idea,” he added.
Ngati believes that this idea is a way forward for the country and again urges everyone that we must not rule out future riots and destructions, as this has already become a norm in every societies worldwide.
“It is important for us to be ready and prepare for what is coming up ahead of us. That said, it is important that this Ward survey must proceed come January 2022.”
According to Mr Ngati, a team within his Ward Advisory Committee are now working on the sets of questions for the survey.
