TODAY Thursday 2 May 2024 will see the 50 Parliamentarians who were chosen during the National General Election of the first ever Joint Election on April 17 convene at the National Parliament Chamber to elect the country’s new Prime Minister.
The two Prime Minister Candidates are Matthew Cooper Wale, the re-elected Member of Parliament for Aoke-Langalanga Constituency in Malaita Province and Jeremiah Manele, the re-elected Member of Parliament for Kia-Hograno-Havulei Constituency in Isabel Province.
Wale is the candidate of the Coalition for Accountability, Reform and Empowerment (CARE), Solomon Islands United Party and Solomon Islands Party for Rural Advancement. Manele is the candidate of the Government for National Unity and Transformation (GNUT) coalition which comprises the Ownership, Unity, Responsibility (OUR) Party, Solomon Islands People’s First Party (SIPFP), Kadere Party and a group of Independent Candidates.
Both men are capable of serving as Prime Minister. There is no iota of doubt about this!
What is concerning are the rumours of a potential riot should the outcome of the Prime Minister’s Election be in favour of the GNUT candidate Mr Manele.
This is deplorable as it does not speak well of Solomon Islands as a democratic and Christian nation. Whoever is the new Prime Minister will be the Prime Minister for all Solomon Islanders. He is duty-bound to serve all citizens of the country fairly and well.
It is important for each and every Solomon Islander to understand that the voters of the country have already done their part in electing their respective parliamentary representative on the Election Day and the Prime Minister’s Election is the time when the 50 Parliamentarians whom we have voted will convene to elect a new Prime Minister to lead the next government till the next National General Election in 2028.
Hence whatever the outcome of today’s Prime Minister’s Election must be respected by every citizen of Solomon Islands. Let us not engage in riotous activities that will only destroy our capital Honiara and adversely impact on our precarious economy.
Whoever is our new Prime Minister, let us welcome him and his government and give them the support they need to steer the country forward. Should there be any allegations of corrupt practices by any elected government leader and our other Parliamentarians, there are right channels to take up these allegations through so they can be held accountable for actions.
Whoever is the new Prime Minister must also ensure that he and his government listen attentively to needs of citizens and work aggressively to implement all the good policies they preached during their campaigns.
The prosperity of Solomon Islands lies in the hands of its leaders and citizens and national unity must be embraced in our nation-building efforts.
May God bless Solomon Islands from shore to shore!
