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Transparency Solomon Islands (TSI) is not only appalled but very concern with announcement by the Secretary to Prime Minister Dr. Jimmy Rogers with the plan to bring Chinese officials to Solomon Islands via a direct flight from China to Honiara.
The intended flight was announced by Secretary to Prime Minister’s Office Mr. Jimmy Rodgers who earlier revealed that the flight from China to Honiara will bring in officials to work on the preparation for the 2023 South Pacific Games (SPG). It is not justifiable to risk the free COVID 19 status of Solomon Islands for a game that is going to last for a couple of weeks.
It is really irresponsible of Dr. Rodgers not to have any diplomacy at all to our longtime diplomatic friends and those closest to us who were and continue to be the first responders for any major disasters that Solomon Islands has gone through when he further stated that China is not a covid-19 threat country like Australia and New Zealand. For someone who has enjoyed and benefited from foreign assistance from these countries whilst in Solomon Islands and heading the South Pacific Commission for many years, he either suffers from memory loss, has a bone to pick, hidden agenda or is a mouth piece of someone else. But this is unacceptable as far as people of Solomon Islands are concerned.
Furthermore, an article published this week quoted in a talk back show on Sunday Permanent Secretary (PS) to Ministry of Foreign Affairs Mr. Collin Beck confirmed the direct flight from Honiara to China is set for 29th August. Have we gone crazy over our newfound friend or is Solomon Islands now a satellite city of the Communist Party of China?
Beck added that more than 50 nationals are still stuck in China and are trying to return home, so we have an obligation to bring them back. Since Dr Rogers [Secretary to Prime Minister] has publicly declared China to be not a Covid threat country, these Solomon Islanders who are residing in the country of origin of coronavirus care needs to be taken for the protection of the majority of Solomon Islands. Or is it the case that China wants these 50 nationals out of China. If this is the case through our many diplomatic relations and WHO options should be explored than flying directly to China.
The published on the Solomon Star issue on Monday 27th July also stated that apart from nationals, the charter service will also bring over a number of technical officials from China to Honiara to help with the important national projects. As much as Dr. Jimmy Rogers want us to believe the flight is for Solomon Islanders stranded in China, no one is convinced.
Transparency Solomon Islands believes as do others that the intended flight is merely using Solomon Islands citizens stranded in China as an excuse to bring in Chinese engineers, and other personnel to work on sport grounds earmarked for the 2023 SPG. This is nothing unusual with Infrastructure Projects that China Communist Party funds where not much employment is provided to citizens in the countries they work in as they bring their own people. Is this what we want in Solomon Islands when we switched relations or are, we are expecting these huge infrastructure projects to provide employment for both our educated and uneducated. If we must have them why not look at other options than flying directly to China. In any case it is not good enough to put people’s lives at risk, for one COVID 19 case positive will result in no games at all. Instead we should now be building Health Infrastructures if we are hoping to host the games whilst there is no treatment by 2023. Which athletic people or country would come to a country where the health and medical services have been neglected for years and in a very delipidated situation? So, show some strategic people centered thinking and consideration for people whose entrusted power you are exercising.
Transparency Solomon Islands also asks the government to publicly publish the names of the stranded Solomon Islanders. This is important to ensure that those we bring back are not persons who are Chinese with a home in China carrying Solomon Islands passports. These group of people pose the biggest threat including the engineers because in China they disappear into the community mingle around and not like students who are restricted in their movements. These are real risks and before bringing them back a different process, requirement be put on them. Until such time as the government make public and gazette under SOE those to be brought back from China for transparency and accountability, TSI in the absence of this information believes that most citizens claimed to be stranded in China were of Chinese origin carrying Solomon Islands passports. There is nothing wrong with that, but they pose the biggest threat to our COVID 19 free status.
TSI is very much concern about this planned flight since the decision by the government seem not to prioritize the security and health of Solomon Islanders, at a time when the pandemic kills millions of people across the globe, despite their state of the art health and medical facilities like USA.
TSI therefore, calls on those responsible to publish a list of those who will be boarding the flight from China to Honiara with detail information about their citizenship status and occupation.
Many are already worried and very suspicious that those who will board the flights from China to Honiara are majority Chinese nationals, with Solomon Islands naturalized citizens of Chinese origin. They are justified in thinking that when there is no transparency at all. These people have been living among the crowd in China, where they might have been infected with covid-19 could spread the virus if allowed to travel on the direct China-Honiara flight.
It is obvious that the move to repatriate stranded Solomon Islanders studying in China is a cover up to bring in some Chinese on a direct flight from China and a move to calm down strong objections by the public on the planned China-Honiara flight.
If government is concern about citizens then talk with Chinese government, our other diplomatic friends and find others options to bring home our stranded citizens in China or bring them when it is safe for them to travel to this covid-19-free country, whilst asking the Chinese Government to look after them a little bit longer. It is safer there for them to remain in China than bringing in them now, because it will put the nation at high risk of any possible outbreak if we allow the direct flight from the birth country of the virus into Solomon Islands. TSI knows that those who have relatives there would like them home, but they should also be made aware of the risks to them their immediate and extended families and people at large. More planning and innovative thinking is needed. The SP Games is not a good enough excuse.
Prime Minister (PM) must exercise with responsibility the entrusted power people gave him under this State of Public Emergency (SoPE). A direct flight to bring in people from China to Honiara would be seen as a negligence of his responsibility under this SoPE or a gross abuse of emergency powers entrusted on him.
If Peterson Boso was arrested for spreading rumors about the covid-19 and Dr. Claude Posala was terminated from his job for posting covid-19 related issues then why this direct flight from China is allowed. This is the action that poses more risks on the lives of people than the Facebook posts.
PM Manasseh Sogavare in his key remarks when addressing the nation during his weekly covid-19 address says any confirm positive case of corona virus entering the country could be catastrophic for the nation.
He went on to describe the current rate of infection and death related to covid-19 around the globe as frightening. Also, Dr. Jimmy Rodgers Secretary to Prime Minister says at the weekly talk back show on Sunday that the increasing number of infections and deaths related to the current health pandemic is very worrying.
These well-meaning assurances is now completely contradicted by Dr. Rodgers statement on this direct flight and by Prime Minister if he allows such a flight to happen. It is confusing as to who is the person in authority the Prime Minister, or Dr. Jimmy Rogers, for Dr. Rogers seem to be doing things contrary to what the Prime Minister assures the country. This direct flight to bring in people from China to Honiara is one such incidence. The Prime Minister says he will protect the COVID 19 free status of Solomon Islands and here is his SPM announcing direct flight to China.
Their decision for a direct flight from China to Honiara is a slap on the face of those hardworking authorities who continue to monitor and provide securities at the international borders. Their decision to allow a direct flight from China to Honiara only shows that our leaders are serving their foreign masters without exercising the sovereign rights of this country to protects its citizens.
PM has the role and responsibility under SOPE to protect citizens but if he allows the direct flight from China to Honiara then that is an abuse of the entrusted power given to him under this state of emergency.
Furthermore, the much talk-about preparation for SPG 2023 is not as important as the safety and health of citizens from being infected with the virus.
There were international sporting events being cancelled due to covid-19 because health of citizens of those hosting countries is the priority of their leaders, who made decisions to protect their people.
Why the leaders of the Democratic Coalition Government for Advancement (DCGA) prioritize SPG 2023 prioritize that than the health of Solomon Islands citizens? It is better to be safe than hosting a sport event that will result in thousands of people got infected and die.
Government should not be put under pressured to prepare for the games at a time when the pandemic is the worst global crisis ever in history. The SPG 2023 can always be moved to a later date due to the impact of the virus to our preparation. Why the hurry to import coronavirus direct from China in the name of SPG 2023.
The current DCGA regime should focus and prioritize the safety of citizens by tightening up border securities and disallowing movements to and from infected countries. But by the looks of their actions and decisions taken, it only reflects total negligence and ignorance on the part of the executive government to counter risks and high prevalence of covid-19 to enter Solomon Islands. For the next four months we will be subjected to SOE. The Oversight Committee will rule in which Dr Jimmy Rogers sit but from where are they catered for legally. For now, they are an illegal committee not covered by SOPE, and should not have any powers at all. Only the Prime Minister and those in the Emergency Powers Regulation have the power and he is doing okay but those below his rank need to be investigated in their handling of the COVID 19 Responses.
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What you think?
