West Kwaio MP says successive govt’s failed to address root causes of crisis

MEMBER of Parliament for West Kwaio Hon Claudius Tei’ifi says successive governments to date has not addressed the root cause of the ethnic tension that led to the bona fide demands of the Guadalcanal people.

Speaking during the TRC Report Debate in Parliament recently, the West Kwaio MP said the issue of migration of people especially from Malaita and occupation of land in Guadalcanal must also be addressed.

Hon Tei’ifi said in the last twenty years, there have not been any tangible plan and development for people of Malaita to remain in their villages and earn money.

He said this is because development is centralised in Honiara.

“Squatters occupied by Malaitans around Honiara, into Guadalcanal Province have increased tremendously than ever before the tension. New settlements by Malaitans from LDA Mamara in the West to Red Beach in the East have increased,” he said.

The West Kwaio MP said we cannot point fingers and blame the people because it reflects successive government’s inability to address matters that are important to peoples livelihood to retain them back in their villages.

“The pull and push factors that affects people to migrate is still not addressed. The uneven distribution of development by the government has been one of the main causes of the crisis,” he said.

The Opposition MP said for the past twenty years after the dreadful event of the ethnic tension, we have not seen any major development-taking place in Malaita for Malaita people.

He said road infrastructures in Malaita are still in ruins, we still use broken wooden bridges, and some major ports are still without proper wharves.

Hon Tei’ifi said if land disputes are the major cause of concern for some prime sites for development in Malaita, the government should at least look at developing our key infrastructures.

“I believe if successive government’s were serious, Malaita Province having one of largest road network in the country should have its main roads north to south, and central to east fully tar sealed, bridges and wharves constructed by now,” he said.

The West Kwaio MP said this itself will encourage and create an enabling environment for Malaita themselves to engage in socio-economic activities that will contribute immensely to improvement of their social and economic wellbeing.

“I believe Malaitans are ready. The government just need to change its approach and strategies. Acquisition of land for large scale development is not easy and always spark with disputes everywhere because of the mindset and perception that government always have millions to engage in these undertakings. When individuals or families are engage in their own small scale development, disputes are always almost zero,” he said.

The Opposition MP has urged the government to rethink its approach and re-evaluate its reform policies.

ENDS//