Bart Ulufa'alu wants Solomon Islands to be arms free

A former Solomon Islands Prime Minister and recently ousted Finance Minister in the Sogavare led regime, Bartholomew Ulufa'alu, says government Members of Parliament voted blindly to defeat the motion opposing the re-arming of the police force.

Mr Ulufa'alu says if the MPs had followed their conscience and voted on the actual issue, they would not have supported the government. Mr Ulufa'alu who was Prime Minister in 2000, was ousted by the police and Malaitan militants in a coup on June 5th after seizing control of the government armoury. He says the memory of being held at gun-point is still fresh in his mind.

"I voted in support of the motion opposing police rearmament because the memories of what happened are too fresh in my mind and therefore rearmament of police was not supported by me.

"I didn't have the opportunity to speak but had I spoken I would have stated that the rearmament plan is too earlier at this stage to be considered. In fact I am in support of the arm free Solomons. Solomon Islands should be arms free," said Mr Ulufa'alu.

Ulufa'alu also stated that rearmament of the Solomon Islands Police is not the problem, but it is the time factor that is the problem. He adds reconciliation processes are still continuing at this stage, and unless reconciliation is completed rearmament should never be considered. It can only be proposed when peace is fully restored.

Mr Ulufa'alu further confirms that other senior party leaders who oppose the rearmament plan include Job Duddley Tausinga and Francis Billy Hilly.

Source: Pacific Beat