Malaita says it’s prepared to host national capital

Afetr three days of talks, executive members of Malaita Province and the Honiara City Council, produced a joint communique last Friday in Auki. The communique touched on a wide range of issues concerning the future development of Malaita.

Among them, the Malaita Provincial Government says it’s prepared to host the national capital of Solomon Islands. The joint communique also asked the national government to support the development endeavours of Malaita Province.

The joint communique was forwarded to the national government yesterday for consideration.
Below are the full resolutions:

a.The Solomon Islands Government is urged to equip the Malaita Provincial Government to continue to uphold the democratic principles of good governance and to take responsibility as the governing authority to plan for the economic, social, cultural and spiritual wellbeing of its people today and into the future.

b.In the matter of Conflict between Malaita Province and any other Province, all Stakeholders (Solomon Islands Government, Malaita Provincial Government and Honiara City Council) and parties involved must consult together with the view of finding a long term peaceful solution that will amend and reconcile our past differences. Any collective decision arrived at must be seen as taking precedence and representative of the views and wishes of the people represented.

c.The Solomon Islands Government, Malaita Provincial Government and Honiara City Council must immediately address the issue of unemployment in Malaita, with the view to establishing a task force to be financed by the Solomon Islands Government, to find ways to creating an environment that is conducive to private sector growth and job creation for the fast growing population of Malaita.

d.The Solomon Islands Government is urged to immediately put as top priority National Development projects, both the Auluta and Waisisi Palm Oil Projects, Bina Harbour and Suava Bay Projects. The Solomon Islands Government is further urged to look into other projects such as the Wairokai Seaport and the Leli Tourism Project.

e.That the Solomon Islands Government supports the move by Malaita Province to develop, protect and organise its labour and human resources.

f.That the Solomon Islands Government is urged to immediately facilitate and fund the development of:
i)the National Agricultural Training Institution into a National University
ii)Three (3) new Vocational training schools in Malaita from the 2008 national Budget. The vocational schools to commence providing training in 2009.
iii)The existing Rokera, Adaua and Aligegeo Secondary Schools on Malaita to be fully resourced and equipped, to provide quality higher Secondary education for Malaitans to avoid them seeking higher education elsewhere.

g.That the Solomon Islands Government adopts a model for dealing with customary land for development purposes as follows:
i)People/Landowners note and sort out their geneology;
ii)Tribes identify their Land Boundaries;
iii)Acquisition;
iv)Survey and Mapping of land;
iv)Registration of land;
v)Perpetual Estate title to be held by Land Trust Board; and
vii)Land Trust Board lease fixed term estate to investors for development.

h.The Solomon Islands government must immediately secure funding for the development on Malaita of roads and infrastructure with the view to further developing the regional towns of Malu’u in the North, Afio in the south, Faumamanu in the East, Auki in the Central region and Ontong Java in the Malaita Outer Islands.
The Solomon Islands Government is further urged to develop roads from Wairaha to Afio in the South, Atori to Sinaraggu in the East, Fouia to Manu road in the North East and other feeder roads approved by the Malaita Provincial Government.

i.The Solomon Islands Government is urged to provide a Surveyor and a Lands Officer to deal with land matters in Malaita Province regional towns.

j.The Solomon Islands Government is immediately urged to review the National formula for apportioning service grants to Malaita Province taking into account the need to increase the Service grant to improve services delivery to rural Malaita.

k.The Solomon Islands Government is urged to accept and fund the proposed public Service Scheme for Malaita Province to provide effective service delivery to rural Malaita.

i.That Malaita Province is ready to host the National Capital of Solomon Islands on its shores.

m.The proposed Malaita Peoples Bank be financially supported and recognised by the Solomon Islands Government as a way forward to financing Malaitan development and to encourage a culture of saving.

n.The Solomon Islands Government must put in place a policy to immediately deal with the threat of Sea Level rise and Population density and for the resettlement of Malaitans from the Ontong Java Atolls, Sikaiana, Kwai/Ngongosila, Ndai and other artificial islands in the province.

o.That the Solomon Islands Government and the Board of Directors and management of the Solomon Islands National Provident fund must recognise that Malaitan employees contribute the majority of NPF members therefore it is justified that Malaita Province benefit directly from NPF.

p.The Solomon Islands Government must facilitate Malaita Province’s request for the immediate acquisition of fishing boats and support the development of a Fisheries industry on Malaita with view to fish processing and export.

q.The Solomon Islands Government is urged to allocate a budget in the 2008 National Budget to help establish a task force to implement these resolutions.

Source:Solomonstar