BY SAMIE WAIKORI

THE Royal Solomon Island Police Force recently witnessed the promotion of 27 officers within the force.

The 27 officers include 4 female and 23 males who had promoted to the ranks of sergeants and senior sergeants in the police force.

Deputy Police Commissioner, Ms Juniter Matanga told media yesterday that for the females, two were promoted for senior sergeants and two for sergeants.

She said for male officers, 10 were promoted from senior sergeants and 13 for sergeants.

Ms Matanga congratulated the officers for their newly promoted positions and she’s looking forward to work with them.

As you all know it’s our wish to fill all the position in the police force and we would like to see more NCOs throughout the country to implement the work police proposed for the year,” she said.

Ms Matanga explained that being promoted to the rank of sergeant they are the frontline leaders within the police force.

Adding that they are the ones will lead the teams out in the frontline duties.

She said the rank is the first step any officers can take in the leading role within the police.

“So with the nature of their work they are very critical to the work of the police, as the most senior ones depend on them for the work within the force,” Deputy Commissioner said.

BY SAMIE WAIKORI

THE Deputy Police Commissioner has called on the citizen of the county not to take laws into their own when ever confronted with any situation.

Ms Juniter Matanga made the call following the illegal strike staged by buses last week in response to reform HCC is currently imposing on buses providing public transport in the city.

In a conference yesterday she emphasised the importance of abiding to the law of the county.

Ms Matanga said the incident last week was only done by buses, but it’s a lesson other organization in the country to learn from it.

She stressed that for everyone to change their mindset and behaviours toward every situation they got-up with is very important by upholding the law at all time.

Ms Matanga said according to the law there were processes available for people or organizations to show their disappointment if consulted with rightful authority.

“And I want to encourage everyone that when they not happy with anything, don’t just go out on the road and demonstrate your frustrations.

“Because when there is no law and order it shows our society is in chaos and we don’t also have standard rule that governed the way we live and operate,” she said.

Deputy Commissioner urged the good citizen of the country to abide to the law at all time ensure the country is governed by law.

She reiterated that required criteria were there and it’s very important when people face with any situation that was not in their interest, consult the law so that they can do things lawfully.

Adding that things must also done officially, means when there is an organization is there let the organization deal with the matter and not individuals to take their own way.

BY LORETTA BRIGIDIA MANELE

A concerned citizen applauds Kitano and World Kaihatsu Kogyo Co Ltd Joint Venture for the progress they have made so far in improving the capital’s main road from the new Mataniko bridge right up to Kukum road.

A Mr Tony Iroga of Malaita Province voices that they are doing a great job compared to companies who have been contracted for the same initiative in the past.

He adds that from how sees it in the context of work and duration, they are working at reasonable speed.

In addition, Iroga mentioned that even the public appreciates and can see for themselves how solid and appealing our road and bridge has come into form.

He furthers that should the government have any future plans pertaining to improvement on our roads, the same construction venture should be contracted.

Iroga emphasises the above by noting that given the experience they have already compassed having worked in the country it is likely they will be able to do so for a second time around.

“It wouldn’t be a problem for them because they have already worked in the country and will be able to adapt if they come to work on our roads again in the future,” he said.

BY BEN BILUA

POTHOLES have been seen on the recently improved road leading eastward to the Honiara City Council.

Two potholes are visible, one close to the Honiara City Council westward road and the other close to Victory Enterprise opposite the Honiara Central Market.

These potholes have been expanding over the past weeks demonstrating the urgent need to fix them before they grow any bigger.

When contacted yesterday, Acting Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Infrastructure Development Mr Jimmy Nuake the section where the two potholes were seen are not new pavement but rather old ones.

He explained that the section from HCC to Mission Place is vulnerable to damages such as potholes as the pavement is old.

“This section is not a new pavement.

“The only new pavements are the bus bay,” Nuake said.

He said the Ministry is currently procuring contractors to maintain the road section concerned as soon as possible.

Nuake said selection and appointment of the new contractor will be made in the next two weeks.

“Contractors to maintain this section of the road including the sealed road are now being procured.

“We hope to get contractors to begin maintenance fairly soon,” he said.

In the meantime, Nuake said MID will try and get a temporary fix to the road.

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By Mike Puia

A local business woman has urged the government to help rural copra farmers who have difficulty bringing their copra bags to Honiara for sell.

Diana Koelau, Managing Director of Jamcop – a local company that buys and exports copra to the Philippines, made this appeal in light of ships’ high freighting cost.

Jamcop, which is owned by Diana and her husband Walter, buys copra from producers at Pt Cruz wharves and store them in their shed awaiting export to the Philippines, either by arranged or chartered ship.

Diana said they want the government to help copra farmers by way of supporting the freighting costs they (farmers) foot every time.

“I am always in awe of the hard work and dedication each family has in making sure the coconut is collected, properly dried, carefully stored and ready to be shipped to Honiara to sell,” Diana said.

She said women are ones who suffer the most.

“I have seen firsthand the struggles faced by our rural women,” Diana said.

She said very often she hears complaints from women on the high cost of ship freight.

“One way the government can interfere and help is to subsidize the cost farmers paid to ships,” Diana said.

PROMINENT Honiara businessman and the President of the United Democratic Party (UDP) Sir Thomas Chan is calling on the national government to look into new ways Solomon Islands can develop its resources to grow the economy.

Speaking in an exclusive interview, he said national government must work together with development partners to bring into the country genuine investors to establish manufacturing industries.

“We need development partners to find overseas markets for us to manufacture and export our local produce because we have the best pineapple, banana, taro, we have everything we can produce to boost SI economy,” Chan adds.

“We are blessed with abundant of sea and land resources, we sit on a gold mine but we don’t know how to develop and look after it.

“Logging is depleting and the government need to look into other revenue earner for the country such as the agriculture sector, fishery and tourism.

“SI has good climate for agriculture compare to overseas countries that have different seasons of planting crops, in SI we have dry and wet season and we can produce so much and we need to learn from our development partners.

“We should blame ourselves of not willing to utilise our resources, therefore we need development partners to train us with knowledge and skills.

“Development partners are keen to help us but government need to open up land to attract them to come and establish economic developments here,” he said.

The current and future government need political will to pass the propose land reform.

“Having tough laws on land will draw investors to venture into big economic developments such as fish farming, prawn farming and cattle farming, this can happen if government leaders work together.

“I call on development partners to assist us, because they dubbed us, as aid dependency.

“However, we have proved them; that we have abundant of resources to stop dependent mentality.”

Over the years, SI was assisting in the natural disasters in mainland China, Taiwan, cyclone in Fiji and bush fire in Melbourne that totalled to millions of dollars.

Various business houses, international organisations, individuals and the national government send relief supplies to Western and Choiseul provinces after the deadly tsunami in 2007.

Consignment of goods sent to the tsunami victims in western province were comprised of food items and tools from Chinese shops in Honiara.

“This funds from Solomon Islanders, it shows we have heart and we can do something for our people,” he added.

“When the Diamond Jubilee SI raise SBD$1.5million, we sent it to Commonwealth through Queen Elizabeth, then Burking Ham palace rank us sixth out of 54 Commonwealth countries.

“Only sixth countries they give us rank for young leadership, avoidable blindness, so we are one of the best three in the pacific, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Samoa.

“Why they give us this because our country is small and we give so much to the Commonwealth, it shows that we can do it.

“Furthermore, when the tsunami hit the South East Asia we raise SBD$370,000, the sum of money was utilised to rebuild schools at Sri Lanka.

“I am optimistic to see this country become a model in the pacific and one of the richest in the world too.

“Solomon Islanders must take ownership of their resources because we must not allow others exploitation of our resources and left us with nothing.”

By ELLIOT DAWEA

FREELANCE JOURNALIST