BY MORRIS NAFU
A concerned citizen is calling on Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele to ratify the rights of indigenous people in Solomon Islands.
Rocky Tisah from East Kwara’ae, a member of the Solomon Islands Indigenous Human Rights Advocate Association raised this during an interview with the paper yesterday.
Initially, he said he appreciates PM Manele for recognising rights of indigenous people of Solomon Islands referring to the recent KPL partnership milestone in Kolombangara, with landowners now officially owning 20 percent shares of the company.
Tisah went on to say that they would like the PM to ratify the rights of indigenous people in Solomon Islands.
Moreover, he said when it comes to ownership of a company, the investor and resources owners should own the company in the shareholding percentage while the government should only collect tax.
“If we apply this one, it will allow the country to participate and take ownership of resources,” said Tisah.
Solomon Islands has not yet ratified the “UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) or the ILO Convention 169” yet.
These are two international frameworks to protect the rights of indigenous peoples and emphasises self-determination, cultural integrity, and participation in decision-making.
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