By EDDIE OSIFELO
The recently signed security agreement with China is not about defending our ‘sovereignty’, but weakening it.
That’s according to East Are’Are MP Peter Kenilorea Junior. He was speaking in parliament yesterday.
A leaked draft of the agreement indicates Beijing can deploy forces to “protect the safety of Chinese personnel and major projects in Solomon Islands”.
Kenilorea said the sovereignty means we look after our own security.
“We know that Chinatown is a big target every time of a political issues.
“We need to build a big police station there, put our policeman there, that’s the sovereign actions we can take,” he said.
“Train our police, recruit more, that is sovereignty at work.
“Not signing agreement with other people, allowing them to come here with arms.
“That is not sovereignty, that is weakening our sovereignty,” he added.
“What is wrong with the MOUs with the ministries to allow capacity building and trainings?
“I don’t see such an open-ended agreement benefiting the Solomon Islands.
“Not at all, all it does as far as I’m aware we are poking a super power who are awaken,” he added.
“I am hearing people we are doing this for leverage.
“You don’t run a country’s cordial relationship by leveraging each other. If this is the policy of the government, please get rid of it,” he said.
Kenilorea gave an example of the arrest of American fishing vessel, Janette Dian fishing illegally on Solomon Islands Exclusive Economic Zone as defending the sovereignty.
Parliament has been adjourned to 9.30am Monday 18th July 2022.
