BY SAMIE WAIKORI
AUKI
PREMIER of Malaita province Daniel Suidani has reiterated his stand that logging is not in the interest of Malaita âat this point in timeâ.
In an interview with the paper over the weekend he said the logging industry goes against the policies which guidelines his Malaita Alliance for Rural Advancement (MARA) governmentâs ruling of the province.
âThe MARA government discourages logging industry due to the fact that the industry only came with destructive issues.
âPolluted water, damaged environment, created tribal arguments over lands and lots more matters.
âSo we see it as a kind of development Malaita province doesnât need to be in the province at this point of time,â said Suidani.
He said MARA government encourages people to pursue sustainable harvesting of resources.
Suidani said Malaita province is planning to assist landowners on the idea through the provinceâs business arm the âMalaita Chazon Associationâ.
âWe are now behind the business arm and as long as it comes back we will let people how we can work together on it.
âThis is maybe by providing machineries for people to carry out sustainable harvesting of resources that will be for their greater benefits.
âSo it is the plan of MARA government to do away with logging industries in the province,â he said.
Suidani said by doing that they are restoring the natural resources in the province that were damaged by logging industry and other activities.
âThe objective of MARA governmentâs policy dwelled on restorative economy. And by looking at it, we cannot restore or sustain our economy while logging is still there.
âItâs contradicted to the policy when logging continues to take away logs in the province, and we try to restore resources in the province,â he said.
Suidani said one of their plans in a way to restore the economy is to encourage replanting of trees in the province.
He said under this restorative economy, the plan is not only on logging sector along, but also on marine resources, cultures and traditions and etcâ¦
âItâs common everywhere in the province that our young peopleâs attitudes towards our cultures, norms and tradition are going astray.
âSo many things in the province at the moment are ruin and went out of hand with/without control of us resource owners.
âMARAâs policy encourages restoring the provinceâs resources, heritage, culture and everything by protecting them,â Suidani said.