Proposed prospecting in wards 12 & 13 in east Makira

DEAR EDITOR, please allow me a space in your column to express the Wainoni Solidarity movements group’s view with regards to the proposed prospecting.

It was very sad and annoying to learn that a foreign company “SOLFISH” was recently granted a prospecting licence to carry out its destructive development in the two wards stated above.

The move behind this company was initiated by certain selfish leaders in the constituency who claimed to have visionary plans to develop and raise the standard of our living.

From the information obtained from a close friend and a senior officer from the company had disclosed the names of the individuals who were directly involved in this secret move.

In our humble view these people will never ever satisfied and succeed in their lives.

Honestly speaking, this was a great concern to us the real original land owners.

Bypassing the Kahua Association is a great concern because the Kahua people believed that this is the only Association mandated and registered to advocate for conservation and the livelihood of the present and future generation.

In addition to these concerns, awareness was carried out in West and East Wainoni respectively by the most illiterate persons whom I know, do not even know what a primary school is.

I was a keen listener in one of their presentations and it was sad to learn that they had promised huge payments totalling up to millions of dollars to the land owning tribes.

The simple question I would like to pause is: Aren’t you out of context of awareness? What we were expecting to hear was the environmental impacts that prospecting will bring in our environment.

We thought that the Ministry of Environment and Conservation or the NGO’s have the qualified manpower to carry out the work you were bribed to do on behalf of this destructive company.

The approaches taken by the selfish individuals who had spearheaded this prospecting disastrous development only show how greedy they are by trying to get rich out of the resources owned by the people whom they labelled in the social media as living below the poverty line.

For transparency purposes, this group of concerned individuals will send a copy of the names of those middle man behind the prospecting development to the print media to show our nation who they are and how played by our once respected leaders has reminded me of the phrase I quote “Do not enjoy the privilege at the expense of others.”

To the self-appointed land trustees who put down your signatures in support of prospecting should be ashamed of your act because of the fact that signing of the prospecting agreement in your view is the only easiest way you can get $800 once in your life time to relief the burden bared by our MP’s who have been pestered over the years to meet your children’s fees.

You also seen as an opportunity to get money to feed your hungry children.

While appreciating and respecting your decisions to sign the agreement for the prospecting of the land owned by all ancestors, I would like to caution you that the money you are going to get from prospecting is a curse that you and your immediate families will reap its fruits.

Believe me not, wait and see.

I would also like to pause these simple questions to help us know where we are heading.

1)              Do you think the piece of land signed to be prospected is rightly owned by yourself?

2)              Is the amount of $800 you get in return for your signature can sustain the present and future generations?

3)              Do you think you will become a millionaire?

4)              Are you running out of God’s wisdom and knowledge to make right decisions?

5)              Are you tired of living in a clean beautiful environment?

If you have more than one (NO) to the above questions then reconsider your position on this destructive development or other alternative approach you could take is to book a psychiatric doctor for proper assessment.

To conclude, the Wainoni solidarity movement wished to condemn to the strongest term the negotiators, the supporters and the followers of this destructive development.

Thank you very much.

Lawrence Wai

Concern Man

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