DEAR EDITOR,
After 39 years since the Solomon Islands became a sovereign independent nation it was a sad day, and one of reflection for me and I gather for many more, both at home and abroad, when Manasseh Sogavare revealed during the recent Motion of No Confidence moved against him in Parliament that the 50 Members of Parliament (MPs) together received more than half a billion dollars a year and if that amount of money had been used wisely it should have benefitted the entire nation.
The full details of what the former MP revealed on that occasion is already well documented with the allegations raised against certain MPs smacking, prima-facie, of corruption and detrimental leadership.
The country has a new PM and a fresh team of Ministers and one must really hope that the emerging leadership style will accord to all the new servant-leaders a primary focus on the growth and well-being of the people and the communities which they were elected to represent.
In traditional forms of leadership, by those at the top, accumulation and exercise of power is generally paramount, but as a servant leader, which is what is expected of an MP, one shares power, puts the needs of others first and helps people develop and perform as highly as possible.
In the next 10 months there will be many waiting and watching to see if Solomon Islands politics will turn around.
Yours sincerely
Frank Short
