BY BEN BILUA
Gizo
THERE are some points in life that prejudice can lead to a sweeter outcome.
This is the story of Santos Krobe Siota, 38 years old from Isabel Province who has been accepted by Brisbane based company Kalmar Pacific Industrial Limited as Product Reliability Manager.
But what leads us to this is an interesting story.
Siota had been employed by the Solomon Islands Ports Authority from 2011 to 2020. He has been awarded four different positions in his career path until mid-2020, when he was suspended by SIPA for what he described as an effort to shut down his advocacy for good governance.
According to Siota, he has been very vocal on ethics and principles of governance in any growing organization – a mission he envisioned as trying to help SIPA grow to further heights.
“I was suspended for 11 months from SIPA on Nov 2020 to Oct 2021 for being vocal and straight forward doing the right thing.
“On 08/10/21 I was forced by SIPA Management to Resign or be terminated.
“Seeing that I don’t have other options I resigned and got some of my benefits and left. Forced out of SIPA residence in Tandai within a week,” he told Island Sun.
Siota recalled that the situation was the most stressful in his lifetime not because he has no option to work again but to help his family during the brunt of COVID-19.
But on 9th October 2021, his shattered world blossomed into what he described as a miracle.
“I checked my email and I received nine International Job Offers: 3 in Brisbane, 3 in NZ, 1 in Kuala Lumpur, 1 in Hanoi Vietnam, 1 in Dubai and another one in Texas USA.
“I couldn’t believe this at first but when I flipped them thru all of them were Job Offers ready to be signed off.
“All of them were the best package I’ve ever seen and was just thought of picking up the Texas one or the Dubai one.
“However, thinking of parents whom are still alive, I chose one of the Offer from Brisbane as it’s close to them as well as it has a clause that I will have 2 x vacations within a year meaning I go for 7 weeks leave after serving 6months.
“This clause triggered me to pick this Brisbane Firm. If it wasn’t for my parents I’d rather get lost in Texas or Dubai,” Siota joked.
“It’s a long story and I called it a “Miraculous Job,” he added.
Siota said the turnaround is sweeter compared to the efforts he was trying do for the good of SIPA as an employee.
He believes honestly and always staying in the good side of law though being discriminated comes as a blessing.
“I thank God and I owe Him a lot for this miraculous job which is kind of rare,” Siota said.
Siota willingly and consented to sharing his story because he wants to encourage youths to always do the right thing.
“Just want share this story to you to be used to bring hope to our Youths. Despite whatsoever circumstances we may face, there is hope, and that hope only comes when we continue to do good things and be in the right side of our laws.
“We are living in a Christian country and serving a living God so blessing can be given to anyone who respects God’s law so as our country’s law,” Siota said.
Siota’s education history started back in 1990 to 1996 at Kmaga Primary School. His effort paid off and he secured a placement at Selwyn College National Secondary School in 1997 from form one to six in 2003. Siota then went to do his foundation at King George Six (form 7) in 2004. Juggling through challenges he was awarded with a scholarship at Papua New Guinea National University of Technology. Five years later, he graduated with Bachelor of Engineering in Civil Engineering (B.CEng) in 2010.
