BY JOHN HOUANIHAU
Member of Parliament for Temotu Vatud, Freda Tuki, said that the success or failure impacting people’s resources is dependent on the decisions made by the Government.
She expressed this viewpoint while discussing the government’s ‘below six feet’ mining policy, which was brought up by Opposition Leader Matthew Wale.
Mr Wale introduced the ‘below six feet’ mining policy during the recent hearing of the Bills & Legislation Committee (BLC), where representatives from the Ministry of Mines, Energy & Rural Electrification (MMERE) and the Legal Draftsperson were present.
Wale said that this legislation is an outdated and unbalanced monarch law that continues to disadvantage indigenous landowners, especially those residing in the Gold Ridge area.
Expressing her concerns, Ms Tuki said that it has become evident that landowners have consistently voiced concerns regarding their benefits from the resources they possess.
She emphasised that the Government, along with the responsible board, should establish specific and clear conditions under which benefits are to be shared, ensuring that all parties involved in resource extraction for economic purposes can gain.
“The resources are owned by the state, but the land on which these resources are located belongs to the landowners. Currently, we are aware that the landowners are unhappy,” she said.
She said that there is a necessity to either amend existing laws or to consider and provide conditions that the government or the board should deliberate upon.
“Instead of stating that it is dictated by colonial law, it is we, the Government, who have the authority to amend the laws for the improvement of our people. This means changing the law to acknowledge our landowners due to the resources found on their lands,” Tuki said.
“For instance, in the logging sector, the government receives 25%, while landowners receive only 10%, which is not reasonable,” she added.
She said Solomon Islanders are the rightful owners of the resources, and there exists a need to modify these colonial laws to better align with the needs of Solomon Islanders.
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