BY SYLVANA TEKUMAHA
The Solomon Islands Council of Trade Unions (SICTU) calls on the government to remove investors in the Mamara-Tasivarongo-Mavo development agreement.
SICTU said the project is a failure, and demands action to be taken to end a 40-year inequality against the people and to stand against the years they were taken advantage of.
The development was planned but there were no infrastructure or economic benefit under the investor, although the investor was given privileges, SICTU said in its statement on January 13.
“For 40 years, land has been taken away from our people because they were tricked to see it as development, while the investor enjoyed privileges without fulfilling its role. This era must come to an end,” SICTU said.
SICTU made these demands to the cabinet:
-The government must amend the Mamara—Tasivarongo—Mavo Development Agreement Act (Cap. 145), to remove [the investors] who took part in the project. SICTU believes they failed to fulfill their role in the act.
-The Foreign Investment Division (FID) needs to remove and cancel recommendations for the investors. No special treatment is acceptable.
-There needs to be transparency in auditing to know financial benefits gained by the investor since 1985. The nation must identify the expenses lost and identify the misuse of rights.
-Assessment must be done with the housing allocation by public officers. This is to prove who is eligible to live there, to ensure the property serves its purpose.
-SICTU stresses that the land must be given back to the province and host constituencies, to ensure development rights is given in a transparent process to investors who have proven that they are able to commit and develop national economic growth.
“The project is a governance failure; it is not a delayed project. Our laws cannot be twisted for privileges. The Cabinet now faces a test if they are committed to national interest over special ones. We call for action to recover this land and fulfil its promise to the people of Solomon Islands,” SICTU said.
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