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    RAMSI Should Stay

    Some politicians in the Solomons want to get rid of RAMSI . That’s no suprise according to Bp Terry (who hosted a small group of us visiting last year), he writes :

    For example, the ex-MEF militants, hiding in the North Malaita bush, and Edmond Sae, hiding somewhere in the Central Malaita bush, both say that they will surrender only when the Prime Minister is arrested, as what they did was either under his command or no worse than anything he did himself.

    But the demands to bring charges against the Prime Minister put RAMSI in a difficult position, as to arrest him would be to almost bring about a coup and RAMSI needs political stability.
    So RAMSI can get only closer and closer and hope that the political processes (votes of no confidence, national elections) take their course.
    Naturally some in the Cabinet will try to convince Parliament to “call off RAMSI”.

    Last week I posted an article by Terry about RAMSI’s lack of attention to the provincial areas. He mentions this again:

    And if the national government wants to avoid the breakup of the country, de-centralise out of Honiara.
    Why another USP Campus in Honiara? Why not Auki or Gizo? Why more courtrooms in Honiara when there is still no Magistrate in Auki or Malu’u?
    Why no SICHE campus in Auki or Gizo or Kira Kira or Buala? Why almost no postal services to provincial capitals? Why such poor telecommunications and transportation links to provincial capitals?
    Alas, in many ways, RAMSI itself has succumbed to this same form of centralisation – hence the poor quality of policing and lack of infrastructure development in the provinces.

    Though he says he’s had a good response to his article with many visits from RAMSI and government representatives coming to Auki last week. (I hope they travelled over on the Sa’alia – a trip on that boat brings home the need for support in the provinces – it is a floating hell hole and the only affordable way for locals traveling between Auki and Honiara since the airstrip has been closed in a land dispute last year).

    Related Posts:  »RAMSI official dismisses criticism »Honiara »Auki Update

    Posted: February 2nd, 2005 under Solomon Islands.
    Comments: 1

    Comments

    Comment from Bishop Terry Brown
    Time: 3/2/2005, 4:54 am

    Needless to say, the RAMSI and police officials who have been visiting me have NOT been travelling by the MV Sa’alia. RAMSI policy does not allow its personnel to travel on any local sea transport because of safety concerns. (I don’t think RAMSI police or military personnel can fly on Solomon Airlines either although civilian RAMSI personnel do.) They have come by patrol boat (the Police Commissioner, though he offered me a ride from Honiara), helicopter (the Australian Shadow Minister for the Pacific Islands is arriving by RAMSI helicopter today) and (for civilian personnel) Solomon Airlines (good news: land dispute settled and Solomon Airlines has leased a 30-seat Dash aircraft from PNG for daily flights. Only 20 very comfortable minutes between Auki and Honiara although the fares have gone up. However, the schedule is very irregular, with new times every day.) Malaita Shipping is virtually in receivership but the shipping companies of the other provinces have stepped in as the Auki-Honiara run is profitable—the MV Temotu, MV Temoko, MV Ysabella. (The irony, of course, is that these ships were bought by their provinces to serve them but cannot make much money doing so—so they ply the Honiara-Auki run instead, contributing, I suppose, to anti-Malaita “ethnic tension”.) So the Auki late Friday night wharf is back to normal with the arrival of one or two big ships every week. The MV Sa’alia (not THAT bad in the day time) continues its twice a week runs, avoiding RAMSI’s check-ups on overloading and avoiding the Sabbath, being good Seventh Day Adventists (no pigs allowed on board). I plan to take it to Honiara next week as it is all my budget permits!

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