BY JOHN HOUANIHAU
SOLOMON Islands Democratic Party (SIDP) candidate vying for the parliamentary seat for West Honiara constituency, Wilson Maemae, has announced his plans to address the pressing issue of overcrowded burial and landfill sites in Honiara.
With the population growing rapidly in Honiara City, the current sites are reaching their capacities to accommodate the growing number of deceased individuals, according to former Honiara City Council (HCC) Mayor Mamae during a recent campaign event held at the White River School Hall, west of Honiara.
“Settling the new site for Graveyard is one of the key priorities. When I was mayor of HCC, I already gave proposals to the government, and there are sites that have already been identified. We submitted the proposal through the Ministry of Home Affairs,” he explained.
He said that no feedback was given to him during his term in the mayor’s office after the submission was made.
“The government had failed us at that time. They do nothing about it. Although securing a burial site is not an easy task, the government should make sure that it is an important issue to address. So if we go into power that is one of the things I need to make sure it is addressed.
“This new burial site will ensure that those unfortunate families and residents in Honiara who cannot transport their loved ones home to their provinces due to huge expenses and costs have a sustainable and respectful approach to laying loved ones to rest.
“So once I come into power, I must look at that, and the government must address it as quickly as possible because we care for the people,’’ Mamae said.
Mamae’s announcement will be met with praise from community members who have long been advocating for solutions to the overcrowding issue.
He also wants to address the new damp sites for HCC, which he claimed to previously propose during his term in the mayor’s office but has not been addressed by the previous government.
“We also have identified two new damp sites; however, we have had no feedback ever since, even after we gave the submission through the Ministry of Home Affairs. Nothing has been done about it. Once I come into power, I must also address that matter,’’ he said.
The CARE Party candidate in West Honiara Constituency expressed that he sees no tangible development and has received prompt attention from his constituents.
“First of all, the people demand change. The former MP for West Honiara has been in the roundhouse for 13 years; however, there has been no tangible development from him. So it was the wish of the people who chose me to contest the West Honiara seat, which is why I am contesting.
“You cannot see projects like markets, schools, or clinics established in West Honiara. These are the foundations of human society. For sure, if CARE comes into power, we will do it. For example, the new market at White River was one of my initiatives when I was mayor and councillor for Nggosi ward.
“What I want to tell voters is to please think as a person with vision and as an as an indigenous person residing in West Honiara, Solomon Islands, because it’s time and it is you who demand change, and for sure we must make change if we want change.
“Don’t carry away the dollar sign because it will do you no good,” Mamae said.
He stated that his actions would be influenced by the policies and vision of the CARE Party.
“We have our vision for the end of 2024 and beyond. It’s a nice platform that we come up with under the CARE’ Coalition, which stands for Coalition for Accountability Reform and Empowerment—a partnership between the Solomon Islands Democratic Party’s (SIDP) Matthew Wale and the Democratic Alliance Party’s (DAP).
“In Parliament, you can only make decisions when you have a party that has the majority to rule based on their platform if they win. But if a party does not have the majority, they will not be able to do as well,’’ Mamae said.
Mamae made the point that Solomon Islanders need to be aware of this, citing the credibility of independent candidates contesting the West Honiara Constituency on April 17.
“You don’t think someone who is independent will do such duties because he or she is unstable and cannot do anything. You cannot go into Parliament and form a government and implement the decisions you want as an independent candidate.
He said when the CARE Party wins the majority, they will address what they talk about.
“As I said earlier, a coalition for change, for accountability, reform, and empowerment is something that we talk about outside, and what is in that manifesto is what we are doing during our campaign so people can be aware of it and know before we go into Parliament.
“If people vote for us, give us the mandate to win and implement our policy, then that is how it should be because we have already informed the people on our policy statements,’’ he said.
