BY JOHN HOUANIHAU
OSBORN Fred Lahi, a resident of Malango Ward, has announced his candidacy for ward member in the upcoming provincial assembly election on April 17, with a focus on giving back to his community.
Born and raised in Malango, Osborn, 45, has always been passionate about improving the lives of his fellow rural residents. Throughout his career, he has worked as a social worker with international and local NGOs, helping communities’ access vital services and resources.
Now, Osborn wants to take his commitment to the next level by running for a provincial seat in Malango Ward, Guadalcanal Provincial Assembly. His platform includes initiatives to improve access to healthcare, education, and economic opportunities in Malango Ward.
He also plans to work closely with community leaders and organizations to address pressing issues such as infrastructure development and youth empowerment.
“I have seen firsthand the challenges that many of our residents face, and I want to do everything I can to make a positive impact on our community,” Osborn said. “I believe that by working together, we can create a better future for all residents of Malango Ward.”
As the election approaches, Osborn is eager to engage with voters and listen to their concerns and ideas. He is confident that, with the support of his community, he can bring about meaningful change and truly give back to the place he calls home.
Education Empowerment
Osborn expressed concern for the ward’s education sector, stating that some schools are not being properly managed.
“There are a few things I see that bring up a lot of concern for our ward. First and foremost is education. And I see that some of those schools are not properly managed.
“A private school and its curriculum have demands. I have seen this as an opportunity I am going to tap into. If I win the election, I will help them,” said the former deputy director of Perch Christian School, a private community high school located in Honiara.
For Osborn, he sees providing an inclusive education opportunity as significant for his ward.
“The grant will help to build a staff house, computer labs, and a proper water supply, which I have seen as inclusive. Inclusive in the sense that it will support everybody. Everyone will have access to that education. This is an inclusive approach,’’ he said.
Increasing the number of schools within his ward at Malango is also one of the key areas that Fred wants to address and improve.
“There are no competitive schools. Only Guadalcanal Province operates schools. So although teachers absent for two weeks or attending the death of a relative can pause the school for weeks or months, affecting students, and despite the fact that there is no other school, the parents thought that everything was okay, but that should not be the case. Students always fall victim. At the end of the day, at the national examination, only two or one can pass. So my intention is to bring schools together to create competition. Also for us to get the best out of the teachers,’’ he said.
Osborn believes that access to and ability to education are top priorities for any government.
Community Development
He observed that they lack proper access to adequate water supplies in the Malango ward.
“Our main source of water is the river, and however, we usually face problems whenever it floods during heavy rains. So I started to construct boreholes, asking friends in the USA to fund the boreholes for the community.
“Another issue I am trying to address is helping churches, especially with musical instruments, with help from friends from overseas. Traveling to and fro, I was able to help with a few instruments and offer them to churches. And one of the things I did when my people asked me to contest the election was because I have the capability of negotiating things out of the system. For example, Perch has set up teachers in an establishment, and when they have an issue, they have to send it to the Ministry of Education Human Resource Development (MEHRD) to sort out the issue.
“Those are the issues I want to address in the ward and the communities—water, schools. Our children can walk three to four kilometers to the nearest school and help churches with their needs,’’ he said.
Malango Ward Problems
Osborn argued that the main issue behind people’s disagreement is the national government and Honiara city councils’ economic interest in Malango without benefiting the people or the Guadalcanal province.
“The government is interested in taking over Malango ward, and even Honiara city is also claiming the ward to generate revenue in the ward. When I look at some of these practices, it is very challenging,’’ he said.
He said that one of the things is that most businesses operating in the ward go through tax exemption.
“These business companies are located in my ward. Why are they exempt from tax? Mining companies, for example. Why are the small bottle shops around the city taxed, and why do those running billions of dollars not pay tax?’’ Osborn argued.
He said that most of these practices are an indication that the Members of Parliament (MPs) cover up to fill their pockets with money while neglecting the people of the ward and the Guadalcanal province.
He said that by looking at Guadalcanal Province, Malango ward is 60% alienated land and is on the verge of falling.
Osborn claimed that Guadalcanal Province depends on Malango ward, and the ward itself is a province of its own.
“Its budget is three times bigger than that of Rennell and Bellona. The income it generated. It accommodates Henderson International Airport, Gold Ridge Mining, and Tina Hydro. All these businesses are located in Malango Ward. The Malango boundary ended in Capital Park, east of Honiara,’’ he said.
He said that while the national government wants to give back the alienated land, he doesn’t see any legal possibility.
“I call on MPs to review the land and title act. The Guadalcanal Province has an interim committee, but it is not empowered. It is not ready. There are no provisions. As far as the house of chief is concerned, the law did not recognize them. They are just performing on an ad hoc basis. There is no legal recognition.
“Malango ward has already been frustrated. We have no electricity from the Tina Project, and the next project the government will implement without consulting us, since the land belongs to the commissioner of lands, is the new burial site for Honiara City and the new dam site,’’ Osborn said.
He called on the national government to address the issue and review the Lands and Titles (Amendment) Act 2014 immediately.
“If this is not handled properly, there will be unrest. Because 60% of our land is alienated. If the land is given back now, the premier and his executive will sell it. Because there is no legal provision. There is no budget set in the province.
“These are the two serious reasons why I wanted to contest the election. I don’t know the vision of the other contestants. Some contestants may be in grade four, and because they have money, of course they might win, but if they go into power, they will again sell the people’s land.
“How can they know about the policies and processes of the government system? But because they were able to convince the people by buying small amounts of beer, copper, and solar, people voted for them. When we vote for our representatives, they only deal with copper and solar. The problem has been hanging there for so long,’’ Osborn said.
