BY CAMPION OHASIO – DIGITAL CREATOR
In our country there is a continous tension between government development ambitions and customary landowner rights. We are under the new GREAT Coalition Government and definitely they will have to deal with this ongoing problem.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁.
The GREAT Coalition Government (led by Prime Minister Mathew Wale) emphasizes responsible management of natural wealth, proposed legislation like Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), and establishing a Sovereign Wealth Fund to capture and manage resource revenues for national development. However, customary landowners remain vigilant about protecting their indigenous ownership rights over their tribal lands and natural resources.
𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗻.
• The Government Representative / MP (Right): A dressed-up government official holds a sign that reads, “GOVT. NEED YOUR LAND & RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT!!” This represents the government’s push to access land and natural resources to drive economic growth, build infrastructure, and fund public initiatives.
• The Local Customary Landowners (Left): A family sits near their radio—a symbol of staying informed on government announcements. The father speaks firmly:
“MY LAND! MY RESOURCES. ANY LAW MUST PROTECT MY TRIBES SOVEREIGN WEALTH!!!”
This conveys the stance of local indigenous tribes around the country. They argue that real “sovereign wealth” belongs to the tribes and customary owners, insisting that any new policies or laws must protect tribal rights rather than hand control over to the state or foreign investors.
• The Turtle with a Question Mark (Bottom Left): The turtle represents the slow, cautious pace of customary land discussions and queries how effectively these new government policies will actually protect tribal rights in practice.
𝗠𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗠𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲.
The cartoon highlights the fundamental disagreement over resource control in the Solomon Islands. While the government wants to utilize customary land for national development, landowners demand that any policy or law must first respect, protect, and preserve the “sovereign wealth” and ownership rights of the local tribes.
