BY CAMPION OHASIO – DIGITAL CREATOR
For decades, families across our beautiful Solomon Islands have felt like they are carrying a heavy, exhausting load. We’ve counted our coins at side-road market tables, struggled with high school fees, paid some of the highest power bills in the world, and visited local clinics only to find empty medicine shelves. We’ve watched our pristine timber, rich gold, and premium fish sail away on giant foreign ships, leaving our rural communities and people waiting for a development that never seems to arrive.
But in mid-2026, a bright light appeared. The new Government for Reform, Empowerment, Accountability, and Transformation (the “GREAT Coalition”) launched its national policy statement. They didn’t look at themselves as high-and-mighty bosses. Instead, they made a simple, beautiful promise: “we are not your lords; we are your servants”. They pledged that real, purposeful change was finally coming to our shores.
Now, after just a few months, some of their very own politicians are already trying to bring them down with a sudden Motion of No Confidence. It is the same old, frustrating cycle of political games that has held our country back for years. But before we let this progress and hope go, I have put together here “10 real, life-changing reasons” why this government must remain in power for the good of our country.
𝟭. 𝗔 𝟮𝟱-𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗥𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗺𝗮𝗽 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴
For us most parents, the start of every school term is a time of pure stress as they scramble to find money for fees. The coalition rejects the old idea that education is just an expense. Instead, they’re implementing a massive “25-year national education plan” to make education completely free. This starts from early childhood kindy, goes all the way through primary and secondary school, and covers technical trades or university studies at SINU. This is true nation-building that lifts the heavy fee burden straight off your shoulders.
𝟮. 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗕𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗩𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗴𝗲
For too long, our provincial families have had to board crowded boats and travel all the way to Honiara just to get simple official documents sorted out. The coalition’s decentralisation plan is designed to bring services, authority, and resources straight to your village. They’re “strengthening provincial and local offices” with real decision-making power so local leaders can solve everyday problems immediately, without waiting for Honiara’s permission.
𝟯. 𝗟𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝗘𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗕𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀
We pay some of the highest electricity rates in the entire world, which eats up our hard-earned cash and makes it tough for local shops to survive. The third flagship program is a bold “transition to clean, renewable energy”. By utilizing our sunshine, flowing rivers, and volcanic heat, the government aims to bring down daily bills and make our local industries competitive.
𝟰. 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗲
There is nothing more heartbreaking than taking a sick child to a clinic, only to find the shelves empty of basic medicines like Panadol or malaria treatments. The coalition’s universal healthcare plan focuses heavily on “reforming our medicine buying and supply systems” to ensure clinics are always fully stocked. They’re also upgrading provincial laboratories and local clinics so you can get quality care close to home.
𝟱. 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗢𝘄𝗻 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝗛𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝟮𝟱,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝗝𝗼𝗯𝘀
For years, we’ve exported raw cocoa beans and logs, only to buy back expensive imported chocolate and building materials. The coalition is saying “enough is enough”. Their resilient economy plan focuses on “downstream processing”: which means building local factories to process our fish, coconut, cocoa, seaweed, and kava right here. This game-changing move is designed to create “twenty-five thousand local jobs” in just four years!
𝟲. 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵
Not every young person wants or needs a university degree to build a successful. The coalition is making “technical and vocational training (TVET) completely free”. This means our youth can learn valuable, hands-on trades like carpentry, mechanics, plumbing, and electricity at Rural Training Centres without worrying about expensive fees.
𝟳. 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝗪𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗟𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲
For too long, big foreign companies have taken the lion’s share of our mineral wealth, leaving local landowners with nothing but damaged land. The coalition is turning this around by “reserving all alluvial mining exclusively for indigenous Solomon Islanders”. This ensures that our golden mineral wealth stays in local hands to build up provincial communities and improve daily livelihoods.
𝟴. 𝗔 𝗟𝗼𝗻𝗴-𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗱𝘂𝗲 𝗣𝗮𝘆 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀
Our nurses, doctors, paramedics, teachers, and police officers work under incredibly tough conditions to keep us healthy and safe. The coalition understands that we cannot expect top services if we don’t look after our staff. That’s why they have committed to a “direct public service pay rise” to support our essential workers and their families.
𝟵. 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗙𝗶𝘅𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗹𝗲, 𝗨𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺
Our country has been held back by a fragile political system where governments are constantly threatened by shifting alliances and late-night hotel deals. The coalition’s “political party integrity reforms” are designed to stop this musical chairs game once and for all. They want coalitions built on solid national policies and priorities, not just on buying and trading numbers.
𝟭𝟬. 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗳𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗠𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻
A country is measured by how it treats its most vulnerable citizens. The coalition’s final flagship program is a “resilient social welfare system” to uplift vulnerable groups. They are advancing women’s economic empowerment, protecting children’s rights, and legally guaranteeing the political leadership of women in provincial assemblies so that everyone has a seat at the table.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗨𝘀
The upcoming vote in Parliament is not just a routine political contest. It is a choice between a dream for a prosperous, self-reliant future or a return to the same old, unstable cycle of late-night horse-trading.
It is time our leaders have the courage to do the right thing to “give the government a chance to work” and let these life-changing reforms become a reality for our families. Let’s us hope and pray our leaders will stand strong for our children, our education, and the future of the Solomon Islands! GOD Bless our leaders. GOD Bless Solomon Islands.
