‘Be responsible and confident’, former RAMSI chief urges Solomon Islanders

Former RAMSI Special Coordinator James Bartley has urged Solomon Islanders to be responsible and confident about their future as RAMSI leaves the country.

The call came as the RAMSI celebrations went into a third day today, with the MPs debating the motion for Parliament to consider ‘The Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands 2003-2017′.

Speaking on the motion, Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare again praised RAMSI’s presence in the country.

However it was not all positive. Though thanksful for RAMSI’s work over the past 14 years, Opposition Deputy Matthew Wale questioned why the Solomon Islands’ national reserves had been depleted of late and influence of logging in the country.

“Maybe RAMSI could have helped us with that issue (logging),” he said. “But of the things it set out to do, RAMSI has done an outstanding job.

“Where we go now is up to us.”

Speaking to SIBC yesterday, Mr Bartley, who was RAMSI Special Coordinator in the early 2000s, said with RAMSI’s departure it was imperative that Solomon islanders looked back on why RAMSI came and understood the hardships people faced during the tension period.

He said respecting the rule of law was the foundation for a peaceful future for the country and people should abide by the law to prevent a repeat of the events of 1999.

Mr Bartley also said people in the country should have faith in themselves if they wanted to have a peaceful and prosperous future.