M.S.G POLICE BOSSES REMINDED TO ENSURE PEACE IN MELANESIA

Prime Minister Honourable Manasseh Sogavare has reminded Police Commissioners of the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) countries of their ‘serious’ responsibility to ensure the peace and safety of the Melanesian sub-region.

The Prime Minister’s reminder was contained in his key-note address to the fifth MSG Police Commissioners Conference in Honiara yesterday morning.

Mr Sogavare reminds the Police Commissioners, they occupy very important positions of trust in their respective MSG member countries and collectively they are directly responsible for the peace and safety of our subregion.

He said the theme of the conference, “Enhancing Policing Through Regional Cooperation” falls neatly within the scope of the Memorandum of Understanding signed at the 2013 summit on police cooperation.

He said if the MSG bloc is to progress as an economic, social, political and development force to be reckoned with in the next 25 years, MSG member countries have a collective responsibility to remove the stigma that is overshadowing them as the ‘arc of instability’ and cooperate with the broader pacific security strategy.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sogavare said Solomon Islands had suffered irresponsibility and carelessness by its political leadership which resulted in the spending of millions of dollars by Australia and New Zealand to restore stability.

He says our strategic policies must strive for lasting peace and unity, security, and enduring prosperity.

Mr. Sogavare adds the concern for sustainable development must be the core of our development strategies and our region must be prepared to deal with the effects of climate change, acts of God and other man-made disasters.

These concerns strike directly at the heart of the mandate of the MSG sub-committee on security which the Police Commissioner’s Conference is an integral part of.

The Prime Minister said, he looks forward to the day when our broader Pacific region can stand tall and take full charge of our security needs and able to have the capacity to help other regions – in the greater interest of making our pacific region and world a safer place.