Statement by the President of the Malaita Youth Council:
Fellow Malaitans, esteemed leaders, and members of our Solomon Islands community
As the President of the Malaitan Youth Council, I stand before you today with a heavy heart, filled with sorrow and outrage at the recent tragic event that has claimed the life of one of Makira precious young people. The loss of a young life is not just a personal tragedy for the family and friends involved; it is a collective wound that cuts deep into the fabric of all our society.
The act of taking another youth’s life is a stain on our community. It shatters the hopes and dreams that we, as a society, have invested in our young people. It is a clear indication that there are deep – seated issues within our Malaitan community that we can no longer ignore.
Our youth are the future of Malaita, the torchbearers of our traditions, and the drivers of our development. When they turn against another, it is a sign that something has gone terribly wrong.
We must ask ourselves, what has led to this senseless violence? Our young people are in a state of despair. They see limited opportunities for education, employment, and personal growth. They are trapped in a cycle of poverty and hopelessness, with no clear path forward.
This lack of purpose and direction often leads them to make wrong choices, and in the worst case scenario, engage in acts of violence.
This is where our leaders need to step up. The Community Development Fund (CDF) was established with the aim of promoting development and cooperation.
However, it is evident that the current implementation of the CDF has not adequately addressed the pressing needs of our youth. The funds and resources allocated through the CDF should be redirected towards initiatives that directly benefit the young people of Malaita.
I call on our Malaitan leaders to re – evaluate the programs under the CDF. We need a more youth – centric approach to development. This means investing in education, providing vocational training, and creating job opportunities for our young Malaitans so that they can work in Malaita. Our young people have so much potential, but they need the right environment and support to thrive.
Education is the key to unlocking a better future for our youth. By improving the quality of education in Malaita, we can equip our young people with the knowledge and skills they need to compete in the global job market. We need to build more schools, hire qualified teachers, and provide access to modern learning resources.
Vocational training programs are also essential. Not every young person is suited for a traditional academic path. By offering training in trades such as carpentry, plumbing, electrical work, and agriculture, we can create a skilled workforce that can contribute to the economic development of Malaita. These skills will not only provide our youth with stable employment but also give them a sense of pride and purpose.
In addition to education and vocational training, we need to encourage entrepreneurship among our young people. The government and private sector should work together to provide financial support, mentorship, and business development services to young entrepreneurs from Malaita to return them back from Honiara, to help develop Malaita. This will not only create jobs but also foster innovation and economic growth in Malaita.
We cannot sit back and watch as our young people continue to suffer. The time for action is now. Our leaders have a responsibility to prioritize the development of Malaita, especially the well – being of our youth. We need to create an environment where our young people feel valued, supported, and have a clear vision for their future.
Let the tragic loss of this young life be a wake – up call for all of us. Let it be a catalyst for change. We must come together as a community, support our leaders in making the right decisions, and hold them accountable for the development of Malaita.
On behalf of the Malaita Youth Council I would like to offer my sincere condolences to the grieving family of the young victim from Makira Province and I also want to personally extend our many thanks to all our current Malaitan Members of Parliament, who have taken the lead at amicably addressing and resolving the issue with the grieving families of the victim.
As Solomon Islands is a united country of nine provinces, that must learn to work together and not against each other, we recognize and acknowledge that our strength is in our unity and in our ability to work together and remain respectful and interconnected to each other but not against each other. On behalf of the entire population of Malaitan youths I strongly condemn this senseless act of violence and I would like to register, that this act of violence, does not reflect the entirety of the values of all Malaita provincial youths as a whole.
We seek to live in a world where there is peace and respect towards our provincial brothers and sisters. We seek to live in a world free from crime and in unity with each other and what has transpired does not reflect the heart and values of Malaita at all. We stand with the grieving family of the victim and call for justice for the life that was lost.
I would also like to call on all Malaitan youths, living in Honiara to live peaceful lives in Honiara and and I would like to strongly urge you to consider that if you have no purpose to live for in Honiara, you must return back to Malaita and invest your time in our Agricultural sectors and respective various sunrise industries, to help build our province and to live better lives.
I would also like to call on our leaders and Members of Parliament from Malaita, to take this as a wake up call, to begin re-thinking the CDF development fund, to provide hope and purpose for our young people of Malaita Province and to encourage them and engage them, in programs that will help empower our youth in our communities, in activities that will help boost our agricultural, tourism and educational sectors and to ensure that recurrences of such sadful events, do not ever have to happen again in the future.
Thank you.
Phillip Subu
President, Malaita Youth Council
