BY SAPT STAFF
The 17th Pacific Games is nine months away but preparation is lagging behind time.
Chief Justice of the Solomon Islands High Court Sir Albert Palmer says facilities should be ready in seven months however the current preparation pace says otherwise.
He says there are a lot of undone jobs that need to be done and it requires collective efforts and cooperation.
Palmer says the poor state of road in Honiara needs to be fixed, Honiara town must be clean, peace and security must be guaranteed and overall, people must be friendly to visitors come November.
He says all feeder roads must be upgraded.
Palmer also says that footpaths need to be constructed for pedestrians with more street lights not only at the main road but also all the feeder roads into the city to ensure safety.
He acknowledges the government and people of Japan for funding the new road network from White River to Honiara.
Palmer says the project will definitely add to the beauty of Honiara as a city and capital of Solomon Islands.
“While we are extremely grateful to the Japanese Government for funding our new road network, all other feeder roads are in a very bad state of repair and I believe the Ministry of Infrastructure Development (“MID”) is making arrangements.
“It will be necessary to start working on upgrading the feeder now.
“That said, our strength as a country and in particular as a city is that our people naturally are friendly, respectful and considerate and so our city and towns are safe, secure and peaceful. However, we should not become complacent with that. There is so much more that can be done to make our city more beautiful, safe and attractive. To start with, our roads are in dire need of repair and maintenance,”Palmer says.
He highly recommends that there should be high visibility policing in hotspots, roads, transport networks and local neighbourhoods, to reduce, prevent, disrupt, and respond to criminal activities in Honiara.
“I note some of you may have fallen victim to acts of theft in certain areas of the city. It would be good if those areas are targeted to make them safe now and especially come November 2023”, Palmer says.
Palmer says there is no time to lose.
“Ideally, all the games facilities, stadium and venues that are still under construction should be completed and ready by September 2023, which is only seven months away.
