DEAR EDITOR, Solomon Star Newspaper issue on March 2, 2017 carried a bold front page headline titled “MP DEFENDS NIGHTCLUB” with a photo image of Commins Mewa, the MP for Temotu Nede Constituency.

As a concerned constituent, I am making a response here to help the leader and others in the Nede constituency make sense of the issue.

This was a news article that captured statements by the top leader of Nede Constituency in a step to defend critics for his nightclub plans. Local church leaders in the constituency have stood up to voice their concern over the MP’s nightclub plans.

It was reported that the MP for Temotu Nede Constituency recently built a 40 meter double story building in the interior of Santa Cruz Island, close to Noipe, a rural village in that island of Temotu Province.

The development is in a plan by the owner, Hon Comins Mewa for his constituency. His new building in this rural setting will be a multipurpose venue.

According to the MP it will serve as a centre for church fellowship, wedding, workshop training, accommodation, bar, entertainment, sports and other gatherings.

The top constituency leader also defended that his nightclub will boost business activities, attract tourists and that provision of services like accommodation, pub and night club is a way of bringing development.

He also pointed that it is time for people to cooperate and support development in his constituency.

And he seemed to say that any form of development traditionally or normally deemed wrong in a context must be welcome as a think-out of the box initiative that will bring solutions to our development difficulties.

Mr Honourable, the truth is, not only church leaders and members were concerned about this leader’s development.

Sensible family heads, village leaders, elders and individuals were equally complaining about this MP’s development.

Let the Honourable know here two main issues that attract opposition from the public of Nede Constituency against his think out-of the box plan.

One is the inclusion of the nightclub, pub and bar in this concerned rural centre and the other is the MP’s involvement in such a form of development viewed as unchristian and culture-deviance by the people of Nede.

The Honourable needs know that currently, though against some emerging social pressures, frictions or influences in the communities, there is a state of order based on Christianity, culture and civilization.

Most of the members of the communities are decent. There is cooperation, respect, care, harmony, peace or fairness in the communities. The nightclub in such a location will quickly shift the rural communities to a disintegrating one characterised by misery and problems. The family, church and community leaders will eventually have to work harder with aim to maintain and restore their recommended and original way of life in their communities. May be they will not be able restore things and so they complained here against you, the Honourable.

Currently, in urban areas like Honiara nightclubs, pubs and bars have strongly been associated with very serious uncontrollable issues of substance abuse by youths, extra-marital affairs (02,03,04 partners), teenage pregnancy, family break-downs, prostitutions, tribal/ethnic conflicts, criminal activities, overspending, heavy debts, deaths or road accidents. There is increasing number of taxes enjoying the road of Santa Cruz now a days.

These mentioned problems are what our leaders should address and avoid for a society. The Honourable’s initiative to create a nightclub close to rural communities in Santa Cruz is not a step to avoid but introduce and increase the problems there. Is that leadership?

The involvement of the constituency’s top leader in such an immorally viewed form of development is a concern from the public of Nede Constituency. Having stated above some potential realities the people of Nede will have to face in having the night club close to the rural communities, it is a total pity that a top leader who should always ought to maintain the highest level of care in terms of decision and priorities in bringing socioeconomic transformation must take a leadership in introducing a nightclub. The Honourable faces some opposition in his development plan. This is because it is a case of a wrong thing for the wrong person at the wrong time at the wrong place.

Nevertheless, the people of Nede must congratulate and thank you for your step in utilizing your money for the development of the constituency. But perhaps your money would have been well appreciated if your center could become a venue to learn or train people of the constituency to make feather money, the nelo dance, display historical items, learn and preserve languages of Nede, or the culture of our communities. Such activities will definitely, bring more tourist and truly enrich our society.

It is worth mentioning here that there are plenty of steps and good opportunities to bring income and employment for people in Temotu Nede by a leader. Ginger/chilli farming, fish farming, selfish taro, waving, transport services, facilitating export of local products/resources, pushing the government to expand roads and other economic and social infrastructures, identifying and nurturing viable businesses or searching for foreign investors are few examples.

I think it is wise to listen to people who have concern for your nightclub plan. Truly it may be your think-out of the box initiative but the public sees it as one that destroys the very people you should value and protect.

Casper TuploNegayebeye

Lata