CONSULTATIONS ON TRADITIONAL GOVERNANCE BILL PROGRESSING WELL: PS MAE

BY GEORGINA KEKEA

Work on the Traditional governance customs and facilitation bill is still on-going and a very much important work of the Solomon Islands government.

The bill is seen as a very important one to regulate the traditional governance system in Solomon Islands.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Traditional Governance, Peace and Ecceslestical Affairs, Mr. Peter Mae says this is a flagship policy for the national government as it will formally establish a platform that will recognize, strengthen and empower the informal governing structures. 

Mae said the bill will enable traditional leaders and tribal chiefs to play an active role in the decision making process in communities. 

“For example, a resolve of theft of pig or theft of a thing within that line of thinking.  Here the leaders of the community, we call them traditional leaders or chiefs, have always been their role to oversee, and deal in terms of resolving those life  related disputes, aside of the dispute or conflicts to which where they have strong graffiti would have to be for the police courts. So all that has occurred in that regard was pretty much the need then for the bill”, Mae said.

He said the bill aims to empower tribal chiefs and traditional leaders in dispute resolution. 

“It facilitates their participation, coordination and contribution in partnership dialogues between the government and traditional institutions. It establishes a platform for traditional leaders and tribal chiefs to participate in peacebuilding, community policing, community respect, environmental preservation, development partnerships and the management of customary properties”.

Traditional dancers in Solomon Islands during the visit of the Prince of Wales in 2019

Meanwhile the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Women Youth Children and Family Affairs said the Ministry is quite happy that women are now also consulted in the process of the bill.

Earlier the Traditional Governance Customs and Facilitation Bill was brought to parliament but withdrawn with the recommendation for it to reach a much wider consultation.

“I'm very happy, so that our women who are more victimised and also violence against women are high and because men are more dominant, this bill will definitely give voices for women, so that their voices can be heard, they can be also involved in decision making. So that when women are involved in decision making, and their voices are heard, development will be fostered and then we will have a good community where much development, less trouble and conflict and there is peace”, Dr. Cedric Alependava said.

He said women from provincial wards, churches, CSOs and NGOs are now part of the consultation process elevating the credibility of the bill further. 

“Just to put in more voices of woman inside inside this traditional governance bill so that it is it is more gender equality, then just one sided, because it has been found that although some of these matrilineal societies are women owned the land, woman now carrying tribes, but then it is the men who dominate decision making not not the woman. So in this Bill, we are anticipating and we wish that voices of a woman can be also heard through this, this will be when it becomes an act”.

Meanwhile Mr. Peter Mae said a better coordinated approach to communicate between the government and traditional institutions is anticipated in this piece of legislation.

He said now that the consultations are into focus groups, the ministry is able to strategically collect data from these groups.

He said unlike the earlier stages of the bill, prior to its withdrawal in parliament, the consultations now are thorough and he is quite happy with the progress to date.

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