The chairman of Guadalcanal Plains Landowners Association, Father Benedict Garimane, made the call after the recent burning down of the headquarters of the Guadalcanal Plains Palm Oil company.
The company’s office complex, valued at three million dollars, was gutted by fire about two weeks a go, in what was believed to be the work of arsonists.
Police have recently arrested and charged two young men in relations to the burning.
Garimane said while those involved must face the full force of the law, there is a need to dig deeper into why some people respond negatively to the palm oil development.
He said since rivalries between different tribal groups in the area still exists over land and other related disputes, there are bound to be obstacles to progress in development.
”Unless these underlying problems are resolved through reconciliation processes, they will remain to be a threat to smooth development progress,” he told SIBC News.
Meanwhile, Solomon Islands is likely to hold a by-election for the Savo-Russell Islands Constituency in Central Province soon.
The Savo-Russell Islands seat has been vacant after Sir Allan Kemakeza lost the seat when he was convicted by a court of law and sentenced to six month imprisonment. The prison sentence term automatically disqualified him as an M.P.
