Tutu, the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize winner, has been invited by the government to help with the establishment of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
He was instrumental in the setting up of South Africa’s own reconciliation program following the apartheid era.
MP Mathew Wale said Tutu’s visit is part of the Solomons government’s commitment toward peace and reconciliation.
“We all know his leadership to the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission and also his efforts globally in reconciliation. If he can make it, sir, this will be a significant visit by a recognized Christian leader [and] the global movement for reconciliation,” Wale said.
In other news, people caught up in the violence which ravaged Solomon Islands will be able to tell their story during hearings due to start next year, reports Radio New Zealand International.
Five commissioners will listen to evidence given by victims affected by the ethnic tension which ran from 1998 to 2003.
The United Nations Commission for Human Rights will advertise for two foreign commissioners, the remaining three will be Solomon Islanders.
The chairman of Transparency Solomon Islands, Bob Pollard, said the time was right to launch the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, if the country is to move on.
“It’s now the time of the nation when we give priority to victims and their story and allow their story to be told so that the nation can acknowledge what’s happened and the Truth Commissioner will point to the government in some way of things that can be done to facilitate healing and make sure we don’t go back down that path again,” he said.
