Clark warns hard grind just begun for Solomon Islands

By MARY-LOUISE O'CALLAGHAN Herald correspondent

There was no big-bang solution to the Solomon Islands' problems, the Prime Minister, Helen Clark, said yesterday, warning that the regional intervention would be judged most by its long-term results.

After a seven-hour visit to the troubled state, she said she was pleased with the first phases of the regional assistance mission but that the hard work of cleaning up the country's institutions and systems of governance had hardly begun.

During her visit she announced that New Zealand would contribute $1 million towards restoring a regular power supply to the capital.

Industry and daily business in Honiara has been crippled for more than a year by hours of daily power cuts following the Government's failure to pay most of its power bill for the past three years.

"Without electricity the economy and society struggle to function effectively, and the quality of health and education services suffer," Helen Clark said.

New Zealand aid, which has increased by 75 per cent in the past year, will focus on the education sector, income generation and strengthening institutions.

"There are obviously deepseated, longstanding issues to deal with here.

"I think the message that came through today was don't look for any single big-bang solution approach to economic development, it's not a question of a gold mine here or another hotel there.

"It's a question of generating economic activity in the rural areas, in the villages, micro-enterprises; building from the bottom up rather than trickling down."

Asked if she thought corruption should be targeted next, she said: "What I was hearing was that people consider it a considerable problem and the changes the regional assistance mission needs to work with the Solomons on dealing with that problem are pretty much fundamental."

She also indicated that the military contingent should be drawn down as needed and assessed by the regional police force.

"I think it has to be needs-driven not date-driven, but my impression is that the numbers of the military force here now would not [be needed] to deploy at that level for particularly long."

Helen Clark sidestepped calls locally for the Prime Minister, Sir Allen Kemakeza, to step aside, saying the proper thing was to work with the duly elected Government.

"I've been in the New Zealand Parliament for 24 years and one thing never changes, and that is Oppositions always call for the downfall of the Government. Probably at home right now, someone is calling for my downfall as well."

Asked if she would like to see the regional intervention police arresting Solomons politicians who had broken the law, she said she was not about to give operational orders to the police.

The police had to consider what had happened in the past in order to find enduring solutions.