My fellow Solomon Islanders,
We have reached another milestone in our journey as a Christian country. Today we reach another Christmas in which we collective celebrate the birth of our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ.
Christmas is a time to share the love of Christ between and among ourselves. It is a unifying theme in all Christian countries as we collectively reflect on our own relationships with each other as families and as a nation.
My fellow Solomon Islanders, on behalf of my family and the Democratic Coalition Government for Advancement, I extend to you all, this Christmas day, our very warm and sincere Christmas greetings.
It is my greatest desire that each and every Solomon Islander experiences the joy, love, peace and goodwill that flows from our heavenly father to us during this Christmas season.
Wherever you are, whatever you do, let us join hands as we celebrate this joyous occasion, with the recognition that it is our faith in our Lord Jesus Christ together with the rich cultural diversity that spans across our beautiful islands and atolls that provides the platform for our national pride and purpose.
As we celebrate Christmas, let us reflect further in its true meaning – the gifting of our Lord Jesus Christ to ensure that those who believe in him will be saved.
So whatever it is that we all do in addition to celebrating the birth of our Lord, I encourage you all to also take time and enjoy life in all its splendour – whether it is dancing to the ‘ruteku’ in Santa Ana or to the cheerful ‘saleolo’ in Isabel Province, or whether it is village feasting in Malaita or enjoying some charcoal grilled fish along the white sandy beaches of the West, may God continue to guide and protect you and your families during this Christmas season.
My fellow Solomon Islanders, the last eight months of the DCGA government have been fruitful. We have faced many challenges – but we have also made some tremendous gains and achievements for our people and our country – for example:
• Our new submarine cable system will be operational early in 2020 and will transform our communication platform with the cheapest, fastest and most reliable internet services this country will ever experience – benefiting all of us.
• The Tina River Hydro project is well on its way now to construction to ensure that by 2023 the power supply to our capital city will be 80% derived from our new hydro power base.
• The Munda International Airport is operational
• The Development Bank of Solomon Islands has been launched
• The analytical work on our new transformational project to revolutionise infrastructure development for all the 50 constituencies – the national transport core is on track. This project will touch and improve the lives of all Solomon Islanders.
• The project to transform our capital city and all provincial capitals is underway
• The 2023 Pacific Games which our nation will proudly host and where I hope our youths and sports people will excel is on track. The 2023 Games will unify our nation as we prepare to host this major event.
Fellow Solomon Islanders, I believe that in everything we do, we will have agreements and disagreements, be it in our own families, our communities, our provinces and even the national level.
However, I also believe there is more that unites us, than divides us. I believe that deep down inside each one of us, lies the spirit of peace, progress, reconciliation and unity. The challenges we face will make us even stronger as a people and a country – if we put our faith in the one whose birth we are celebrating today – Jesus Christ.
Let us use this Christmas season to also acknowledge the role of each one of us and our families play to push our nation forward.
My good people, as diverse as our nation is, we are also united in our wish for a better future – a future we can leave for our children and future generations that follow us.
Let us remember that the most important thing about Christmas is the demonstration of God’s love to each one of us, to our families and to our nation.
As we celebrate the birth of Jesus today, let us reach out to each other, to wish each other God’s love that has been fulfilled through the birth of Christ on this day – two thousand years ago.
Fellow citizens, let me close with a very well know verse in scripture that most is us have memorised …
… John 3 verse 16 and I quote from the good news translation …
“For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life”
Fellow Solomon Islanders, the depth of God’s love for each one of us is such that he sent his one and only son – Jesus Christ. Our faith in Jesus Christ will determine where each of us will spend eternity on life’s end.
As we celebrate this Christmas, let us reflect on, and let us put into practice the type of love demonstrated by our Heavenly father. Let us extend our love to each other and to all citizens of this beautiful God-given nation of ours. In this way we will bring to fruition the vision that underpins our National Anthem … of joy, peace, progress and prosperity…
Let me also convey my Christmas greetings to our citizens who maybe sick at home or in hospitals and also to those serving time in our correctional centres. Merry Christmas to you all.
Let me now close by wishing you all a Blessed Christmas season. In particular let me also pass on my Christmas greetings and wishes to:
• The Governor General and his family
• The Speaker of the National Parliament and his family
• The Chief Justice and his family
• Cabinet Ministers and backbenchers & their families
• Leader of the Official Opposition Group and his family
• Leader of the Independent Group and his family
• All members of parliament and your families
• All constitutional post holders and your families
• Provincial Premiers, Members of Provincial Governments, Chiefs and Village Elders and all people in all our provinces
• Government Ministries, Departments and other Public Offices
• The Churches and Faith-based organizations
• The Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF)
• The Judiciary and Legal Services and the Legal Fraternity
• Members of the Diplomatic Corps
• Our Development Partners and Friends
• The Solomon Islands Chamber of Commerce and their members;
• Our Farmers and Fishermen in our Rural Areas;
• Our Shipping Operators, and other Transport Services Providers
• Management and Staff of State-Owned Enterprises (SOE’s) and Authorities
• Non-Government Organizations
• Media Organizations
• Our Pensioners and Retirees
• All the men and women, boys and girls throughout Solomon Islands.
Finally, let me finish as I began, by wishing all citizens of our beautiful country a very happy Christmas season and a very happy new year on behalf of myself, my family and the Democratic Coalition Government for Advancement.
May God Bless us all
May God Bless Solomon Islands from shore to shore
Merry Christmas to you all and a very happy new year.
Source: Facebook.com
