by Georgina Maka’a

A two-day consultation  for the Chiefs of Sandfly and Buena Vista Ward in West Ngella, Central Islands Province of Solomon Islands has successfully concluded, Monday.

The event was an important step towards bringing the Chiefs together. 

Chiefs from the three groups—Vatilau, Sandfly, and Ravu—agreed to unite under one constitution and form the Sandfly/Buena Vista House of Chiefs.

The meeting was held over the weekend in Leitongo village, Sandfly. During the event, Chiefs vowed  to look into different business ideas to help develop their communities.

This initiative is led by their newly  elected Chairman, Maurice Tinoni Mae, who is also a provincial member for the Sandfly/Buena Vista Ward.

In an interview, Mr. Mae said the first goal will be to improve the Tourism and Fisheries sectors, before looking into other areas.

He explained that the intention to unite the chiefs is to help them address community problems more effectively and work together as a group. 

“I believe the three  House of Chiefs’  in my ward need to come together under one House of Chiefs,” Mae said. 

“This will help us talk about what our Chiefs should do and make our traditional leadership stronger,” he added.

Mr. Mae also said that for the first time, Chiefs and Church leaders attended the meeting  together, creating a new way for people to unite and help each other.

Meanwhile, Chief George Selywn Luga of Vatilau House of Chiefs  thanked  Mr. Mae for his leadership. 

“This is very important. It will bring us together to serve our communities better. 

“When our Chiefs are stronger, our communities will grow and improve,” Chief Luga said.

Topics discussed in the meeting also included  working together with Police and the Church, and how the traditional Chiefs can work with the Government and other groups.

Tribal Chief, Rose Irene Nida of Thokokama village, Vatilau House of Chiefs, also expressed optimism about the future, raising concerns over the increasing anti-social behavior among youths.

“Many young people are not listening to advice these days, and we are doing our best to stop bad situations from happening,” she said.

She also said that forming the House of Chiefs under one set of rules and a new name is a good step towards making real change in the communities.

The meeting concluded with a decision to form a committee of five Paramount Chiefs, representing the five recognized tribes within Ward One.  

An election to select the five Paramount Chiefs is set for 18th July, 2025.

The theme of the two-day meeting  was “Bridging the Gap,” which means bringing everyone closer and working better together to help their communities grow.