Central Guadalcanal MP Warns Against Online Division, Calls for National Unity

By Charley Piringi

Peter Shanel Agovaka, the Member of Parliament for Central Guadalcanal and leader of the Independent Group, is calling for national unity. 

He warned that online campaigns pushing for regional groups threaten the peace and stability of the Solomon Islands.

Speaking in Parliament, Agovaka criticized a recent Facebook post that suggested Malaitan MPs should group together to form a government. 

Agovaka  warned that these ideas are dangerous for a country still recovering from past ethnic conflicts.

“This kind of division will cost this country,” Agovaka told Parliament. “We are only just moving past ethnic tension. We must rise above regionalism.”

He reminded leaders and citizens that the government has set up offices, such as the Ministry of Traditional Governance, Peace and Ecclesiastical Affairs, to help solve disagreements peacefully. 

He explained that these systems exist to bring the country together, not to divide it by ethnicity or region.

Agovaka insisted that any national problems should be handled through official channels such as the government, parliament, and the courts rather than through divisive social media posts.

He also noted that the Solomon Islands’ great diversity of cultures and languages should be a reason for solidarity, not separation.

“Calls for division or regionalism do not work in a country with such diverse ethnicities,” Agovaka said. “We need to embrace our diversity and work together.”

Agovaka’s comments follow a motion of no confidence filed against the Prime Minister recently which led to a rise in argumentative comments on social media.