The Leader of the Independent Group in Parliament, Deacon Maelanga, has issued a strong call to action, urging the Government to immediately ratify the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC).
UNTOC is a critical international treaty designed to protect nations from the escalating threat of cross-border criminal networks.
While Solomon Islands signed the Convention years ago, it remains unratified, leaving what Deacon Maelanga described as a “dangerous gap in our national and regional security armour.”
“Criminal enterprises do not respect borders, they exploit them,” Maelanga warned.
“While we sleep, syndicates are awake, weaving their illicit networks through our pristine waters and across our islands.”
He cautioned that the Pacific region is facing a rising tide of transnational organized crime, with the Solomon Islands now exposed to drug trafficking, human smuggling, and maritime exploitation.
“The tide is rising, and its wake is already lapping at our shores,” he said.
“The silent testimony of damaged boats found on our beaches are floating crime scenes, evidence of drug routes cutting through our own territory.”
Deacon Maelanga further identified a major legal vulnerability, the absence of specific laws enabling prosecution of foreign nationals involved in transnational drug trafficking.
“This is a glaring loophole that turns our nation into a soft target,” he emphasized.
“Ratifying UNTOC will give Solomon Islands the legal tools and international backing needed to close this gap and defend our borders.”
Supporting Deacon Maelanga’s position, the Chair of the Foreign Relations Committee and MP for East AreAre Peter Kenilorea Junior, reaffirmed that ratification in this instance is both urgent and straightforward.
“As our colleague rightly said, this is a no-brainer. Given the gravity of this Convention, the Government should immediately instruct our Permanent Representative at the United Nations in New York to deposit the instrument of ratification without delay.”
Currently, the Solomon Islands remains among a small number of nations worldwide yet to ratify the UNTOC, despite growing security challenges and regional cooperation commitments under the Pacific Islands Forum framework.
“Our message is simple, act now. Ratify the Convention. Strengthen our laws. Protect our nation.”
