Final RAMSI parade at Art Gallery in Honiara Photo:
A Solomon Islands MP from Malaita, Claudius Tei'ifi, says successive governments are yet to address the root causes of the ethnic tensions of 20 years ago.
Speaking during the Truth and Reconciliation debate in parliament, the West Kwaio MP said the issue of the migration of people to Guadalcanal, especially from Malaita, must be addressed.
Tei'ifi said there has never been any tangible plan or development for the people of Malaita to remain in their villages and earn money, and development remains centralised in the capital Honiara.
"Squats occupied by Malaitans around Honiara, into Guadalcanal Province have increased tremendously than ever before the tension. New settlements by Malaitans .... have increased," he said.
He said the "pull and push" factors that encourage people to migrate are still to be addressed.
Tei'ifi pointed out the uneven distribution of development by the government was one of the main causes of what was known as the ethnic crisis.
The Opposition MP said 20 years after the tension there has still not been any major development in Malaita for the Malaita people.
He said road infrastructure in Malaita is still in ruins, with broken wooden bridges, and some major ports still without proper wharves.
"I believe if successive governments were serious, Malaita Province having one of largest road network in the country should have its main roads north to south, and central to east fully tar sealed, bridges and wharves constructed by now," he said.
Domestic issues and disagreement over a 2019 switch of diplomatic ties to China from Taiwan have fuelled a dispute between the national government and Malaita.
More than 200 people lost their lives during the conflict in Solomon Islands, most of them civilians.
This period from 1998 to 2003 is locally referred to as the Ethnic Tensions or simply The Tensions.
The Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI) led by Australia and New Zealand, spent 14 years until 2017 helping to restore law and order and build up government institutions.
A village on the beach near Auki, the capital of Malaita. Photo: Supplied