TUTUVATU

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is taking a toll on human societies worldwide. It affects all of us, whether you are in New York or in a village in Solomon Islands.   We were caught with our proverbial pants down or our  lavalava  untied.  In just five months, more than 1.8 million people worldwide have tested positive and about 113,191 have died.  The global economy is on a recession. Trade is expected to fall by between 13% and 32% in 2020 as normal life and economic activities are disrupted.  Even the U.S., the self-proclaimed “world power”, has been brought to its knees. It is now the epicenter of the infection with over 550,000 positive cases and 21,649 fatalities. This is anticipated to increase. Some Pacific Island countries are yet to register a positive case. We pray they will stay uninfected and we support their efforts to keep the virus off island.  But given our global interconnections, even they have been affected. The economic, social and psyc

In Solomon Islands, the government has declared a State of Emergency in response to COVID-19 although the country is yet to have a positive case.  As part of this declaration, both the Governor General and the Prime Minister have asked Solomon Islanders in towns, especially Honiara, to return to their villages.  A crowded boat traveling to East Guadalcanal from Honiara - Photo: Jared Koli This week, we have seen thousands of Solomon Islanders in crowded boats going “home” – to their villages. It is interesting that in t he face a global health crisis – a pandemic – Solomon Islands leaders see villages as a place of refuge and safety from COVID-19. This also highlights the resilience of our people, especially our village folks and village governance. Yet, in discussions about “development” we rarely acknowledge or build on that resilience. We always look for answers elsewhere, especially from neo-classical economics, which preaches and measures "development"