As a Solomon Islander (SI-der), I write to congratulate Dr. Sir Peter Kenilorea for being bestowed an honorary Doctorate by the University of Queensland, in recognition for his service to SIs and the Pacific region.

This brings me to an argument I had on many a time express when young SI-ders of my generation would ask the question: why is there always the same people in our high offices? Actually, this was what a young man lamented to me when the news came on SIBC that Dr. Sir Kenilorea was first elected as the Speaker of Parliament years back. To that I said, the question is not why they are always the same people, but, where will the new ones come from? That will still be the challenge for us SI-ders.

To Professor Clive Moore who has invested immense energy in serving the SI through research, and who has facilitated an important recognition for our senior Statesman I say tangio tumas. And the University of Queensland has done us proud of this recognition.

Finally, this may inform two lines for thought: 1) We SI-ders would be better off as a country if our current energies are invested on service to understanding why we should be together as a country, and not why we are different and should be separated, and, 2) The genuine recognition by the country of our citizens who have honestly served our country is one where we (SI-ders) may yet need to improve on. In other words, it seems that on a few important occasions we like to reward people of "questionable character" whose energies are used at our national lose (It is not so difficult to find cases for this).

Congratulations again Dr. Sir Peter Kenilorea.