Dear Editor,

Please allow me space in your column to make some comment on the above subject. Mr. Rarumae had written an interesting article on the above subject in your Newspaper. Not long after that, Mr. Makabo has personally applauded Mr. Rarumae for his article. Mr. Makabo has accused Mrs Ellah Kaueha to take their time to study the judges' decisions thoroughly before going to the media.

I agreed with Mr. Makabo that most people in the Solomon Islands have little knowledge about the law and sometimes failed to understand the reasons as to why judges reach their decisions in sexual related offences. This is the reason why they blame the legal system for being unfair in its decisions. For someone like Ellah Kaueha who is a woman activist, she is so concerned about the victims of the sexual offences want to see justice to be done.

I think Ellah Kaueha needs some knowledge of law. And the question is who will educate Mrs. Ellah Kaueha with such knowledge? I guess Mr. Makabo and Rarumae are lawyers and I suggest that you should provide some knowledge of law in relation to sexual related offences to Ellah Kaueha. This is to enable her to have some broad knowledge of law and as to why judges reach their decisions in sexual related offences.

Given the fact that most people in Solomon Islands are illiterate or have no knowledge of law, the obligation rests on lawyers to explain the law to ordinary people. In other words, there is a total dependence on lawyers by the ordinary people concerning matters of law. Therefore, lawyers should explain matters of law to the ordinary people who have no knowledge of law.

While I agree with Mr. Makabo on the fact that most Solomon Islands are ignorant of law, I suggest that Mr. Makabo should educate people who have little knowledge of law in relation to sexual related offences so that they understand why the judges reach their decisions. I think lawyers are the right people to explain the laws to the ordinary people. Encouraging ordinary people like Ellah Kaueha to study the laws to have knowledge of the justice system does no good to her. It is because she has no legal knowledge or background of law. Therefore, I humbly call on Mr. Makabo and Rarumae not to encourage Mrs. Ellah Kaueha to study the laws. But I rather call on them to explain the law on how the judges reach their decisions on sexual related offences so that the likes of Ellah Kaueha and others have broader understanding on the issue.