Solomon Islands MP defends decision to attend IPAC Summit in Taiwan amid criticism

August 5, 2024 TruthUSA

Member of Parliament Peter Kenilorea Jr. raised doubts about the true freedom of his country under the current coalition government.

A member of parliament in the Solomon Islands expressed concerns regarding his ruling coalition’s decision to criticize his trip to Taiwan for a recent summit.

Peter Kenilorea Jr., a member of the Solomon Islands United Party, participated in a summit in Taipei, Taiwan last month, organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), where he serves as a co-chair. The summit aimed to coordinate responses to combat the Chinese regime’s negative actions.

The Solomon Islands government released a statement on July 31, criticizing Kenilorea’s participation in the summit, stating that it could harm the relationship between the Solomon Islands and China.

The statement from the government described Kenilorea’s calls for resuming relations with Taiwan as regrettable and disappointing.

In response, IPAC criticized the Solomon Islands government’s press release as harshly worded and noted similarities in language to that of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Solomon Islands is currently governed by the coalition Government for National Unity and Transformation (GNUT), with Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele from the OUR Party at the helm.

The Chinese regime considers Taiwan as part of its territory and has threatened military action to reunite the island with the mainland. However, Taiwan operates as an independent nation with its own government, constitution, and military.

Kennilorea expressed disappointment in his government’s statement, highlighting that the summit aimed to spread awareness in respective parliaments about the risks associated with unilateral changes to Taiwan strait relations.

Despite attempts by Beijing to pressure IPAC colleagues from attending the summit, Kenilorea found that these efforts only strengthened their resolve to participate.

Kenilorea noted that while the Chinese Embassy in his country didn’t pressure him against attending the summit, the government’s statement seemed to imply that he should not have gone to Taiwan.

He questioned the government’s motives, raising concerns about restrictions on freedom of movement, expression, and conscience, wondering if the country was truly free under the current circumstances.

Instead of limiting freedoms guaranteed by the constitution, Kenilorea emphasized the importance of a democratic government like GNUT ensuring that citizens can enjoy these freedoms.

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