Minister for Defence and National Security, Ratu Epeli Ganilau has urged Police Commissioners of the Pacific Region to look for solutions pertaining to regional security.
Ratu Epeli made the comments whilst opening the Regional Commissioners of Police meeting at the Natadola Intercontinental Golf and Spa Resort this morning.
“ I do hope that this meeting would critically discuss and find remedial solutions to the problems that has caused so much instability within the region.
“The inevitable social, economic and political predicament had always been the talk of the region and island states such as ours are constantly targeted and vulnerable to such security challenge given the limited resources, knowledge and skills we have,” he said.
He said, the advanced technological systems and the modern scientific approaches to addressing our respective problems has left the Pacific Island states grappling with issues pertaining to law and order, pandemic, natural calamities and other transactional border crimes.
Police Commissioners from around the region during their photo session
“The ensuing political instability within the region, mostly in countries of the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG), has often been referred to by academics and the international media as the ‘arc of instability’.
“Fiji for instance continues to succumb to international pressures given our political situation, however it becomes crystal clear that a degree of external influence has infiltrated our systems, legal instruments and other aspects of governmental infrastructure weakening our state orders,”he said.
He said that Pacific island states have always been undermined by external influence.
“We must bear in mind that by allowing external influence to dictate our respective internal security our capability would always be undermined hence our constant reliance on international assistance seems to be the gateway to resolving our impasses and issue of national security.”