Why did the Solomon Islands government not allow Leiataualesa Jerry Brunt to leave the country? The Solomon Islands government needs to answer quickly. He did not commit any criminal offences to be treated in that manner.

Leiataualesa was stopped at Honiara International Airport on Monday and was expected to arrive home on Wednesday morning but that did not happen. Instead, he was taken by government officials and was allegedly forced to own up to something that he did not do. If the respected lawyer and hotelier had not committed a crime, then why was he held hostage?

When someone is held against their will, they are being held hostage. This is exactly what happened to Leiataualesa. He was in Honiara as the head judge for the Miss Pacific Islands Pageant. He was falsely accused of cheating by a Tongan judge after Miss Samoa Litara Ieremia-Allan won.

This claim was dispelled by the scrutineers who are on record clarifying the process leading to the announcement of winners. Surely, there is a process to seek redress if the Tongan contingent is unhappy with how things turned out. These processes are independent of any government interference.

Legal experts verified that Leiataualesa did not violate any laws of the country. Strangely, Leiataulesa was stopped by the Solomon Islands Immigration at the airport. This violated his rights under Article 13 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that “everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.”

The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) also states that restrictions on movement should be legally justified and not arbitrary. Ensuring adherence to these principles is crucial in upholding due process and fairness. This has not been done.

It was good to see the government act quickly and demand answers from the Solomon Islands Attorney General and to date there has been no response. To not explain shows that the government departments responsible in Honiara have no idea what happened and have just realised that they have created an international row.

The absence of a clear explanation from relevant authorities has left uncertainty regarding the legal justification for the stop order. With no official charges confirmed and no legal grounds publicly cited, the matter remains unresolved.

It looks like the Solomon Islands government was on a witch hunt and they bought more time to try and burn Leiataualesa at the stakes. They allegedly tried to force him to say he cheated which he has claimed not to have done. The bigger question is why is the Solomon Islands government interfering in something their nose does not belong in.

They tried to justify the blunder that they made. It came at the cost of a Samoan national unable to return home even though he had not done anything wrong.

Despite the yarn by the many confused Friendly Islanders, the outcome of the Miss Pacific Islands was fair and the processes outlined were followed leading to the declaration of the winner. The scrutineers have given their testimonies.

The right thing for the Solomon Islands government is to explain why they stepped in and violated international conventions by holding Leiataualesa hostage. He should also be offered an apology and compensated. The complainant in this matter should be held accountable for making alleged false accusations.

There is also a learning for the Miss Pacific Island Pageant Inc., the organisers. The stop-order fiasco has overshadowed the hard work and effort put in by the beautiful contestants who aimed to promote cultural diversity and leadership of young women across the Pacific.

We are waiting for your answers, Solomon Islands.