In Malaita, the most populated of Solomon Islands provinces, people questioned the presence of RAMSI and criticised its performance.

In Guadalcanal, home of the capital Honiara, indigenous rural people had a different view. They wanted the Australian-led Regional Assistance Mission (RAMSI) to stay in the Solomon Islands. They were happy with its work.

Democracy is at play in one of the region’s biggest countries and anyone with access to local TV can watch it happening,

Parliament’s Foreign Relations Committee is holding public hearings that will continue into this year. They are the foundation of a review of the facilitation act which enabled RAMSI to intervene in 2003 to end lawlessness following the ethnic conflict and to then help rebuild governance.

This is the first major review of RAMSI by Solomon Islanders for Solomon Islanders. The questions are many. How much longer should RAMSI’s mix of police officers, soldiers and civilian advisers and experts stay in the Solomons? What should RAMSI’s future role be? Are RAMSI’s efforts in line with the government’s development priorities? What do people really think of RAMSI’s presence and performance?

Solomon Islanders are coming forward in large numbers to give their views to the committee. This is headed by prominent parliamentarian Laurie Chan.

Chan plans to continue hearings in the new year. He and his committee want to travel to all nine provinces to hear what people have to say. RAMSI people are also coming forward with their submissions.

All this is being recorded and broadcast by Dorothy Wickham’s One Television. This pioneering local TV company operates in partnership with the national telecommunications monopoly, Our Telekom. One Television uses Our Telekom transmission facilities to broadcast its daily programmes in Honiara and Auki, the capital of Malaita. There are plans to extend this soon to the Western Province capital, Gizo.

One Television is an example of the rapid news media growth. This is giving Solomon Islanders increasing access to news and information and opportunity to express their views.

Local radio and TV stations, newspapers, magazines and Internet operators, are developing and helping promote a national conversation like never before.

The news media are not perfect. There is a lack of in-depth investigative reporting and sometimes a reluctance to do this. The work of veteran journalist and former parliamentarian Alfred Sasako is a notable exception.

The country’s mostly young journalists often struggle with the English language, especially those writing and editing the English-language newspapers. This leads to some strange language that causes amusement for expatriate readers.

A prominent churchman was recently awarded a “barge”, according to one newspaper. The newspaper apparently meant he got a badge.

Better informed: But the news media are making sure the people are much better informed. They give the people more opportunity to express their own views.

The traditional main news media operators still have the most influence. The government-owned Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation (SIBC) remains the only broadcaster with national reach. Its capacity is about to be boosted through an Australian-funded project managed by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

The English-language Solomon Star continues to be the dominant force in the newspaper market. Publisher and founder John Lamani has steadily built it from the A4 size weekly he launched 26 years ago into a tabloid size Monday to Saturday paper averaging 20 pages a day. Lamani is working all the time to grow the paper’s reach. The Star has in recent times boosted publication from five days a week to six and introduced daily full colour advertising and photos. There are plans to go to seven days a week, with a Sunday edition, after the Star fully opens new headquarters built at Lungga, near Honiara International Airport.

Lamani has brought in the first modern web press in the Solomons. It is installed at Lungga and replaces the company’s two sheetfed presses that have printed the paper each night at its old wooden building in Chinatown. The web press will mean more papers and pages can be printed quicker and the Star’s reach extended further, especially in the provinces. But snapping at the heels of the big two are a growing range of other news media. They help give Solomon Islands unprecedented media diversity.

SIBC faces competition from FM stations, ranging from the Solomon Star’s PAOA FM and its main competitor, ZFM, to church and community broadcasters.

In newspapers, Pamela Zoleveke’s National Express and the Island Sun, founded by former Star staff, are both trying to match developments by the Star. Both the Express and Sun introduced full colour after the Star did. They also increased their own publication days after the Star went to six days. The National Express went from two days a week to three and the Island Sun from three to five.

All three newspapers run letters from readers, sometimes pages of them in a single issue. Debates on issues can continue in the letters columns for weeks. They are a must-read for anyone wanting to be fully informed.

Internet news and community operations such as solomontimes.com, solomonstarnews.com, and PfNet are growing. They add to the media mix.

In TV, One Television is competing with the radio stations and newspapers to be the first and best with the news. Longtime radio journalist Dorothy Wickham is the founder and driving force of One Television. Wickham has put a strong focus on news, information and sports programmes. Her station produces most of these from its studio in a building in Honiara near Parliament. One Television also does live broadcasts of sittings of Parliament and parliamentary committee meetings. SIBC does the same.

This ensures people throughout the country can hear how their elected representatives are performing. Former Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare makes good use of this in his role as Opposition leader. His probing questioning of the government is a feature of the TV and radio broadcasts.

But two things are now definite. RAMSI’s arrival in 2003 ended the lawlessness and restored stability in the daily lives of many.

One of the results is that Solomon Islanders are now far better informed because of the growing and diverse news media that has emerged. So is the ability of Solomon Islanders to use the news media to express their views. In the months ahead, there’s going to be a lot more on local radio and TV as Solomon Islanders express their views about RAMSI. Positive or negative.

Chan’s committee will be taking note. The people will be listening and watching.