President of Lovongai Local Level Government, Hon. John Aini has welcomed the court challenge by people and organisations who have taken him to court.  He is adamant the court case against him will be watered and justice for his people and land will prevail.

I am determined to fight on behalf of my people to get back our land, to stop the illegal harvest of our forest timbers and to bring to justice those who have badly manipulated our people through devious means to illegally acquire our land and our natural resources.

I will not bow down to anyone, however big, however mighty and powerful and to anyone who thinks they can use the power of money and material goods to lead my people astray.

People of Lovongai should know that they have nothing in the current SABL arrangements, they now don’t have right to parcels of land they have registered under the ILG provisions spearheaded by a selfish minority and in collaboration with their foreign masters. 

This people are only here for one thing, our prime forest timbers.  Once they cut all our trees they are gone.  They have no long term commitment to us as a people who are true custodians of our land.

And they show this by how they don’t respect our cultures and our land, how they build cheap bridges across our once clear fast flowing rivers, how they are building roads in our forest that is leading to nowhere. And how they don’t care about our future.

I am clear that any land on Lovongai Island belongs to ALL people of Lovongai and any development of any resources on the Island must have the consent of our people.  It is my belief and that of all people of Lovongai that any benefits derived from any development must be shared equally to all people of Lovongai. 

And any development on Lovongai Island must be done in the trust of our future generations.