The Solomon Islands prime minister, Sir Allan Kemakeza, has called for national unity as it is a prerequisite for progress and prosperity.
Sir Allan said this last week when addressing more than 2,000 people in Choiseul province to mark the centenary of the arrival of the first Methodist missionaries in the province.
He reiterated the saying "united we stand, divided we fall" to highlight the need for Solomon Islands to remain one country.
The call is seen as intended to ease people's anxiety following calls for secession from the rest of Solomon Islands by some leaders in the neighbouring and bigger Western province.
But Sir Allan has urged the Unity Church to preach the importance of national unity because progress and prosperity in Solomon Islands depend on it.
