PM Hou vs Boyers

Kadere party president wants a $138,000 annual basic salary as political appointee

By Alfred Sasako

KADERE Party President, Peter Boyers, is set to clash with the law in insisting on being reappointed as Traditional Governance Consultant at an SS4 basic salary price tag of around $138,000 a year, it has been revealed.

Mr Boyers held the same Consultant position for three years during the term of the DCC government, whose leadership came to grief last December. He is seeking renewal of the appointment but at SS4, a much higher salary level than his previous remunerations.

The new government is against reappointment as it is contrary to the provisions of the State-Owned Enterprises Act 2007 as well as on the basis of performance to justify reappointment.

Island Sun has obtained details of an SS4 salary scale. Based on 2016 figures, the remuneration package shows that apart from a $11,000-plus a month salary, it also carries other perks such as:

                a $12,000 monthly transport allowance if no government vehicle is provided;

                a $10,000 monthly housing allowance;

                a $3,000 monthly utility allowance;

                an $8,000 annual Education Grant;

                a one-off $10,000 appointment grant; and

                a one-off $10,000 clothing allowance.

Boyers, a former finance minister is at loggerhead with Prime Minister Ricky Houenipwela who is reported to be against the reappointment based on the law as well as the issue of productivity.

Section 12(3) of the State-Owned Enterprises Act 2007(Act No. 7 of 2007)

STATE OWNED ENTERPRISES REGULATIONS 2010 states:

“Where a person who is a Member of Parliament, public servant or who holds any other constitutional or government position is appointed as director, that person shall not receive remuneration or other benefits from the State Owned Enterprise for services as a director.”

Section 12(2) is also clear on the matter of appointment to the board(s) of any State-Owned Enterprises unless it was certified by the responsible Minister. It states:

“No person who is a Member of Parliament, public servant, or who holds any other constitutional or government position may be appointed as a director of a State Owned Enterprise unless the board certifies to the Accountable Ministers that

(a) the appointment is in the national interest; and

(b) the person has particular qualifications or business experience which the State Owned Enterprise requires on its board and such qualifications or business experience cannot be found in Solomon Islands.”

In his time with the DCC Government, Boyers held the Chairmanship of the Investment Corporation of Solomon Islands (ICSI), which is the business arm of the national government. He was also chairman of South Pacific Oil, a subsidiary of the Solomon Islands National Provident Fund (SINPF), where he remains Chairman.

It is not clear whether Boyers was receiving payment as Chairman of the various SOEs. If he did, he may be forced to repay the earnings.

Last week, Boyers told local media that he had relinquished his membership as a Board Member of all SINPF investment companies.

Insider told Island Sun that one of the reasons Prime Minister Houenipwela was against renewing Boyers’ appointment as Traditional Governance Consultant is because “he [Boyers] had never produced a single report for his work as a traditional governance consultant in the last three years”.

“There simply is nothing to justify reappointment,” one insider said.

Boyers could not be contacted for comments last night.

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