By EDDIE OSIFELO

A LOGGER has questioned the connection between President of the Solomon Forest Association (SFA) Jonny Sy and certain key and influential players in the Government.

Managing director of Orion Limited, Chan Chee Min raised the issue after Sy sold Cowboy’s Grill Bar and Restaurant Limited to Clandestine Entertainment Limited.

According to documents Island Sun cited, Sy sold Cowboys for $1 million to Clandestine, whose shareholders are the Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff Robson Djokovic, Attorney General John Muria Junior and Our Party’s lawyer Wilson Rano.

Documents show that Djokovic’s wife Therese injected $500,000 into Clandestine, while Muria Junior and Rano each contributed $250,000.

Chan said incriminating documents mentioned that should such information (gifting of shares in Clandestine Entertainment Limited to the Attorney General and others falls into the wrong hands), the consequences could be dire – for SFA as well as the government.

“In short, it has the potential to bring down the government,” he alleged.

Chan Chee Min said he had this information way back in 2018, but chose to remain silent.

“Now that SFA and its President has made me a victim of their plot, I will start releasing every incriminating document progressively to expose SFA’s ‘vile’ plots,” he said.

However, former Prime Minister and long-time senior public servant Gordon Darcy Lilo said there was nothing wrong with the sale of shares in business to another person.

But Lilo said the question is does Djokovic and John Muria Junior have to continue as private investors or actors of public institutions.

Lilo said former United States President, Donald Trump had to surrender his business interests to trust before he took up the presidency.

“Anyone craving for public institutions cannot serve two masters,” Lilo said.

“The risk is the possibility of compromising in their decision,” he added.

Lilo said the Attorney General, as the government’s chef legal advisor, must avoid putting himself in situations that would give rise to members of the public questioning his standing and decisions.

“Cowboy’s Grill is a public entertainment like casino so your hands must be clean to avoid conflict of interest.

 “If they declare their shares with Leadership Code Commission, they must also show duty of care.

“It is your duty to take care in a very vigilant and responsible manner,” Lilo said.

He added it is public knowledge that certain SFA members secured jobs with State Owned Enterprise like Solomon Ports Authority.

 “Where were these guys when the government reformed SIPA?” Lilo asked.

BY BARNABAS MANEBONA

Government approach meeting 100 percent of the entire Coronavirus (Covid-19) tests for all persons entering the country is under review.

This is confirmed by Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare early this week, explaining that many countries require foreign nationals to meet the cost of their Covid-19 tests.

In addition, Mr Sogavare said they are required to also meet their accommodation and food costs.

Speaking during his nationwide address, the Prime Minister said a decision will be made later this week on charges for Covid-19 tests during the quarantine period.

“Fellow citizens up to now, the government have met 100 percent of all the COVID -19 tests for all persons entering the country.

“This is currently under review. Many countries require all foreign nationals (and some even their returning citizens) to meet the cost of their COVID-19 tests, in addition to also meeting their accommodation and food costs. A decision will be made later this week on charges for COVID-19 test during the quarantine period.

“We will continue to charge pre-departure COVID-19 fees for those that depart from Solomon Islands to countries that require such tests,” said Sogavare.

-Country gets low score on corruption

-But, very, very hard to eliminate it here

By EDDIE OSIFELO

SOLOMON Islands has a no single solution to eliminating corruption, a panel discussion has established.

Leadership Code Commission, Solomon Islands Independent Commission Against Corruption (SIICAC), Media Association of Solomon Islands (MASI), Council of Women, Ombudsman, United Nations Development Programme and social media representative could not come up with one solution when they discussed the country’s approach on corruption and reflect on her Corruption Perception Index (CPI) ranking.

Solomon Islands ranked 44 out of 180 countries in the CPI ranking, announced by former Governor General and chairman of SIICAC, Sir Frank Kabui yesterday.

CPI uses a scale of 0 to 100 to rank nations, where 0 is highly corrupt and 100 is very clean.

Sir Frank suggested one way is to improve internal procedures in the public service as a lot of officers cannot comply.

He said most public servants could not even make decision on legal basis.

“We need to think right to live right or think wrong to live wrong, “he said.

Sir Frank stated that when one public officer wants to do things, the other colleagues would take a soft measure.

“If you report us, for what reason.

“Or they may say the rules does not belong to your dad,” he said.

As such, Sir Frank said it is really hard to eradicate corruption.

Furthermore, Sir Frank believes corruption in the country may be attributed to certain factors like:

1.         Decline in morale standard in population;

2.         Poor, people don’t have money because most come from villages;

3.         Environment, our wages are low and cannot sustain through out the month plus trying to feed many people in the house.

Sir Frank said corruption is not a new thing as it has been on the penal code since 1963.

He said the Anti-Corruption Act just expands the definition and scope of provision in the Penal Code.

In 2017, Solomon Islands ranked 39.

It moved up to 44 in 2018 after the government passed the Anti-Corruption Act, the Whistle-blowers Protection Act, and government working with civil society more openly welcoming people’s participation.

However, in 2019, it dropped to 44.

But last year, Solomon Islands made a huge jump to 77 out of 180 countries.

The theme for this year’s launch of the 2020 CPI is COVID-19 AND CORRUPTION.

By EDDIE OSIFELO

SOLOMON Islands will know its ranking in the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) today.

Transparency Solomon Islands (TSI) has organised a one and half hour panel discussion today starting 1.30pm at Solomon Islands Broadcasting leaf hut to discuss the country’s approach on corruption and reflect on her CPI ranking.

Leadership Code Commission, Solomon Islands Independent Commission Against Corruption (SIICAC), Media Association of Solomon Islands (MASI), Council of Women and social media representatives are participating in the panel.

CPI uses a scale of 0 to 100 to rank nations, where 0 is highly corrupt and 100 is very clean.

In 2017, Solomon Islands ranked 39.

It moved up to 44 in 2018 after the government passed the Anti-Corruption Act, the Whistle-blowers Protection Act, and government working with civil society more openly welcoming people’s participation.

However, in 2019, it dropped to 44.

But last year, Solomon Islands made a huge jump to 77 out of 180 countries.

The huge jump was due to Solomon Islands witnessed the national general election and the period leading up to the formation of the new Executive Government.

Substantial evidence has identified that the new regime was very much open to political party financing and politicians were open to undue influence from vested interests and such a government was obviously less able to combat corruption on its own and they have failed to partner with the people in the fight against corruption.

According to TSI, there are two most widely used indicators of Corruption today.

These are the Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index [CPI] and Control of Corruption Indicator one of the six Governance Indicators [WGIs] produced by World Bank Researchers.

The Corruption Perception Index [ CPI] is the leading global indicator of public sector corruption since its inception in 1995. 

In 2012, Transparency International revised the methodology used to construct the index to allow for comparison of scores from one year to the next.

The CPI analyses perceptions of corruption in the public sector and scores 180 countries and territories, drawing on 13 surveys of businesspeople and expert assessments.

Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) ranks countries “by their perceived levels of public sector corruption, as determined by expert assessments and opinion surveys.”

The CPI defines corruption as “the misuse of public power for private benefit”.

The theme for this year’s launch of the 2020 CPI is COVID-19 AND CORRUPTION.

BY MAVIS N PODOKOLO

THE Japan’s government sealed an agreement with the Solomon Islands Government through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade (MFAET) through a signing for the extension of the Kukum Highway phase-two project.

The first phase of this project was signed and implemented on May 26, 2015 and concluded on December 5, 2018. This phase-one of the project include the improvement of highways, bus bays, crossings, overhead bridges and underground tunnels.

Speaking at the signing ceremony yesterday Japan’s Ambassador to Solomon Islands Morimoto Yasuhiro said the signing of the Kukum highway phase-two project is a significant event and a milestone in the ongoing cordial bilateral relationship between Solomon Islands and Japan.

“I am pleased to sign the EN today after the approval of the cabinet of Japan last month. The government of Japan decided a grant up to three billion one hundred and Fifty-nine million Japanese Yen (Y3, 159,000,000), approximately 243.6 million Solomon Dollars, for the construction and supervision works.

“The Kukum Highway Phase two project is the continuation from the where Kukum Highway Phase one ended. The project will cover the 6.5 kilometres road from the Ministry of Fisheries to Honiara International Airport. The project component will include 4.3 kilometres of four-lane road to Lunga Bridge and two kilometres of two lane road from Lunga Bridge to the airport. Ancillaries to the road project are, the drainage systems, bus stations, street lights, traffic sign boards and pavement markings. The project time-line will be 24 months and it is expected to complete by June 2023.

“I would like to highly commend all those who have been involved in the preparatory works and the design finalization on both sides of our two countries. Despite the difficulties cause by the global pandemic Covid-19 you have worked untiringly and made all efforts into promoting and meeting deadlines to ensure the signing today (yesterday) possible,” said Yasuhiro.

Minister for MFAET Jeremiah Manele in response said the signing ceremony is another validation between the two countries.

“The signing of the Exchange of notes and the grant agreement of the Kukum Highway phase two projects with the government of Japan, signifies another milestone of the partnership, engagement and cooperation between our two countries.

“I wish to acknowledge the government of Japan’s grant of three billion, one hundred fifty-nine million Japanese Yen, which is equivalent to more than SBD243 million for phase II of the Kukum Highway project.

“The duration of the project for construction is 24 months. Excellency, I wish to reassure you of the commitment by the Solomon Islands government to working closely with your government to successfully implement the project. Despite the impact of COVID-19, we remain committed in ensuring this national project commences and is completed schedule.”