THE Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) is concerned about the frequency of accidents happening at logging camps throughout the country and has called on companies to put in place safety measures to minimize fatalities at the camps.

“The latest fatal accident is that of the Malaysian Camp Manager at the MEGA Logging Camp at Fulo in West Dorio in the Malaita Province yesterday (21 November 2018).

The Camp Manager died after the rim on the tyre of the loader machine he was pumping flew out and hit him, killing him instantly,” says Supervising RSIPF Commissioner, Juanita Matanga.

She adds: “It was only a couple of weeks ago that another foreign national died at a logging camp during a road accident in West Rennell.”

“I want to call on all logging companies in the country to institute safety measures at their logging companies and ensure that all their vehicles are in good working order to reduce the chances of accidents,” says Supervising Commissioner Matanga.

“I also urge provincial governments to consider proposing bye-laws to minimize accidents at the logging camps.”

Supervising Commissioner Matanga explains: “Police cannot be at the logging camps all the time so the responsibility rests on the management of the companies to make sure whatever safety measures are adhered to in order to minimize any chances of an accident.”

–RSIPF MEDIA

ISABEL Province will commence Customary Land Recording Friday this week as a result of combined efforts by the National Government, the Isabel Provincial Government, the Isabel Council of Chiefs and the Pacific Community (SPC) with financial support from the Australian Government.

Stakeholders of Barora Fa, Ghage and Pizuana will congregate at Kia for a Public Hearing to represent claims on customary interests over identified lands and the chain of islands linking the Arnavon Islands at the western end of Isabel Province.

The Public Hearing is fixed to commence following a one month public notice to hear claims over customary interests in the specified areas following a Government declaration to carryout recording of customary land in Isabel.

The Minister of Lands, Housing and Survey, earlier this year declared Isabel Province as a Customary Land Recording Province which has resulted in the appointment of the Isabel Customary Land Recorder.

The Commissioner of Lands, Mr Alan Mcneil is pleased with the progress of work so far. In the current exercise, the Surveyor General will be heavily involved, as they will carry out the mapping of customary boundaries.

The Commissioner of Lands further confirmed that this is a National Government undertaking and has the full support of the Ministry and especially the Customary Land Records Office. This exercise will roll out into the next 2 weeks.

Meanwhile, the Zabana House of Chiefs is optimistic that the exercise will be successful and landholding clans, families and individuals will be able to record their interest in custom over their Customary Land.

This will be an affirmation of rights and interest as to custom over the Customary Land by Land holding entities.

The Public Hearing will be attended by the Isabel Customary Lands Record Office, Isabel Provincial Government’s Culture and Lands Division and Officers from the Public Solicitors Office (LALSU).

A brief program will include awareness on related matters and common issues as to Customary Land to be conducted by officers of the LALSU and the Isabel Customary Land Records Office.

Other regions in Isabel have also indicated willingness to undertake this process as it appears to be an appropriate intervention to Customary Land management issues faced by various land holding entities.

–GCU

BY LORETTA BRIGIDIA MANELE

WHITE River Community High School Principal, Evan Gerea has lauded the Japanese government for selecting his school to participate in the High School Students Summit on “World Tsunami Awareness Day” in Japan this year.

Gerea says his students not only learned about tsunami awareness but have developed a whole new perception of the world.

He voiced it is important that they utilize the knowledge they gained from the summit.

Gerea expressed that this trip is an investment for the country.

He said they are very thankful to the Japanese government for having Solomon Islands, particularly White River School at the summit.

BY SAMIE WAIKORI

AUKI

THE Malaita Provincial Government is calling on the national government to consider improvement of its resource sharing to the provinces.

Provincial Secretary of MPG, Mr Jackson Gege made the statement saying this is the reason provinces are sometimes engaged in unethical actions.

He said all the provinces in the country are very marginalise in terms of resources sharing and focus of the national government.

Gege said national government doesn’t see provincial governments as important political institutions to work along for development and delivery of services in the country.

“A clear example was out of the total budget of the national government in terms of resource sharing, all provinces only receive 1.4 percent of the budget.

“And distributing that 1.4 percent among all the provinces, it doesn’t enough to meet all the services and demands in the provinces.

“Because majority of country’s populations are in the provinces and take care by the province.

“So the people’s immediate needs are closer to the provincial government than the national government,” he said.

Gege said the sad thing was it is difficult to meet their services. With the increased population, the need for services and cost of delivery is also increasing.

He said the support by the national government to provincial governments was fixed and not improving year by year.

He said this is one of provincial governments appeal to national government to consider improving resource sharing, so that provinces can increase their responsibility.

“On the other hand, it will also stop provinces from borrowing.

“Because when provinces are not well supported, some of its actions will not seem right in order to meet its legal obligations,” Gege said.

He made an example saying in a clinic, it is unethical to inject two or three patients with only a syringe, but due to luck of syringes and for the sake of serving the patient’s life, the nurses do something unethical.

“This is a classic example of how provincial governments are functioning. They want to do more current services, but they luck resources.

“Although they’re operating on local revenue, but collecting revenue is not easy as it’s costly on areas like logistic, recruitment and others.

“So it’s best for national government to reconsider these things so that provinces do not engage in unethical actions,” Gege said.

It was only yesterday, the Ministry of Provincial Government and Institutional Strengthening (MPGIS) spoke of their priority area to the Public Accounts Committee for a shared resource scheme for provinces.

MPGIS is tasked to strategise for this scheme.

BY JENNIFER KUSAPA

THE increased reports on logging vehicles costing people’s lives have become a concern for the Police.

Supervising Police Commissioner Juanita Matanga said fatal accidents in logging camps has been of great concern to the police. She said from the past months and weeks police continued to receive reports of fatal accidents.

She said logging companies must be aware of the safety of its employees and the machines used must be of standard.

She reminds loggers that whilst they are doing their activities it is also their responsibility to care for their employees and machines.

Loggers must make sure their machines and vehicles are road worthy and safe for employees. She said a lot of lives had been lost, due to negligence.

She made the comment following a recent report where a Malaysian was report to die after he was hit by a tyre of the loader at one of the Logging camps in Malaita.

She said Police in Auki attended to that report and the deceased was taken to Honiara and ready to be repatriated back to his home country.

Matanga also mentioned that from these reports, the Assistant Commissioner Provincial will be liaising with the Provincial Governments to come up with some by-laws to be applied to all vehicles operating in the Logging camps and in the provinces.