Honiara City Clerk Charles Kelly, left declares the new Honiara City Mayor Wilson Maemae to the members of
the public yesterday. He won with 13 votes.
BY BARNABAS MANEBONA
Honiara City Clerk Charles Kelly, left declares the new Honiara City Mayor Wilson Maemae to the members of the public on Monday. He won with 13 votes.
OUR new City Mayor is Wilson Mamae, Councillor for Ngossi Ward.
He polled 13 votes against Reginald Ngati, Councillor for Vura Ward who got six votes.
Those who casted their votes were 12 councillors, including four appointed councillors and three ex-officio.
Speaking at his brief declaration the City Mayor thanked all the people of Honiara City for having the trust in voting the 12 councillors for HCC.
He assured a good number of people waiting outside the Honiara City office that as councillors they will as a team fulfil the aims, objectives and the goals they have promised during their campaigns.
City Mayor Cr Wilson Mamae also assures Honiara residents that they will revisit all the functions and structures of the council in their four-year term.
He said details of what they will be doing will be discussed soon after his new executive is finalised and set for the first meeting.
Mamae is not new to the Honiara City as he has been a two-time councillor for Ngossi Ward in 1986 and 1988.
He is a teacher by profession who has been building his leadership as councillor and political appointee since 1993 until last year.
Meanwhile the appointed councillors sworn in yesterday are Speaker of Guadalcanal province Abel Arambola, Chief Charles Lesimoama, John Szetu and Nina Davis.
For the ex-officio attending, they are Douglas Ete (MP for East Honiara), Moffat Fugui (MP for Central Honiara) and Peter Araonisaka (Premier of Guadalcanal Province).
One of the ex-officio who was absent is Namson Tran the MP for West Honiara.
Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare delivering his speech at the parade.
By EDDIE OSIFELO
Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare delivering his speech at the parade.
PRIME Minister Manasseh Sogavare has highlighted three key areas that his government must address as a nation together with Solomon Islands’ genuine partners.
He voiced this at a banquet lunch at Mendana yesterday in which Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison was the main guest.
The three areas include:
Firstly, they cannot continue the ‘business-as-usual’ approach to development.
“We must invest in and unlock the key development constraints of all our provinces – but especially in our larger provinces such as Malaita, Guadalcanal and Western that cover about 70 [percent] of our population and 37 of our constituencies, and ultimately all 50 constituencies.
“Addressing these key priorities holds the key to future peace and security of this nation. It will set the foundation that will help our people to not revert to the kinds of challenges that led to the unrest that needed the intervention of RAMSI to get us out of,” he said.
Secondly, Sogavare said to achieve the vision embodied in the first point which aims to achieve a holistic development of the country, Solomon Islands must embark on an innovative economic development paradigm that can transform the economic development potential in their provinces by unlocking the key development constraints through bold and innovative investments aimed at linking the totality of all their constituencies, all their provinces and all their population together and with the outside world;
Thirdly, Sogavare said it follows that to achieve the above, Solomon Islands must look to establish new genuine, durable and transformative relationship with their key partners that go beyond what is possible or is provided for under current relationships.
Sogavare said in other words, they are not simply looking for more of the same, nor are they looking at incremental approaches.
“We are looking at long-term transformative partnership that will unlock multiple development constraints on the one hand, but more importantly, an investment paradigm that provides the foundation for long-term peace and security in the country that embodies a more balanced development paradigm among our provinces.
“The developmental and geopolitical challenges facing small island countries and in particular the Solomon Islands require some ‘out-of-the-box thinking on strategic investments’ that will help my government demonstrate to our rural people, our constituencies and our provinces that their long-held development priorities are finally being addressed, and at a pace that will transform economic participation and growth,” he said.
“My government must focus on unlocking investment opportunities in all our provinces through better roads infrastructure around the main islands.
These include more reliable and affordable ‘virtual sea-highways’ that link their main trading ports; strategic investments on major economic infrastructure such as the country’s 3rd international seaport in Malaita – the Bina Harbour inclusive of the new Bina Harbour fish processing facility; the unlocking of a potential major oil-palm development project at Malaita’s Aluta basin through an improved road extension to Bina harbour international seaport for export; the extension of the road around Guadalcanal to drive greater economic participation of Guadalcanal people; the extension of the Noro-Munda road to Seghe, New Georgia; the relocation of the commercial international seaport in Honiara to a location more suited to cater for the future growth in Honiara; the relocation of the oil terminals to more appropriate locations; the transformation of the country’s capital city and provincial capitals.
The government realised this after the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI) has restored law and order in 2003 following the conflict on Guadalcanal.
Head of the MSG Observer Group, Ratu Inoke, and SIEC Chairman, Patterson Oti, (front center). Looking on are
members of the MSG and SIEC.
By Mike Puia
Head of the MSG Observer Group, Ratu Inoke, and SIEC Chairman, Patterson Oti, (front center). Looking on are members of the MSG and SIEC.
THE Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) observer group has provided Solomon Islands with 14 recommendations on how the country’s elections could be improved.
These are contained its report of the country’s recent National General Elections to the Solomon Islands Electoral Commission (SIEC).
There is no detail provided about this report. However, Fiji’s retired diplomat and politician, Ratu Inoke Kubuabola, indicated there are 14 commendations inside this report.
Kubuabola, Fiji’s former Defense Minister, was the head of the MSG observer group.
The group arrived in the country on the invitation of the government prior to polling day on April 3.
Kubuabola and the MSG Director General, Ambassador Amena Yauvoli, presented the report to the SIEC chairman Patterson Oti last Friday.
The SIEC’s Chief Electoral Officer, Mose Saitala, also witness the handing over of the report.
This is the first MSG observer group to observe the country’s national elections. MSG has been sending observer group to observe elections in other MSG member countries.
Beside the MSG, there were other international, regional and national groups that observed the country’s elections. Over 200 observers from different observation groups observed the country’s elections.
Observation groups are independent. Their observations are important as it help to improve how elections are conducted.
The MSG observer group comprises of highly respected citizens from MSG member countries.
SIEC chairman and speaker of parliament, Oti, thanked the MSG observer group for the “job well done”.
Kubuabola thanked the government for giving his group the opportunity to observe its elections.
He said the country’s 2019 general election has been a smooth and peaceful elections.
Kubuabola said the country’s general elections have been calm and there were no issues observed on polling day.
He said it was obvious electoral officials were well trained and they know what they were doing.
Kubuabola commended the 24-hour campaign blackout and the alcohol ban.
He said the campaign blackout and liquor ban have helped make the polling day peaceful.
The MSG observer group was split into three teams. One teams observed elections in and around Honiara, another team was deployed to Kirakira in Makira Province and the other to Gizo in the Western Province.
“Our teams were impressed with what they saw,” Kubuabola said.
Ambassador Yauvoli suggested the need to increase the size of MSG observer groups.
He said the presence of observers in everywhere makes people excited and feel they are being cared about.
On receiving the report, Oti said this is the first report from an observer group to reach the commission.
He said he hope other groups would present their report to the Commission so that the Commission works on a summary report.
Oti, a former diplomat and politician, said the Commission would want to understand the recent general elections in its entirety.
He said there are common and there are standalone issues noted by other groups and teams.
He said the Commission would understand issues pertaining to the recent national elections once it viewed all the reports from the various observer groups and teams.
Oti indicated that the Commission has identified a number of issues to improve on come the next general elections.
One of which is the issue of disable voters.
Oti said the Commission is of the view that disable people should come under a special arrangement like pre-polling so as not to rush them to polling stations during polling day.
The SIEC’s CEO, Saitala, said they have completed their lesson learn evaluation of the elections and they have identified areas that need improvement.
He indicated the SIEC would do away with the registration period.
Saitala said registration of voters might become a yearly activity.
SOLOMON Islands will receive a bilateral infrastructure programme, worth up to $1.425 billion (AUD$250 million) in grant financing over 10 years.
The programme will support key national and economic infrastructure and will complement the Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific.
This was confirmed in the joint statement by Australia Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare released yesterday.
Both prime ministers met yesterday in Honiara to celebrate Australia and Solomon Islands’ partnership as ‘true wantoks’.
As two proud sovereign nations in the Pacific family, Australia and Solomon Islands enjoy a close friendship and a shared history that was further strengthened by our partnership in the 14-year Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI).
As Solomon Islands celebrates the success of its first democratic election since RAMSI, Australia stands proudly as a partner and a friend.
Consistent with the Australian Government’s enhanced Pacific engagement, Australia and Solomon Islands will continue to work closely together to boost our engagement by strengthening community bonds and tackling common challenges.
“We will work together to enhance economic growth and development in Solomon Islands,” the statement said.
Further to that, Australia will partner with Solomon Islands to commission a scoping and cost-benefit assessment of the national transport core (NTC) initiative, which would connect 74 percent of the population and 37 constituencies in its first 10-year phase and ultimately link all 50 constituencies and 100 percent of the population by 2035.
As part of the funding, Australia will also support the building of a new Prime Minister’s Office/Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade complex.
Australia will work on an initial design for a new, modern building to meet Solomon Islands vision of a transformed Honiara CBD.
“Solomon Islands recognised the crucial importance to the country’s economic future of sound management of its mineral wealth and to that end committed to enacting reforms that will ensure global best practice in the governance and regulation of the mining sector.
“Working together to enhance opportunities for labour mobility delivers benefits for both Australia and Solomon Islands,” the statement said.
Labour mobility helps fill labour shortages in rural and regional Australia while helping Pacific workers develop valuable skills and take up work opportunities.
To ensure that the opportunity to work in Australia is available to all Solomon Islanders – including those in remote provinces and rural areas – Australia will provide $15.39 million (A$2.7 million) over three years to deliver additional support for recruitment and mobilisation of Solomon Islands workers to Australia.
PM Morrison and wife Jenny left Honiara yesterday afternoon, on the way to London to meet British economic and security officials before representing Australia at the 75th-anniversary commemorations of the D-Day landings in Portsmouth on June 5.
The national under-16 soccer side during the recent OFC Under-16 Championship in Honiara.
By Taromane Martin
SOLOMON Islands have been official named by FIFA as one of the 23 nations confirmed to take part in this year’s FIFA U-17 World Cup in Brazil.
According to FIFA.com only 23 nations from the 24 countries have been confirmed for the youth world cup including representatives for Oceania Football confederation, New Zealand and Solomon Islands.
SIFF confirmed the news via their social media page over the weekend saying Solomon Islands has been named as one of the 23 teams confirmed to participate in the FIFA U-17 World Cup come October, according to reports from FIFA.Com.
“The official draws have been moved to be held on 11 July in Zurich, Switzerland,” SIFF posted on their social media page.
Solomon Islands whose qualification for the FIFA U-17 World Cup was marred by the over age controversy is still ongoing after the OFC appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sports for an urgent hearing into the matter after Solomon Islands successfully appealed against the OFC Disciplinary Committee decision to forefeet them from the World Cup.
SIFF was expected to make a statement regarding the situation two weeks ago after CEO Leonard Paia told SunSPORTS, SIFF must be ready and prepared to defend the national U-17 team should OFC’s appeal is considered.
But so far nothing has come out yet from SIFF regarding OFC’s appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sports.
“FIFA U-17 World Cup Brazil 2019 to kick off on 26 October. Following on from a FIFA inspection visit to Brazil and further discussions with the Local Organising Committee (LOC), FIFA can today confirm that the FIFA U-17 World Cup Brazil 2019 will be played from 26 October until 17 November,” FIFA.com reported.
“The venues and the full match schedule will be confirmed ahead of the draw, which has been scheduled for 11 July 2019 at the Home of FIFA in Zurich.
“Throughout the past years, Brazil has successfully hosted a variety of competitions, including the FIFA World Cup™ and the Olympics,” said FIFA Deputy Secretary General Zvonimir Boban. “We are convinced that Brazil’s event expertise, coupled with the unique football passion of their fans, will contribute to the success of the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2019. We would like to thank the CBF and all Brazilians who have embraced this tournament, demonstrating once more their unique love for the beautiful game.” It adds.
Meanwhile so far, 23 of the 24 participating teams are also confirmed. Beside hosts Brazil, the following member associations have qualified.
They are:
AFC: Australia, Japan, Korea Republic and Tajikistan
CAF: Angola, Cameroon, Nigeria, TBC*
Concacaf: Canada, Haiti, Mexico and USA
CONMEBOL: Argentina, Chile, Ecuador and Paraguay
OFC: New Zealand and the Solomon Islands
UEFA: France, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain.
The Australian and Solomon Islands Prime Ministers together with RSIPF Commissioner on the dais.
By EDDIE OSIFELO
The Australian and Solomon Islands Prime Ministers together with RSIPF Commissioner on the dais.
AUSTRALIA 30th Prime Minister Scott John Morrison, 51 years old, had arrived in Honiara on board a Royal Australia Air Force plane yesterday.
His less than 24 hour visit comes after his re-election on May 18 this year.
Morrison is the second Australia PM to visit Honiara after Kevin Rudd in 2008.
Scot and his wife, Jenny were welcomed by Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare and his wife, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jeremiah Manele, Secretary to Prime Minister, Dr Jimmie Rodgers and Special Secretary to PM, Albert Kabui.
Morrison and Sogavare were escorted to the dice to honour the national anthems of both countries respectively played by the Royal Solomon Islands Police band.
They were then escorted to inspect the RSIP officers on the tarmac.
Morrison spent few minutes listening to the tune of the Wouraha panpipe group of West Are Are before he and his wife boarded an escort vehicle to the hotel down town.
The Liberal MP and conservative who favours businesses is expected to visit the Prime Minister Office, observe a guard of honour by Royal Solomon Islands Police (RSIPF) at Rove, Memorial Garden, Solomon Islands Football Federation and a school before he left the country this evening.
However, international media said climate change, China influence in Pacific and security are some of the agendas he will discuss with Sogavare.
The Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) states Morrison is expected to make announcements building on the themes of the Pacific step-up: economic development, infrastructure, labour mobility and tackling shared security challenges.
Australia Broadcasting Cooperation (ABC) said the visit of Morrison is more than the China issue because Solomon Islands is facing a lot of development challenges.
According to Lowy Institute Pacific Islands program director Jonathan Pryke, who told ABC this week that the best thing Morrison could do during his meeting with Mr Sogavare is sit and listen.
Andrew Clark Senior Writer of Financial Review wrote that Morrison’s first post-election overseas visit to the troubled Solomon Islands underlines the Morrison government’s promotion of close links with the Pacific neighbourhood, and scarcely concealed agenda of preventing China from converting small island states in the region – like Fiji, Vanuatu, Tonga and the Solomon Islands – into, sort of, Beijing-aligned, static aircraft carriers through the establishment of naval bases.
Morrison will visit London to meet British economic and security officials before representing Australia at the 75th-anniversary commemorations of the D-Day landings in Portsmouth on June 5.
World leaders including outgoing UK Prime Minister Theresa May, US President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau are attending the event as well.
Morrison has two daughters and is the first Pentecostal Prime Minister in Australia.
Government to review its scholarship scheme, 50 percent to study in country as of next year
THE Ministry of Education and Human Resource will review the Solomon Islands Government Scholarship Scheme.
This may mean a huge cut to the number of students sent to study abroad.
Speaking during his visit to students at the University of South Pacific (USP), Laucala campus last week, Minister of Education and Human Resources John Dean Kuku said there will be a reduction to the number of students going to USP and other institutions in the region.
He said the formal and more acceptable approach to reduce students’ financial crisis while studying abroad is to reduce the number of students.
He said the new approach will begin next year, 2020 with more than 50 percent of scholarships to be in-country.
On the same note, Kuku said the government is serious about the establishment of proper facilities for the USP fourth campus in Solomon Islands.
“My visit here is to discuss with USP to pave way for the establishment of fourth campus in the Solomon Islands.
“There are certain interests that emerge in the proposed plan but the government’s position on the forth university is very clear and that is to build the much waiting campus this year.
“We need to help our own institution, we must prepare our own institution to provide better tertiary learning in our country,” he said.
Kuku stressed that the construction of the fourth campus will take time and the government sees it fit for groundwork to begin this year.
“We will not sit, listen and watch but move on so that our local institutions are given equal importance as any other institution in the region,” he said.
Kuku highlights that cooperation between academics and the government is crucial in making sure the fourth campus comes into fruition.
DCGA to release its first 100-days in office programme tomorrow
By Alfred Sasako
THE election of a new Governor General is expected to top the “TO-DO” list the Democratic Coalition Government for Advancement (DCGA) plans to implement in its first 100 days in Office.
Details of the to-do list will be announced tomorrow.
Government sources told Island Sun on Wednesday the hunt is now on for someone to replace the incumbent, Sir Frank Kabui, whose five-year tenure ends on July 7 this year.
Sources have also confirmed that the eye is now firmly on Isabel Province for a new Head of State. Isabel Province has identified at least three prominent individuals, including a retired Bishop and a former Member of Parliament for the job.
Isabel Province’s three current Members of Parliament are reportedly split on the choice for a Governor General as each of the three potential candidates is also from the three constituencies.
“The fact that each MP would want to align his Constituency with the new Head of State is going to make things a little tough for the MPs,” one man said.
It is understood the three Isabel candidates said to be vying for the job are former Archbishop and current Principal of Selwyn College, David Vunagi, former MP Clement Rojumana and retired Bishop Richard Naramana who founded the Honiara-based and successful Varivao Holdings Ltd, a company that is leading in the export of food crops such as cassava to Australia.
Bishop Naramana’s credentials include being head of a group which is completing the idea of establishing Senior Secondary School with just Forms 6 and 7.
Insiders told Island Sun the choice of Isabel for the top job is in line with the understanding that every province be given a turn in occupying the top job.
Solomon Islands has produced six Governors General since independence in 1978. The first was the late Sir Baddeley Devesi who hailed from Guadalcanal Province, followed by Sir George Lepping from Western Province. He too had passed on.
Sir Moses Pitakaka from Choiseul Province followed. He too had since died.
There are three living Governors General. They are Sir John Ini Lapli of Temotu Province, Sir Nathaniel Waena of Makira/Ulawa Province and Sir Frank Kabui of Malaita Province.
Should Isabel Province get the gong this year, two Provinces – Central and Renbel – will await their turns over the next 20 years.
Meanwhile it was disclosed yesterday that the release on Friday of the ‘To Do’ list in the first 100-day in Office is a prelude to the main DCGA Policy document, being launched at the end of June.
Insiders said consultants have been engaged on a two-month contract to translate the main document in time for its launch at the end of June – two months after the DCGA assumed office under Prime Minister Sogavare’s leadership.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. PHOTO - AFP.
By EDDIE OSIFELO
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. PHOTO – AFP.
THE visit of Australia Prime Minister, Scott Morrison to Honiara this Sunday is timely after his re-election last week.
A senior officer in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade said he thinks the visit is a timely one considering Australia just had an election just like Solomon Islands.
“We have become one of Australia’s important friends and so a visit to Solomon Islands as first foreign visit is a semblance of the importance/significance of our relationship.
“A good sign for us and we must play it strategically for mutual benefits,” the official said.
However, Australia media claim Morrison’s first visit to the Solomon Islands comes at the back of China growing influence in the country.
United States of America do not want to see China exerts its influence in the Pacific.
Solomon Islands has a strong diplomatic tie with Republic of China (Taiwan) since 1983.
However, two blocks within the government, Malaita and Guadalcanal members urged Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare to sever its relation with Taiwan and switch to China.
They gave a six months ultimatum for Sogavare to meet their demands or face a motion of no confidence.
However, senior officer in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade thinks the media is driving the China/Taiwan issue.
The official said even if the issue will be discussed with the Australia Prime Minister, the choice will always be with Solomon Islands.
“Friends can only share thoughts.
“Our strategic importance will be the drawcard for a visit apart from important cooperation programmes that we have,” official said.
Australia is the largest provider of Official Development Assistance (ODA) to Solomon Islands, providing almost two thirds of overseas aid in 2016-17.
In 2019-20, total Australian ODA to Solomon Islands will be an estimated $174.4 million. Of this, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) will manage an estimated $122.3 million in bilateral funding.
–Queens Counsel Matthews to represent government MPs in petition cases
-Fee ranges from $17,000 to $28,000 per hour
-Opposition MPs to find their own lawyers
By EDDIE OSIFELO
QUEENS Counsel, Timothy Matthews from Brisbane, Australia will represent the 18 members of Parliament in the government who are facing petition in the High Court, it is reported.
The other 10 MPs who are also facing petition are members of the Opposition and Independent Group, therefore they will engage their own private lawyers.
A total of 28 of the 50 members in Parliament are facing petition.
And, the million-dollar question is “who is going to foot the bill of QC Matthews in the petition cases?”
Island Sun understands the estimated cost of the QC Matthews is around $17,000 ($3000 AUD) to $28, 450 ($5000 AUD) per hour.
A lawyer who wishes to remain anonymous said it is not right for the government to foot the bills of the government MPs because they were contesting as candidates during the election.
“If the government is going to foot the bills, then it is the tax payers’ money that will be paid to the QC.
“This is really unfair,” the lawyer said.
Further to that, the lawyer said it shows the government does not trust the local qualified lawyers in the country which led to it engaging QC Matthews.
The Attorney General Chambers earlier said its lawyers will represent the 28 Returning Officers in the petition cases filed against the Members of Parliament.
Currently there are 15 to 16 lawyers working in the AG Chambers.
A officer in the AG Chamber said they will have to spread the lawyers to represent the ROs because of the big number of cases before the High Court.
“We will only represent the ROs because the MPs are just candidates during the election.
“The MPs will need to find their own lawyers to represent them in the petition cases,” the officer said.
Under the Electoral Act 2018, an election petition can be filed by an elector to the constituency, to which the petition relates, or a candidate for the election in the constituency.
Such a petition must be filed within 30 days after the results of the election are published under Section 7 of the Electoral Act 2018.
The Act also states that the Courts must decide a petition within 12 months after it is filed.
So it means petition will be held between May 2019 to May 2020.
The petitions will test the efficacy of the new Act.
Aside from losing one’s seat, there are serious penalties for major offences such as election bribery and fraudulent voting.
The penalties include up to 15 years imprisonment and/or fines of over $155,990 ( $US19,000) as well as an automatic five-year ban on voting or standing in elections.
Lesser offences such as providing misleading information can still land offenders in jail for five years and possibly steep fines.
