BY ALFRED PAGEPITU

GIZO

VELLA LA VELLA constituents have raised concerns over the huge number of transfers into the constituency noted during the current registration.

It is reported that huge numbers of people from other constituencies have transferred to the South East Vella Constituency and the North Vella Constituency.

A Mr Mathew Kale said that almost a thousand people within South and North Vella constituency have registered to vote in the upcoming national general election next year.

“There are more people from other constituencies in the province have cross over to Vella la Vella Island to register their names for this upcoming national general election next year.

“We are calling on the Solomon Islands Electoral Commission (SIEC) registration Officers and Observers at voter registration centers (VRCs) within Vella to identify ghost voters who come to registered their names to put a stop.”

TRANSPARENCY Solomon Islands has applauded the Solomon Islands Electoral Commission (SIEC) in warning all intending candidates and voters to refrain from buying and selling voter ID cards.

TSI in a media statement yesterday, reminds all citizens that Elections is the most important event Solomon Islands carry out every four years, a time when people of this country make individual decision on who should govern the country with their entrusted power for the next four years.

“For this reason, it is important that people accord the Voters Registration with the importance that it needs to be given.

“Election is one of the important components of our Democracy where people have the say on the kind of government that will safeguard all their interests.

“The leaders we elect will have the responsibility of ensuring that the country is run in the most efficient way for all people of Solomon Islands bringing prosperity to all.

“Intending candidates should stop politicising registration activities in the absence of civic awareness being carried out by the responsible authorities, whilst not being done now must be carried out to educate voters on election processes and registration before the polling day.

“Registration is an important process for citizens as it allows them to exercise their democratic right to vote come polling. It is an important component of establishing a comprehensive and inclusive voters’ list.”

TSI condemns this broad daylight reciprocity practice by intending candidates to voters must stop during registration process because this kind of assistance is purposely to convince voters to vote intending candidates or to make money out of them.

“Inclusive responsibility by relevant authorities is imperative to stopping the dirty and illegal practice of card selling and buying. We need to look into strategies that avoid passing this on to future generations.”

–TSI PRESS

POLICE officers in Taro Choiseul Province are enquiring into the death of a 45-year-old-male after he died at a logging camp in Moli, Choiseul Province on September 21, 2018.

The deceased, a local, was employed as a chainsaw operator at the logging camp.

Provincial Police Commander, Choiseul Province, Superintendent Vincent Eria says, “It is alleged that the deceased was cutting a tree when a dead branch fell and hit his head.

“He was taken to Moli Clinic and but was pronounced dead by the medical authorities there.

“The matter was reported to police at Taro and officers have been deployed to the place of incident including a doctor from Taro Hospital.

“I would like to thank and acknowledged members of the community in Moli, particularly relatives of the deceased for their cooperation and support towards my officers on the ground to ensure a peaceful outcome was reached.

“Police are continuing with the investigations into the matter and I want to call on relatives of the deceased not to take the matter into your own hands but to assist and allow police to carry on with the investigations,” says PPC Eria.

–POLICE MEDIA

By Mike Puia

MINING company, Axiom has begun operations, it is reported.

This follows last week’s granting of the mining lease on the Isabel Nickel project in San Jorge to the company by the national ministry of mines.

The government, through the Ministry of Mines, Energy and Rural Electrification, issued a Mining Lease to Axiom Mining Limited early last week.

The lease was issued by Minister for Mines, Bradley Tovosia, which now allows Axiom to proceed with its nickel harvesting operation on San Jorge Island in Isabel Province.

This paper’s attempt to get a copy of the ML was unsuccessful. But, Managing Director of Axiom Mining Limited, Ryan Mount, confirmed this report during the weekend.

Mr Mount confirmed their operation has commenced.

Reports reaching this paper claimed the Court of Appeal has quashed Axiom’s Prospecting License therefore any issuing of Mining Lease is null and void.

But, Mount said the High Court and Court of Appeal decisions have not disqualified their PL and ML.

He said this has been confirmed by the Court of Appeal and the Attorney General.

“In Fact the San Jorge PL was never part of the court proceedings,” Mount added.

He also brushed aside claims landowners have fights off its employees which disturbed its operations.

Mount said their operation on San Jorge is continuing freely with the support of the government and landowners.

MORE than 40 market vendor representatives from Auki, Gizo and Honiara central market vendors associations have gathered in Honiara for the three-day inaugural Solomon Islands Market Vendors’ Association (MVA) forum which begins today.

Since the establishment of these MVAs through UN Women Markets for Change (M4C) Project, this will be first time that Market Vendor representatives from the different provinces will gather to network and empower each other through sharing and learning.

The forum, also organised by UN Women Markets for Change (M4C) Project will focused on the theme ‘Let’s Talk Markets for Change: Empowering through learning, sharing and teambuilding’ with the aim to strengthen existing MVAs by providing a platform for open discussion and learning. It also aims to create an opportunity to reflect and express challenges faced by and successes of the MVAs.

“We see that the Associations are really unique, each with their own strengths. Through the Forum, MVA executive members will learn from their counter-parts in other provinces as well as receive technical and strategic support from M4C staff,” said Markets for Change Program Manager – Solomon Islands, Ms Kristy Nowland.

Nowland further commented that “They will reflect on the status of their respective MVAs and identify areas for improvement”.

Issues that market vendors will discuss includes MVA updates, achievements and challenges. They will also have the opportunity to listen to presentations and discussions from other NGOs and government partners.

“I’m looking to meet and learn from other market vendor leaders from Auki and Honiara Central Market Vendors Associations. For me personally, because we (Gizo Market Vendors Association) are very new, I look forward to learning from HCMVA and AMVA sharing so that we can strengthen our work with GMVA and our members,” Gizo Market Vendors Association President, Ms Lauretta Nasala.

UN Women’s M4C project is a multi-country initiative that aims to ensure marketplaces in rural and urban areas of Fiji, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu are safe, inclusive and non-discriminatory, promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment.

A UN Women project, M4C is principally funded by the Australian Government, and since 2018 the project partnership has expanded to include funding support from the Government of Canada. UNDP is a project partner.

–M4C PRESS