THE Honiara Central market fish vendors are being urged to comply with the new closing time introduced by the Honiara City Council (HCC).
This call was made yesterday by the management of the Honiara Central market.
It follows observations that fish vendors are often seen staying in the market premises until late, way past closing time.
Speaking on behalf of the management Mr Jimson Riunga said the fish sellers non-compliance to the time rule affects coordination of the market.
“We urge them [fish sellers] to comply with the closing time set even if they have excuses relating to the fish issues.
“Because if we [management] keep on wait and listening to the excuses made the introduced rules and regulations is hopeless, hence comply so that market officers will have time to tidy up the premises for next day,’ he said.
BETEL nut sellers at the Honiara Central Market (HCM) are being encouraged to follow Honiara City Council’s law in not selling in the central market.
This call was made yesterday by the head of HCM Mr Jimson Riunga in an exclusive interview with this paper.
“This practice was seen quite a while now it was seemed to expose with a good number of them selling this prohibited fruit in the central market compound near the HCM parking lot.
“Also it indicates that this act is caused by attitude problems in terms of disobedience to the market ordinance,” said Riugna.
He said despite numerous times HCC has warned the betel nut vendors not to sell at the main market, they keep returning.
“This matter will not be looked but soon will take actions and when anyone get caught will have his or her opportunity to sell at the market be ceased.
“I on behalf of the market management strongly call on betel nut sellers to comply and respects the council’s bylaw with regards to this matter,” said Riunga.
On the same matter City Mayor Hon Andrew Mua adds that selling of betel nut and cigarettes in the market premises is prohibited because it is against the market and health regulations as well.
THE court is yet to set the date for the Voir Dire trial on the case against Samson Dagi.
The court was told yesterday that the prosecutor in carriage of the case is currently in Lata for the court circuit and permission was sought if the case be adjourned to allow the prosecutor in carriage to appear in court.
Meanwhile the defence said the case was previously listed for voir dire but since the prosecution witnesses could not be able to make it on the previous date this case is then adjourned for the prosecution to bring their witnesses in Honiara for the voir dire.
Public Prosecutor Elma Rizu said other charges was taken carriage by the Police Prosecution and his trial on his other charges will resume on April 16.
Principal Magistrate Ricky Iomea then adjourned the case to April 16 for the prosecution to confirm the voir dire trial date.
Mr Dagi is facing unlawful wounding, intimidation, criminal trespass and indecent assault of a female.
Henry Kausimae of the Public Solicitor’s Office represents the accused.
THE case against a man charged with three counts of arson has adjourned for the next 14 days for plea.
This is the case against Francis Sabale of Haroro Village in Ngella.
Police alleged that the accused had set fire to a building in that village on December 27, 2017.
The matter was reported to Tulagi police in which he was arrested and charged to appear in court.
The case was appeared in court yesterday and the defence seeks adjournment for further instruction to taken from his clients in regards to the charges.
MEMBER of Parliament for Temotu Pele Dudley Kopu has told the court that he is the one who had paid for freighting of building materials to Vanikoro.
Mr Kopu is one of the prosecution witnesses who testified in court on the case against Derick Pepere.
He said in his evidence that in 2014 he was awarded a tender to build police staff house at Vanikoro.
He told the court that prior to the shipment of the materials Mr Pepere with another man, James Rafe, approached him if he could negotiate with the Ministry of Police and National Security and Correctional Service for the transportation of building materials to Vanikoro.
However he refused to do what they told him.
“They also brought some fish when they came to my residence for negotiation,” Kopu told the court yesterday.
This is the case against Pepere who was charged with conversion in relation to an incident which occurred in 2015.
Meanwhile in 2015 the accused was awarded with the Tender to transport the building materials.
Kopu also said that the arrangement for shipment of the building material in MV Neptune Gale was between the SMOL enterprise and the MPNSC.
And because of that arrangement, Kopu’s constituency housing project with another project agreed to pay the freight to SMOL enterprise.
However that arrangement was not forthcoming and because all building materials of the three projects were already on board the vessel, Kopu paid $250,000 for freight including that of the police housing projects.
Kopu also told the court that the building materials were already transported to Vanikoro and the Police staff was already completed.
Prosecution alleged that on July 15, 2015 the Ministry of Police National Security and Correctional Service ministerial tender board awarded the tender on shipment of Police housing project materials from Honiara to Vanikoro, Temotu Province to SMOL enterprises Business in the sum of SBD$450,000.
The awarded sum was intended for the charter of a vessel to transport the materials.
Prosecution said the accused on the case is the Managing Director and the owner of the SMOL enterprises Business.
He was awarded the tender to ship police project materials from Honiara to Vanikoro.
Prosecution alleged that the accused did not account for the tender money to the MPNSC either in part or full, because he did not execute its purpose.
Pepere is represented by Anderson Kesaka a private lawyer while Margaret Suifaasia and Dalcy Belapitu appear for crown on the case.
The once premier school of Renbel province, the Mataiho SDA Primary School, standing obscured from the world behind wild vegetation.
BY BARNABAS MANEBONA
THE premier primary school of the Seventh Day Adventist in Bellona has been closed following failure by the SDA Mission to develop the school after 54 years.
Owner of the land on which the school stands, Jim Seuika, closed the Mataiho SDA primary school in response to decades of neglect by the SDA Mission.
Mr Seuika explains that his father had allowed the three-hectare land for the Mission as goodwill for the school to be built there, with absolutely no cost to the SDA Mission.
The school was establishment in 1964 and grew through the 60s and 70s, at one stage being the only primary school in the province.
The once premier school of Renbel province, the Mataiho SDA Primary School, standing obscured from the world behind wild vegetation.
However, in the 80s the school’s infrastructure notably began to deteriorate, and what was once a multi-classroom school, Mataiho turned out to be just a one-classroom school by the 90s.
This decline happened under the watch of the SDA Mission but it made no effort to rescue Mataiho school.
Furthermore, community support dwindled to just the staffs, students and a handful of parents. Unlike in the past, nearly the whole island turned up with vigour to support the school in whatever activities and programmes planned.
About a decade ago, landowners approached the SDA Mission requesting that it renovated the school’s classrooms and build staff houses including a proposal to upgrade Mataiho to a community high.
Since then the SDA Mission has kept the landowners in limbo with false promises of addressing the school’s needs.
Mataiho classroom barricaded with timber signalling its closure until further notice.
Seuika says, “All we ask for is that the Mission develops Mataiho school, like renovate the current classroom, build more classrooms, build staff houses, and even the possibility of upgrading the school to a have a secondary stream.
“We have never asked the Mission a single cent since the time of my father before school’s establishment to this day. Mataiho has been free for the Mission since day one.
“We only suggest that the Mission improve the school with no strings or conditions attached. Many SDA education directors and presidents have come and gone, but our calls have fallen on deaf ears.”
Last year, landowners decided to put their foot down and demand that the SDA Mission comes clear with its real intentions regarding Mataiho school.
A 21-day notice of closure was served to the Mission last year on April 27 by Mr Seuika to persuade the authority to the table for talks regarding the school.
The hole ridden interior of the classroom.
However, the SDA Mission ignored this notice and Seuika despite this, allowed the school to complete last year’s classes.
This year, on April 2, Seuika closed the school and served the SDA Mission a 14-day notice on April 11.
This is the final call for the SDA Mission to come to the table to discuss the issues surrounding Mataiho. If the Mission repeats its usual practice of ignorance and false promises, then Seuika says he will permanently close the school down and call on the Mission to go and remove its building materials from Mataiho.
Thus, it is understood that the notice lapses on April 25, 2018, after which there will be no hope for negotiations.
Meanwhile, SDA education director Mr Billy Leta said Mataiho Primary School’s closure last week is because of land issue and has nothing to do with the SDA authority.
He alleges that two parties are laying claims to the Mataiho land and the SDA Church wants to remain neutral therefore has not done anything apart from running the primary school service.
However, Seuika outright refutes this claim by Leta.
The decayed structure of what was once the staff house.
“There has been no land dispute over Mataiho. Even in 1964 when my father offered the land for the Mission to build the school, there was not a single voice of objection from anyone in Bellona.
“How can the SDA Mission cook up false stories to dally from the issue? I am declaring this now that they are lying to everyone. It is either the SDA Mission is deliberately misleading public or Mr Leta has no inkling of the issue of Mataiho.”
Island Sun has managed to verify this by checking records in the local courts, which contain no account of any land case recorded against Mataiho land.
In an interview with three elders in the Ngongona and Matangi districts in Bellona, they agree that there has been no land dispute case on Mataiho land from time immemorial.
Meanwhile, Leta tells Island Sun that he has already emailed the permanent secretary of the ministry of education (MEHRD) making him aware of the situation. Leta adds that they will continue to update him regarding the issue.
Mataiho SDA primary school history
The Seventh Day Adventist Mission was allowed to build a school in Mataiho land by Seuika’s father as a token of goodwill token, free of charge and no conditions attached. For the men and women in those days, their commitment to the church and their faith was paramount in their lives.
The agreement was verbal and based on trust, respect and good faith, with the overall purpose of advancing the SDA denomination in Bellona and the province.
In 1964 the school was established, and was the first school in the province, which garnered students from other pocket ad hoc schools around Bellona and Rennell.
In the 1960s and 70s the school flourished and produced many who are Renbel’s elites. Mataiho had several classrooms and a staff house.
However, 1980s saw the beginning of what was to become a decline from which Mataiho would never recover, and one by one the classrooms began to disappear until the school was only left with one, which remains to this day. The staff house has also gone.
Despite its rich and powerful history, both in terms of education and spreading of the SDA faith in the province, the school has been left alone to fend for itself and diminish to its current dismal state.
After Mataiho, dozens of schools were set up, and while some did not survive, others have managed to continue to upgrade throughout the years to levels surpassing Mataiho SDA primary school.
A number of school teachers involved in the marking of both primary and secondary exam papers for 2017 have raised concerns and frustrations over the delay in payments for what they refer to as ‘job done’.
Speaking on behalf of a group of unhappy markers, one of them who asked not to be named, during an interview yesterday, claimed that early this year, they (markers) were promised their payments following the completion of markings and should have been received by the end of last month.
The frustrated markers however told this paper that the initial payout promise was unfortunately delayed and pushed forward to early this month.
“Now we are well into April, ending the first quarter of this year, yet nothing has been forthcoming,” the marker added.
The three-time marker said what they are currently going through is also disheartening for most, having been kept waiting at a time when most of them have school fees and other responsibilities to take care of.
“Most, if not all, the markers are parents with school fees to pay and delaying their payments by over an uncalled for timeframe, when they had already prepared to have the money in good time is unfair.
“In the past we would wait for days without end for the payments, but with the new regulations and promise from the ministry through the National Examination and Standards Unit (NESU), we didn’t expect a delay,” the secondary exam marker explained.
The unhappy markers collectively urged the ministry to fast-track the payments, saying they have been patient long enough and want proper answers from the ministry.
“We have been promised by the director of NESU that last year would be different from the other years and that our payment should be processed before results will be released and that Ministry of Education has already secured money from AusAid for this annual activity, but till date, we have not received a single cent,” the group further claimed.
Referring to the status of the payment, the markers stressed that they are very confused, claiming that one group will be saying one thing, while the other will say something else.
“It is an unfortunate situation because if this issue continues to be dragged and not being dealt with, just imagine the amount of pressure it will have when they are carried forward to the next marking programmes, and maybe with sets of new markers?
“However, we can only hope it doesn’t, but again we call on the minister to also see that this issue is dealt with and those involved in causing the delays should also be dealt with appropriately,” the group shared.
Meanwhile, a follow up by this paper on the status of payment for the claims with the Ministry of Finance and Treasury, revealed that the Ministry of Education has not made any payment for the markers, which insiders from the Education Ministry have also confirmed.
Calls to speak to the Permanent Secretary and other responsible officials yesterday regarding the delays were unanswered, but official sources claimed that the PS had promised, they (markers) will be paid.
“Most of the teachers have been paid but some not. So we will see what happens when all ministerial programs and allocations are sorted out, and then the ministry should be able to decide the way forward.”
THE country’s newly appointed Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the Solomon Islands Permanent Mission in Geneva, Switzerland, has vowed to do his best to increase Solomon Islands’ visibility in the international scene.
Barrett Salato was speaking to this paper via email from Switzerland when contacted yesterday.
Mr Salato, who is delighted to be accorded the responsibility, said he hopes to work on many areas of interest to this country.
“I’m hoping to work on many areas of interests to Solomon Islands including trade and developments issues, small, micro and medium business development, health, human rights, labour and even climate change-related issues,” he said.
Salato said most of the international organisations that work to address these issues are based in Geneva and so he plans to check on them.
“I plan is to knock on their doors [international organisations] and seek maximum benefits for Solomon Islands as possible,” Salato said.
He said he has already done some of these works in his previous role as Minister Counsellor and Charge de Affairs in the Mission.
Salato said his new role will step-up his effort in seeking assistance that will benefit this country.
“My plan is to increase Solomon Islands visibility in the international level by contributing to global debates on issues that shape our national policies,” Salato said.
“As a sovereign country we need to pursue and defend our national interests whether on economic, trade, environment, religion or even our culture and traditions.”
Since working as Minister Counsellor and Charge de Affairs in the Mission over the last three years, Salato said his new role is not new as he did perform both technical roles and Ambassadorial role.
The government, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs & External Trade, has already informed and congratulated him, and two others, on behalf of the Cabinet.
The body of the Late Pr Francis Feratalia being carried out of the Kukum SDA Church after the funeral service on Thursday
By Gary Hatigeva
The body of the Late Pr Francis Feratalia being carried out of the Kukum SDA Church after the funeral service on Thursday
MEMBERS of the Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) throughout Solomon Islands and the Pacific region are in mourning for the loss of one of their well respected and outspoken pastors, Francis Feratalia who passed away on Tuesday at the National Referral Hospital.
Church leaders from different denominations around the Pacific and in the country have also expressed sympathies to the late whom many described as a true man of faith and indeed a fearless Christian.
Many who have come to know him through his gospel ministry, took to social media, expressing how much he will be missed and shared how the late pastor had helped them becoming not just Christians but better persons in their communities and families.
Others described him not just being a powerful preacher but so as a counsellor who helped a lot of broken families and homes, and he according to many, has a unique way of bridging gaps, spaces and time.
Others also took time to describe and recall his miraculous programmes and services, saying he did things in his own unique ways that put smiles and amusement in thousands of faces and lives.
“Indeed the Solomon Islands Christian family has lost a man who stood the test of time, spiritually and ethically.”
A funeral service was held at the Kukum SDA church yesterday, receiving hundreds of guests from both the political and Christian arena who went to pay their last respect to the late.
Following the service, the Late was taken across to his home province in Malaita where his body was laid at his final resting place.
