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Closing time at Central Market is the same

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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BY BARNABAS MANEBONA

THE closing time for Honiara Central Market is the same at 6pm according to Honiara City Council’s (HCC) Market Master Mr Jimmy Hanson Riunga over query.

According to report, the by-law for Central Market to close at 6pm recently has been lifted to 8pm. This from concern has it that the by-law lifted will be inconsistent to the by-law for closing at 6pm that was only recently passed.

However Mr Riunga confirmed that the by-law at Honiara Central Market to close during 6pm does remain the same.

“6pm is what is in the ordinance and it is the time for business houses and markets to close. And we Officers are activating the ordinance,” said Riunga.

“All the entry gates from the western side of the market will be closed at 6pm and only the gates on the eastern side of the market will open until 7pm to allow vehicles and the people to go out.”

The HCC Market Master elaborated that it is only recently they activated the ordinance after the market gates were maintained facing breakdown for some time, experiencing people sleeping in the market.

Honiara Central Market opens at 6am and closes at 6pm.

Budget for everyone, or is it?

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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‘IN the midst of adversity, Government has decided to redesign and more effectively manage the delivery of public services within a tighter fiscal framework’.

These were the words used by Finance Minister, Manasseh Sogavare in his budget speech for 2018.

Recently there has been utter disbelief from all angles regarding budget cuts in other areas of government’s expenses.

SIG sponsored students had been left incredulous on the news of their allowance being slashed in half whilst Western province has reached a point of no return and the Ministry of Health concerned that service delivery in health services will be affected.

But comparing past budgets to now, the national budget is often centred on the $4b mark.

For instance in 2015, the budget totals up to four-billion-plus and had been spent on major reform programmes and other sector areas that are yet to be fulfilled like the Relocation of National Referral Hospital for one.

From past experience probably this shows that government have come to realise that it is important priorities must be set right in order for it to achieve its targeted goal.

All along we have been complaining of government not setting its priorities right and now Government is basically doing what we as concerned citizens of this country wants.

Now the onus is on the government to really prioritise its spending to where it matters the most.

The National Development Strategy (NDS) 2016 – 2035 to which the budget is reflected on mainly targets our rural people and focusses on two key areas, social and economic livelihoods of all Solomon Islanders.

All Solomon Islanders means everyone and not just a small portion of the population.

With that, let us hope the national government will also take on board the concerns of the provincial governments and work hand in hand with them with the limited resources we have to improve the lives of our other 80 percent of the population.

SINUSA 14-day strike still stands

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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Group of students attending the open forum yesterday. (INSERT) SINUSA President Mr Reginald Ngati reaffirmed Students’ strike is still continue.

BY LYNTON AARON FILIA

STUDENTS of the Solomon Islands National University have turned up in number to show support for its student association’s 14-day strike notice in yesterday’s open forum with institution heads.

The Solomon Islands National Students Association (SINUSA) said yesterday in front of the department heads that the strike notice still stands until its demands are met.

Students spoken to say while they acknowledge SINU’s current development, they feel that the institution has overlooked their welfare.

They are also say they are concerned that their legal body is ‘violated’.

Before SINU’s vice chancellor (acting) Prof Basil Marasinghe and 10 heads of department, the students voiced their stand on having the pro-vice chancellor (corporate) Donald Malasa removed.

Mr Marasinghe told the students that he did not have the mandate to remove Mr Malasa.

Such decision must be from the University Council before any action taken, it’s a regulation and protocol of SINU, he said.

Group of students attending the open forum yesterday. (INSERT) SINUSA President Mr Reginald Ngati reaffirmed Students’ strike is still continue.

He suggested SINUSA and students to call off the strike and come up with a resolution because boycotting lectures will affect the school’s academic rounds this semester.

The SINU leaders provided the students with two options; First, is to withdraw the strike and secondly, form a committee (select two rep from SINUSA and SINU) to re-look on student concerns in a professional way.

After much deliberation, both parties agreed to select two representatives each to join a committee which will be formed later, but the strike will still continue.

SINUSA president Mr Reginald Ngati said as strike notice is approaching its maturity SINUSA welcomes further dialogue with SINU regarding their issue of interest and come up with a resolution.

If the 14 days lapse and SINU fails to meet their demand, Ngati said they have other alternatives to take the issue to another level.

“We have a lot of options in place, and have a think tank of group of student with good brains which we will look at other alternatives. We will not stop until the demands of students are met,” Ngati said.

The strike notice will lapse on Wednesday April 4, 2018.

Mr Malasa did not attend the forum yesterday.

West’s full assembly sits over 2018/19 budget

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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Western Province Clerk to the Assembly Kevin Paia

BY ALFRED PAGEPITU

GIZO

Western Province Clerk to the Assembly Kevin Paia

THE Western Provincial Assembly will convene their second full assembly sitting today over the province’s 2018/2019 budget.

Western Province Clerk to the Assembly Kevin Paia told Island Sun Gizo the 26-member assembly house will convene their second sitting at 9am.

He said on Monday this week they had met over the province’s 2017/18 supplementary budget.

Today’s sitting is for the budget which will carry the province throughout this year to the next.

“Today, the second Full Assembly will debate and consider as deliberate on the 2018/2019 budget estimates.”

Island Sun understands that this meeting would be the last assembly meeting of the 11 executive under Premier Maepioh’s captaincy.

The meeting is held at the Women Resource Centre in Gizo, Western province.

More efforts still needed to fight TB

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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Deputy Secretary Health Improvement, Ministry of Health and Medical Services Dr Nemia Bainivalu

BY BARNABAS MANEBONA

Undersecretary for Health Improvement under the Ministry of Health and Medical Services (MHMS) Dr Nemia Bainivalu. PHOTO BY MANEBONA BARNABAS

SOLOMON Islands has reached the WHO Western Pacific Region’s goal to reduce by half the morbidity and mortality from all forms of TB by 2015, relative to 2000 levels.

Despite the huge achievement, Undersecretary for Health Improvement under the Ministry of Health and Medical Services (MHMS) Dr Nemia Bainivalu said more efforts are still needed to sustain and increase the gains as the disease still represents a public health problem in the country.

“In this respect, MHMS has already undertaken a strategic prioritisation of high impact interventions aimed at addressing the remaining challenges in the framework of a country dialogue which led to the planning of high impact activities focusing on high burden geographic locations and key populations affected by the disease,” said Mr Bainivalu.

“These interventions have been included in the TB National Strategic Plan 2018-80, which was developed in 2017.

“The immediate purpose of the interventions is to ensure universal access to TB care and prevention through improving institutional and human capacity within the health system, empowerment and involvement of communities with meaningful patient support, collaborative activities with other disease programmes including child and mother health, and engagement of all health care providers beyond the TB programme and the public sector.

“Our ultimate goal is to speed up the current decline of the burden of the disease so as to reach the internationally agreed targets in the framework of the END TB Strategy and the Development Goals.”

MHMS celebrated World Tuberculosis (TB) Day yesterday at the Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation (SIBC) Leaf Hut, which is annually marked on March 24.

The Theme for World TB Day celebrated was “Wanted: Leaders for a TB-free world”.

World Health Organisation’s (WHO) representative Mr Dilip Hensman during the celebration added that ending TB will only be achieved with greater collaboration within and across governments, partners from Civil Society, communities, researchers, the private sector and development agencies.

“This means taking a whole of-society and multidisciplinary approach in the context of universal health coverage,” said Mr Hensman.

TB Advocator Mr Ben Gwali under the TB programme of the country took the opportunity yesterday to thank the government, Provincial Directors, TB Coordinators, Health Promotion Department, Technical agencies especially WHO and donors partners –Global Fund for assisting and supporting the programme in their efforts to control TB.

Alleged rapist still without legal representation

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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0

BY JENNIFER KUSAPA

A 64-year-old man alleged of raping his 11-year-old grand-daughter is still without a lawyer to assist him with his charges.

Appearing before Principal Magistrate Ricky Iomea, the man said that he is yet to be legally represented though requests have been sent to the office of the Public Solicitor.

After knowing that the accused is still without a lawyer the court adjourned the case for April 10 to allow the PSO allocate a lawyer for the accused.

The court told the accused that he must make a follow-up on his request for a lawyer as the charges against him are serious.

The grandfather who cannot be named to protect the identity of the victim is facing three counts of rape under the Sexual offence amendment Act.

Police alleged the man allegedly raped his 11-year-old grand-daughter on several separate occasions at different locations in the West Maringe District of Isabel

The incident was reported to Buala Police in which the old-man was arrested and charged for allegedly raping his granddaughter at Tirotue Settlement and Ghozoruru in the Hovikoilo Ward on different dates between December 31, 2015 and February 7, 2018.

The prosecution alleges that the old man and the girl were from the same village.

Office of the Director Public Prosecution appears for the crown.

Warrant of arrest issued against man facing arson charges

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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0

BY JENNIFER KUSAPA

THE court has issued a warrant of arrest against a man facing arson charge yesterday.

The accused, Philip Feman, failed to appear in court yesterday for his last interim mention before his trial resumes on April 3 this year.

Mr Feman was charged with one count of arson in regards to an incident which occurred in Isabel in 2016.

He pleaded not guilty to the charge and a trial date was set, he was given privilege to be bailed while waiting for his trial date.

However when the court called his name for mention he failed to turn up and prosecution applied for a warrant of arrest against him.

Principal Magistrate Augustine Aulanga then issued the warrant and made orders for the police officers to try and execute the warrant of arrest as soon as possible as the trial date is next week.

The case is then adjourned to April 3 for trial and also review of the warrant.

Public Prosecutor John Zoze appears for the crown.

No further adjournments on MHMS scandal case: Aulanga

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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0

BY JENNIFER KUSAPA

PRINCIPAL Magistrate Augustine Aulanga has made orders in court yesterday that the Ministry of Health and Medical Services case will not be further adjourned to later dates.

He made the comments following prosecution’s application to adjourn the case for the next seven days as the prosecution in carriage of the case is yet to prepare all required documents for the Short Form Preliminary Inquiry.

Public Prosecutor John Zoze who appeared on behalf of his colleague prosecutor said that the original files in regards to the case have just returned from the police investigators and the prosecution needs time to prepare the list of documents for the SFPI.

He said the documents were huge and prosecution needs a seven-day adjournment.

But Magistrate Aulanga said seven days adjournment is too much as this particular case has already adjourned for several times.

Therefore he adjourned the case to this Thursday for prosecution to prepare all documents and also for the PI to proceed.

“This is the last adjournment and no more further adjournment,” Mr Aulanga said.

This is the case against five individuals alleged of misusing funds within the Ministry of Health and Medical Services in 2013.

Robert Manu former procurement officer, Dalcy Maena former accounts officer, local contractor Tigi Sikele, and Stephen Kidoe Dalipanda former Financial Controller and Randy Hatigeva former senior accountant.

They were alleged to have involved for misusing funds relating to the $10 million scandal that was uncovered in 2013 during a normal risk assessment undertaken in the Government’s financial management information system by Finance ministry officials.

In doing so, irregularities were detected in transactions relating to the Health Sector Support Program funded by AusAID.

It was uncovered that government contracts allocated under the health project involved grossly inflated pricing of freight service charges and shipping charters by contractors who were not shipping operators, but merely middle-man shell companies that charged exorbitant margins of around three to four times the normal freight service charges.

Government officials involved have allegedly colluded with contracted service providers to defraud the state.

The allegation against the former financial controller said between 1 January 2012 and 20 September 2013 the former Financial Controller obtained $7.3 million and on 15 occasions he fabricated invoices for freighting and claims were submitted under the fake shipping companies without the provision of services.

His co-accused Manu of Tikopia faces 12 counts of false pretence and four counts of official corruption.

This is for allegedly processed some payments under two non-genuine shipping companies totally up to 7.3 million.

Prosecution then alleged that the other accused Mr Hatigeva is also involved in endorsing payments and other documents totalling up $7.3 million.

While Dalcy Maena of Malaita who faces 18 counts of false pretence was alleged for processing fictitious quotes, invoices and claims for non-executed services or duplicated payments from fake shipping including a private company that she set up totalling up to SBD $7,542, 763.40.

In relation to the local contractor Tigi Sikele he faced with two counts of false pretences for allegedly defrauding the Ministry of Health of more than $730,000.

The Public Prosecution office is appearing for the crown in court.

Principal Magistrate Ricky Iomea presides over the case in court.

DPP to meet with Forensics officers

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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0

BY JENNIFER KUSAPA

THE inquiry into the death of a couple at Mbumburu in November 2016 will continue today at the Honiara Magistrate Court.

Director of Public Prosecution Ronald Bei Talasasa who assisted the Coroner on this inquiry sought adjournment yesterday so that he can see all Royal Solomon Islands Police Force Forensics officers before continuing with the hearing today.

Yesterday a nurse and a police investigator Peter Aike testified before the coroner.

Investigator Aike told the coroner yesterday that when they attended the scene he saw blood all over the place.

Aike said there was a thumb mark at the door and was not sure whether the Forensics officers had lifted any print on that.

The Coroner, Chief Magistrate Emma Garo, also questioned the investigator whether he saw a knife at the kitchen, saw medicine on the floor and an unopened can of drink with a pink glass in the house.

Aike said he saw those things, but they never collected them as it was the work of Forensics.

He was also questioned by the Coroner whether or not Forensic officers lifted fingerprints of those items seen in the house or the blood samples on that day when the two bodies were discovered.

Aike replied that he is not aware as to whether or not those samples were collected or finger-printed by Forensics officers.

Director of Public Prosecution after the Coroner had no questions for the police investigator made an application to adjourn the hearing to today.

This is in relation to the tragic death of a couple that occurred at Mbumburu in November 2016.

SI risks major setback in logging

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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0

By Gary Hatigeva

MINISTER of Finance and Treasury, Manasseh Sogavare has warned that the country risks facing huge gaps in its logging industry if it continues to unsustainably harvest its trees.

According to Mr Sogavare, the logging sector has been one of the key contributors to overall growth in past years to the country’s economy and that was also witnessed in 2017, which recorded a total of 2.6 million cubics of round logs being exported.

“This is almost as high as the 2016 level,” the Finance Minister explained when delivering the government’s speech on the 2018 Budget in Parliament on Monday.

He said the logging sector output appears to have now stabilised, pretty much at a high level, and the sector according to the Minister is forecasted to contract slightly from real Gross Domestic Production (GDP) growth in the medium term.

However, Sogavare reminded that although logging has remained high, there is a risk in the future if the logging sector is not stabilised and if the government does not establish more sustainable sources of revenue.

He stressed that the challenge for the government is to seek alternative sources of growth to sustain the economy of the country and ensure that there are measures to cater for workers in other industries.

He said the government is therefore facing a serious situation in which it must confront the current unsustainable rate of harvest and suggested that there it progressively reverse the reliance on export of round log.

“Doing nothing will isolate us from the global communities who also advocate for green economy and advance a sustainable harvest that is environmentally, socially and economically inclusive,” the Minister of Finance and Treasury said.

Meanwhile, Sogavare pointed out that the country may not be able to achieve significance compliance to logging code of practices, which led to intentions and programmes to set focus on proper coordination.

“This year will be a year of serious consultations, planning and strategising. My officials, in this respect, have already mobilised and will soon commence consultation with the Ministry of Forestry and other key stakeholders,” the confident Finance Minister explained.

He further added that the aim is to develop, and by the second of 2018 finalise realistic plan of action that will address the current unsustainable rate of harvest and reduce the countries reliance on export of round log.

“It is the commitment of my ministry to see the policy actions in this plan approved by the government, and enforced and factored in the 2018 budget,” Sogavare revealed.

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