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What the BLC says on the Anticorruption Bill

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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BY CAROL-ANNE SULEGA

THE Report on the Anticorruption Bill clearly states that the oversight model proposed in the Bill may not be the best to combat corruption in Solomon Islands.

According to the Report, the Committee believed the Bill was hastily drafted and did not go through a thorough and robust consultation and that a better and more effective model was not considered in the consultations.

The Bill proposes   to establish   the Solomon   Islands   Independent   Commission   against   Corruption (SIICAC).

It is an authority   that is tasked to receive, process, investigate   and refer for prosecution   any corruption   complaints referred to it by the public and or whistleblowers.

The report states that some of the clauses proposed   in the Bill could weaken the integrity of the Commission.

Examples given were the membership   of the nominating   Committee   who   are politicians   or politically   appointed   and   the process   for their   appointment,     the   non-inclusion   of provisions   against   unjust   enrichment,   the vulnerability   of the Commission   as a result of the necessary budgetary   process and resourcing,   and the use of custom as a defense.

The Committee made sixteen (16) recommendations   under this Bill and urged the Office of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (OPMC) as the sponsors of the Bill, to seriously consider the recommendations and make the necessary amendments.

The Bills and Legislation Committee   (the Committee)   completed   its inquiry into the Anti-corruption Bill 2016 and was received   by the Speaker on the 31st   of March.

The Committee conducted   hearings on it from the 20th to the 23rd of April last year.

The Prime Minister Hon Manasseh Sogavare used these as reference to the Bill’s withdrawal based on the recommendations given to them by the Bills and Legislation Committee (BLC) and questioned why the sudden disagreement to the withdrawal when the Government was only following what Members of Parliament from the Opposition and Independent bloc who too make up the BLC, strongly recommended in their report.

The Prime Minister recently released a statement over the weekend stating the Anticorruption Bill will be brought back in the next sitting.

Parliament has been adjourned to October 9.

The battle over RIPEL land ownership has begun

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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0

By Alfred Sasako

 

UP to 20 people claiming to represent the Lavukal people are expected to arrive in Honiara today, but the trip was last night described as “one without mandate and purpose”.

“They do not represent the people of Lavukal or their interest. So we are wondering why they are coming at all,” Keruval tribal chief Silas Selo told Island Sun.

“I have just met with the Lavukal House of Chiefs and their stand remains unchanged. They do not recognise the Lavukal Land Trust Board nor do they want to have any dealings with foreign businessman, Patrick Wong.”

“We are wondering what they will say. They do not represent anyone nor have they have a mandate to speak on behalf of the Lavukal people.”

The all-men cast was last night boarding the MV Cosco to Honiara following a paid service message, requesting Lavukal Chiefs to travel to Honiara for discussions on the future of RIPEL.

It is not clear who sent the message.

It was rumoured a week ago that Mr Wong who was in Honiara to attend court cases, had indicated that he would want to meet with the Lavukal Trust Board and landowners.

Mr Wong was barred from the country after he was deported over his handling of RIPEL and related matters.

Since Island Sun has revealed his return to Honiara last week, the Malaysian businessman turned Australian citizen, has gone underground.

No double standards on Anticorruption Bill

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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0

BY CAROL-ANNE SULEGA

MEMBERS of the Official Opposition say the statement by the Prime Minister Hon Manasseh Sogavare about their bloc having double standards on the Anticorruption Bill’s withdrawal was an uncalled for statement.

The Opposition made the statement in their recent press conference with local Journalists.

They made the statement when queried by this paper on what the Prime Minister referred to when he said the Members of the Official Opposition should stop having double standards.

The PM openly alleged on the floor of Parliament before they adjourned that MP’s on the other side of the House have been going around back doors hinting to his Members of the Government that if they pass the Anticorruption Bill, most of them would be the first to be shown the exit door.

Member of Parliament (MP) for Maringe-Kokota Hon Dr Culwick Togamana responded in the press conference saying, “I think the statement made by the Prime Minister was uncalled for and is very untrue.”

MP for Small Malaita Hon Rick Hou and the Leader of the Official Opposition Hon Jeremiah then joined Hon Togamana in saying their members have never gone about hinting to MPs on the Government side that they would be given marching orders should they support the passage of the Bill.

MP for West Makira Hon Derrick Manuari then added the Government needs to live up to its word because as far as he is concerned, the withdrawal of the Anticorruption Bill for further adjustments was “the final nail to its coffin.”

The group said they will not cease to add pressure on the Prime Minister Hon Manasseh Sogavare to bring the Bill back to Parliament for immediate passage.

Kurukuru leaves for Turkmenistan Monday

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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0

BY ROMULUS HUTA

THE national futsal side will leave for Turkmenistan on Monday to attend the Fifth Asian Indoor Games.

This is four days ahead of the Games which officially kicks off in the city of Ashgabat next Saturday.

Kurukuru had named its final squad last week and the line-up includes six new faces and five old ones.

The futsal competition of the Games will run from September 16 to 26.

Solomon Islands Kurukuru have been drawn into Pool A alongside Vietnam, Chinese Taipei, HongKong and the host nation in the futsal component of the games.

Coach Sam Jerry had strongly indicated using the tournament as a preparation toward the 2019 Oceania Futsal Qualifiers for the 2020 FIFA Futsal World Cup.

And that was the reason why he decided to take onboard all young players so that he can be able to groom them ahead of the qualifiers.

“The young players are the future of futsal in this country and it is important we get them ready in time so that we remain competitive at all time and attempt to qualify to play in the 2020 FIFA Futsal World Cup.

“Exposing them at such competition will enhance their mentality toward competing at the top level.

“It’s a privilege working with a team who have a lot of talents and I’m confident we can deliver what is expected from us in the Asian Games,” the Kurukuru coach said.

The team will begin their four days journey to Turkmenistan on Monday via Fiji, Hong Kong and Thailand before reaching their destination on September 15, a day prior to the kick off.

Meanwhile, along with the Kurukuru team, two other sports are also representing Solomon Islands, as confirmed by the national Olympic governing body, the National Olympic Committee of Solomon Islands (NOCSI).

They are weightlifting and athletics.

Meet the final team.

  1. Anthony Talo (GK), 2. Paul Lake (GK), 3. George Stevenson, 4. Coleman Makau, 5. Samuel Osifelo, 6. Alwin Hou, 7. Albert Witney, 8. Atana Junior Fa’arodo, 9. Marlon Sia, 10. Alwin Ray, 11. Junior Kasute’e

Incidents involving logging contractors and landowners

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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0
MORE and more I read of incidents and disputes occurring in the Solomon Islands involving Asian logging contractors and indigenous landowners. 
I can cite several cases in which logging equipment and machinery has been torched allegedly by angry landowners when logging contractors encroached on their customary land without consent.
There was even a reported incident at Kazukuru in the Western Province just last week when Gallego Resources, a logging company, tried to land their equipment on Kazukuru customary land but there was strong resistance from disgruntled landowners who resisted attempts to bring logging machinery ashore.
Logging has been the mainstay of the Solomons economy for many years but there has always been a perception that the incapacity of the state to control timber companies has led to patterns of environmental mismanagement and allegations of corrupt practices.
Here it is perhaps fair to say state capacity is undercut by weak state legal powers over forests, attitudes of decision makers, cultural pressures on state members, political instability, bad policies, inadequate bureaucratic resources, and to a lesser extent, ties among state officials and corporate executives.
It is against such a backdrop that allegations of corruption in forest management are always being levelled and it is even whispered that the members of the police force in certain provinces are being bribed by logging harvesters to evade sanctions for rule violations.
The RSIPF must not allow its re-built reputation to be sullied by such allegations of petty corruption and it is imperative that the police service has clearly laid down policy guide lines (if not already in existence) in the form of standing orders for handling logging and landowner disputes, including how to deal effectively, fairly and impartially when there is a breach of the peace or a public order situation arising from logging incidents.
 An act of corruption, or the abuse of trusted power, is a disciplinary offence in the Police Act and Police Regulations and every police officer must remain mindful of his or her duty to uphold the law and not to be in any way influenced to take bribes no matter the circumstances.
Yours sincerely
Frank Short

Draw rejuvenates hope

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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0
Midfielder Micah Lealafa takes on two All Whites player

It feels like win: Felipe

BY ROMULUS HUTA

THE performance by the Solomon Islands national soccer side in yesterday’s 2-all draw against the New Zealand All Whites in Honiara would in some way helped rejuvenated some form of pride in the soccer-mad nation’s football hopes.

Despite going down 6-1 in the away leg last Friday at the Auckland’s QBE Stadium, Solomon Islands clawed their back in the home leg by holding off the mighty and professionally-dominated All Whites to a draw infront of a roaring thousands of fans at the Lawson Tama Stadium – something that was sure to have gone down well with the entire local football community.

The 8-3 aggregate result produced by the All Whites over the two-legged fixtures have guaranteed them a spot in November’s Inter-continental play-off against the fifth-placed South American (CONMEBOL) side with the winner claiming entry into next year’s FIFA World Cup in Russia.

But according to Felipe Vega-Arango Alonso, whose contract as head coach expires today, he described the draw as a win for him.

“For me, it feels like a win. We are losing to nothing in 20 minutes with two mistakes against a professional team while my players being all amateurs. We must never forget about that gap.”

The match started and All Whites found themselves leading after 14 minutes when a persistent Myer Bevan put the visitors infront capitalising on a loose ball in the box following a ricocheted effort from Kosta Barbarouses.

Seven minutes later, they extended lead to 2-0 and Barbarouses, evading a sliding tackle from Henry Fa’arodo in the process, unleashed his cross from the left which deflected off Harddis Aengari’s head to find way past goalkeeper Philip Mango, who had already advanced off his mark.

In the 28th minute, Solomon Islands pulled one back through Micah Lea’alafa’s spot kick and that liven up things for them to get back into the game.

Prior to that, Benjamin Totori almost got his name on the scoresheet with his left footer shot, only for Stefan Marinovic to pull out a well-fashioned save in full stretch.

Solomon Islands dominated possession and mounted pressure against the All Whites deep into the area.

The combination of Lea’alafa, Gagame Feni, Totori and Clifton Aumae proved handful for All Whites every time when surging forward close to the box but opportunities were left squandered.

In one of their well-crafted moves, Fa’arodo picked up a pass outside the area and unleashed a shot which forced Marinovic to the best of his ability and made a fingertip save.

The homeside’s dominance continued into the second half and the introduction of Atkin Kaua and James Naka onto the fray proved effective as the latter was brought down in the box.

Fa’arodo stepped up and made no mistake putting the scores to 2-all from the spot, sending Marinovic the wrong way 13 minutes from the end of regulation time.

Alonso said: “I think we did a wonderful job and it would be really unfair to lose the game. 2-2 is a good score for both teams. We have more chances than they did, actually, a lot more.

“And I think it’s a good stepping stone for the country. They need to be working in the right direction. And if they keep working this way, the future of the Solomon Islands football looks bright to me,” the Spaniard said.

Despite the draw, All Whites coach Anthony Hudson was relieved they made it through to the Inter-continental play-off.

“The objective for us is to get to the final.

“So I don’t care. When you win 8-3 on aggregate, I don’t think anyone will complain.

“I think we still give credit to the home team tonight.

“We made five changes in the team. We already have lots of first team players who are not on this tour. So to get an 8-3 result on aggregate, for us to get to the final is very pleasing and a job well done.

“We have to make sure we prepare proper in October and get all our best players back and we’re ready for November,” the Englishman said.

Janus gets eight search warrants

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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0

By Alfred Sasako

 

THE Magistrates Court has issued about eight search warrants to JANUS, the crack anti-corruption unit, to help it burrow through mountains of corruption allegations against officials and politicians.

These warrants were sought and received by Police about two months ago, sources told Island Sun.

At least three politicians are included in the search warrants.

Faced with the daunting task of tracing money trails, JANUS has sought and received search warrant approvals to enable it examine bank accounts details, business dealings and other aspects of interest to JANUS investigators.

“The search warrants have been issued. They were issued about two months ago,” those close to the investigations, say.

“These warrants would help JANUS access bank account details for example, something that would not be accessible in normal circumstances” one source familiar with the process, said.

It is not clear how many of the warrants JANUS has executed.

On Monday Island Sun sought confirmation from the Criminal Investigation Unit (major crimes) but no response was received.

One of the difficulties faced by JANUS investigators in establishing money trails is the lack of forensic auditors in the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF). Because JANUS’ work concentrates on alleged misuse of public funds, tracing the money trails contribute to delays in gathering evidence to support prosecution in court.

It is not clear whether Police Commissioner, Mathew Varley, has or will be seeking external assistance in the area of forensic auditing. Observers pointed out that the fact that Commissioner Varley’s engagement is a private arrangement between Honiara and Canberra, there is little hope he would go after those who endorsed his appointment.

The European Union wants its aid better targeted to the Pacific

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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0
ACCORDING to a recent Radio New Zealand International news item, the European Union wants its aid and development to the region to be better targeted to the Pacific.
The RNZI bulletin said:-
“The EU is preparing for the end of the Cotonou Agreement, which was signed by the 78 members of the African Caribbean and Pacific group of nations in 2000.
“The EU’s Post-Cotonou High Level Facilitator, Pascal Lamy, said the EU was eager to sign a new deal, but one that would have more focus on each region.
“And this implies that in terms of priorities of the partnership, issues like environmental resilience, like ocean management, like sustainable agriculture or sustainable energy, all will probably feature, because they are more Pacific specific, higher than they did in the previous partnership,” said Mr Lamy.
“Mr Lamy is touring the Pacific to gauge Pacific island countries views on what should be in the treaty.
“He said the EU was keen to renew it for a number of reasons.
“Which has to do with the global presence of the European Union, with its commitments to the Sustainable Development Goals within which we can have a lot of co-operation with these Pacific countries, especially given the prominent issues like climate change, ocean sustainability now have, whereas they hadn’t that importance 20 years ago when the previous agreement, Cotonou, was negotiated,” Mr Lamy said.
Yours sincerely
Frank Short

 

Scientific development of a camera to see through the human body

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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0
THE UK Evening Standard newspaper of 4 September 2017 gave exciting news of a scientific development of a camera capable of seeing through the human body.
Quoting the newspaper article it said:-
“Scientists in Scotland have developed a new camera that can see through the human body.
“The camera will help doctors track medical tools used to investigate a range of internal conditions, known as endoscopes.
“It works by detecting sources of light inside the body – such as the illuminated tip of the endoscope’s tube.
“Until now, it has not been possible to track where the kit is without using X-rays or other expensive methods.
“The prototype device can track light through up to 20 centimetres of body tissue and record the time taken for light to pass through the body – meaning it can determine the exact location of the endoscope.
“Professor Kev Dhaliwal from the University of Edinburgh, which led the project alongside Heriot-Watt University, said the tool has “immense potential” for assisting with treatments that are minimally invasive.
“And it has been designed so it can be used at the patient’s bedside for minimum disruption.
“The project is part of the Proteus Interdisciplinary Research Collaboration, which is developing new technologies for diagnosing and treating lung diseases.
Yours sincerely
Frank Short

India vows to help 7 Pacific states combat climate change

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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0
IN a Radio New Zealand International (RNZI news bulletin today, Tuesday, 5 September 2017, it was reported that the Government of India has vowed to help 7 Pacific States combat the effects of climate change.
Quoting from the RNZI bulletin it said:-
“The newly established India-UN Development Partnership Fund aims to help island countries become more resilient to extreme weather and other climate change impacts.
“The fund said since 1950 extreme weather events in the region had caused more than 9,800 deaths and affected 9.2 million people.
“UNDP Pacific is to implement the project in Tonga, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Solomon Islands, the Cook Islands, Nauru and the Federated States of Micronesia.
“The project involves the provision of technical equipment and training of hydrologists and meteorologists.
“India is the world’s fourth largest emitter of carbon dioxide after China, the United States and the European Union.”
Yours sincerely
Frank Short

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