BY TONY IROGA

As the days draw close to the end of this month, MP Quan Wing Chun school is looking forward to welcome all the participants for training this year.

This was following the announcement statement issued by the Club, a couple of days ago.

A recent statement by MP Quan Wing Chun said that old and new participants who wish to join the Club are urged to register before they begin the training sessions.

MP Quan Wing Chun is a traditional Chinese martial art school specializing in wing Chun kung fu.

“The training aims to promote self- discipline, character building, health fitness and self- defence against larger forces,” the statement said.

The statement said the training is also to maintain a calm mind, protect the centre, simultaneous attack and defence and not meet forces with force.

The wing Chun focuses on emphasizes close- range combat, efficiency, directness and self- defence.

The statement said the training session for 2026 has started on the 3^rd of this month and will continue for the month.

It said that training days and times for this year 2026 are set for Tuesday from 5pm to 7pm and on Saturdays from 10am to 12 mid-day.

The training venue will be at Mbua Valley Community High School Hall in East Honiara.

“The new intakes who are interested are welcome to join with membership fees of one hundred and fifty dollars, as old members are urge to renew the membership fees with one hundred dollars, training fee is $3 for per training session for each participant,” the statement said.

The club urges old and new individual trainee to wear long black track suits and white T-shirts.

“Trainees are therefore urged to register to the club registration by phone 7981014 or MP Quan Wing Chun Facebook page register at the training hall when walk in for training as advice,” the statement said.

The statement said the school has established branches in Auki, Malaita province, and plans to reach out to other provinces in the future.

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By RODRICK DESURI

Auki

A Malaita rural grass-root leader, Sam Suili is calling on other thirteen Members of Parliament of Malaita Province to support MP Claudius Tei’ifi to bring the Bina Harbour Project to reality.

Mr Suili, from West Kwara’ae, said each MP should support in other physical works of the Bina project where the government falls short.

He said this is to show the national government that as the host province of the project, our leaders and people are serious about realising this project.

“This is the idea that I want to put across. We are the host province of this national project, and seeing Claudius Tei’ifi behind this project isn’t reflecting working together as one and finding developments and employment for your people.

“So, I agree that each of the 14 MPs in Malaita Province to support the project one million each. This money will go for other works that the national government fall short to do,” he said.

He said that if works are carried out and implemented by national government and aid donors, it will take longer before the actual implementation of the project.

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By RODRICK DESURI 

Auki 

A Strengthening Rural Agricultural Food Security and Economic Resilience – Solomon Islands (SAFER-SI) workshop is underway at the Women’s Centre in Auki, Malaita Province.

The mission of the workshop is to carry out inceptions and conduct community consultations to gather data and information for the development of project proposals.

According to Frank Samo Sari, one of the participants representing the youth, he said the workshop prepares them to develop their annual budget for their fiscal year.

He said that before the provincial accounts committee conducts scrutiny, they have to prepare their budget plans and annual work plans.

“This is a normal process that the government usually follows. Before the provincial accounts committee conducts the scrutiny and presents it to the public for questioning and answering, we must develop and submit our budget plans and annual work plans.

“After that, once it is passed and the provincial accounts committee is satisfied, the budget will move to executive scrutiny for a final review, be forwarded for approval, and gazetted by the ministry,” he said.

However, he said it could best once each Head of the departments take it very seriously.

About fifteen participants representing the government, non-government organizations, community-based officers, and agriculture officers attended the workshop.

The objectives include:

-Presenting the project’s goals, components, scope, and implementation plans.

-Ensuring that stakeholders complement existing provincial development strategies and policies.

-Defining the roles of departments.

-Setting up structures for collaboration, information sharing, and progress monitoring.

-Gather inputs on contextual factors that could affect implementation and plan for mitigation. 

-Secure political and administrative support from provincial leaders for a successful project rollout.

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BY JOHN HOUANIHAU

Transparency Solomon Islands (TSI) is defending its position on electoral integrity regarding remarks made by the Chief Electoral Officer, Jasper Anisi in regards to corruption within the country’s electoral process.

TSI, acknowledging the role of the Solomon Islands Electoral Commission (SIEC) in administering elections under the Constitution and the Electoral Act 2018, appreciates Chief Electoral Officer Jasper Anisi for publicly responding to issues raised during the recent Corruption Perceptions Index launch.

However, TSI argues that describing the electoral process as “not corrupt” solely because it complies with legal procedures fails to address wider public concerns.

In its statement, TSI said elections involve more than the mechanics of casting and counting ballots.

SIEC’s responsibilities, as noted, include voter registration, candidate nominations, public awareness campaigns, and maintaining impartiality throughout the four-year electoral cycle.

TSI said that voter education should go beyond explaining how to vote, but also promote civic responsibility and highlight the long-term impact of monetised politics on leadership and governance.

While acknowledging Solomon Islands’ positive performance in the Electoral Integrity Global Report 2024, TSI said that international recognition does not remove the need for continued scrutiny and reform.

TSI reaffirms its call for adequate resourcing of SIEC and other accountability institutions.

Also stated in the statement is that TSI says transparency should not be viewed as an accusation, but a safeguard necessary to maintain legitimacy and strengthen democratic institutions.

TSI said national reflection rather than narrow legal interpretations is essential to improve electoral integrity and ensure that political leadership reflects the will of the people.

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BY JOHN HOUANIHAU

Following the launch of its 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) on February 11, Transparency Solomon Islands (TSI) is calling for stronger reforms to safeguard the truthfulness of electoral processes.

Speaking during the launch, TSI Chairman Rodney Kingmele outlined concerns about the broader political influence surrounding elections.

His statements prompted comments from Jasper Anisi, Chief Electoral Officer of the Solomon Islands Electoral Commission (SIEC), which were reported by Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation (SIBC).

TSI, in a statement, acknowledged SIEC’s constitutional mandate under the Constitution and the Electoral Act 2018 to administer elections lawfully and professionally.

However, the organisation said that electoral integrity extends beyond polling day procedures.

The CPI 2025 theme, “The Integrity of Electoral Processes and Their Importance to the Integrity of Political Leadership,” highlights public concerns, including alleged vote-buying, the use of constituency development funds during election cycles, limited transparency in campaign financing, and unequal competition influenced by access to financial resources.

TSI said that while SIEC is responsible for conducting elections in compliance with the law, broader governance weaknesses fall outside administrative functions alone.

The TSI said, citing findings from international assessments, including the World Bank’s Country Policy and Institutional Assessment and the Global Corruption Barometer Pacific 2021, indicate that concerns about money influencing political outcomes are common.

According to TSI, procedural compliance does not automatically guarantee public confidence.

TSI argued that when citizens perceive that financial influence determines electoral success, trust in democratic institutions can be weakened.

Strengthening democracy requires both effective electoral management and a political culture grounded in transparency, accountability, and public trust, TSI said.

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