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Let us support the Mamara development initiative: Sade

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By Loretta B Manele

“We should support the Mamara development initiative because it is not only for my constituency but for the nation as well.”

Francis Sade, minister for the Ministry of Public Service made the call in parliament on the second day of the Sine Die Motion, Thursday, December 19, 2024.

He said what is essential for this initiative is that they must also involve people, landowners particularly as partners in the development at Mamara.

Sade explained that this is because by not doing so they will still have issues such as landowners continuing to claim their rights when development progresses.

He mentioned that as a member of the council in the last 5 years, he remembers that a number of development initiatives that were to be rolled out were challenged by the slowness in government to establish or put in place policies to support these developments.

Sade stressed that an ongoing challenge in his constituency is youth unemployment.

“A lot of people travelling for the weekend at the beaches at times, experienced disturbances from my youths”

Henceforth, he said this is why he wants the Mamara development project to progress so they can engage their young people in productive sectors.

Sade added that in doing so, they can help reduce unemployment and support youths not only in their development but also in the nation’s development.

He said he is happy to hear from the minister of commerce that a policy for investment and the Special Economic Zone bill will be brought to parliament this year.

The member of parliament for Northwest Guadalcanal constituency expressed that these are special frameworks for development not only for Guadalcanal but for other provinces too.

Construction to rebuild Honiara High School infrastructure resumes

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BY INDY MAEALASIA

CONSTRUCTION work to rebuild classrooms and key facilities at Honiara High School, which were burned down during the 2021 unrest, is set to resume early this year.

School Deputy Principal Johnson Maqila told Island Sun that administrative and financial challenges had delayed the project.

However, with recent financial support from the People’s Republic of China (PRC), work is now moving forward.

Maqila confirmed that contractors began a major clean-up of the site just before the Christmas break in preparation for construction.

During the unrest, the administration office, computer lab, Agriculture department, Industrial arts classroom, NTS department, form four classrooms and the school library were destroyed.

These losses have disrupted the school’s operations, forcing a reduction in new student intakes.

“For from four and five alone we had to cut the streams from four to three streams to fit the classes,” the deputy principal explained.

Additionally, the school had to limit student transfers and rearrange classrooms to accommodate all students.

“Several optional classes had to be held at the school hall and our industrial arts department had fewer proper tools to work on,” he recalled.

Despite the challenges, Maqila is hopeful the construction will be completed in less than six months.

Once finished, the new buildings will include new classrooms, an administration block, and other key facilities that were initially lost.

Sade explains his side to Dodo Creek issue

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By Loretta B Manele

Francis Sade, member of parliament for Northwest Guadalcanal and minister for public service explained his side of the story on the controversial Dodo Creek issue.

Speaking at the Sine Die Motion on Thursday, December 19, 2024, he told parliament that he needs to explain his part regarding Dodo Creek because Guadalcanal province said he sold the land.

Sade said when he came into office in 2019 as premier, they signed an MOU with China’s Guangdong province.

He added that after the signing, they immediately sent 29 agriculture people to China.

Sade said it was when they returned that they came up with the idea for Guadalcanal province to develop an agriculture technical institute.

“We wanted to give land to that partnership as we were looking at how we can progress agriculture technically in Solomon Islands”

Sade said they then went to Doma and marked out 50 hectares of land only to later find out that Guadalcanal province didn’t have land there anymore because it was given up before they showed up there.

“So, our plan was held up”

Sade further explained that when the Dodo creek issue came up, they endorsed the purchase of the land thinking that they would develop it into an agricultural technical partnership and that thinking still stands today.

“So, this sale was in fact endorsed by Guadalcanal province for partnership of an agriculture institute”

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‘WE NEED A NURSE’

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Sikaiana Island. PHOTO GEORGE HERMING

Sikaiana atoll residents plead for help as influenza outbreak affects more than half population

BY IRWIN ANGIKI

People on Sikaiana are calling for a nurse to be sent over as a viral outbreak ravages the Malaita outer islands atoll.

More than half of the 300-plus inhabitants are reportedly sick from the influenza outbreak.

Authorities say the earliest a nurse could be sent over will be the last week of this month.

“But this depends on how fast a nurse who is willing to be posted in Sikaiana is found and processes met before being deployed,” Malaita Finance Minister and MPA for Sikaiana, Lemuel Kevianga told Island Sun yesterday.

Mr Kevianga said this matter is now one of the priorities of the Malaita provincial health.

“I already talked with Minister of Health for Malaita. New posting of nurse for Sikaiana will be sorted later this month,” Kevianga said.

“So, a nurse could be sent either last week January or first week February.”

During the New Year festivities more and more people on Sikaiana succumbed to a flu which reportedly was brought over by those returning home from Honiara onboard a ship before Christmas.

Local priest Fr Philip Teleilua sounded the alarm posting on social media the dire need for a nurse on Sikaiana on Friday last week.

“[Any nurse for us in Sikaiana? Sikaiana really needs a nurse. Sickness is knocking from house to house. Have mercy on us Solomon Islands. We are also Solomons citizens too],” Teleilua’s facebook post said.

Speaking to Island Sun from Sikaiana, Teleilua said nearly three quarters of the island’s population have fallen ill.

“[The sickness is highly contagious and symptoms include very high temperature, severe head and eye pain, dizziness, diarrhoea, high fever, persistent dry coughing and vomiting],” Teleilua said.

“Men, women and children all struck down the same.”

He said they have been surviving by applying simple home remedies such as steaming, drinking warm water, while some who have their private supply of Panadol share it when needed.

“[We are surviving by the Grace of God as we continue praying for healing, and so far a few have recovered with no death reported],” Teleilua said.

It is understood the last nurse on Sikaiana left before October last year after being reportedly involved in a drunken brawl during celebrations of Malaita Day on August 15.

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A positive start for East Honiara constituency

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BY JOHN HOUANIHAU

While the last eight months have been hard for both MPs and voters, MP for East Honiara Morris To’iraena has assured his people of East Honiara of a positive start for the constituency.

Speaking on the floor of parliament during the Sine die motion in 2024, Mr To’iraena said that 168 of his people who have been struggling with their land titles will finally receive them this year.

“To you the 168 who have been struggling with your land title, today I want to assure you, that it turns positive. And I thank the Minister of Lands for assuring us that, you would be granted your land titles,” he said.

He assured his constituents that those who have similar problems to submit their list to the constituency office

“From there we will start to assist you,” he said.

He also said that the Constituency office is waiting for the people of the East Honiara constituency to assist three communities in operating corporate societies.

“We look forward to the three communities to run corporate societies. We are waiting to see if anyone shows interest. But none responded to date. I want to encourage you,” he said.

He voiced that although East Honiara has a huge population there is no availability of land to operate bigger businesses.

“In terms of corporate society, three are ready. Any ready community, you come forward so we kick-started with you,” said To’iraena.

He stressed that nine churches in East Honiara should have already received their church support and few had received it before Christmas last month.

He said that other communities will also assist with the same support to build their community churches as of this year and onwards.

He also highlighted that a few communities have also received support towards their Christmas tournament from the East Honiara Constituency office.

Donors must play within Govt system

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BY JOHN HOUANIHAU

Opposition leader Matthew Wale says Government of the day must ensure that foreign donors do not compromise the country’s sovereign decision-making.

“Firstly, it is important to note that, you know previously, we have Taiwan and now China and the fact that they engaged in giving money to members of Parliaments (MPs) for constituencies, is wrong.

“It means our politics is always vulnerable and subject to foreign influences. So that must be considered,’’ Wale said when he presented his view on the role of foreign aid in SI development and what changes or how aid should be negotiated and utilized efficiently.”

He said that no foreign power or government should ever give money to be handled by the MPs or elected officials.

“Such that might compromise the decision-making of leadership. This is very critical When we negotiate bilateral agreements for funding, etc, we must ensure that they do not compromise our sovereign decision-making,” Wale said during a podcast recently.

He also notes that the 2025 budget when it comes to parliament has a 1.3 billion deficit requiring the government to secure or seek funds from foreign donors.

“In other words, the Government do not have money. So, they must ask or seek credit from donors for that money, but an equivalent of 1.3 billion was given to us through donors, but it was outside of the Budget. It is called the non-appropriated funds.

“But donors are doing their things outside of government machinery, processes and systems. This practice is also bad because it undermines our government,” he said.

He pointed out that if donors believe in the policies the government sets to implement, they should do it within the country through the government system and powers.

“If you want to partner with us because you believe in the policies the government want to implement, do it within our system. Build our capacity. We need institutional capacity so it is sustainable in the long term,” he said.

The opposition leader argued that even the World Bank (WB) Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the International Monetary Fund IMF play their systems.

“But what sort of good government do you want to promote while doing things outside? If corruption is high, let’s fight it and fix it within our system. I think that is an important factor in our negotiation,” he said.

Mr Wale also asked the basic question of what it would take for the Solomon Islands as a country to move forward and focus on rather than spreading resources too thinly.

“I would say there are only two things, education and health. Invest three times in Education more than what we are doing now. All Solomon Islands children must be educated and skilled. That is an ambition,” he said.

“And the next is health. You know, turning up at a clinic and there is not a Panadol, it is beyond the joke. It’s a terrible thing. We must fix our health care system,” Wale said.

Budget and assistance more focused on urban areas: Manemahaga

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By Loretta B Manele

Government’s budget assistance from development partners is focused mainly on urban areas, Environment minister Manamahaga has said.

Trevor Hedley Manemahaga, minister for the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology (MECDM) stated this at the Sine Die Motion on Thursday, December 19 in parliament last year.

Manemahaga emphasised that if you look at the budget, a lot of funding support is towards urban areas and projects from development partners are also heavily focused on urban development.

“We smaller provinces are disadvantaged because they base their assistance on population; that’s the index they use.”

He said this is why he will continue to support RCDF because it is the only financial mechanism, he sees going down to the rural areas.

Manemahaga said the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) when established was mainly for rural development, however the new act kind of takes away the intention of the CDF which is for rural development.

“So, Gao/Bugotu calls for the review of this CDF act so that it becomes relevant and gives some flexibility in terms of addressing the development challenges that we have.”

The member of parliament for Gao/Bugotu constituency stated that this must change and they must be fair.

Manemahaga said they must look at the comparative advantages of each province and donors must make sure they are strategic in their allocation of projects to rural areas.

Special Economic Zone bill can relocate growth to rural areas

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By Loretta B Manele

Harry Kuma, minister for the Ministry of Commerce, Industry, Labour and Immigration (MCILI) says the Special Economic Zone Bill provides for attracting investors and can help relocate growth from our urban areas to our rural areas.

He expressed this whilst talking on the floor or parliament during the Sine Die Motion last month.

Initially, Kuma said he would like to see the bill passed in parliament and become implemented.

He voiced that it provides for attracting investors to come in and help the country grow sustainably and diversify with focus on export.

“In fact, it could if we allow investors to go to the remote parts of our country, it’s a means of relocating our growth from our urban centres to the peripheral of our rural areas.”

He thinks this can be feasible for the country to develop.

“We have a SOEs (State-Owned Enterprises) and other companies that can be turned into a public company and give opportunity for our people to be part of some of these very profitable entities.”

On another note, Kuma said apart from this bill, funding for programs in his ministry like SMEs (Small-Medium Enterprises) and export processing is very important.

He pointed out that the most important one is funding to DBSI.

Kuma said if they increase this funding, he believes that they will reap a lot of benefits in terms of enabling people to have access to finance to develop small medium enterprises.

Education isn’t a decisive factor for good leadership: Wale

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BY JOHN HOUANIHAU

Having high qualifications doesn’t mean one can be a good leader.

Member for Aoke Langalanga and Opposition leader Matthew Wale said this when responding to the question that one should become a Member of Parliament (MP) to meet certain criteria.

“So, you know education is not a decisive factor for good leadership. On one hand, we do need, we look at quality leadership at the national level and we can say that we set the bar,” he said.

Speaking during a recent Podcast, Mr Wale said that some countries have jurisdictions that have criteria that qualify one to become a Member of Parliament (MP).

“For instance, Indonesia. You have to have a degree and other jurisdictions impose similar criteria,” he said.

He stressed that he sees such a system as a reaction that reflects something worse to address an existing issue.

He however said that a more fundamental is that the leader represents his people and the judgement of the people has to be trusted or valued.

“And so, you can set a bar in the constitution for example, but it is better to set it in the minds and hearts of the people so they can ensure to achieve good leadership or to choose their MP,” said Wale.

“Because once you have a highly educated person but he/she is a crook, you just have a highly educated crooker. Similar to illiteracy or lack of education in itself, is a factor for bad leadership,” Wale said.

INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS WORRY

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Francis Sade.

By Loretta B Manele

Informal settlements is one issue that government needs to address through the Greater Honiara Development Concept together with the house of chiefs, landowners and settlers.

Francis Sade, minister for Public Service voiced this when contributing to the Sine Die Motion in parliament last month.

He stressed that one of the challenges in his constituency is having so many informal settlements.

“I would like to ask the government for us to work together through the Greater Honiara Development Concept for us to see how we can address this by working together with the house of chiefs, landowners and settlers.”

He said by working together, they can continue to try and improve these settlements by bringing them necessary services like water, road and other important services they are entitled to.

In relation, Sade appealed to the minister for lands to continue consultations with the house of chiefs, landowners, provinces and with him as well so as to see how they can support each other to progress this development concept that they want to implement.

He also pointed out that infrastructure development in communities around Honiara are really bad as services like electricity, water and roads are lacking.

“I want us to recognize the need of our people. People who come and settle or who are in these settlements come here because Honiara is our national economic centre.”

Sade highlighted that problem is when people came in, government did not prepare for them.

He emphasised that these are issues and opportunities for them to address as they move forward.

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