Home Blog Page 463

Mala PPDC prepares for revised budget

Written by
Admin
-
0

BY SAMIE WAIKORI

The Provincial Planning Development Committee (PPDC) of Malaita has completed a one-day meeting in Auki, as preparation gears towards the provincial revised budget next month.

The meeting is to review the allocation of PCDF development projects mainly under the social and economic sectors of the province to be funded during this financial year.

The PPDC is chair by the Provincial Minister for Finance and Treasury, Hon Lemuel Kevianga and consisted of chairpersons from 33 wards in the province, MPG’s Heads of Divisions and reps from Non Government Organizations in Auki.

PPDC is the highest committee in the provincial government level task with allocation of projects to implement under the PCDF program.

“The purpose of the PPDC is to allocate development for the province.” Minister Kevianga highlighted. “They are the backbone of development in the province.

“Reason for that is we don’t want politicians to politicize our projects, so the PPDC is tasked with this work instead of MPAs.

“This is so that projects are equally share among 33 wards in Malaita province,” he emphasized.

Meanwhile, Kevianga also highlighted that during the meeting, allocation of projects has made for the $11.8 million PCDF funding support for the province.     

He added the projects are part of some of the projects that haven’t implemented under the 3-year rolling plan of the province.

Kevianga explained the 3-year rolling plan was approved by the PPDC, blessed by the assembly and they become priority projects to implement.

According to the minister, PPDC will compile a report on the meeting and will submit to the executive for deliberation, later the PAC and finally table on the floor of the assembly.

He said Malaita province expects an assembly meeting next month to pass the 2023/2024 revised budget, to allow for the implementation of its PCDF projects.

Absence of cost analysis and financing in proposed federal system

Written by
Admin
-
0

By Loretta B Manele

There is also the absence of the analysis of the cost and financing of the proposed federal system.

John Maneniaru, Bills and Legislation Committee (BLC) chairman stated the above during the debate on the Constitution Amendment of the Constituent Assembly Sitting Bill 2024 in parliament.

He voiced that the cost analysis and financing of the proposed federal system of government is an important area for them to cover.

He stressed that they have spent a lot of money on this bill and if the cost is too high and the bill doesn’t eventually go through at the end then it will be a waste of time and resources.

Maneniaru said they should do a cost analysis and present it to the people so they know what is good and what is not good from this bill.

“We must prepare for this. This has not started yet as my committee was informed during the inquiry and to me, that is very, very discouraging and disappointing”

Maneniaru said it is an important legislation; the constituent assembly which is for us to move to a new system, the federal system.

He reiterated that the people need to know the cost of this bill and whether or not it is alright for us to move forward with it or not.

Moreover, the BLC chairman highlighted that procedural matters for the constituent assembly should also be prepared.

He added that this is so that the constituent assembly knows what to do so that when they convene, they can be able to make decisions.

“At the moment, we have not yet taken them to that level and that is from the findings of the Bills and Legislation Committee”

He said these are shortcomings that raised serious doubts from the committee in the government’s ability to ensure that a well-informed and effective deliberative process is in place.

Maneniaru stated that when the bill was passed in 2023, it became an Act and they were convinced that the constituent assembly would sit before 31st Dec 2024 however this is not the case.

“So, we should think seriously about this whole process”

Judgement for 3 men accused of burning 2 houses December 30

Written by
Admin
-
0

BY ROMINAH FAKA

The case of three men accused of burning two houses at Kakalu village, West Guadalcanal has adjourned to December 30 for court to deliver judgment.

Yesterday the matter was mentioned in court where defence said they were yet to file their closing submissions.

Court therefore made directions for the three defence lawyers to file their closing submissions before 3pm today December 18.

Saverio Mate, 25, Lency Raga, 40 and John Longatabo, 28, are jointly charged with two counts of arson and one count of assault causing bodily harm.

They pleaded not guilty and a trial was conducted before Principal Magistrate Fatimah Taeburi.

The prosecution called two witness to testify, the complainant and his wife and tendered 13 exhibits.

After prosecution closed its case on December 9, 2024 defence did not call any witness however, they filed a No Case to Answer.

Court ruled that there was a case to answer to count 1 and 2 which is arson and for count 3 which is assault causing bodily harm, court acquit the three defendants because the prosecution fail to bring forward the complainant for count 3 to testify in court.

Matter was adjourned to December 30 for judgement.

The prosecution alleged that on October 12, 2022, the defendants were alleged to be part of a group of men that went and asked compensation from the complainant at the Kakalu Village, West Guadalcanal Province.

They claimed the complainant stole their live pig and that he must give them some money, if not they will return and burn down his house.

Later, the defendants went and set a fire to the complainant two dwelling houses.

With regards to charge of assault causing bodily harm, the three defendants on 11th and 12 of October, 2022 at around 1800hrs to 0400hrs, between Kakalu village and Matakao village, West Guadalcanal, did unlawfully assaulted another person there by occasioning the said person, actual bodily harm by grabbing, kicking his face and also struck his back with the side of a bush knife and shot him with a sling striking his foot with a piece of galvanized iron pipe.

Paul Junior Fanasia from Office of Public Prosecution appear act for the Crown and Delilah Kukura, Ron Dicky Pulekera and Lazarus Waroka from PSO act for the defendants.

HCC passes $60.7m budget for 2025

Written by
Admin
-
0

BY NED GAGAHE

The Honiara City Council (HCC) has successfully passed its 2025 Budget during its final sitting for the year on December 13, 2024, with a total allocation of $60,700,200.

This marks a decrease of approximately $3.35 million compared to the 2024 budget, which was passed on December 19, 2023, at $64,054,323.

Last year’s budget increase was notably due to additional budget support provided by the National Hosting Authority (NHA) for the Pacific Games 2023.

The HCC budget session ended with a Sine Die Motion, during which Lord Mayor Cr Eddie Kasute’e Siapu thanked the councilors, management, and staff for their hard work and strong support throughout the year.

In his remarks, Lord Mayor Siapu emphasized the importance of the 2025 Budget in advancing Honiara’s development priorities and delivering essential services to its residents.

He commended the councilors for their collaborative efforts and commitment to ensuring a transparent and inclusive budget process.

“This budget represents our shared vision for a thriving, sustainable, and inclusive city,” said Lord Mayor Siapu.

“I am deeply grateful to our councilors, management, and staff of HCC for their tireless work and dedication to the people of Honiara. Your unwavering support and commitment have been instrumental in making this possible.”

The Lord Mayor also highlighted key achievements of the Council over the past year and reaffirmed his commitment to addressing critical challenges in the city, including urban development, waste management, and improving public services.

The passing of the 2025 Budget sets the stage for continued progress in Honiara, focusing on enhancing infrastructure, promoting economic growth, and fostering community well-being.

The HCC looks forward to working closely with stakeholders, development partners, and the community to implement the budget’s priorities and ensure a brighter future for all residents of Honiara.

Opposition slams deadline in constitution, calls for removal

Written by
Admin
-
0

BY NED GAGAHE

The Leader of the Opposition, Matthew Wale, has strongly criticized the government’s decision to include a deadline in the Constitution (Amendment) (Constituent Assembly Sitting) Bill 2024, arguing that it could lead to ongoing amendments and unnecessary delays in the constitutional reform process.

During the second reading of the bill in Parliament yesterday, Wale raised concerns about the potential long-term consequences of setting a fixed deadline within the constitution.

The Constitution (Amendment) Constituent Assembly Sitting Bill 2014 went through its second reading yesterday in Parliament.

The bill aims to amend the Constitution Amendment Act of 2023 by increasing the number of assembly members from 80 to 100, thereby expanding representation across various demographics.

The bill seeks to amend the provision on the date for the convening of the Constituent Assembly from 31st December 2024 to 31st December 2026.

When introducing the bill in Parliament Monday last week, Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele explains that the bill seeks to amend the provision on the date for the convening of the Constituent Assembly from 31st December 2024 to 31st December 2026.

He highlighted that the Constitution Amendment, Constituent Assembly Act 2023 remains a continuous standing commitment of the Government of National Unity and Transformation (GNUT).

However, the Opposition Leader pointed out that no other country’s constitution has such a provision, making the Solomon Islands’ constitutional reform process unique and potentially problematic.

“It is sensible not to place deadlines in constitutions,” Wale stated.

He warned that by including a deadline, the government is setting up a situation where further constitutional amendments will be required to postpone the deadline.

This, according to Wale, could create a cycle of delays, each necessitating yet another amendment to extend the deadline, leading to a prolonged and inefficient process.

The committee had already recommended removing the deadline, but Wale expressed frustration that the government had ignored this advice.

He emphasized that a fixed deadline could force constitutional changes based on arbitrary timelines rather than on the necessary preparedness and consensus of the people.

“This could result in a situation where the government is forced to amend the constitution repeatedly, simply to buy more time,” he explained.

Wale warned that financial and administrative challenges might push the government to seek further postponements, making the situation even more complicated.

By urging for the complete removal of the deadline, Wale stressed that it would allow for a more flexible approach to constitutional reform, one that aligns with the evolving needs of the country.

‘While draft constitutional in progress, reform in provincial gov’t should proceed’

Written by
Admin
-
0

By Loretta B Manele

We suggest that while the work on the draft constitution is in progress, the government, through the Ministry of Provincial Government and Institutional Strengthening (MPGIS) should proceed to reform the provincial government system.

Manasseh Sogavare, minister for Finance and Treasury voiced this when speaking on the Constitution Amendment of the Constituent Assembly Sitting Bill 2024 in parliament yesterday.

He stressed that this is to set in motion the process of devolving more functions to the provincial government as agreed by the parties to the Townsville Peace Agreement.

Sogavare mentioned that if they go back to the Townsville Peace Agreement, what was asked for was not actually for a state government but for more devolution of power to go down to the provinces.

“So, this process should see more resources and logistical support given to the provincial government over a period of time to enable them to deliver the devolved functions, while we work on the state government system”

Sogavare stated that this reform may require a serious review and amendment made to the 1997 version of the Provincial Government Act.

He said that the reform of the provincial government system is to be conducted in that context.

Sogavare stated that it must be conducted in the context of preparing the provinces to cope with the administrative, structural, institutional, and logistical challenges that come with increased responsibility to deliver services.

He added that this should be so that they work towards realizing and progressing the provinces towards the attainment of greater autonomy with the emphasis on effective service delivery and allowing strategic development to take place, not structural expansion of our government system,

“I think it’s very important that we take note of issues like this”

Sogavare emphasized that to advance this strategy, a review and reform of the current Provincial Government Act is necessary and a core objective of such a review is to set in motion the process of devolving powers to the nine provincial governments.

“Because that is what the state government is going to eventually do. By putting power to other people, let them start to get used to more powers that is devolved down with resources from within too”

Sogavare noted that this is so that when state government comes, there is just a seamless transition to the new structure of government that they are adopting.

Political considerations based on emotions: Kenilorea

Written by
Admin
-
0
Peter Kenilorea Jnr.

By Loretta B Manele

Political considerations, as you know is on emotions and sometimes it’s hard for people to break it down when you think about numbers, calculations because all we want is to push our political agenda.

Peter Kenilorea Junior, leader of the Independent Group expressed this when he contributed to the debate on the Constitution Amendment, Constituent Assembly Sitting Bill 2024 in parliament yesterday.

He said this happens around the world and everywhere around the world it is the same.

Kenilorea Jr also shared a story depicting the above sentiment.

“We know the political sensitivities around this discussion. As you know full well, the first government collapsed because of the discussions around provincial government.

The first ever government during independence or after independence, the first Kenilorea government collapsed because of discussions around provincial government”

Kenilorea Jr stressed that this was because of discussions on how to carry out things and about different ideas around doing things back then.

“They were saying that the then Prime Minister was moving too slowly in trying to consider what the options were while some wanted to go faster”

Moreover, referring to the current debate on the bill, he voiced that he really appreciates how they have been discussing the bill.

“These are very political sensitive issues. That brings back to the point, that I really appreciate how we have been discussing this here”

Kenilorea Jr added that this is very important because it can really become very emotional for many of them especially when it’s political.

“I just want to register my appreciation in terms of how discussions have been held here. I think that’s a sign of us 50 MPs in the 12th Parliament that we love our nation.

I think whatever we want to do, we don’t want to fragment further. We don’t want to disintegrate the modern nation of Solomon Islands”

Kenilorea Jr said he says “modern” because we are nations within a nation in the sense that Solomon Islands is made up of diverse language groups, customs and governance structures of which are traditionally already set in place.

He mentioned that while some of these aspects are whittled away, some are still stronger than others and at the end of the day it’s important because it is our identity.

Kenilorea Jr said he thinks discussion around the bill is important hence they must continue to remain civil and continue to be rational in terms of what it is they want.

“We want the best for the whole collective Solomon Islands, the modern state of Solomon Islands, which is much younger than the many nations that already live within Solomon Islands prior to our independence, prior to us taking that name Solomon Islands even”

Suidani and Talifilu’s case adjourned for next year

Written by
Admin
-
0

BY ROMINAH FAKA

The case of two Malaitan provincial leaders Daniel Suidani and Celsus Talifilu has adjourned for January 16, 2025 for setting of trial date.

Yesterday the matter was heard in Magistrate Court where the counsels tender the Pre-Trial-Conference (PTC) documents agreed by the parties to the court and court accepted it.

The prosecution also made an application in court for withdrawal of count one, unlawful assembly against the two defendants because there’s lack of evidence for count one.

After the application, court made directions by withdraw and discharged Suidani and Talifilu from count one.

So, both defendants are now facing the court with two counts of unlawful assembly.

It was alleged that the two defendants were taken into custody for their alleged role in masterminding a number of unlawful assemblies and protests in Auki, Malaita Provincial capital in 2021.

Those unlawful assemblies and protests were allegedly carried out by the Malaita for Democracy (M4D).

The two defendants later arrested on 3rd of October, 2024.

Mary-Anne Zurenuoc act for crown and Lilly Ramo represent both defendants.

‘NEED MORE WORK’

Written by
Admin
-
0

Wale calls for Constituent Assembly Sitting Bill withdrawn

BY NED GAGAHE

Leader of the Opposition Matthew Wale has called for a significant redrafting of the Constitution Amendment (Constituent Assembly Sitting) Bill 2024, citing serious concerns about its current formulation and the government’s financial challenges.

Speaking during the second reading of the Bill yesterday in Parliament, Wale who also supports the committee’s recommendation for the bill to be withdrawn for further work, warned that proceeding with the bill in its present form could result in delays and inefficiencies that would hinder the process of federal constitutional reform.

“Sir, those are the observations I have to offer this morning. These, sir, would require a significant redrafting of the bill currently before the House. I therefore support the committee’s (BCL) recommendation that the bill be withdrawn for further work.” Wale said.

The Opposition Leader emphasised that key prerequisites, such as funding and essential information, need to be in place before the Constituent Assembly is convened.

“That exercise, sir, will require funding and time, and given the government’s precarious cash flow situation, it is not prudent to defer this matter to the period the Assembly sits,” Wale stated.

He added that all necessary financial and logistical arrangements should be finalised ahead of time to ensure the Assembly can function smoothly and make well-informed decisions.

Wale argued that the Assembly should be provided with all relevant information and advice to enable effective decision-making.

“The Assembly ought to have everything it needs, including information and advice, to enable its decision-making to be efficient in reaching a conclusion,” he said.

The Opposition Leader also raised concerns about the inclusion of a deadline in the constitution through the current bill, stressing that it could create unnecessary complications and lead to repeated amendments if delays occur.

Instead, Wale called for the removal of the deadline, arguing that the government should address outstanding policy issues before any legislation is passed.

He suggested Parliament that there was no need to rush through the bill.

“Parliament should not be overly concerned, sir, about the deadline. When government is ready and has addressed these policy issues, Parliament can then better deal with legislation to give effect to the changes, with a confident expectation that the process can progress and a final decision on the proposed draft federal constitution can be reached efficiently.” The Opposition Leader said.

The Constitution (Amendment) Constituent Assembly Sitting Bill 2014 went through its second reading yesterday in Parliament.

The bill aims to amend the Constitution Amendment Act of 2023 by increasing the number of assembly members from 80 to 100, thereby expanding representation across various demographics.

When introducing the bill in Parliament last week, Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele explains that the bill seeks to amend the provision on the date for the convening of the Constituent Assembly from 31st December 2024 to 31st December 2026.

He highlighted that the Constitution Amendment, Constituent Assembly Act 2023 remains a continuous standing commitment of the Government of National Unity and Transformation (GNUT).

In December 2023, the 11th Parliament successfully passed the Constitution Amendment, Constituent Assembly Act 2023.

Section 7 of the act requires the Constituent Assembly to meet before the 31st of December 2024.

Manele said amending the date is necessary to allow more time for the preparation of all the processes required before the Constituent Assembly sits.

MAL receives various funding assistance

Written by
Admin
-
0

BY JOHN HOUNIHAU


The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAL) has received various forms of financial assistance from development partners over the years.


Minister Franklyn Wasi noted that one of the key contributors is the World Bank, which has provided funding for the Solomon Islands Agriculture and Rural Transformation Project (SIART).


“The SIART is a four-year initiative valued at 15 million USD, targeting three provinces: Guadalcanal, Malaita, and Makira Ulawa. The project aims to enhance the capacity of agribusiness producers to fulfill market demands through collective groups rather than individual entrepreneurs,” he explained.


Minister Wasi said that the project began in 2022 and is set to conclude in 2026, with a focus on both crops and livestock.


“To date, the project has established funding agreements with nearly 20 agribusiness producer organizations,” he added.


He said that the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is another significant funder, supporting the AMEN project, a six-year initiative with a budget of 16.8 million USD, which will be implemented in Choiseul, Isabel, and Western Province.


He emphasized that the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is engaged in several highly specialized projects within the ministry, including a sustainable transformation initiative for the domestic agri-food system, valued at 3 million USD.


“This initiative primarily aims to enhance and facilitate the ministry’s operational environment and to implement pilot activities through non-profit organizations and various line ministries across different sectors of agriculture, including agribusiness,” said Wasi.


He also mentioned the Digital Villages Initiative (DVI), which has launched a pilot project in Namu Baula village in Malaita Province, providing IT equipment for farmers as part of the ministry’s effort to deliver comprehensive services to rural farmers and fishers through digital village hubs.


“There are additional collaborations with Asia and the SPC focused on plant health clinics, as well as with the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Australia (DAF) to enhance biosecurity capabilities.


“The New Zealand Government is involved through ag-research concerning the coconut rhinoceros beetle (CRB). Furthermore, the SAFE project aims to protect the endemic and globally threatened biodiversity and ecosystem services of the Solomon Islands from invasive alien species and unsustainable land use practices, in partnership with the Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences in China,” he concluded.

1...462463464...1,665Page 463 of 1,665