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CEMA, CIP sign MOA for coconut refinery and livestock

Written by
Jennifer Kusapa
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Belani Tekulu of CEMA and Premier Manetiva of Central Island Province sealed an agreement for coconut refinery and livestock production (1)

BY JENNIFER KUSAPA

PREMIER of Central Islands Province Stanley Manetiva has signed a Memorandum of Agreement with CEMA for coconut refinery and livestock production.

General Manager for CEMA Patterson Siliota said the Government programme to revitalise CEMA is a seven-year programme commencing this year to 2027 and will be in three phases.

“Already we have visited the provinces and assess what facilities they have and re-engage farmers in the purchasing, selling and exporting of all commodities, and thus will require amendments to Schedule 1 of the CEMA Act,” Siliota said.

Director of the CEMA Cabinet Sub-Committee Martin Housanau said the establishment of the MOA is very important as  government is trying to revitalise CEMA in the interest of economy.

“I congratulate Premier and the Central Islands on the signing of the agreement as it is the implementation of revitalization policy of the Government, and we are going to continue support CEMA in the implementation of the MOA,” Housanau said.

Meanwhile Provincial Secretary of Central Islands Province Christian Siale said the signing of the MOA will certainly advance the national goals of the country.

He said revitalising CEMA is one of Government’s priority and Central Islands Province is one of the provinces to be the host of Coconut refinery facility in Solomon Islands, given its highest production of coconuts in the country.

Siale said the agreement made is to show commitment between the provincial government level and the national government to advance rural growth and revitalisation of Agriculture.

He also said Livestock is dead in Solomon Islands and Central Islands province is happy to offer 95 hectares of land at Hakama for Livestock revitalization for production and downstream processing.

“So, watchout for Kula brand of mince, sausage and pork”, Siale added.

Outpost building starts next year

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Jennifer Kusapa
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The new border outpost

BY JENNIFER KUSAPA

THE construction of the Outpost Patrol Boat base will commence next year in the Shortland Islands.

Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Police National Security and Correctional Services revealed during the Public Accounts Committee meeting last week.

PS Karen Galokale said the project construction will commence next year and the first engineering team will arrive in the country on October 15 to conduct first technical site assessments.

She said the whole principle of that set-up is to have a multi-facility that will accommodate different law agencies, so it will comprise certain types of infrastructures and the cost will be around AUD82million.

Meanwhile Police Commissioner Mostyn Mangau further clarified that the costing covers the policing of Western Border as well other law-enforcement agencies the Immigration, Customs, Fisheries and others.

 “It is a big project, as it is of national interest in terms of our security,” Mangau said.

PS Galokale also revealed during the PAC that the land is 20 hectares, with a total agreement sale of 11.5m, however 1.7m instalment payment already made to the Land holding group Famoa.

Australia and Solomon Islands continue to work together to ensure that Pacific homes remain secure, stable, and prosperous.

The new facility will bring together police, customs and immigration officials in a single location to reinforce the security of Solomon Islands’ Western Border and promote peaceful cross-border movements.

It will also deliver new facilities to coordinate operations, accommodation, and a wharf capable of supporting RSIPV Taro and Gizo, Solomon Islands’ Guardian-class Patrol Boats, and Australian-gifted fast boats.

Solomon Islands has chosen Lofung South in the Shortland Islands as the location for the Outpost. Construction will take up to three years. Engineers will conduct technical site investigations in the coming months on land and at sea, with the main works expected to commence in 2022.

SolAir staff participate in healthy heart checks on ‘world heart day’

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Blood pressure tests were conducted by medical staff from the National Referral Hospital

Solomon Airlines staff yesterday took part in voluntary health checks on ‘World Heart Day’, arranged by the airline with the National Referral Hospital.

“To mark World Heart Day, we invited a medical team from the National Referral Hospital to provide our staff with voluntary general medical checks,” said Hernandia Zoloveke from Solomon Airlines Human Resources Team.

Solomon Airlines Human Resources team member Hernandia Zoloveke receives a health check from National Referral Hospital staff

“We started at lunchtime with checks including blood sugar, blood pressure, cholesterol, and BMI or Body Mass Index measures and many staff were enthusiastic to participate,” she added.

Solomon Airlines staff Glen Temoa, Carolyn Salonica and Rose Panjuboe displaying the fresh fruit available for staff to enjoy.

“World Heart Day is a global campaign which informs people about cardiovascular disease, including heart disease and stroke which claims 18.6 million lives each year around the world.

“The campaign aims to highlight this issue and also the actions that we can all can take to prevent it,
 by controlling risk factors such as tobacco use, unhealthy diet and inadequate physical activity.

Solomon Airlines staff Melissa Tasa and Rose Panjuboe receive a report providing a health overview based on their blood pressure and blood sugar levels

“World Heart Day encourages heart-healthy living and we saw this as an opportunity to create an activity which prioritises the health of our employees and helps to educate people about this very important subject,” she said.

Solomon Airlines staff are offered complimentary health checks in partnership with National Referral Hospital

About World Heart Day

Created by the World Heart Federation, World Heart Day aims to drive action to educate people that by controlling risk factors, at least 80 percent of premature deaths from heart disease and stroke could be avoided. 

The global campaign encourages individuals, families, communities, and governments around the world participate in activities to take charge of their heart health and that of others.

–SOLAIR PRESS

WALE FEARS HACKERS

Written by
Eddie Osifelo
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Opposition leader spells out shortfalls in telco bill

By EDDIE OSIFELO

OPPOSITION Leader Matthew Wale has raised fears on hackers intruding the system of Our Telekom and Bmobile to remove private data of individuals after registration of sim cards.

Speaking on the debate of the Telecommunications (Amendment) Bill 2021 in Parliament yesterday, Wale said:

“Now that the Bill is compelling individuals to provide their private data, it must also protect that information from hackers, commercial harvesters and other malign actors domestically or overseas.

“Who is liable when private individual data is harvested from the registers?

“This is a significant neglect.

“Once law requires the collection of private individual data in today’s world, the law must also protect that data,” he said.

Wale said the register is to be maintained by individual service providers, and the information cannot be shared without a court order.

“Is there a place for the Regulator to host a centralized register and regulate protocols on and levels of access to information?

“In the current proposal, who owns the register? It is maintained by the service providers, but who has ownership control of the data?”

Wale said: “We read of data harvesting by hackers and sale of data and private information that happens around the world.”

He said it was reported last year that a Chinese company harvested data from 40 people in Solomon Islands.

“This raises the significance of the need for clarity on ownership of the registers and the data they contain,” he said.

In addition, Wale said illegal intercept and back-end operations by systems and equipment vendors are a particular vulnerability identified by service providers to the privacy of user data.

He said the Bill makes no attempt to address this critical vulnerability.

“This is the greatest threat to the integrity of our entire telecommunications systems and user data.

“And because the Bill compels the collection of private data, it naturally creates the need for protection of that data – but the Bill does not do this in its current form. This is a very serious oversight,” he said.

Wale said both service providers stated that they were not thoroughly consulted beyond a general introduction to the issues the ministry wanted the Bill to address.

“This is a terrible neglect of critical stakeholders in the matters that the Bill seeks to address,” he said.

Debate continues in Parliament today.

Opposition points out weakness in teleco bill

Written by
Eddie Osifelo
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By EDDIE OSIFELO

THE Government’s sponsored Telecommunications (Amendment) Bill 2021 faced stiff resistance from the Opposition in Parliament yesterday.

Opposition Leader, Matthew Wale called on the Government to withdraw the Bill and work on it before bringing it back to Parliament for the final blessing.

Wale claimed the five-year mandatory period given to Service Providers, Our Telekom and Bmobile to store the IDs of mobile users is not a good policy choice.

“This creates the possibility that SIMS that have been on the register for more than 5 years could have their personal identification information removed from the register.

“It is therefore possible that in the sixth year after registration commences many users will seek to remove their private data from the register, and the service providers would be under no legal compulsion to refuse it,” he said.

“This would seem to me to be counter-productive to the object of the Bill and serves no useful policy purpose,” he added.

Furthermore, Wale has questioned the penalties of $500,000- and 10-years imprisonment for Service Providers (Our Telekom, Bmobile and agents) who sell SIM cards to under 15 years old and disclosure of confidential information plus a person giving false information to Service Providers to purchase a SIM card.

“All the penalties in this Bill need to be revised down substantially.

“In a democracy, it is an important principle that penalties are proportionate to the crime or offence.

“And the Miscellaneous Penalties Act provides something of a yardstick for what is reasonable in our jurisdiction,” he said.

Wale said it is important that those writing policy are familiar with the penalty scheme in the Miscellaneous Penalties Act and use it as a guide.

He said the reduced penalty proposed in the Corrigendum for a natural person is still too high for the offence.

“And the penalty for a body corporate is way too excessive for the offence,” he added.

In Solomon Islands, mobile subscribers has reached 464,000 as of 2020.

According to Global System for Mobile Association (GSMA), as of 2021, the global population of mobile subscribers had exceeded 5.1 billion whereby 73 percent are prepaid SIM.

Wale urges govt to withdraw Telco bill

Written by
Eddie Osifelo
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Leader of Opposition, Matthew Wale

By EDDIE OSIFELO

OPPOSITION Leader, Matthew Wale has urged the government to consider the Bills and Legislative Committee’s recommendation and withdraw the Telecommunications (Amendment) Bill 2021 and undertake further work on it.

Wale stressed this during his debate on the Bill in Parliament yesterday.

“No policy document was issued as the basis for any consultations.

“None of the stakeholders and witnesses that appeared before the Committee were given the benefit of any policy document,” he said.

Wale said the Telecommunications Commission of Solomon Islands (TCSI) was not specifically consulted on this Bill.

He said both service providers (Our Telekom and Bmobile) were not meaningfully consulted.

Furthermore, Wale said the financial institutions were not at all consulted.

On the other hand, he said there is broad support for the registration of SIM cards.

“The Bill compels data collection but offers no protection for the privacy of that data.

“Nor does it clarify the ownership of the data or the rights of users over their personal data,” he said.

Wale said it is important that these prerequisite processes are fulfilled and all the issues consequential to the registration of SIMs comprehensively given due consideration to avoid a piecemeal approach.

He said that would be good lawmaking practice.

Wale said these are some of the concerns raised by the Bills Committee, and which form the basis of its recommendation that the Bill be withdrawn and a genuinely robust consultation process be pursued after policy on these matters have been properly formulated and clearly articulated.

He said given the current lack of evidence of widespread abuse of SIMs, the government has time to deal with these matters comprehensively.

Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare called for an adjournment of debate after Wale’s speech to allow his Executive to go through the Bill in Caucus before the meeting resumes at 9.30am today.

ADB, NZ, and Aust to help Gov’t reform tax system

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Ministry-Of-Finance-IRD

The Asian Development Bank has joined with the governments of New Zealand and Australia to help Solomon Islands overhaul its tax system to expand and secure the country’s revenue base.

The $20.1 million, 5-year Domestic Resource Mobilization Project will restructure Solomon Islands’ Inland Revenue Division (IRD), install a new tax administration information system, train and upskill staff, and deliver a public information campaign to increase taxpayer understanding and compliance.

Together, these reforms will enable the transition to a fairer, more efficient, and more transparent tax system.

“We appreciate this support from ADB and the governments of Australia and New Zealand, and will use it to prioritize a comprehensive tax reform agenda to achieve more sustainable, balanced, and inclusive growth and development during the COVID-19 recovery phase,” said Ministry of Finance and Treasury Permanent Secretary Mckinnie Dentana.

“Complicated tax laws and the absence of broad-based taxes leave Solomon Islands dependent on income from a few major industries, more vulnerable to economic shocks, and reliant on foreign aid,” said Regional Director of ADB’s Pacific Liaison and Coordination Office in Sydney Lotte Schou-Zibell.

“This project will support the government’s efforts to reform the tax system to make it efficient, sustainable, and inexpensive to administer, while discouraging tax avoidance and encouraging productive investments.

“This will be particularly important for helping Solomon Islands to recover from the widespread impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and identifying higher levels of investment to support economic growth.”

“Through this partnership we are committed to supporting the Solomon Islands Government’s vision of a more efficient and effective tax system, essential to ensuring that all Solomon Islanders benefit from development and prosperity,” said New Zealand’s High Commissioner to the Solomon Islands Georgina Roberts.

“The Australian Government is pleased to work with ADB and New Zealand, with leadership from Solomon Islands Government, to improve tax administration and reap greater revenue for the country,” said Australia’s Chargé D’affaires in Solomon Islands Sally-Anne Vincent.

Revenue collection in Solomon Islands is burdened by a complex and unwieldy tax framework, with multiple discreet and indirect taxes that have their own legislation, rates, exemptions, assessments, filing requirements, and penalties. Direct taxes on corporate, individual, and wage incomes also each have different rules, requirements, and penalties.

With ADB’s support, an ongoing government tax reform program is preparing simpler tax legislation, including a new tax administration law, the introduction of a value-added tax (VAT), and a review of income tax arrangements. The project will deliver the training, technology, and institutional reforms needed for the IRD to administer this new tax framework.

The project will help implement an ongoing restructure of the IRD and fund the acquisition of a new, fit-for-purpose tax administration information system and equipment allowing tax data to be shared across IRD, improve reporting, incorporate critical security features, and allow for the introduction of the planned VAT. It will also collect sex-disaggregated data for the first time and make the IRD’s records compatible with other government systems.

With the introduction of a new tax framework, including a VAT, the project will help design and deliver a comprehensive taxpayer education program to inform individuals, businesses, tax agents, and others of the new services, obligations, and reporting requirements.

Special attention will be given to ensuring women taxpayers and entrepreneurs are informed and encouraged to participate in the formal economy.

The Domestic Resource Mobilization Project is funded through a $5.5 million grant from ADB, a $6.5 million grant from New Zealand, a $3.5 million grant from Australia, and $4.6 million from the Government of Solomon Islands.

ADB is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific, while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty.

 Established in 1966, it is owned by 68 members—49 from the region.

–ADB PRESS

Red Cross launches ‘Evriwan Kaikai’ Initiative

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Solomon Islands Red Cross (SIRC) last week launched ‘Evriwan Kakai’, an initiative to support vulnerable people and communities with fresh, tasty local food.

The concept, which is to be centred around the Red Cross (KaiKai Haus) café in Chinatown, is to give patrons of the café the option to pay a little more for their lunches, should they wish, with the balance going towards providing free cooked meals for those who need them.

The café has been a favourite among a very diverse range of customers, and is one of the few places in Honiara that provides food that is healthy, local, fresh and affordable.

Secretary General Clement Manuri said of the initiative that while it is one that is focused on encouraging individuals and families to eat local food it also an initiative that helps extend the services of the Solomon Islands Red Cross Society to the most vulnerable in Society.

“This is a great initiative that will help encourage our people to eat more local fresh food.

“On the other hand, it is also an initiative that will help ensure those who are vulnerable and are in need are supported, which is the humanitarian work of the Red Cross. This is with providing them with meal of local fresh food,” Manuri said.

Meanwhile, the National Society is looking to begin the roll out of the initiative beginning in October next Month.

“With the great support from our partners involved, we are looking to begin the roll out of this wonderful initiative in October,” Manuri further added.

The Red Cross’ work here in the Solomon Islands has been ongoing since 1983, with teams of staff and volunteers working tirelessly to increase the resilience of communities and ensure that vulnerable people within our society are supported.

Primarily a humanitarian organisation, the SIRC has most recently been contributing to the Ministry of Health and Medical Services’ Covid-19 response, including vaccination administration, information dissemination and assistance to students and other citizens stranded overseas.

//End//

Prosecution needs time, bail delayed for accused

Written by
Jennifer Kusapa
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0

BY JENNIFER KUSAPA

An accused was yesterday denied his rights to bail due to prosecution needing more time to respond to defence’s application.

Defence had applied for bail on behalf of Mr James Tangasuna on August 31, 2021. Defence yesterday said this was more than ample time for prosecution.

Defence Lawyer Ben Ifuto’o informed court yesterday the appearance was for bail application but prosecution has not responded to their application.

Ifuto’o said there was nothing new in the application to delay prosecution’s response, the application was just like other previous bail application filed to them.

He said they should have responded without seeking more time.

Meanwhile Public Prosecutor Olivia Manu who appeared on behalf of her colleague prosecutor Patricia Tabepuda said that the prosecutor in carriage is awaiting police investigators regarding status of investigations before she can respond.

High Court Judge Leonard Maina after listening to both counsels said there is no need for prosecution to go back to the police before responding to the bail application.

The statements and documents are now with prosecution and it is the prosecution to decide on the response based on the law, Maina said.

Maina then adjourned the case to Friday and made directions for the Prosecutor in carriage to appear in court.

Tangasuna isaccused to have involved in the murder of a 50-year-old man at Keuna Village in the Marumbo area of West Guadalcanal on June 14, 2020.

Allegation said Tangasuna and the deceased were both drunk and prior to the incident had an argument.

It is alleged the accused got hold of a piece of timber with both of his hands and struck the victim twice. The first strike allegedly landed on the back of the victim’s head, and as the victim fell to the ground, the accused then gave the second strike which landed on the left side of his head including the victim’s left shoulder.

Police said the deceased fell unconscious on the ground with blood coming out from his mouth and nose. The deceased was then transported to the National Referral Hospital (NRH) for medical treatment.

Since the time of incident until his death, the deceased remained in a critical condition for eight days until he died on June 22, 2020 at NRH.

ENDS///

Concert to raise funds for Tenakoga school

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Tenakoga Principal Francis Leovania in front of the burnt down classroom before its demolishing

A gospel concert will be held this Sunday in aid of Tenakoga school which lost a classroom building to a fire earlier this month.

The concert will be hosted at the Maranatha Hall.

It is made possible through efforts by the school’s Honiara-based committee and school.

Principal Francis Leovania is inviting business houses, aid donors, government and public at large to come out in numbers to support the school raise funds to rebuild their classroom.

He said though it is a community school they have enrolled students from all over the country, Temotu to Bougainville, not just Guadalcanal.

The school is also calling on gospel singing groups or individuals willing to come to support.

“This is an open invitation to groups that want to support the school,” the school head said.

Leovania said since the burning down took place, they have received support from both individuals and groups.

On Sunday last week, one of the logging companies in nearby tenements sent its excavator to demolish the building for the work to start with plans of the new classroom building.

The school has resumed classes as their students have been cooperative and have accepted their temporary classrooms.

The concert will start at 12pm; Iinterested singing groups and individuals who wish to support can call 7524993.

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