THE National Government is working closely with the United States Government in progressing the design and programming of the SCALE Project.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs & External Trade is leading the coordination together with the Ministry of National Planning & Development Coordination.
A Government statement said the current status of the SCALE project is now awaiting the conclusion of a Bilateral Framework document to guide the USA and Solomon Islands arrangement.
“Cabinet has already endorsed this document which is now with the US embassy for their endorsement,” the statement said.
“Once the US Government have their inputs it will be sent back to us for finalisation,” the statement added.
It further said that such framework is important to guide engagements between both countries especially on the development cooperation front; similar to what we have with other traditional partners like Australia, New Zealand etc.
The Government statement said that since there are no bilateral formalities to guide engagements between both countries; there are still no funds paid under the SCALE programme to date.
CBSI has also confirmed that it has not received any SCALE funding under the US Government, through any of its USD accounts to date.
“It is in our best interest that such development cooperation is aligned and responds to our national development priorities, complies with requirements of Donors and is implemented in a manner that is efficient and in line with International Principles of Aid Effectiveness,” the statement said.
The statement said progressive meetings between the Government and US Government will be held next week.
PREMIER of Malaita Province, Daniel Suidani has thanked the Republic of China (Taiwan) for saving his life.
This was after doctors in Taiwan found no disorder in his brain during the Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan in Taiwan recently.
Speaking from Brisbane, Australia to mark the province’s 38th Second Appointed Day, Mr Suidani said, “As you are aware, Taiwan helped me to check my condition after doctors in Honiara referred me to do CT scan.
“We thank God that time when they (doctors) do MRI with me in Taiwan, what they suspect was not found.
“No matter, the doctors in Taiwan gave me medicines that really helped me,” he said.
Therefore, Suidani thanked Taiwan for saving his life.
He also extended his gratitude to the President of Taiwan and the good-hearted people that helped him in the trip to Taiwan.
Further to that, Suidani said he was surprised that some people in Malaita continue to ‘crucify’ him for the medical trip to Taiwan.
Suidani is expected to return to Honiara when international flights open early next month.
) Rep from Kilu’ufi nursing staff, Mr Alfred Toata, Dr Rex Maukera, Ms Anna Masioa, Deputy Premier, Hon Randol Sifoni and Kilu’ufi hospital secretary, Mr Douglas during the handing over of the donated clinical items at Kilu’ufi hospital yesterday.
BY SAMIE WAIKORI
AUKI
Malaitans living in Gatton, Australia have donated towards the province’s main hospital.
Yesterday, the Kiluufi hospital received sets of wheel-chairs and other hospital equipment from Ms Anna Masioa who delivered the support on behalf of the Malaitans in Gatton.
Speaking during the handover ceremony at Kilu’ufi hospital, Dr Rex Maukera on behalf of people and medical health services in Malaita province thanked the friends in Gatton for the support.
He said the donations will go a long way in serving the health and medical needs of the people of Malaita.
Maukera said the items donated included 10 wheelchairs, theatre clothing, sanitisers, mother birthing kits, and many more clinical items.
“The support will really help our people especially the elderly ones and disables within the psychio and therapy rehab who really need the items as they will be distributed to them.
“Also other items provided will help the people of the province especially during this time of pandemic,” he said.
He said the donated clinical items will be distributed to other health facilities in the province.
The handover ceremony was attended by Ms Anna Masioa on behalf of friends in Gatton, Dr Maukera and his staffs, and supervising premier Randol Sifoni.
An overwhelmng turn-out for the vaccination launch in Auki.
MALAITA Province Premier, Daniel Suidani has encouraged his people to seek advice from doctors over the two vaccines in the country.
They are the China’s Sinopharm and Europe’s AstraZeneca.
This comes after the delta variant is threatening neighboring countries like Fiji and Papua New Guinea.
Speaking from Brisbane, Australia, to mark the province’s 38th Second Appointed Day on 15th August, Suidani urges his people not to listen to advice on Facebook and other social media platforms.
He said this sick is killing many people in Fiji which is very close to us.
“So, it is important to go and see doctors for advice on the vaccine,” he said.
Island Sun understands the Government has rolled out the vaccination programme to Malaita last Friday.
A lot of people turned up to get their vaccination in Auki.
A group of young women under the Young Women Christian Association (YWCA) Solomon Islands are on a two-day regional training to fight climate change.
President for Young Women Christian Association Solomon Islands Georgina Ariki said the training was organised because of the importance of Climate Change for Pacific Islanders in terms of its impact to the lives of young women and girls.
“Actually this training is more focused on climate change and young women. To make recommendation to have YWCA being part of this Shifting the Power Coalition in Fiji. That is why with that focus and interest on Young Women YWCA currently really has a focus on young women,” Ariki said.
She said this training is all about training young women advocators to become vocal points for climate change for women in the country.
Ariki said this is the second training. Participants of this second training were handpicked from the first training.
“We had a first training where we have a lot of participants coming and from that training we picked out six young women to become advocators for climate change,” she said.
This training is support by Shifting the Power Coalition in Fiji.
Participating countries are Solomon Islands YWCA, Samoa, Tonga, Papua New Guinea, Fiji and Vanuatu. These countries were also part of the Shifting the Power Coalition.
Two male inmates from Tetere Correctional Centre are enrolled in Certificate Agriculture and Agriculture Business courses at Don Bosco.
Their three-year study began on July 13 this year.
Derol Havimana is serving 13 years in jail and Philip Hina Bonnie 16 years.
Commissioner CSSI Gabriel Manelusi says a new programme initiated by CSSI and Don Bosco College administration allows inmates to take courses to prepare them for life after incarceration.
“This is on trial purpose and my Executive will observe how it progress.
“Offering inmates the skills and training they need to find productive lives after prison. By bringing education to those who are currently in the prison system, the hope is that once they leave the system, they will never return,” Manelusi added
The programme offers inmates the chance to cultivate marketable skills that will help them with their employment efforts after their release.
“The hope is that programmes like this will reduce the rate of recidivism, and as a result, save a significant amount of taxpayer dollars in the future.”
The programme offered through Don Bosco, a registered Vocational School under Roman Catholic Church, are funded by SIG Development Budget under Rehabilitation, Regeneration and Reintegration Process through the Yellow Ribbon Project.
The two inmates participating in class
Manelusi explains, “In 2007/2008 our National Parliament passed the Correctional Service Act and Regulations (2007/2008) and had change the name Prison Service to Correctional Service of Solomon Islands so my target is to continue give Correctional Education to inmates and officers.
“Correctional education means education given to inmates to enable them leave correctional centres with more skills to be in the position to find meaningful and long-term employment. The correctional professionals operate on the principles that attitude, ideas and behaviour can be corrected and that educated humans are capable of progressing to higher thresholds of awareness and continuity to connect to Rehabilitation programs.
“Rehabilitation in correctional means for correctional inmates, to restore to a useful life through therapy, education, operation, or capacity.
“The assumption of rehabilitation is that people are not permanently criminal and that it is possible to restore a criminal as useful member of society, they are our country human resource assets to focus on Nation building and that we need to understand the Human Right.
“Human right is a modern term but the principle that it invokes is as old as humanity.
“It is that certain rights and freedoms are fundamental to human existence. They are inherent entitlements that come to every person as a consequence of being human, and are founded on respect for the dignity and worth of each person. They are not privileges, nor gifts given at the whim of a ruler or a Government. Nor can they be taken away by any arbitrary power.
“They cannot be denied, nor can they be forfeited because an individual has committed any offence or broken any law. Based on that my Executive re-focus on regeneration and reintegration approach with key partners, to prevent –Recidivism back to Correctional Centres.”
CVA conducts health policy awareness to communities.
Built in 1966, Aringana clinic in Arosi, West Makira is one of the oldest clinics in the country that continue to provide health services to communities despite lacking health standards of the National Role Delineation Policy.
Recently, community members in the Aringana catchment area spoke out that their clinic is lacking certain criteria stipulated under that policy after a recent awareness by the World Vision Solomon Islands’ One Voice Team.
The awareness was conducted to the catchment areas of 15 clinics in Makira and South Malaita on health policy and service monitoring. This equips the residents of these areas on how to identify whether their clinics are meeting the standard required under the policy.
The fundamentals to the policy are; defines the different levels of service in the Solomon Islands Health System, developed based on the principles of Primary Health Care, acts as a catalyst for health sector reform to strengthen quality service delivery, lays the service delivery foundations for future development of the Solomon Islands Health System, provides guidance on types of services (service delivery packages) to be provided at each of the six levels of service to inform service planning and improve service quality ¬ Defines the referral pathway.
CVA conducting rural health service user score card survey.
The recent awareness was led by Mothers Union where the CVA teams engaged with communities on public policy awareness, specifically sharing information about the health standards that rural communities should expect at their health clinics.
With this knowledge, community citizens will be able to provide qualitative evidence-based data on health service delivery needed to engage in a productive dialogue with the government on gaps or issues in relation to health service delivery.
It was through this awareness that the communities in the catchment area conducted monitoring on Aringana clinic.
Ida Mae from the catchment area who was part of the Mothers Union team shared that during their awareness they found very interesting findings at Aringana clinic.
“Aringana clinic was built way back in 1966 and has continued to serve residing communities to date without any infrastructural renovation or repairs. The clinic is old and falling apart but still operational.
“People continue to use the poor services without knowledge of a national standard public health service policy. However, thanks to the World Vision project as we now realize that our clinic never met the standards and this awareness really helps us to see and start to take ownership of the clinic,” she shared.
Communty CVA group in Makira
The monitoring which was also conducted during the awareness also identified Aringana clinic as not accessing water supply, no toilets, very bad admission room, bad antenatal room, bad sterilising room, bad laundry and bad delivery room.
The monitoring also identified that the clinic is using water tanks, accessing solar power and good sanitation to staff.
With the use of a visual information flipchart, the CVA teams were able to educate citizens on the standard health service deliveries for rural clinics as stipulated in the Ministry of Health’s role delineation policy.
Approved by the national health promotion department of the Ministry of Health and Medical Service, the information flipchart contains basic animated illustrations that depict standard facility infrastructures, staff posting and medical supply that is being offered for rural health clinics.
Meanwhile, an active CVA Member from South Malaita, Timothy, said the flipchart was very effective as community members easily understood the messages.
“The message on the flipchart are very easy for community members as they actively participated during the awareness by sharing their experiences and views,” Timothy said.
He says although many were shocked, they also thanked World Vision for paving a channel that would bridge a stagnant gap between authorities and users of public rural health services.
A user monitoring scorecard survey also followed to determine the current quality of services received by community citizens including people with disability. The information gathered will be compiled for the project’s initial interface meeting between the community CVA teams and the public health service authority.
One Voice Project is funded by the European Union.
Supervising Premier of Malaita Province, Randol Sifoni cutting the ceremonial cake with a fellow guest in signifying the importance of the Malaita Provincial day in Ward 30.
BY SAMIE WAIKORI
AUKI
COMMUNITIES in ward 30 of Aoke Langa Langa came in their hundreds to celebrate the Malaita 38th Second Appointed Day on Monday at Lalana village in the Langa Langa lagoon.
The gathering assembled chiefs, church leaders and community stakeholders as well as traditional dancing groups and sports clubs from Kona near Auki to Ailau/Buma – border with ward 28 in west Kwaio.
Women dancers from Langa Langa lagoon in their traditional dancing outfits.
The heavy rains on Monday did not dampen spirits as the participants enjoyed the speeches, entertainment, interactions and sharing of culture and tradition.
Similar weather situation was also encountered in celebrations in nearby wards.
The huge crowd that turned out to witness the occassion.
Sun Auki understands that few wards had cancelled official celebrations due to the rain, but for others such as ward-30, Malaita Day meant more than the rain.
The highlight of the day was the Pathfinder’s show, traditional dancing and the performance by Langa Langa female artist Ms Apollonia that rocked the crowd.
Traditional dancers during the entertainment segment of the program.
Social activities of the celebration was called off around 7pm on Monday to allow the muddy condition of Lalana field where the programme was held to be dried for the completion of ward 30 Malaita Day sports competition today.
MPA for ward 30, deputy premier who is the supervising premier, Randol Sifoni thanked his people for the overwhelming support and cooperation shown towards and during the celebration.
A canoe procession carrying the Supervising Premier, Randal Sifoni
He said being their provincial leader for the past 15 years; lots of challenges had been encountered, but their working together contributed to small developments in ward 30.
Sifoni urged them for further cooperation with both their MPA and MP for the development of ward 30 in Aoke Langa Langa constituency.
MALAITA Premier Daniel Suidani has clarified what he described as “mis-conceptions” towards the Auki Communique launched in 2019.
This was in response to claims the Communique aims to “stop development” on Malaita.
But speaking from Brisbane, Australia, to mark the province’s 38th Second Appointed Day on 15th August, Suidani said the thinking is not right.
He said the Communique is not to stop development but acts as a guide for the province.
“It is a principal statement that provides the guide to how we should develop Malaita and about things where we must not forget to avoid when development comes to us,” Suidani said in a recorded voice distributed to his people.
“The communique is very clear on why the province has not been developed. And it was because our leaders do not work together,” he added.
Suidani said often the leaders used the offices to take things not belong to them.
He said the communique spells out quite strongly that anyone coming to invest in Malaita must be a credible developer.
Suidani said investors must also respect the culture of the people, as well as work with them.
“This is what the communique is about.
“The MARA government will not make any amendments on the communique as requested by the national government recently,” he insisted.
At the same time, Suidani encourages Malaitans to stand for what is right and not follow the “sweetness” of money.
He said it is enough to run after the money and not after principles, good values and integrity.
Special Secretary to the Prime Minister Mr. Albert Kabui (second from left) receives the petition from Lawrence Makili (with glasses) as other representatives from the Malaitans in Honiara looks on.
Advise from Honiara based Malaita group
BY CHARLES KADAMANA
Honiara-based Malaita group spokesman Lawrence Makili has advised all Malaitans to allow his group deal with the petition that is being resubmitted to the government on Friday.
He said they have no interest on violence and will continue to have dialogue with the office of the Prime Minister to ensure they take onboard their request.
The group has requested the Prime Minister to
Honour and respects the Auki Communique and ceases its attempts to extinguish or curtail the right of the self-determination by the people of Malaita as represented through their MARA government in the said communique
Keeps the Chinese community party, its companies or agents our of Malaita province a made blatantly clear in the Auki Communique
Refrain from weaponing infrastructure development in Malaita and specifically keep the World Bank SIIRAP Project on Malaita province alive according to the World Bank procurement guidelines
Immediately ceases all contracts granted to entities owned, endorsed or associated with Member of Parliament or their agents in the building of infrastructure in Malaita as sign of good faith and an important step to eradication corruption from the machinery of government in Solomon Islands.
Focuses on good, honest and transparent governance and stop petty politicking and disadvantaging the Malaita population
Puts a halt on the influx of cheap Asian labour into Solomon Islands who are systematically taking away economic opportunities from Solomon islanders
Fulfils it commitment and mandate to support Malaita province including commitment made in the Townsville peace agreement of the year 2000
Affords Malaita the opportunity to explore and exercise rights and freedoms of democratic states as enshrined in the Solomon Island constitution
The DCGA to lift total ban of sea cucumber harvesting for our Malaita outer islander’s livelihood
DCGA to immediately address mitigating measures to counter the desperate climate change situation affection our Malaita Outer islanders.
According to them they observed that the treatment of MARA government by DCGA is a grave concern.
This is evident with the DCGA government through its Minister of Communication and Aviation intends to bring or already brought to Cabinet a paper seeking to withdraw SIRAP World Bank project from the province, lack of consultation to secure diplomatic relation with PRC, facilitate influx of Chinese labour under PRC funded project instead of ensuring jobs for Solomon Islanders, not honouring Auki Communiques and negligence to address food shortage and climate change in Malaita Outer Islands.
Special Secretary to Prime Minister Albert Kabui when receiving the petition on Friday acknowledges the important of dialogue and assured the government will respond after looking through the petition to determine how these issues raised can be addressed.
Last week a rowdy crowd almost took a peaceful march without the knowledge of the group.
Representing the Honiara-based Malaita group are Lawrence Makili, Vincent S Gae, Saxon Ofata, Knoxy Atue, Jeffery Aruhe and Martin Maeaba.
