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SDA SUPPORTS VACCINE

Written by
Mavis Podokolo
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BY MAVIS N PODOKOLO

The Seventh Day Adventist Church has thrown its full support behind the covid-19 vaccine.

In doing so, it has downplayed rumours that the Church does not allow covid-19 vaccination for its members.

This is according to the SDA Solomon Islands president Pastor Silent Tovosia.

Mr Tovosia confirmed this to Island Sun yesterday following claims circulating in Honiara, saying SDA members are not allowed to be jabbed.

“Absolutely not,” Tovosia said.

“We encourage all our members above 18 years to go for their vaccinations in full support of the Government’s programme,” he added.

“I deny these claims. They are completely false.”

Tovosia said they strongly advise all members (above 18) to cooperate with the church and Government and have their vaccinations done as soon as possible.

“It is the only way to help protect yourself, your family and your country,” he said.

Tovosia further stated the SDA church relies on the scientific evidence endorsed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to encourage all members of the church and communities to have their vaccinations with the vaccines promoted by the Ministry of Health and Medical Services.

He said an official statement encouraging members to get vaccinated had been circulated to all SDA churches and pastors.

“As we cooperate with the Government, Ministry of Health, and the PM’s task force, let’s also pray that God will help to keep our country free from the COVID 19 as we continue with the Vaccination program.

“For your encouragement read Psalms 46:1-11.”

Tovosia’s proclamation isolates incidents in which some SDA pastors have reportedly advised their flocks to avoid getting the jab, claiming that the covid-19 vaccine is the ‘Mark of the Beast’ [a prophecy in the Biblical Book of Revelations which identifies followers of an evil authority which will rise in the end of times, leading to the persecution of faithful Christians. It is one of the most heavily preached beliefs of the SDA Church].

Vaccine critical to recovery: Seselja

Written by
Brian Lezutuni
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Australia’s Minister for International Development and the Pacific, Senator Zed Seselja.

By Brian Lezutuni

Vaccine rollout in Solomon Islands and across the Pacific is critical to economic recovery.

And Australia is leading efforts to vaccinate countries in the region with its vaccine dose supply expected to reach one million by the end of next week.

Australia’s Minister for International Development and the Pacific, Zed Seselja told Pacific Journalists this week that his government is committed to supply up to 15 million doses to the Pacific and Timor-Leste by mid-2022.

He emphasised that getting vaccines into people’s arms is vital to re-starting Pacific economies.

“Getting vaccines, getting populations vaccinated, of course, in the short term will be one of the best ways to …start economies up.”

Seslja acknowledged the debt crisis many Pacific nations are facing.

“The best way to see budgets coming back will be when we see activity coming back, that will happen when there are more vaccinations.

“That would mean that people are able to run their businesses and trade is able to be more easily facilitated and in time, travel in the region will come back. 

“And, of course, that is so important to so many economies in the Pacific.”

Continued economic reforms would also be important to making sure that economies recover strongly from the pandemic the Minister said.

So far, around 750,000 Australian doses of AstraZeneca vaccines have been delivered to the Pacific and Timor-Leste.

Seselja said that amount is expected reach the million mark by the end of next week.

“The health security of our neighbours is critical to Australia’s health security and vaccines are critical to the region’s recovery,” he adds.

The Solomon Islands government has recently announced that the option of opening up national borders will be discussed if up to 80 percent of the population is vaccinated.

To date, just under 30,000 people have been vaccinated in the country.

Prime Minister, Manasseh Sogavare on Monday said the target population for the nationwide vaccination strategy is 414,500, and these are citizens above the age of 18.

“If the whole 414,500 adults in our country are vaccinated, this constitutes about 64 percent of our population which would offer some level of protection to the other 36 percent of our population that cannot be vaccinated,” he said.

Prime Minister Sogavare said citizens that cannot be vaccinated rely on those that can be vaccinated for their protection and for their lives.

More apply for passports

Written by
Eddie Osifelo
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By EDDIE OSIFELO

DESPITE current travel restrictions due to COVID-19, the Immigration Division says it received an influx of applications for passports this year.

Normally, the peak months for the Immigration office were January and February when students apply for passports to travel overseas for study.

A senior officer in the department who asked not to be named said the high demand for passports came about because people want to travel to work in Australia under the Pacific Labour Scheme.

“In the first quarter (January to March), there were 1000 applications,” the officer said.

“In a day, we would receive up to 40 applications, which can increase to 60 on certain days,” he added.

The officer said it is a busy year for them as people continue to flood their office every day.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade aims to send more than 2,000 workers to work in Australia by end of this year.

Currently there are 533 workers in Australia and 291 in New Zealand.

Minister Jeremiah Manele told Parliament told Parliament early this year that beyond April to June, indicative numbers they have is around 632.

“This will bring the number to more than one thousand two hundred and forty-four workers (1244) by mid this year,” he said.

Manele said getting to 2000 workers by the end year is their goal and they see this as achievable given the growing number of workers entering the Australia market. 

He said the government is mindful of the decline in employment opportunities within the domestic market given the down turn of the economy.

“Seeking employment for our youths remains a priority of the government.”

However, Opposition Leader, Mathew Wale urges the Government to send more workers to Australia.

He said around 100,000 youths are unemployed in the country.

“Australia needs 26,000 farm workers, we have possibly 100,000 young people who are unemployed, and who could go right now to meet the needs in Australian farms.

“But the government is aiming to send only 2,000 by December 2021. What a ridiculous situation! It is clear that the government cannot manage the labour mobility scheme,” he said.

Wale said it must now urgently seek to outsource this important responsibility to a credible private sector operator.

“We must find where in Australia the farms are that need the 26,000 workers, and then do everything in our capacity to get them the workers urgently.”

According to DFAT, the Pacific Labour Scheme helps address workforce shortages in rural and regional Australia, while providing opportunities for Pacific and Timorese workers to gain experience, earn income and send remittances home to support their families and communities.

The Scheme commenced on 1 July 2018 following a successful pilot program in northern Australia and builds on the success of the Seasonal Worker Programme. Under the Scheme, Approved Employers are able to recruit workers from nine participating Pacific Island countries and Timor-Leste.

Australian businesses are currently employing workers from Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu in low and semi-skilled roles.

Australia’s labour mobility programs are among our most highly valued initiatives under Australia’s ‘step-up’ in the Pacific region, helping to support the economic prosperity of the ten participating countries. Labour mobility benefits Australia and sending countries, and will be even more important as Pacific economies recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Pacific Labour Scheme is demand driven and helps fill labour gaps in Australia’s towns and on our farms, by providing access to a reliable and productive workforce. This helps to boost economic activity and competitiveness in rural and regional Australia.

When labour market testing demonstrates that no suitable Australian workers are available, Approved Employers can access workers under the Scheme.

Australia Kava market could open this year

Written by
Brian Lezutuni
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By Brian Lezutuni

COMMERCIAL Kava exports into Australia could begin at the end of this year, according to Australia’s Minister for International Development and the Pacific, Senator Zed Seselja.

In 2019, the Prime Minister of Australia, Scott Morrison announced Australia would conduct a pilot programme for commercial importation of kava as part of its commitment to the Pacific under its Pacific Step-up.

Minister Seselja’s comments are the first official acknowledgement of a start date for the pilot since it failed to meet its promised 2020 deadline.

“It was delayed as a result of COVID, but we intend to progress it over the back-end of this year,” Minister Seselja told regional and local journalists this week.

Kava drinkers in Australia who are being forced to pay as much as SBD $2107 ($350 AUD) for a kilogram of impure kava from black market will be delighted.

With reduced international travel due to the COVID-19 pandemic, supplies usually provided by travelling friends and family have decreased dramatically creating a shortage which has pushed up prices.

The 2019 decision to double the amount of kava that could be imported for personal use from 2kg to 4kg has helped but there are still not enough travelling friends and family to resolve the kava drought.

Seselja said consultations about re-starting commercial imports via a pilot programme have been ongoing, the most recent being a Kava Forum in Canberra.

“We’re consulting with our Pacific Island communities… the Kava Forum that I went to in Canberra was part of that, to hear that, and I had my first opportunity to have kava and so that was, that was a wonderful thing to do.

“Apart from consultation with Pacific Island communities, the Australian Government is also talking with its indigenous community leaders and health authorities.

“To make sure that there aren’t any unintended consequences of reintroduction of commercial quantities of kava coming into the country.”

He said the kava ban imposed several years ago was put in place following concerns about it coming into remote indigenous communities.

“So, we’re working through that process, we are keen to see it progress, the Prime Minister is keen to see it progress,” he said.

Our voting attitude must change: Anisi

Written by
Brian Lezutuni
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Solomon Islands Election Commission (SIEC) Chief Executive Officer, Jasper Highwood Anisi.

 BY JARED KOLI

Solomon Islanders must change their voting attitudes and vote on party policy lines.

Political Party Commission Registrar Jasper Highwood Anisi said people should vote on party policy lines to see tangible development in the constituencies.

He said it has been a practice that Solomon Islanders vote for individual candidates based on how the candidate provides for them.

But people must understand that parliament members are elected into parliament to make laws to set a greater good for the country and its peoples.

“Once we change the voting attitude and vote for what we want to see, for example, tangible development in our constituency, then we will see the difference.

“But once we vote independent candidates who go in and later jump into any party, that is an issue,” Mr Anisi said.

However, he said a lot of people in country don’t vote on party lines because parties don’t go out to them and preach their visions and what they want to do once they form a government.

He said parties too need to work hard in order to build their membership platform so that people vote their policies.

“Once we start vote on policy lines, then you will start see a change in our voting attitude.”

He said the commission will amend their Subvention grant to only be paid to people who contest under apolitical parties.

“We will put in place an amendment that if you contest under a party, you will entitle for subvention grant,” he said.

Subvention grant is a grant under PPIA that Political Party Commission will pay to a political party once it has candidates contesting under its banner.  

Malaita Government to look into petition

Written by
Samie Waikori
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The protest last week in Auki

BY SAMIE WAIKORI

AUKI

Malaita provincial government will this week discuss the petition against its hardline stand against China, which the petitioners believe is denying the province of ‘much-needed development’.

Deputy premier [currently supervising premier] Randol Sifoni told this paper yesterday that the petition is one of their top agendas in the ongoing Executive meeting being held in Auki.

This petition was presented to the Malaita government early last week by protesters staging a peaceful demonstration.

The protestors who were from wards two, three and four of the West Kwara’ae constituency believed that the Malaita government’s hardline anti-China stand was seeing the province miss out on development opportunities, such as the recent failed Fiu Bridge Upgrade project proposal.

Sifoni said the current Malaita Alliance for Rural Advancement government is for the people of Malaita, and any matters of concern for the people will not go unheard.

The petition has nine points representing the protestors’ grievances.

Mother gets 7 months for unlawful wounding

Written by
Jennifer Kusapa
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BY JENNIFER KUSAPA

A mother of five has received a seven-month jail sentence for unlawful wounding.

She had had an initial 18-month sentence reduced for reconciliation with the victim and an early guilty plea.

Hana Mangale entered a guilty plea when the case was mentioned during the Yandina court circuit; but, since there was a weapon used during the commission of the offence, the case was transferred to Honiara for sentencing.

This incident occurred on January 15, 2021 at Hae village Russell Islands; the accused was not happy with the victim, who is her cousin sister, after her husband confessed to her that he had had an affair with the victim.

The accused approached the victim and hit her with a mangrove stick.

The court said the victim sustained injuries to her head and was brought to Yandina clinic and received three stitches.

Chite told the accused, “whilst the court understand the hurt and pain inside your heart after your husband admitted to you, that he had a relationship with your cousin sister, your actions by using a mangrove stick and hit the victim is illegal as there are ways to solve issues.

He said the court also does not condone or tolerate extra marital affair as it causes break-up in families.

Therefore, taking into account the circumstance or mitigation submitted to the court, the court imposed a total of 18 months, however considering the reconciliation and also her early guilty plea that saved court’s time and resource, the court deducted 11 months off the total sentence and the accused will now be serving seven months in jail.

Man gets five years for assault

Written by
Jennifer Kusapa
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BY JENNIFER KUSAPA

A man has received a jail sentence of five months after court found him guilty of one count of assault causing actual bodily harm.

Rockson Filiga was charged in relation to an incident at a village in Russell in which he punched another man over a Bluetooth speaker on May 10, 2021.

The court heard that the victim returned from his garden and found his Bluetooth speaker missing; he then told his nephew to look for it.

The nephew went to the seaside and saw the accused drunk with the speaker; the victim told his nephew to go and bring back the speaker.

After the nephew had brought the speaker back, the accused came to the victim’s kitchen, and saw the victim. He then punched him.

The victim sustained injuries to his left eye and his lower lips.

Principal Magistrate Leonard Chite said such offences are not accepted by the law of this country, and the maximum penalty is five years imprisonment.

Chite also said since such offences are not tolerated in the communities, law makers make laws to protect the citizens of this country and put tough penalties, but each case depends on its nature of offending.

He told Filiga yesterday that people in the communities do not deserve to be treated unfairly or being assaulted by somebody.

“Everyone should be treated with respect and not to allow anyone to just come and assault them, unless you are inside a boxing ring or wrestling before you punch anybody out of your own will,” Chite said.

Chite told Filiga to refrain from his ‘bully type’ attitude after he served his sentence and be a good citizen of the country.

 “You are a young man and have lot to learn and explore in life, and you must aware that fighting, taking alcohol and bullying does not do you any good,” Chite reminded Filiga.

Police Prosecution Service appears for prosecution

Amendment to PPIA will set timeframe for political parties to register

Written by
Brian Lezutuni
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The office of the Registrar of Political Parties.

BY JARED KOLI

The Political Party Integrity Act (PPIA) 2014 is currently under review, and one of the areas under this review is set a time frame for registration of new Political parties before and after the election.

This review of the Act hopes to address gaps within the PPIA that was experienced after the 2014 and 2019 elections.

This is based on the policy of the current government according to Political Party Commission Registrar, Jasper Highwood Anisi.      

One of the major loopholes in the Act was in the case of Ownership Unity Responsibility (OUR) Party which registered after the election in 2019 and eventually form the current ruling government. 

Mr Anisi admits to Island Sun in an interview yesterday that the legislation failed to address this issue by not having time frame in place to register Political Parties.

He said what OUR Party does after the 2019 national general elections was legal based on the fact that it meets all the legal requirement under the PPIA 2014.

“The only thing is that OUR Party has not participated during the last election period. In order to express to the people (voters) their visions and explain what was under their Party Policy intentions. This allows the voters opportunity to vote on their Policies.

“We  want the parties to do that, however this was not foreseen during the initial drafting.  Hence  we are reacting to it,” Mr Anisi said.

He adds that one of the main objectives under the review is to put in measures such as a timeframe to ensure that political parties are duly registered and able to participate fully during an election period

He said part of the review process, due nationwide consultations will be undertaken, to ensure the voices of our people are being captured as part of this process.

 “The Office of the Registrar has forwarded to a caucus paper to the Prime Minister’s Office, which sets out the review of the said Act.

“We want to prepare it before the next election so that the gaps which was experienced in 2014 and 2019 NGE to be addressed,” he said

Mr Anisi however, said politics and governing mechanisms in the country are developing.

He said Solomon Islands cannot be compared to civilized democracies such as Australia and the USA as these democracies have evolved and are over 200 years old.

“We are just 43 years old and we are slowly building our systems and processes, to improve our own democratic political system especially our Political Party systems. “Although we are seen to be reactive, there are also instances where we have demonstrated our own proactivity”.

Anisi said only two countries in the Pacific region have a legislative framework  for political parties; they are Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands.

However, he said PNG’s political party systems is deemed as organic law, as an expansion of their constitution, whereas our political party legislations currently is standalone and has no obvious connection to our country’s Constitution. 

 In the current review of the PPIA the Political Parties Commission plans to connect the legislation to the constitution through amending Schedule 2 of the Constitution.

 “So that the Governor General instead of calling for election, invites the party or coalition with majority numbers to form the executive government”. 

 “The Court in the case of Matthew Wale vs Governor General, 2019, highlights that “The problem with the PPI Act 2014 is that while it has noble and admirable intentions and objectives in its inception to promote integrity in the development and operations of political parties in the country, it had one fundamental flaw or defect in its enactment. While it sought to determine the process of nomination of a Prime Minister pursuant to the requirements (s) of the PPI Act, it miserably failed to institute a corresponding amendment(s) to the relevant provisions of the Constitution, in particular, Schedule 2.

Pacific labour mobility arrangements under review

Written by
Ben Bilua
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Pacific Seasonal workers

BY BEN BILUA
Gizo

PACIFIC Trade Ministers have noted that there is a need for a comprehensive assessment on the existing labour mobility arrangements in the region.

A Labour Mobility Reference Group has been engaged to guide the process.

“We had robust discussions on the existing labour mobility arrangements and whether there was a need for a larger transparent and an inclusive dialogue on this matter.

“We also agreed that we will await the conclusion of the ongoing comprehensive assessment of the labour mobility arrangements and then reconsider the issue of a larger and more inclusive platform for dialogue on labour mobility,” Faiyaz Koya – Chair of the Forum Trade Ministers’ meeting and Fiji’s Minister for Commerce, Trade, Tourism and Transport said.

He said the Ministers emphasized the importance of implementing existing regional agreements to promote and strengthen trade between member states and address existing barriers shared among countries.

Koya adds that the Ministers agreed that there is a need to modernise the existing Pacific Island Countries Trade Agreement if the region was to realise the full potential of the agreement.

“With respect to trade and health, the Ministers reaffirm that the health and well-being of Pacific people remains their highest collective priority,” he said.

Koya said the comprehensive assessment will also identify opportunities that may exist beyond pacific islands traditional trading partners that may align with primary exports from the region and at the same time take stock of the opportunities and challenges facing members in the implementation of trade agreements.

The assessment is a good news to Solomon Islands trade activities which has been fallen over the past five months.

According to Central Bank of Solomon Islands, the external trade deficit widened in the first five months up to May 2021, with a 15% fall in exports while imports dropped by 10%.

The report states that most export commodities, in particular round logs slowed down as expected. Weaker domestic demand also had a negative impact on import consumption.

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