MINISTER of Finance and Treasury, Harry Kuma outlined the overview of the $3.9 billion budget in Parliament yesterday.
Delivering the second reading of the 2021 Appropriation Bill 2021, Kuma said the government has planned an overall deficit of $329 million in the 2021 budget.
He said total consolidated revenue is estimated at $3.710 billion and total expenditures at $4.039 billion.
“Of the total consolidated revenue estimates, total domestic SIG revenue is projected at $3.009 billion.
“The government is confident that the balance of $701.5 million will be externally sourced,” he said.
Kuma said of the $701.5 million balance, government has already secured $341 million from its traditional multilateral and bilateral partners.
He said the remaining balance will be sourced domestically or from other normal external sources.
Further to that, Kuma said in terms of expenditures, the $4.039 billion in total consolidated expenditure consists of $2.830 billion in recurrent expenditures, and $938 million in development expenditures.
He said a total of $270.5 million will be budget support and $90 million from the Peoples Republic of China (PRC).
“An amount of $32 million, consisting of $12 million for continued Economic Stimulus Package program and $20 million in Contingency Warrant provision is also budgeted for the year.
Furthermore, Kuma said the total revenue estimates for 2021 is $3.710 billion.
This consists of $3.009 billion in normal SIG revenue; $360 million is Budget Support revenue from Donor partners and $341 million secured from development partners to fund Governments development budget initiatives.
He said both the Inland Revenue Division (IRD) and Customs and Excise Division are projected to collect $2,576 million in 2021.
“This is a slight decrease of 2 percent from the 2020 revised estimates of approximately $2,580 million.
“Total non-tax revenue is estimated at $433 million dollars for 2021,” he said.
Kuma said the IRD revenue estimate of $1.744 billion is 15 percent below the 2020 original revenue estimates of $2.048 billion, but 4 percent above the revised revenue estimates of $1.678 billion in 2020.
Moreover, he said for Customs and Exercise Division, the revenue estimates of $832million is 15 percent down from the 2020 original revenue estimates of $976 million and 7 percent below the revised revenue estimates of $902 million in 2020.
“For other ministries, non-tax revenue is estimated $433 million.
“This is 20 percent below the 2020 original revenue estimates of $546 million and 2 percent below the revised revenue estimates of $441 million in 2020,” he added.
A date is yet to be set for an election to vote in a new mayor for Honiara city.
Former Mayor Wilson Mamae was shown the exit door after a deafening majority vote favoured a motion of no confidence against him late last month.
Honiara city council (HCC) is reportedly waiting for an instrument from the minister of Home Affairs, Christopher Laore, to call for nominations and election of a replacement.
HCC legal officer, Vincent Kohata said the instrument is currently with the Attorney General.
Kohata said the AG Chambers will forward the instrument to the Minister, who will sign it and send it to the Council to conduct the election within 14 days.
Furthermore, the minister is also waiting for advice from Attorney General Chamber on any decision to dissolve the Council or not.
This was after the Public Accounts Committee reportedly recommended in its report to dissolve the current leadership following its recent public inquiry.
The Auditor General Report, produced last year, only provided recommendations to refer any serious matter to Police and Leadership Code Commission.
Meanwhile, sources said it is highly likely the Minister will not dissolve the Council following the change of the administration after the motion of no confidence.
Mamae’s reign as Honiara City Mayor came to an end on March 29, 2021 after he was toppled.
An overwhelming majority of eight votes went in favour of the motion, which was moved by Councillor for Vavaya ward, Billy Abae. Only three stood with Mamae.
Deputy Mayor, Francis Idu is the acting Mayor until the Minister of Home Affairs issues a notice for the election.
THE Democratic Coalition for Change Government (DCGA) has approved several revenue measures to bolster additional revenue this year.
These include taxing Lekona under the Tobacco Exercise from July 1, imposing plastic tax, raw sugar tax and soft drinks.
Minister of Finance and Treasury, Harry Kuma confirmed these measures when he tabled the $4 billion budget in Parliament yesterday.
Kuma said imposing the taxes was part of government’s move to control smoking, contribute to clean environment and combat Non-Communicable-Diseases.
He said medical evidence howed that increased tobacco consumption has direct adverse impacts on the health of our people, especially the young population.
“The government has completed review of Tobacco Excise regime and decided to raise the Tobacco Excise from 1st July, 2021.
“The government also intends to further strengthen the monitoring and tax compliance in this area, and will consider Introducing a system of tax in Lekona,” he said.
Kuma said Government expects to earn $24.9 million in additional revenues from this measure.
Furthermore, Kuma said as part of DCGA policy on pollution and clean environment, a $0.50 cents environmental levy is also proposed for plastics that are identified as major contributors to environment pollution.
He said single use and harmful plastics are going to attract this levy.
Kuma said the increase will generate minimal revenue of around $1.1 million for the full year.
“This will discourage the importation of plastics and encourage using of environmental friendly products other than plastics,” he said.
Furthermore, Kuma said through Ministry and the Ministry of Health and Medical Services, the Government will impose levy at the rate of $1.00 per Kg on raw sugar effective as of 1st May 2021 as part of Government national strategy in combating non-communicable diseases in the country.
He said this Tax when fully implemented will generate additional revenue of $7 million per year to the Government.
Moreover, Kuma said the other product category covered under the NCO policy strategy includes soft drinks and the proposed Levy rate of $1-00 per Kg.
He said this tax when implemented as planned will generate additional revenue of $6 million per year to the Government.
POLICE in Honiara are investigating an infanticide incident that occurred at the Holy Cross Cathedral area in Central Honiara area on 5 April 2021.
According to an initial report, the body of the female infant was found in the Holy Cross Cathedral area in Honiara.
The infant was estimated to be about six to eight months old.
Supervising Provincial Police Commander Honiara City (PPC) Superintendent John Matamaru says:
“The matter was reported to police and officers at the Central Police Station and a team from Police Forensics attended the scene and took photographs and conducted an inquiry.
“The body of the infant was later transported to the National Referral Hospital morgue for medical examination.
“Our sincere condolences to the innocent life following the tragic incident.
“So far no suspect has been identified as the investigation continues.
“I call on people living in and around the Holy Cross Cathedral area who may have any information about the matter to come forward and assist police with the investigation.”
POLICE at the Kirakira Police Station in the Makira Ulawa Province are investigating the death of a 70-year-old male person after a ray boat powered by a 40-horsepower engine sunk after leaving Kirakira at 12 mid-day on 2 April 2021 on its way to Santa Ana Island.
There were nine people on board the boat including one female and a four-year-old.
Provincial Police Commander (PPC) Superintendent Peter Sitai says, “As the boat approached Manitopaga Point, West Wainoni, in East Makira, it started to experience rough seas with high swells.
“The boat skipper decided to turn back for safety reasons.
“As the boat turned around, another wave came from behind and broke right on top of the canoe, which then dipped it. Attempts were made to salvage the sinking boat but failed.”
Sitai said the driver reportedly told all the passengers to swim together with the floating objects on the boat while he and the others will try to help them swim to the shore.
“However, the deceased in his 70s, had decided to swim ashore without everyone’s knowledge or help.
“He was unable to make it ashore as they only found his dead body floating near them.
“The rest of the passengers later landed safely ashore after swimming for about an hour,” says Sitai
He explains police at Kirakira were alerted about the incident and left in two outboard motorised boats after 2pm on 2 April to bring back the body of the deceased and the rest of the people travelling on the sunken boat back to Kirakira station late in the evening of the same day.”
The body of the deceased was taken to the hospital at Kirakira where he was confirmed dead by medical authorities there.
Health workers at the hospital also attended the rest of the passengers and released.
“My condolences to the family and relatives of the deceased for the tragic loss of their loved one.
“To my good people in Makira Ulawa Province, always check the weather before travelling out at sea. Do not overload your boats.
“Think safety first. If it is not safe, stay ashore,” says PPC Sitai.
China has donated 50,000 doses of the Sinopharm covid-19 vaccine to Solomon Islands.
Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare echoed this in his nationwide address yesterday.
He said Solomon Islands expect the vaccines to arrive in the country on April 11, this week.
Sogavare said the Technical working group together with the National Covid-19 Coordinating Committee will shortly be looking into the roll-out plan for the Sinopharm vaccine.
“More than 50 countries have received and are using Sinopharm Vaccines under their own ‘Emergency Use Authorisations’ either through donations or direct procurement.
“We are closely monitoring the approval process by the World Health Organisation of the Sinopharm vaccine to guide our roll-out planning.”
Police officers patrolling the Western border with Bougainville. PHOTO ABC
BY JENNIFER KUSAPA
One of four men from Tasman, PNG, has been sent to prison for illegal entry into the country without the prime minister’s exemption.
Thomas Poraka was charged with three others for illegal entry under the covid-19 regulations.
Deputy Chief Magistrate Ricky Iomea yesterday said the accused with the others, who are yet to have their cases dealt with, entered SI territory at Pelau Islands between 7am to 8am on December 26, 2020.
DCM Iomea said when approached by police officers at Ontong Java, the accused did not have a valid PNG passport or an exemption from the PM to enter Solomon Islands border, the accused was then arrested at that time and was charged with illegal entry.
Iomea said considering all the circumstances surrounding the case and also the status of the accused being unemployed and having no relatives in the Solomon Islands, the court imposes a sentence of six months on the accused as his penalty for entering country illegally.
He said the accused will be unable to pay the fine and so six months jail is appropriate for the case.
Iomea also said the sentence will be backdated to the time the accused was placed in custody. Meanwhile the other three accused Lester Kapua, Frensly Keapu and Steven Atoka their case will be mentioned again in court on April 9 for possible re-arraignment
Bail has been refused for two men alleged of attempted murder.
The incident occurred at a village in Northeast Guadalcanal on December 26 last year.
Defence yesterday sought bail reasoning that the case is still ongoing and that the two men are innocent until court finds them guilty, according to constitution.
Prosecution however, argued that it is because the case is still ongoing that the two men cannot be allowed bail.
There is the likelihood that the two men would interfere with police investigations, prosecution says.
Furthermore, two other suspects are still at large.
Deputy Chief Magistrate Ricky Iomea in refusing bail for the two men, explains that another factor supporting prosecution’s argument is the safety of the two accused, since there is no reconciliation between them and the victim’s family.
The incident occurred at Radebati village in the North East Guadalcanal, Guadalcanal province.
Police alleged that the two men Clive Pei and the other accused, a juvenile, unlawfully assaulted a man by cutting his face, head, back and shoulder with a 26-inch bush knife in December last year.
Iomea said the two accused were arrested on December 29 and were remanded in custody on the same day.
Hon Daniel Besa, Simon Vuto, Willie Kokopu and Samuel Siovi preparing to release the Olive Ridleys hatchlings into the wild (Photo Credit: Willie Atu)
ON Thursday the 1st of April, four hatchlings (baby turtles) of Olive Ridleys were released by Daniel Besa, (Guadalcanal Provincial Government Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture), Willie Kokopu (Guadalcanal Provincial government senior Fisheries Officer), Samuel Siovi (Class Six Student of Veralingi Primary School) and Simon Vuto of The Nature Conservancy (TNC) near the coastal areas off Rere plantation beaches in East Guadalcanal.
There are seven species of marine sea turtles in the world.
They are leatherbacks (Dermochelys coriacea), Green turtle (Chelonia mydas),
Out of these seven species, five are found in Solomon waters.
They are the leatherbacks, the green turtles, hawksbills, loggerheads and the olive ridleys.
However, out of these five; only the leatherbacks, green turtles and hawksbills have been known nesting in the beaches in Solomon Islands.
Not until the recent national turtle assessment in 2019 that confirmed for the first time that olive ridley also do nest in the Solomon Islands as well.
It nests in Makira near Kaonasughu and a very recent accidental finding shows that olive ridleys also nests in East Guadalcanal, near the Rere plantation areas.
This is the second confirmed nesting site for Olive Ridleys in Solomon Islands.
Samuel and his father showing the actual site where he found the hatchlings in March 2020. (Photo credit- Willie Atu)
The accidental findings of the Olive Ridley hatchlings at the beaches near Rere plantation was made by Samuel Siovi, a class six student of Veralingi Primary School, East Guadalcanal in March 2020.
Samuel was returning home from school when he saw some baby turtles (hatchlings) were crawling out from their chamber in the sand.
This arouses his curiosity of which he further investigated and found out there are some more turtle eggs in the chamber that are in the process of hatching.
He took out his shirt and took home some baby turtles and about 40 eggs that are still to be hatched home.
He dug a hole in the sand next to his house and buried the eggs with the intention of keeping some as pets.
The next morning, he was surprised that many of the eggs have hatched and crawled out into the ocean.
Some of the remaining hatchlings were then kept in an abandoned broken water tank with sea water that he replaces every day and fed them with sliced meshed fishes.
It so happened that Daniel Besa (Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries) of Guadalcanal Provincial Government was returning to Honiara on that day from his ward tour that he saw some of children were playing with baby turtles on the beach in the village.
He was shown the other hatchlings of which he was offered some of the hatchlings to keep if he desires.
Besa took some of the hatchlings to Honiara and then informed The Nature Conservancy (TNC) office that he had some baby leatherback turtles at his residence if we would like to come and have a look.
On seeing the hatchlings, we could tell immediately that they are not leatherbacks.
They are not hawksbill or green either.
We then sent the photographs of the hatchlings to Dr Collin Limpus (the Indo-Pacific turtle expert) in Australia of which he identified the hatchlings as that of Olive Ridleys.
The news is an exciting one as it can now be further confirmed that Olive Ridleys do nest in the beaches in Solomon Islands as well.
They do nest in Waihaoru beach near Kaonasugu village, Makira and now in the Rere Plantation areas in East Guadalcanal.
Last Thursday a party from the Fisheries Division of Guadalcanal Province and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) were able to travel up to Rere areas and conduct awareness to schools and communities and together with Samuel Siovi and were happy to release the one year Olive Ridley hatchlings into the wild.
Willie Atu and the team is about to release the one-year Olive Ridley hatchlings into the wild. (Photo Credit- Simon Vuto)
Hoping that one day some of them will return to nest on these shores again.
The threats that these amphibian reptile faces in their life processes is enormous.
First, human beings are their major threat.
This is both direct and indirect.
Humans hunt for turtles during nesting seasons by digging up their eggs and killing the mother turtles when they come to the beaches during nesting seasons.
Or they even shoot them with harpoons whenever they come up to the surface for breathing during their turtle hunting trips for special occasions in their communities.
Or indirectly, they destroy their habitats by destroying the nesting beaches of which they come up to nest in the name of developments.
The lives of the hatchlings were also threatened by other natural predators.
Statistically, the ratio of their survival is very low.
Out of every 1000 hatchlings that go out into the wild, only one will return to nest again at the nesting beach of its birth.
Climate Change is also one of the major threats as sex of the hatchlings of sea turtles are determined by sand temperatures.
The increased in sand temperature will result in the likelihood of more female hatchlings.
With these predicaments at hand in relation to the life cycle of sea turtles, it requires a concerted effort of every member of the community that includes churches, schools and tribal groupings to ensure the continuity of the survival of these sea creatures into the future.
Otherwise, the future generations will just see them as pictures in books and magazines.
Samuel Siovi, a class six turtle rescuer is to be applauded for rescuing a rare species of sea turtle at the Rere beaches in East Guadalcanal, giving them a chance for survival.
MALAITA Premier Daniel Suidani is seeking a judicial review of the constitutionality of the controversial Constituency Development Fund (CDF).
He expressed his Government’s intention, Monday.
Suidani said the national constitution provides for three arms of the Government – the Legislature, the Executive and the Judiciary.
He pointed out these three arms have powers and functions that are separated but supported each other, making sure there are checks and balances in the governing of the country.
But he said CDF is a scheme where the elected members of parliament who are legislators have been allocated funding to carry out activities in the name of development in their constituencies.
In other words, politicians have taken on a role that should be of public servants serving under the executive.
This is a welcoming development.
We encourage Suidani to pursue the matter on behalf of Solomon Islanders.
CDF is the biggest fraud to have happened in the life of this nation.
It has enriched mostly politicians while denying ordinary Solomon Islanders the much-needed economic development they deserve.
We don’t have to look elsewhere to see the evidence that CDF is not achieving its intended purpose.
The evidence is right before our eyes in the 50 constituencies.
That despite the millions of development funds allocated under the scheme each year, there’s nothing CDF could show for in the constituencies.
It’s a scheme that is controlled and dictated by politicians for their own political ends.
Since the politicians are in control of it, and is difficult to end the scheme, let’s take it to the courts.
This is why the whole nation must stand behind Suidani’s intention.
If the courts rule the scheme is illegal, those development funds could be put to better use for the benefit of our country.
Removing the scheme from them would also allow them to concentrate of their legislative role.
