BY IRWIN ANGIKI
As the country awaits tomorrow’s prime minister election, both sides are operating under secrecy.
Public are given titbits through social media or coconut wireless on movements of MPs across camps by certain people close to either side.
To date, following the motion on Thursday last week, only the movement of former coalition members, Peter Shanel Agovaka (MP for Central Guadalcanal) and Dr Paul Popora Bosawai (MP for North Guadalcanal) back to the GNUT side has been made public knowledge. This followed a facebook post by Mr Bosawai on Monday this week giving his reasons for nominating GNUT candidate Agovaka.
Bosawai and Agovaka’s movements have allowed public to be aware that the Opposition coalition had fragmented after winning the motion of no-confidence against Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele, and after having spent eight weeks together in solidarity.
Thus public deduced that GNUT now has 24 MPs against the coalition’s 25. One MP is overseas for medical reasons and will not be involved in tomorrow’s PM election.
However, following Bosawai’s facebook announcement, rumours continue up to this afternoon of movements between both camps that it is difficult to keep up with.
Media has been kept in the dark due to shut down in transparency in both camps of their lobbying and numerical status. Which is not a new thing in Solomons’ politics before a prime minister election.
Sources within the coalition camp, who spoke to Island Sun under condition of anonymity, claimed that as of early this afternoon they have 26 MPs, with moves underway to bring in more.
The coalition has resumed the name of CARE (Coalition for Accountability, Reform, and Empowerment), Island Sun sources said.
The GNUT camp has not responded to Island Sun’s enquiries.
Leading up to the PM election, of the three candidates, only the anticipated plans and priorities of Mr Agovaka has been made known to public.
Caretaker PM Jeremiah Manele addressing his last press conference yesterday said that Agovaka will continue and complete GNUT’s programmes. A huge list of GNUT’s achievements was announced to the parliament on Thursday last week by Mr Manele during the motion of no-confidence debate. GNUT policies and programmes are already public knowledge, and are being rolled out, and communities across the country are benefiting from them.
Agovaka becoming PM will ensure continuity for GNUT’s mission to “keep the government stable, continue delivering essential services to our rural areas, and ensure our national development commitments are on track and completed” as stated by caretaker PM Manele.
With Mr Wale and Mr Maelanga, it is unknown what they have in mind for Solomon Islands once either one comes into power.
Attempts to get comments from Wale and Maelanga this week were futile.
Meanwhile, the Government House has reminded public of the special restrictions that accompany prime minister elections.
This special restriction is required by the constitution, in which media and public are not allowed inside the parliament chambers while the prime minister election takes place.
However, the restrictions are removed when the Governor General makes the official announcement of the election result at the front of parliament house’s east-side entrance.
As for the PM election results, in Solomon Islands politics, results cannot be predicted with confidence. Nothing is concrete and confirmed until the final ballot result, which will be made known tomorrow.
The devil’s night could change this evening’s tallies. [Devil’s night is the conventional term for the night before the day of election]
Parliament starts at 9.30am tomorrow.
