BY SAMIE WAIKORI
AUKI
MALAITA provincial government stands to protect locals in benefit sharing of business partnership under the provincial Business License Ordinance (BLO).
Deputy Premier who is the supervising premier, Randol Sifoni told Sun Auki this week that this was one of the objectives the MPG had established the BLO.
He made clarification on the ordinance following recent findings on applications for business license made by two shops in Auki that were deemed foggy and as a result the MPG ordered lock down of the shops.
Explaining the ordinance, Sifoni said BLO was passed by the MPG and became an ordinance or law that primarily looks into details of application for business license from the province.
Sifoni said the purpose of the ordinance was to protect locals or indigenous Malaitans by way of encouraging them into business.
He said with the recent findings, locals made the application with declaration that she/he owned the business, but later found the business was co-own by his/her Chinese business partner.
Sifoni said the applicant didn’t disclose his/her business partner in the application. And MPG’s concern on this case was on the benefit sharing.
He said although the matter was personal to business owners, the concerns were on whether the local would have good percentage from benefit sharing of the business.
“Because under the ordinance any application for business license involving partnership between local and expatriates, local must own 90 percent benefit of the business.
“We saw this a way to protect locals to prosper in business as well their benefit will remain and help in the development of the province and country.
“We stand by the ordinance and the provincial executive always abide to it when looking over business license application from interested people to do business in the province,” Sifoni said.
He said there were other businesses like logging that operate under regulation set by national government, however when operating in the province they must pay provincial license fee to grant their operation.
