74 NGE candidates fail to submit statements of account, 5 declared incomplete

BY BARNABAS MANEBONA

A total of 79 candidates from the 2019 National General Election (NGE) are in trouble with section 69 of the Electoral Act 2018.

74 did not submit their statements of account explaining donations they received during campaign and their expenditures. Five candidates submitted their statements before the July-20 deadline but were declared by the electoral office as ‘incomplete’.

Incomplete statements, according to the Solomon Islands Electoral Commission (SIEC), is the same as not having submitted, because the candidates are required to re-submit their statements.

According to SIEC Commissioner and Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Mr Mose Saitala in a Press Statement yesterday, there are no contact details for these five candidates and so it has been difficult to contact them to correct and complete their statements of account.

“By way of this statement I am requesting the following candidates Tommy Tagili (North Malaita Constituency), Christopher R Taluu (North Guadalcanal), Allen K Tavake (Gao/Bugotu), Heinz Koiga (South Guadalcanal), and Stephen Roni (South New Georgia) to quickly contact the Electoral Office so we can help you to correct your statement of account,” said CEO Saitala.

“One more candidate filed his statement of account on 21 July (late by one day) bringing the total of those who had filed their statements of account to 252.

“By 4.30pm on Saturday, 2019, only 251 candidates successfully submitted their statements of account.

“The final number of candidates who contested election in the 50 constituencies during the 2019 General Election was 331.

“This means that as of today [yesterday], 24th July, 74 candidates have still yet to file their statements of account. This brings a total of 79 candidates who have yet to file and/or complete their statements of account.”

The Electoral Commission at its meeting held on Monday this week, July 22, noted and expressed appreciation to those candidates who have complied with section 69 of the Electoral Act.

Based on their declaration, no candidate had spent more than the ceiling of $500,000 during their campaign and no candidate received any donation from a foreigner or a private company with a shareholder who is a foreigner on which the Commission was also happy to see that.

According to SIEC’s Statement, the Commission also decided that the Chief Electoral Officer refers all the candidates who failed to file or complete their statement of account to the Police for investigation and possible prosecution.

“It is important to remind the 74 candidates who failed to submit their statements of account and to the five candidates who failed to satisfactorily complete their statements of account to please do so at the earliest because there is a potential maximum penalty of $100 for each day the statement of account is NOT filed,” CEO Saitala strongly warns.

“It is only when a candidate has satisfactorily filed his/her statement of account that he or she will be exonerated from his/her obligation under section 69 of the Electoral Act 2018.”

Amongst campaign statements earlier revealed by SIEC to be handed in were from the Minister of Foreign Affairs and MP for Hograno Kia/Havulei, Jeremiah Manele, Minister for Traditional Governance and MP for Gao/Bugotu, Samuel Manaetoáli, MP for Savo/Russell, Dickson Mua, and MP for West New Georgia Vona Vona, Silas Tausinga.

Campaign Statements of Account submitted earlier included non-winning candidates from the country’s constituencies.

With the understanding that citizens have been looking forward to the update of candidates submitting in their “Statements of Account’ since after the due date last Saturday, CEO Saitala thanks everyone for their patience.

“We have rechecked and rechecked and I am now confident that our record is absolutely correct,” said CEO Saitala.

LEADER of Opposition Matthew Wale has questioned the government over the decision to appoint the Chief of Staff, Robson Djokovic as a member of the interim board that was established to oversee the transitional activities of the revitalised Development Bank of Solomon Islands (DBSI).

The appointment was brought to the attention of the Opposition Leader after it was published in the local media and confirmed by government officials.

While welcoming the government’s seriousness in reviving DBSI as an important financial institution for our people, the Opposition Leader stressed that DBSI is a bank and so will be heavily regulated by banking laws.

“In this respect therefore, it is important people who are appointed to manage its affairs are qualified in the area of banking.

“For all we know, Mr Djokovic is the nephew of the Prime Minister and he has been implicated in a lot of controversial issues raised in the past, which also link the Prime Minister.

“More so, he has no demonstrated qualifications in banking or any related areas for that matter,” the Opposition Leader adds.

The leader goes on to say, it therefore makes one wonder whether he has been appointed only because of his connections to the Prime Minister.

“If this is so, then it does not reflect well on the Prime Minister and the government’s efforts,” the Opposition Leader further stated.

The Opposition leader goes on to say, although the interim board is only temporary, it is in the public interest that it starts off on a good footing.

He then reiterated that in order for this revitalised institute to work, although it is only an interim board, it must be independent from political influences and the right people are appointed.

–OPPOSITION PRESS

By EDDIE OSIFELO

THE Electoral Commission has agreed in its meeting on Monday for police to go after candidates who have not submitted their 2019 National General Election (NGE) campaign Statements of Account.

Only 100 of the 332 candidates have submitted their statements of account.

232 candidates failed to submit their statements at the deadline on July 20.

Besides, six candidates have submitted their statements of account but were in-complete and did not meet the requirement of the Act.

Chief Electoral Officer, Mose Saitala said it is a requirement under the electoral law (Section 69 of the Electoral Act 2018) that all candidates, successful and unsuccessful, must file their Statement of Account 90 days after the publication of election results.

All election results were published on April 19.

Saitala said failure to complete and file a Statement of Account in the approved Form provided under Regulation 9A of the Electoral (Amendment) Regulations 2019, carries a penalty of $20,000 or two years imprisonment or both.

He said a $100 fine will also be imposed on a daily basis after the lapse of the due date (July 20), on top of the above penalty, for candidates who failed to meet the deadline.

“If a candidate wants to reduce the daily $100 fine, they can still submit their statement of account after the due date, but that does not prevent a candidate from prosecution.

“Late submissions only reduce the $100 daily fine according to the number of days the candidate made the late submission, but he/she will still be prosecuted and penalised,” said SIEC’s CEO.

Japan and Solomon Islands sign fisheries support agreement

FISHERIES and the country’s economy are set to get a boost with Japan’s latest assistance for us.

The Governments of Japan and Solomon Islands have formalised a Grant Aid Agreement to support fisheries development programmes with the signing of documents in Honiara on Friday last week (July 19).

Solomon Islands Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Trade Jeremiah Manele and Japanese Ambassador to Solomon Islands, HE Shigeru Toyama signed the Agreement in the presence of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Fisheries John Maneniaru and senior officials.

The Government of Japan will provide assistance worth 200 million Japanese Yen (approximately 15 million Solomon Islands Dollars) to the Government of Solomon Islands through its Economic Social Development Programme (ESDP).

The funding assistance will enable the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources to procure equipment to support development of fisheries and coastal resources management.

Minister Manele acknowledged the funding assistance saying that the project demonstrated Japan’s long and outstanding relations with Solomon Islands.

“I am thankful to the Government of Japan for your ongoing support towards the development of Solomon Islands,” Mr Manele said.

Ambassador Toyama said the Japanese Government hopes that the equipment which was committed to the project will support not only income generating activities but also good marine resource management and practices for the country.

This assistance followed the National Development Strategy 2016-2035 (NDS) of the Solomon Islands Government.

In the plan, fishery is recognised as a significant potential sector for food security and economic development in the NDS.

On the other hand, Solomon Islands faces several threats such as over-fishing and illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing for marine resource management.

Therefore, the assistance meets demands of the government. In addition, the assistance is in line with the Leaders’ Declaration at eighth (8th) Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting (PALM8), which stated that “Maritime Order based on the Rule of Law, and Sustainability of Ocean Resources”, supports Japan’s active and constructive contribution to cooperation and development in Solomon Islands, including through new initiatives such as its “Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy”.

Thus, this assistance is expected to help socioeconomic development through building capacity of fisheries related sectors in the Solomon Islands.

Japan’s Economic Social Development Programme (ESDP) is a type of assistance which is intended to support the socio-economic development efforts, including poverty reduction, of developing countries.

The ESDP has a facility for providing foreign currency for import of goods, machinery and other amenities (industrial materials such as petroleum and steel products etc.) necessary to promote national development efforts of recipient countries.

–GOVERNMENT COMMUNICATION UNIT

BY BARNABAS MANEBONA

FINAL call is now issued for candidates contesting the 2019 National General Election (NGE) to file their statement of account as tomorrow is the closing date.

Solomon Islands Electoral Commission (SIEC) in a Press Statement on Thursday revealed that only 100 candidates so far have successfully filed their statement of account out of the 332 contesting this year.

From report, six others also filed their statement of account but they were considered incomplete.

Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of SIEC Mr Mose Saitala warns those who have not yet filed their statement of account including the six incomplete statements, to do so before 4.30pm tomorrow (July 20), or face prosecution.

According to CEO Saitala, it is a requirement under the electoral law (Section 69 of the Electoral Act 2018) that all candidates, successful and unsuccessful, must file their Statement of Account 90 days after the publication of election results.

“Election results were published on 19th April, therefore the final day for the submission of candidates’ Statement of Account is Saturday, 20th July 2019, 4.30pm.”

SIEC’s CEO said failure to complete and file a Statement of Account in the approved Form provided under Regulation 9A of the Electoral (Amendment) Regulations 2019, carries a penalty of $20,000 or two years imprisonment or both.

“A $100 fine will also be imposed on a daily basis after the lapse of the due date (July 20th), on top of the above penalty, for candidates who failed to meet the deadline.”

“If a candidate wants to reduce the daily $100 fine, they can still submit their statement of account after the due date, but that does not prevent a candidate from prosecution.

“Late submissions only reduce the $100 daily fine according to the number of days the candidate made the late submission, but he/she will still be prosecuted and penalized,” said SIEC’s CEO.

The Chief Electoral Officer in SIEC’s Press Statement urges members of the Government Coalition, Opposition, Independent, political Parties and family members to inform and encourage their colleagues or relatives who contested the recent National General Election, to fulfil this legal obligation.

It is understood that all candidates must file their Statement of Account on the Form approved by the Commission as required under Regulation 9A of the Electoral (Amendment) Regulations 2019 made pursuant to Section 69(2) of the Electoral Act.

This Form is accessible in hard and soft copies from the Office of the CEO.

“The Form requires candidates to make two declarations; a) about funds received and expenses incurred and b) that she/he has not received donation from a foreigner.

“These declarations, contained in the Form, are important because they are related to offences under Sections 125(1) and 125(3) of the Electoral Act.”

Meanwhile, amongst the statements reported by SIEC already handed in, four Members of Parliament (MP) cited to have already submitted their campaign expenses were Minister of Foreign Affairs and MP for Hograno Kia/Havulei Hon Jeremiah Manele, Minister for Traditional Governance and MP for Gao/Bugotu Hon Samuel Manaetoáli, MP for Savo/Rusell Hon Dickson Mua and MP for West New Georgia Vona Vona Hon Silas Tausinga.

“I expect a lot to be streaming in now before Saturday,” says CEO Saitala in an interview with Island Sun.

Government to review constituency boundaries

By Alfred Sasako

THE Government is likely to increase the number of constituencies in the country to 67 – an increase of 17 new seats recommended by the last Constituency Boundaries Commission 11 years ago.

The Democratic Coalition Government for Advancement (DCGA) announced in its First 100 Days in Office Policy Priority Document that it is reviewing the Constituency Boundaries Commission.

Prime Minister’s Office and Cabinet would oversee the review, which encompasses the appointments of Constituency Boundaries Commissioners [CBC] who will take views from the people on whether to maintain the number of Constituencies at the current level of 50 or to increase the number.

The last review was undertaken more than 11 years ago. Its report, presented to then Minister of Home Affairs, James Tora, in February 2010, recommended an additional 17 new Constituencies be added to the current 50 constituencies.

Of this, Malaita was to get four, Guadalcanal and Western Provinces three each.

All the other provinces including Honiara will each get an additional constituency, according to the report, which has been gathering dust since February 2010.

Secretary of the Commission, the late John Babalu defended the Commission’s decision to recommend an additional constituency for Renbel province despite it not meeting the criteria on population.

Mr Babalu said then the Commission based its decision on other criteria which includes language and the Province’s relative isolation.

The nation’s population has since grown by almost a third or 200 thousand people, putting a lot more pressure on available of services. But whether increasing the number of constituencies would make a difference, remains to be seen.

In the meantime the Government has made it clear that it wants to see the review of the Constituency Boundaries Commission and the appointments of its commissioners completed within its First 100 Days in Office.

Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare told a news conference last Friday the Government had 60 days left in which to complete a range of programs identified across sectors and published in its First 100 days in Office Policy Priority Document.

Critics say completing many of the programs identified in the Document remains in doubt.