THERE is good news for Pan Oceanic Bank (POB) and it’s largely logging company clients at long last.
Central Bank of Solomon Islands (CBSI) Governor Denton Rarawa told Island Sun this week he was confident the issue of correspondent banking relationship (CBR) should be cleared before the deadline at the end of December this year.
The issue threatens the stability of the nation’s financial system and has implications for the economy.
Mr Rarawa met with the Senior Vice President of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (FRBNY) and the Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Crown Agent Bank (CAB) in Bali, Indonesia this week.
He said after the meeting that he was confident the matter would be resolved before the December end deadline.
“I met with Senior Vice President of FRBNY and Group CEO Crown Agent Bank (CAB) here in Bali (on Tuesday) and they are very pleased with the progress POB is making towards complying with the requirements of CAB.
“The Group CEO of CAB has indicated that they will establish a CBR with POB before the deadline. So I am confident that we will meet the end December deadline,” Mr Rarawa said.
Despite this positive development, serious allegations remain. These include ill-treatment of local staff, particularly female officers, appointments to the POB Board of two individuals, said to be identified in the Panama Papers as international money launderers.
Mr Rarawa had earlier acknowledged that these allegations were undermining efforts by CBSI to rectify the issue of correspondent banking relationship (CBR).
He denied there was any substance to these and other allegations contained in a lengthy letter sent to Island Sun this week.
THE man alleged for involving in an armed robbery incident on July 2014 has pleaded not guilty to the two charges against him.
The accused Dilo Faiga entered not guilty pleas to the two charges, one is the armed robbery charge and the other charge is the willful and unlawful damage charge.
Mr Faiga from Manakwai village in Malaita province was allegedly involved in an armed robbery incident on 25 July 2014 with another co-accused whose case was delayed due to non-appearance in court.
Police alleged that Dilo Faiga and the other co-accused were involved in the armed robbery incident where they uprooted the ATM machine at the Kwaimani building using crow bars before carrying the ATM machine into the waiting car and drove off to Henderson.
It was alleged that more than $400,000 was in that machine but they allegedly took only more than $200,000 from the top tray as they cannot open the bottom tray.
According to police they said that the men arrived at the building and threatened security guards by gun point and uprooted the machine.
After successfully uprooting the machine they dragged it to the waiting car and drove off to Henderson where they allegedly opened and stole the money from the top tray.
Police alleged that the security guard who followed them on that night also received $30,000 and that money was not recovered yet.
Bradley Dalipanda of the office Director Public Prosecution appears for the state while Lazarus Waroka of the Public Solicitor’s Office represents the accused in court.
Foreign owned company only supplier to receive millions of CDF payments from government
By Alfred Sasako
THE Ministry of Finance and Treasury has reportedly renewed the Government’s Preferred Supplier Policy, which many say is favouring foreign-owned companies, it was revealed yesterday.
The revelation comes as an Island Sun story on hundreds of millions of dollars in Constituency Development Fund (CDF) payments to a foreign-owned company went viral on social media.
The policy was adopted in 2016, denying many local companies from participating in the normal tendering process as only those in the Preferred Supplier List were eligible to put in bids.
According to figures obtained by Island Sun, JQY Enterprises Ltd received total payments of $233, 845, 967.49 in the seven years to September this year. The payments were made directly to JQY Enterprises Ltd by the Ministry of Rural Development (MRD).
It is not clear what items, if any were bought from the company. It is also unclear how many Members of Parliament sourced their orders from JQY Enterprises Ltd, which sells heavy vehicle and equipment, spare parts and so on.
Angry posters questioned why local companies were overlooked in the process by Members of Parliament, when local companies also have the knowledge and the network to source machineries and vehicles.
Meanwhile a group of contractors with the Ministry of Infrastructure Development has questioned why JQY could easily get their payments while “we have been waiting since last year to be paid.”
The Ministry owes the whole group of us between $5 million and $6 million in unpaid contracts.
“Many of us survive on the small contracts we get from the government. But since last year, we have not been paid. In some cases, our water and electricity supplies have been cut due to non-payment,” a contractor who spoke on condition of anonymity told Island Sun.
“We are also struggling to get our kids to school,” the contractor said.
The contractor said when the Financial Controller (FC) of the Ministry was approached about why other companies including JQY were getting paid, the FC reportedly told the contractors that “the payments were arranged at the higher level.”
Seasonal workers having a chit chat with the employers and co-ordinator.
BY GEORGINA KEKEA
SOLOMON Islands is hosting the Pacific Labour Mobility Annual Meeting (PLMAM) in Honiara this week. The purpose of this PLMAM is to provide a regular forum to discuss regional labour mobility priorities.
Established under the Labour Mobility arrangement of the Pacer Plus Agreement, the arrangement establishes an annual meeting as the primary mechanism through which regional cooperation will be advanced.
The meeting is intended to address key elements of cooperation set out in the arrangement. This includes enhance existing labour mobility schemes and exploring opportunities for new labour mobility, build institutional capacity of agencies that manage labour mobility, promote and improve current visa categories to facilitate greater circulation of temporary workers, tertiary vocational education and training as well as to recognize qualifications and registration of occupations.
Two participants to the PLMAM who are also farm owners in Australia.
Australia and New Zealand have committed to fund the annual meetings. Signatories to the arrangement will take turns hosting the meetings.
In his foreword address, Prime Minister Rick Hou says everyone must take advantage of this gathering.
“The various labour mobility programs we have individually embarked upon in our respective countries have indeed changed the lives of many of our people for the better. We have witnessed tremendous development from our returning workers. Families, communities and the countries benefit. The program have also benefitted both Australia and New Zealand”, Hou said.
Seasonal workers having a chit chat with the employers and co-ordinator.
The meeting proper starts today under the theme, ‘Shaping our futures together’.
Prior to the meeting proper, participants also took part in optional activities. Yesterday, farm owners and employers took an excursion to visit workers in the Seasonal Workers Program (SWP) and Recognised Seasonal Employers (RSE) scheme.
The excursion yesterday was at Kakabona and Visale. Most of the seasonal workers yesterday were gathered at Kakabona to meet the employers.
The meeting proper will end on Friday.
An interview with the media is part of the activities of the session.Participants to PLMAM mingling during the excursion.
A seasonal worker poses with the vehicle he bought from monies earned in the seasonal workers scheme.
BY GEORGINA KEKEA
SOLOMON Islanders continue to benefit from the Seasonal Workers Scheme (SWS) in Australia. Since its establishment in 2012, the number of farm workers from Solomon Islands has more than doubled from 42 in 2012 to 87 in 2017.
The most common goal of these workers is to have a house, a decent living and to be able to support their family. From a village close to Tambea, Joseph Cheka is a new dad. He left home in March this year (2018) to work under the SWS in Australia leaving behind his six month old child and new wife.
The daunting future of not having a roof over their head drove Joseph to leave his home to earn money for his family.
“I used to sell copra. I started the foundation of my house through selling copra. At that time, a bag of copra was SBD$4.00 per kilo. You can imagine how much hard work I have to go through in order to save money. I used to earn SBD$400.00 at the most per market”.
Drying coconut to make copra takes time. The method used for most rural Solomon Islanders is drying where the kernel or coconut meat is left in the sun to dry. It can take a week at the most to dry the coconut. Prior to that, they have to collect the coconut fruits, remove the husks and then remove the kernel to be left out to dry. Depending on the amount of coconut dried, a villager can get SBD$400.00 to SBD$700.00 (AUD$70.00 to AUD$120.00) a fortnight.
Freda Sikwae with two of her four children.
By working in Australia, a villager can earn an estimated AUD$1000 per week (SBD$5650 a week) after deductions.
“So now I am back in the country, I will continue to work on my house. All I want is a permanent house with good sanitation facilities”, Cheka said.
Sharing the same sentiment is mother of four, Freda Sikwae. Her eldest son is already a teenager. Freda grew up at Kakabona and still lives there.
“I used to be a market vender. That’s all I do. But I feel that I have gained nothing out of it since I am only living for today. I want my children to have a future that includes having a good home and house to stay in. That was why I have to leave my children no matter the time frame”.
For Freda this is the first time she has left her family behind for a long time. She said it was hard at first but then she started to settle in and things got better.
Freda worked in Gin Gin a town in Queensland where she was responsible for classifying the fruits according to the different grades. She said her responsibility was enormous because one slight mistake can damage the company’s quality control. She said she had to learn on the job, a task she found easy to do. She said in between the eight hours work, she also had 30 minutes break in two hour intervals over the day.
For Cheka, his job is picking citrus fruits on a farm in Mildura in Victoria in south-east Australia
“In comparison to copra, this is easy. The weather is conducive since it is way cooler then the stifling heat here in our country. So no matter what, I enjoyed my job and I am thankful for the opportunity”.
For them, communication is not a problem. Freda speaks to her children each day via the Facebook Messenger app and feels close to them despite the distance. She said it brightens her day when she talks to her children and it gives her hope to continue work each day.
Joseph Cheka
For Joseph, he only speaks to his family occasionally. Telecommunications are a problem where they live so he can only speak to his family once they go to the nearest town. Like Freda, his family also communicated with him using Messenger.
“We are lucky in Australia because they provide free Wi-Fi where we were lodged unlike my family, they have to buy data in order for them to talk to me. And this happens only when they come into town”, Cheka said.
Back in Solomon Islands, Cheka is happy just to be with his wife, baby and extended family.
Over the six-month stint, they are working on fulfilling their dream. Cheka said he will continue to build his house, while Freda is working on building another house for her family.
“We have a house already, but I want another one where I can put out for rent since housing is a problem in the country. Once complete, I can then put out for rent and my children’s future is secure”, Freda said.
Though at times they send money back home for urgent needs, there is still enough left that they have saved.
Coming from the same recruiting agency, they both say having the support of fellow peers is important while overseas.
It was their first time overseas and it definitely won’t be the last.
“I am now an expert in maneuvering through the airport and customs. Something which I was quite fearful of when I first stepped on Australian soil”, Cheka said.
For Freda she said she got through each day by being thankful that her children are safe and not being harmed or ill.
“The six months went by very fast when one is being kept busy. We have no time to go out socializing. We get up at 4am for an hour’s drive to our work place. By the time we get home, it will be night and we only want to rest”.
A seasonal worker poses with the vehicle he bought from monies earned in the seasonal workers scheme.
Greatly appreciate if you could allow me a space to publish my concern regarding sexual abuse in the Solomon Islands.
The increasing rate of sexual abuse has violated not only the Solomon Islands’ Law but also, the religious and cultural principles in our society
Sexual abuse is defined as, “engaging in sexual contact with a person who is below a specified age or who is incapable of giving consent because of age or mental or physical incapacity” (Fergusson et.al, 1996., p. 1365.)
Sexual violence includes rape that had been reported to be increasing in the country recently.
Rape is described as physically forced or any act of non-consensual sexual penetration against the will of a person. The attempt to do so is known as attempted rape. If rape involves more than one penetrator, then it is called gang rape.
Sexual abuse is a persistent and hidden problem in our society that produces long-term and devastating effects on its victims and their families.
Sexual abuse is against the law and should be reported to law enforcement or to child protection authorities.
Therefore, to end sexual violence, I appeal for a strong commitment and involvement of law enforcement or responsible authorities’, community and parents, along with a coordinated response across a range of social welfare organizations.
A senior legal statesman who requested not to be named said the last minute ruling on the Temotu Vatud case is a bad reflection on the judiciary.
He said while it is encouraging to see the legal system still intact, the people of Temotu Vatud have the right to a properly elected representative in parliament. Unfortunately they will be without one until election time.
On Monday, the High Court of Solomon Islands ruled on a petition case against the now ousted Member of Parliament for the Vatud constituency, disqualifying her membership status to represent the Polynesian dominated constituency.
“It is a disgrace, what can you do when we have only two months left before the house is dissolved? And of course, you can’t hold a by-election in such a short time,” he questioned.
He added that in other parts of the world, cases in this nature are given a special court hearing, so that outcomes are known earlier, and if they resulted in MPs being disqualified, at least there would be more than enough time to hold fresh elections, with a legitimate leader elected.
He therefore urged that election petitions be dealt with seriously to avoid people denied years of illegitimate representations.
He further added that if such cases are given the right timeframe to be dealt with, at least whoever that would be elected in a by-election, has more time to deal with the matters and affairs of the affected constituencies.
“We cannot hold people at ransom by denying their right to have a lawfully elected representative in parliament, which it is so in this case for the people of Temotu Vatud constituency,” the legal personal stressed.
He then suggested that an election petition should have a special court to speedily deal with cases in this nature so to allow for necessary processes to take place, and that would include an early by-election if required.
With the election period just around the corner, the people of Temotu Vatud constituency will obviously be without a representative for the next five months, as there is only less than two months left before the current house is dissolved.
Despite all these, there is hope in the new Electoral Act, which according to Electoral Officials, who in an earlier meeting with the local press, revealed that the Electoral Act 2018 now provides for the Court to decide on any election petition within 12 months from the date the petition was filed.
The new act however maintains that a petition case may be filed within 30 days after results of a national election.
Understandably based on Section 74 of the Constitution, the Governor General is expected to set an election date after the December dissolution of the 10th Parliament House.
This would also mean that the Temotu Vatud constituents will likely wait for the national general election period, before they can elect their new parliament representative.
TODAY October 10 2018, marks 107th Double Tenth National Day of Republic of China (ROC) Taiwan.
The island, home to 23m people is captivating with its bustling modern cities, lively night markets, parks, efficient transport infrastructure and not forgetting its 509m tall bamboo skyscraper, Taipei 101 or in Mandarin, Yi ling yi.
Taiwan is also known for its great food, teas, beaches, hot spring resorts and mountainous terrain.
Among these, the country is undeniably known for its reputation of having the friendliest people and societies one can come across or meet.
To commemorate this special day, in Taiwan an official celebration includes the raising of the Republic of China flag in front of the Presidential Building along with a public singing of the national anthem.
This is followed by celebrations in front of the Presidential Building often comprising of a military parade.
Festive activities also take place depicting Taiwanese culture such as the popular lion dance that is rhythmically showcased in the streets or other areas by dancers dressed in bright coloured customs who sway to the beat of drums.
In Honiara, celebrations to commemorate the event took place last night.
A Councilor is currently being accused of false pretense.
The case of the Councilor was mentioned in Court yesterday with the prosecution saying that Pre-trial Trial Conference (PTC) documents have been prepared and the defence yet to look through the documents.
From yesterday the PTC into the case of John Wale Urifo has been adjourned to October 16.
Police Prosecutor Iete Tebakota told the court that the case is in carriage by one of his colleague prosecutor at the Police Prosecution Service.
Deputy Chief Magistrate Ricky Iomea then adjourned the case to next week to allow the defence lawyer look through the documents and ordered that PTC documents be filed on October 15.
Police said the allegation was in relation to an offence of false pretence that occurred in 2016 and 2017.
At that time of the incident Urifo is the Chairman of the Lands Standing Committee of the HCC.
Police said that the alleged incident occurred at the HCC office where the accused obtained money through false pretence. A sum of $89,000 was from the complainant.
Police Prosecution Service is prosecuting the case in court.
The plane in the pic was moved from within the island to the cleared spot awaiting shipment. Picture supplied by a
member of the Shortlands Forum group.
BY ALFRED PAGEPITU
GIZO
PEOPLE of Shortland Islands are once again calling for the preservation and development of heritage and war relic sites on Balalae Island and within Shortland islands in the Western Province.
A concerned Mr Paul from Shortland Islands spoke to Island Sun Gizo yesterday, saying that preservation of relic sites are very important to develop tourism industry in the province.
“This is not first time WW two relics have been destroyed in the Shortland Islands. Personally, I regret it”.
Paul said the Government, landowners and the community should be aware of the value of heritage. Landowners must take responsibility and help people increase their knowledge about heritage value.
“We should have rules to protect our heritage, designed more clearly by the State, for each level, agency and individual in the system engaged in protecting relic sites. In other words, the government and landowners system needs to be more effective”.
The plane in the pic was moved from within the island to the cleared spot awaiting shipment. Picture supplied by a member of the Shortlands Forum group.
He said that people in the Shortland Islands should be ready to co-operate with Ministry of Tourism and Culture to meet their demands in terms of tourism industry.
“Landowners should take more care about protecting and preserving relic sites. Tourism responsible should encourage people to get involved in preservation and development of tourism”.
Meanwhile, a Gizo based Shortland islander have raised concerns over removal of World War two plane wrecks on the island airport of Balalae.
He said this is absurd and land owners have little right to remove such properties owned by the state.
Currently the World War two planes are sitting on the coast of Balalae awaiting shipment.
He added that it is the only tourist attraction for them there thus this action should not be tolerated.
He said the people of Shortland Islands are furious and also demand answers from authorities and people responsible.
