DEAR EDITOR, I offer my congratulations to the Prime Minister, the members of the Solomon Islands parliament and the people of the Solomon Islands on the passing of the long-awaited anti-corruption legislation which will pave the way for the establishment of an Independent Commission Against Corruption.
I very much hope that with the passing of this new legislation corruption can be eradicated and thereafter good governance will soon bring about maximum and sustainable economic development for the betterment of all in the Solomon Islands.
DEAR EDITOR, it wasn’t very long ago that I wrote a letter expressing my shock and concern when seeing images of patients sleeping on the floor at the National Referral Hospital (NRH) because of a reported shortage of hospital beds.
The report illustrating the then conditions at the NRH had been relayed by Radio New Zealand.
An article in today’s Island Sun newspaper (Friday 20 July) gave graphic details of the current dire conditions prevailing at the NRH’s medical laboratory with air conditioning units out of order, important machines defunct and working conditions in the laboratory so bad that Dr. Culwick Togamana, the Environment Minister, said the staff in the laboratory shouldn’t remain there because of concerns over their health.
I concern myself very much about the NRH and while appreciating writing about the working conditions and reported shortages of medical supplies are sensitive matters, I have no wish to enter into any kind of ‘blame game’ or become, as an outsider, involved in any degree of politics involving the administration of the hospital.
I would like to say, however, that the MOHMS/NRH signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with my partner charity, ‘Take My Hands’ for the annual supply of between 8 to 10 shipping containers per year of requested medical equipment and supplies to ensure the hospital did not run out of hospital beds and medical supplies, especially consumable medical supplies that were used and discarded daily.
The MOU required the payment of NZ$50,000 per year, payable in two stages, of NZ$25,000 each.
After receiving the first NZ$25,000 ‘Take My Hands’ began to ship the first batch of containers of equipment that had been requested as ‘essentials’ and coordinated by myself as a party to the MOU.
The invoice for the second stage payment went unanswered and Take My Hands then very kindly offered to accept just NZ$12.500 so the supply of equipment could continue.
To-date the payment has not been met and consequently shipments from New Zealand are suspended.
As I have explained before, the Solomon Islands Forest Association (SFA) stepped in to help and donated more than US$11,000 to ‘Take My Hands’ to send two forty foot containers with 100 hospital beds to meet the shortages for beds at the NRH and at two provincial hospitals. Those beds are still to be shipped from Wellington but expected in Honiara before long.
The shipment of equipment and medical supplies from ‘Take My Hands’ has considerable cost-saving benefits for the MOHMS/NRH and, in my humble view, the MOU is worth continuing.
What I read today of the prevailing conditions at the NRH Medical Laboratory takes my mind back to the similar nightmare conditions I found in all police facilities at Rove, including staff housing, at Honiara Police Station and especially at Naha on assuming office 21 years ago. Similar run down conditions were present in police accommodation and facilities throughout the country.
To make matters worse at the time the members of the police were not being paid, they had no change of uniforms and telephones had been disconnected.
I described those dreadful conditions in Chapter 15 and Chapter 16 of my book ‘Policing a Clash of Cultures’ and the extracts are available today in the publication ‘Solomon Times on Line.’
I am glad to say that with the help of Australia, New Zealand and initially, Taiwan, police working conditions and facilities have considerably improved since 1997, but sadly seemingly not so at such an essential public service hospital as the NRH.
DEAR EDITOR, a project to preserve and protect the remainder of Malaita’s virgin rain forest has been launched in the Solomon Islands via Facebook and donations are being requested.
I quote the details outlying the project published, also, on Linkedin.
“More than 90% of Malaita’s virgin rainforests have either been logged or a planned to be. Malaita is an oceanic island of around 4 thousand square kilometers and is the most populated island in the Solomon Islands.
“We have received calls from many communities through-out Malaita who want to protect their natural resources for future generation. We have established the Mai-Maasina Green Belt charitable initiative to create a network of these ‘green’ areas on Malaita, so that tribes through geographically separate can stand together.
“ We have around 10 communities ranging from inland mountains through to coastal mangroves who are making this call and we need support to visit these communities and ‘tok stori’.
“Our team of volunteers need logistical support to visit these areas, many isolated, to answer questions, carry out awareness and get them on-board the ‘green belt’.
Time is against us as surging tide of deforestation continues on and we need to reach these communities before the loggers arrive. Any amount you share will go a long way.”
If willing to support this deserving project please refer to Facebook.
DEAR EDITOR, I write to thank the Honiara Band Association for raising S$12 thousand dollars in aid of the National Referral Hospital during a live concert at Rove Police ground on Sunday.
The money collected will be handed over to the Prime Minister to acquire medicine for the hospital as a consequence of recently reported shortages.
My appreciation goes to Benjamin Afuga to the members of the HBA and to all the participating bands, musicians, to those who sang during the concert and to the many local businesses that donated to the appeal.
DEAR EDITOR, with help from the New Zealand Defence Force the authorities in Fiji have seized yet another 12 kilogrammes of cocaine from a remote island.
Forty kilogrammes of cocaine, estimated at SUS15 million, were seized earlier this month on the same island.
The authorities in the Solomon Islands must remain highly vigilant to the threat of illegal drugs, such as cocaine, entering the country since experts have said the recurrent seizure of cocaine in Fiji could prompt crime syndicates to redirect illicit drug supplies through other countries in the Pacific
A New Zealand navy ship is believed helping Fiji patrol its waters after a request from Fiji’s customs agency.
National defender Michael Boso being farewelled by his four yearold
daughter Margaret and wife Ileen at the Henderson International
Airport yesterday prior to departure. Boso is travelling to New Zealand
via Brisbane to play for Oceania Champions Team Wellington in the new
season of the ISPS Handa Premiership. PICTURE: BENZ NEWMAN.
National defender Michael Boso being farewelled by his four year old daughter Margaret and wife Ileen at the Henderson International Airport on Tuesday prior to departure. Boso is travelling to New Zealand via Brisbane to play for Oceania Champions Team Wellington in the new season of the ISPS Handa Premiership. PICTURE: BENZ NEWMAN.
NATIONAL defender Michael Boso has left the country on Tuesday for New Zealand.
Boso, who formerly plays for Telekom S-League outfit Marist, will join Team Wellington in the new season of the ISPS Handa Premiership.
ISPS Handa Premiership is operated by New Zealand Football and it is also the top-flight club football competition in New Zealand.
The 2018/19 season of the ISPS Handa Premiership will begin in September.
Boso is expected to arrive in Wellington tomorrow and will join Miramar Rangers for their remaining two matches in the Central League.
Miramar Rangers is one of the most successful clubs in New Zealand having won the Chatham Cup four times (1966, 1992, 2004 & 2010) and the National League title twice (2002 & 2003). Over the last decade the club has played in the Central League and have won this competition a record six times most recently in 2014.
Miramar Rangers being one of the founding principal clubs of the Team Wellington franchise, after the Central League comes to close in the coming two weeks, Boso will join the Oceania Champions to prepare for the new season where he will play for them for an initial to-be-agreed-on one year deal.
The deal is expected to be finalised in the coming days.
At the Henderson Airport yesterday, SunSPORTS
“I’m very excited with this opportunity.
“Team Wellington is the Oceania Champions and I’m privileged to be part of them.
“This is a big challenge for me and it comes with a huge responsibility,” an elated Boso told SunSPORTS yesterday at the Henderson International Airport as he was been farewelled by his little four year-old daughter Margaret and wife, Ileen.
The towering defender is also likely to be featured for his new club at the 2018 FIFA Club World Cup due to be staged in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in December where Team Wellington is opening their campaign against Al-Ain FC of the host nation in the first round on December 12.
Should he be given an opportunity to play in the FIFA Club World Cup, the 26 years old described this as a dream come true.
“Playing in the Club World Cup is a very big opportunity. This is the biggest club football tournament in the whole world. If I happen to be given a chance to show myself, this is a dream come true for me and a moment I would continue to cherish as a humble Solomon Islands footballer,” Boso expressed.
During the last season of the Oceania Champions League, Boso stood out as one of the key performers for Marist, helping them to reach their first ever quarterfinal and also scored a crucial goal for his former club in the 1-all draw against AS Magenta of New Caledonia in the group stage.
“I think as a footballer, I still have a lot of years coming up ahead of me to play. I never thought I would one day end up like this. But I think through hard work, opportunities are now starting to open up and I’m so grateful for that,” the footballer who debuted for the senior national men’s side in October 2016 said.
David Leong and Junior Maetia pose a photo at the Henderson Airport on Tuesday prior to departure for Brisbane.
David Leong and Junior Maetia pose a photo at the Henderson Airport on Tuesday prior to departure for Brisbane.
TWO members of the Focus Taekwondo Club in Honiara have left the country on Tuesday to take part in the ninth edition of the Mooto Gold Coast Open set to get underway this week.
They are 23 year-old David Leong and 32 year-old Junior Maetia.
The Gold Coast Open will be held this Saturday and Sunday at the GC Sports & Leisure centre, one of the venues used during this year’s Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in Australia.
The competition is organised by Tans Taekwondo of Queensland, Australia and has developed a reputation as being the country’s premier Taekwondo competition.
With the number of contestants across all categories capped at 500, participating fighters at this week’s competition come from New Zealand, India, Nepal, Solomon Islands and host nation Australia where they represented a total of 63 Taekwondo Clubs.
The duo representing Solomon Islands are not first-timers to the Gold Coast Open having participated in the sixth edition held in 2015 where Leong successfully won a silver medal in the 74kg men’s open category.
Speaking to SunSPORTS yesterday prior to departure, Leong is really looking forward to the Gold Coast Open.
“This is a very encouraging opportunity for us Taekwondo artists.
“We’ve also participated in the 2015 edition and have achieved some fair results. I won a silver medal in 2015 and this year, I’m going out for a gold medal. That is my aim.
“Participating in the competition in Australia is also like competing under the country’s flag and I’m proud to represent Solomon Islands.
“Our trip to this tournament is funded by our club in Honiara and we are so thankful for this great opportunity,” Leong, who is also a silver medallist for Solomon Islands at the 2017 Pacific Mini Games in Vanuatu, said.
First Dan Black Belt ranked Leong will contest the men’s 74kg class while Second Dam Black Belt ranked Maetia will compete in the men’s 54kg category.
According to the draws obtained by SunSPORTS from the organisers yesterday, Leong earns direct qualification into round two as he will have a bye in round one.
In round two he will take on the winner of the encounter between Oliver Clarke of Australian club 5th Element and Bikesh Bidari of the Nepal Taekwondo Association.
Leong’s competition is on Saturday.
Maetia will take on the competition mat on Saturday as well and he was drawn against Jordan Cushing of Australian-based Taekwondo club ‘One Taekwondo’.
Leong added that they have just missed an opportunity to represent Solomon Islands at the 8th Oceania Taekwondo Championship scheduled to take place in Tahiti earlier next month.
The championship doubles as the qualifier for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
“We regret missing this one due to financial difficulty.
“Being our club the only sponsor, we don’t have the financial capacity to participate in the championship in Tahiti. The only one we could afford is the championship in Australia.”
The Archbishop of the Anglican Church of Melanesia (ACOM) and the Diocesan Bishop of Hanuato’o, Makira Ulawa
Province, the Right Reverend Alfred Karibongi along with senior church members of the island posing in front of
Clement Marau and Walter Waaro’s statues with their family generation members.
BY BARNABAS MANEBONA
ULAWA people were reminded during the 140th Anniversary of Clement Marau that its reflection must help make the past present, alive and meaningful for today.
This is in order to shape the new communities wanted build for Ulawa in the future said the Archbishop of the Anglican Church of Melanesia (ACOM), the Right Reverend George Takeli.
ACOM’s Archbishop explained during the opening of last week’s three day celebration remembering Ulawa’s pioneer missionaries (Clement Marau and Walter Waaro) bringing Christianity to their island that the greatest gift Fr Clement Marau brought to Ulawa is the Christian faith that help establish God’s love, unity and peace within their communities.
The Archbishop of the Anglican Church of Melanesia (ACOM) and the Diocesan Bishop of Hanuato’o, Makira Ulawa Province, the Right Reverend Alfred Karibongi along with senior church members of the island posing in front of Clement Marau and Walter Waaro’s statues with their family generation members.
He said through reflection, they must learn from how the early pioneer missionaries made contact and developed the Christian faith and mission work to establish the church to bring love, unity and peace in the island’s villages.
“And learning from their work, we can develop knowledge and insights with which carry out the same work to build the church and the communities of today,” said ACOM’s Archbishop.
Generation family member of Clement Marau and currently the Member of Parliament for Ulawa-Ugi Hon William Marau during the opening also added on the essence behind the very importance as to why they keep celebrating the event.
“It is very important that we need to reflect on our lives and get the message out of how Clement Marau and Walter Waaro’s were. This includes better understanding on what we need to do in our own lives too,” said Hon Marau.
“As we know, what Clement Marau did was not for his own good but for ours. That is a very important message we must always remember.
“This 140th Anniversary is not by only celebrating it every year as an occasion but it is important to get the message out of it too. This is why we have to celebrate it. Remember the fruit that was planted on the island.”
This year Honourable Marau saw the need and importance to put more effort in remembering Clement Marau and Walter Waaro for the blessing they brought on Ulawa Island which is why two statues were set up in their honour at Mwadoa Village.
He said the statues were to remind them of respect and honour.
More efforts included also were improving their remains such as the cross on the seaside stone where they spent for three years after being told by the heathens on Ulawa to not go further ashore from that boundary, including Clement Marau’s stone alter and retirement house as well.
“By maintaining their remains will give the future generations the opportunity to witness them as well,” said Hon Marau.
Being significant in the church history of Ulawa Island, the Chairman of the Organising committee for the 140th Anniversary Mr Duddley Marau expressed his humble gratitude towards everyones presence witnessing the three days program starting on Wednesday and concluding Friday.
Clement Marau was the youngest son of Chief Qoqoe from Merelav Island in the Vanuatu Group. He was at Norfolk Mission School from 1875 being a man of great faith in God, and whose life and work stood out as a leader and father to all Melanesian students at Norfolk.
Walter Waaro met Clement Marau at Norfolk Island School and was so affected by his life, character and leadership that he asked Fr Codrington to have Clement accompany him to do mission work on Ulawa Island in which Fr Codrington agreed.
They made their first visit to Ulawa in 1877 and established the first Christian School running it for three months before returning to Norfolk Island.
Marau returned to Ulawa in 1878 and continued with the Christian work. He faced challenges for three years because of heathen beliefs and customs. He was able to advance the Christian work on Ulawa from 1881, became Priest of Ulawa from 1903, and supervised the building of a chapel which still stands to this day.
Seen in the life of Clement Marau are faith, leadership and work that helped him bring love, joy, unity and peace to establish the church in communities around Ulawa Island.
Community youth groups under the HCC-YSWD and HYC undergo leadership training supported by the Solomon Islands Police Support Programme under the Niu Future programme.
YOUNG people within Honiara City have lost trust and confidence on the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force which have inspired the New Zealand government to step in and provide support through the Niu Future programme.
Currently, RSIPF and New Zealand Government through Solomon Islands Police Support Programme have initiated a Niu Future programme and have collaborated with HCC-Youth, Sports and Women Division and Honiara Youth Council.
Their partnership is aimed to bring back trust and confidence of young people in the RSIPF, and to operationalise the Crime Prevention Strategy of which young people is one of the big drivers of demand of the country.
Deputy Team Leader for the Solomon Islands Police Support Programme (SISP) Mr George Fa’alogo said the Niu Future programme was initiated with a focus to prove trust and confidence of young people.
And furthermore to use leadership potential of young people for social and economic development of Solomon Islands, particularly Honiara, he adds.
Fa’alogo said they are engaging with the HCC-YSWD and HYC because they already have more than 2000 registered members with 130 youth groups, and it would easy to regain trust and confidence of young people towards RSIPF.
He said such partnership is a good one because HCC-YSWD and HYC already have networks with the communities within Honiara.
“What we find out in the first workshop are young people having mistrust in the RSIPF, and so in order for us to regain that trust we have to engage with young people— so HCC-YSWD and HYC already have that network,” he said.
Meanwhile, regarding the current status of the Niu Future programme, Fa’alogo said they are now in phase three which is the Youth Leadership Retreat underway at the Ginger Beach and mentoring programme soon as phase-four.
He said outcome of the three phases was very satisfying especially to see young people carryout leadership role and begin to build confidence in the RSIPF.
We have a three phase programme, the first phase in consultation workshop from the 14 March 2018, and from that workshop we have 28 young people.
Fa’alogo said, “Issue came out from that workshop is young people want to achieve aspect around relationship, opportunities pathway either through employment or education and health and wellbeing.”
“The third phase of the programme is youth retreat and we have 17 young people who have been running workshop.
“They are here now as facilitators to help trained another 15 young people—15 are facilitators of last workshop and 15 new participants.
“It is very satisfying on the day-two of the youth leadership retreat to see young people gaining confidence and ability and see the way they mentoring other young people.”
Once the retreat finish, next phase in mentoring programme, he said.
The RSIPF Deputy Police Commissioner Mr Gabriel Manesuli.
BY LYNTON AARON FILIA
The RSIPF Deputy Police Commissioner Mr Gabriel Manesuli.
DEPUTY Police Commissioner for the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force urges young people to take pride of Solomon Islands and stand tall for nation building for the next generation.
Mr Gabriel Manesuli challenged 30 community youth leaders attending the five-day youth leadership retreat to ‘make the country proud’.
He encouraged young people that they have potential and that they should utilise these potentials to build Solomon Islands.
“No one has more opportunity to shape tomorrow’s Solomon Islands than you.
“Therefore, you are in an advantage to influence the cause of events particularly in promoting peace, progress and prosperity in Solomon Islands.
“The challenge we have around the globe is leadership, and we need a leader who has the courage, character and collaboration.”
This week RSIPF, Solomon Islands Police Support Programme (SIPSP), HCC-Youth Division and Honiara Youth Council conducted leadership training with aim to equip young leaders for new future.
The training is focus on leadership including inspirational speakers telling their achievements and challenges encounter and issues faced in their journey to where they are today.
With the programme outline ahead, Head of Division for HCC’s Youth, Sports and Women Division Mr Roland GK Pauku said the series of session young people will undertake will shape them for future leaders.
He challenges the young people to take active part in the activities and discussion for the benefit of their communities in terms of creating a better and safer country for future generation.
Table discussion about leadership.Banabus Ali from the Solomon Islands Deaf Association part of the group discussion about leadership.Young leaders in group discussion.
