By Mike Puia

Gizo

FORMER Prime Minister, Sir Francis Billy Hilly, has withdrawn his candidacy for the Western provincial elections.

Sir Francis, who was the country’s fourth Prime Minister, was one of the five candidates who withdrew before the period for withdrawal lapsed on Wednesday.

Sir Francis, 70, has a wealth of experience in politics having served as a prime minister, leader of opposition and government minister.

There are 139 candidates contesting the province’s 26 wards. Five of them are females.

The Returning Officer, Hopeful Piosasa, confirmed he has fielded 309 people to run these elections.

Piosasa said three locations have been earmarked for counting, they are; Gizo, Munda and Seghe.

He said counting is expected to be conducted and completed on June 14 and his assistant returning officers will declare the results as soon as counting completes in these locations.

Piosasa said they have provided their programme to the police for their reference on how the election counting will go.

He said currently, they are waiting on the Ministry of Provincial Government and Institutional Strengthening for the ballot boxes and papers.

By Mike Puia

Gizo

FIVE females will be contesting in different wards during the Western provincial elections which is set to happen on June 13.

They will be contesting along 134 male candidates. All are vying for the 26 provincial seats. The current provincial house, which completed its final assembly meeting, will dissolve soon.

Returning Officer, Mr Hopeful Piosasa, confirmed the total number of candidates for the upcoming elections is 139 after withdrawal period closes on Wednesday.

The initial list was 144 candidates.

Among the 139 confirmed candidates are five females.

This paper understands the number of candidates contesting in this year’s provincial elections has slightly reduced.

In the 2014 provincial elections, about eight female contested. Only one, Jane Tozaka, was elected. Jane is the wife of a current Member of Parliament.

For this year’s elections, a female candidate was also one of the two candidates that were disqualified.

Like the other male candidate, her name was not in the voting list even though she claimed to have voted in the 2014 provincial elections.

Among the five female candidates are; a wife of a current Member of Parliament and a wife of a current Member of the Provincial Assembly.

One female candidate is re-contesting a seat she held once years back.

BY LYNTON AARON FILIA

THE Barana National Nature Park will change the face of its society and become an attractive environment, which has been lost with activities of deforestation.

It has been years, the Barana community of the Central Guadalcanal province has lost its beautiful flora because of logging and timber milling.

Now the community of Barana have their eyes open to see the importance of turning into a park as an effort to restore its forest and generally the environment.

Currently main activities taking place there is timber milling and logging including gardening, mainly people from borderline area.

With the initiative of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) to establish a National Nature Park, it’s a welcome approach for the community for preserving forest and environment.

Vice Chairlady for Barana SPREP Coordinator Committee Ms Melinda Kii said the national park will also include those who are actually milling to educate them on reforestation.

She said they will have a common understanding with the timber millings and loggers – if they cut down one tree, then replant with one to three trees.

She adds, having this common understanding helps sustainability of the environment and preservation of flora to keep the park appealing for citizens and oversea travellers.

People from the Green Valley, Adaliua and Borderline do their gardening around the proposed national park which is another challenge.

Kii said such is dependent entirely on whoever holds that piece of land.

But she said they have one general understanding as to relocate them or give other blocks of land on the park for them to do their farming.

She said their gardening also plays an important role towards the national park; if people access the premises can do their marketing for garden foods fresh from the ground.

Kii said the community will benefit a lot from this initiative.

She said SPREP’s project is a community based initiative, and there will be trainings, workshops and tanks given to the community at large.

BY ALFRED PAGEPITU
GIZO

THE Gizo-Raru local fishers association constitution is expected to be launched tomorrow in Gizo, Western province.

All fishers around Gizo and Rarumana Island are welcome to participate in the day’s activities.

Chairman Amon Tauman said the launching will be held at the Gizo main wharf area starting at 2pm.

“All fishers around Gizo and Rarumana Island are welcome to participate in the day’s activities. Registration for membership will be open and for fishers around Gizo and Rarumana Island subscription fee is $50.

“Other interested fishers group from other Islands affiliation fee is $100.”

Activities for the day include a float parade from Malakerava, PT109 to the wharf area. Losa’s Band and Tamure group will also be performing.

He said awareness on the overfishing problem, fishers’ registration and information on the Gizo-Raru fisheries association for sustainability fishers constitution are the highlights on the day.