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Mayor questioned on missing $150k

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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Honiara City Mayor Andrew Mua.

BY LYNTON AARON FILIA

CONCERNED voters of Ward 12 in the East Honiara are urging the Honiara City Council to clarify the missing $150,000 which had been allocated by the ministry of Home Affairs for the ward’s by-election in 2016.

The ward has been without council representation since 2016, and the Ministry of Home Affairs says that it has already given $150,000 for the HCC to hold a by-election, but since then there has been none.

Voters of the ward are questioning what has become of the money, and are demanding that the mayor gives answers.

“The Mayor as head of the council is, as mandatory, responsible for this mess, hence he should explain to us what has become of the $150,000 that the ministry of home affairs had given in 2016 for the by-election for our ward 12,” a concerned voter said.

Under the HCC Act 1999 in the case of a By-election—section 10 (1) subject to subsection (3) where the seat of a member of the City Council is vacant, an election shall be held to fill the vacancy.

Section 10 (2) clearly states the date of the election shall be fixed by the Ministry and shall not be later than three months after the vacancy has come to his notice.

With this, concerned voters say the HCC and the Mayor are in breach of their own ordinance.

They are demanding to have a council representative before the end of the council’s term, adding that they have been missing out on the funds meant for the wards for two years.

Budget allocation each ward receives includes; Christmas fund account to $20,000, Independence fund $20,000 and Social and cultural fund—$20,000.

There is also an Advisory fund which accounts to $60,000 and quarterly ward grant of $70,000.

Attempt for HCC’s comment was not successful yesterday.

Plane body to be used as training facility

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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BY BARNABAS MANEBONA

THE Boeing 737 fuselage currently parked near the MCA hangars, east of Henderson Airport, will be purposely used as a fire fighting simulator facility for the airport fire crew.

This is after some modifications on the fuselage.

“The Ministry of Communication and Aviation (MCA) as airport operator is responsible for such implementation,” said the Civil Aviation Authority of Solomon Islands (CAASI) Acting Director Brian Halisanau in response to concern over the fuselage that belonged to the Boeing 737, a jet cargo freighter crashing in 2014 at Henderson airport.

According to concern, the fuselage sight is an eyesore to the airports environment being parked there for years now.

The Boeing 737, a New Zealand registered aircraft in the livery of Toll Group (Australian based freight company) being flying from Brisbane to Solomon Islands was on touchdown when its right side gave way causing the crash.

Manager Commercial for Solomon Airlines Ltd (SAL) Mr Colin Sigimanu when also responding over the concern confirmed that the eyesore wreck sitting at the east end of the Domestic Terminal is under the custody of CAASI.

“It is the responsibility of the State to determine the cause of action to be taken,” said Sigimanu.

Reports of catches from FAD rafters

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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BY SAMIE WAIKORI

Auki

COMMUNITIES recently installed with rafters around Malaita Province have reported catches.

Principal Fisheries Officer under Malaita Provincial Fishery, Mr Martin Jasper says it’s a positive feedback from their work.

He said recently they installed about eight rafters in various locations in the province to help communities with fishing and encourage them with Community Based Resource Management (CBRM)

He said the eight communities include, Suava, Afufu, Mana’ere and Pita’ama in north Malaita, Rufoki, Fote, Bio in West Kwara’ae, Abitono in East Kwaio and Ta’arutona in West Are’are.

Jasper said the Fish Aggregating Devise (FAD) were inshore rafters which were made purposely for community fishing.

He said the rafters or FAD were between one to two kilometers from shoreline which made it easy for them to do pelagic fishing.

“As well, the idea is for people to turn fishing concentration from reef as often happen to open sea.

“This is so that marine resource on reefs can have chance to produce and reproduce.

“And that comes under marine management in which when we try to protect our reefs or encourage CBRM, there must be an alternative fishing ground establish for people to do fishing,” Jasper said.

He said according to reports received from the communities being installed with FADS, just only couple of days after the installment they started catching fish.

“We applauded that and urged the communities to encourage FAD fishing and also important to pursue CBRM for their reefs.”

Jasper said the FAD project was funded by ADB through the Coral Triangle Initiative programme; World Fish was the facilitating agent.

Red Cross centre under water – an appeal

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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Red Cross Special Disability Centre after on Wednesday's heavy rain.
Red Cross Special Disability Centre after on Wednesday’s heavy rain.

DEAR EDITOR, after heavy rain today in Honiara, the Red Cross Special Disability Centre (RCSDC) is once again flooded and classes suspended till the water subsides and the class rooms can be cleaned.

The RCSDC is currently the only school in the Solomon Islands catering to the needs of some 74 children with a range of physical and intellectual disabilities. The staff is dedicated to improving the children’s lives in the future and helping them to gain an education and some independence in life.

Every time it rains, as it did today, spare a thought for those children and the dedicated staff. The school and classrooms are always flooded with water and mud. The children then sent home. The staff and some volunteers thereafter spend their time sweeping, mopping and cleaning instead of working with the children. Many of the resources are already spoiled and unusable. Last term this school was closed for a 1/3 of the term due to water intrusion.

From my understanding of the situation, albeit from a distance, the rainwater flows down an incline and floods the centre’s premises because there is no proper drainage on site.

I have been in touch with the General-Secretary of the Solomon Islands Red Cross Society by email and he has confirmed to me the situation, as I have outlined, has existed for a considerable period but no help has been forthcoming from any quarter, privately, or from the Solomon Islands Government to assess the situation on the ground and to fix the problem with a permanent solution.

The Red Cross owns the buildings but the teachers come from the Ministry of Education. I believe there is one or more overseas volunteer staff aiding the curriculum development of the children.

At my urging the General-Secretary has promised to get a site survey done and to let me know how the situation can be resolved with possibly the construction of a buffer wall and effective drains, but I have heard nothing as yet.

It will be important to get an idea of the costs of such work quite soon but will then need to try and get local donor support to get the ground work undertaken and completed before further rain causes more damage and set-backs to the education programme.

I fear that unless some help is forthcoming soon the situation at the school will become so bad the place could be closed down on health and safety grounds and the children lose out entirely on their right to an education.

Will anyone, or any organization in the Solomon Islands, kindly consider helping to prevent the water intrusion at the RCSDC and aid the children there to get the kind of support and education they sure deserve?

I will be pleased to help coordinate any assistance that might be forthcoming.

I have attached a photograph showing the extent of today’s flooding at the centre.

Please will you help?

Yours sincerely

FRANK SHORT

Speaking out on mental health issues and care

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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DEAR EDITOR, the Island Sun newspaper yesterday, Wednesday, May 2, 2018, featured a very important article dealing with mental health issues in the Solomon Islands.

The article, entitled ‘Mental Health needs Advocacy’ summarized the findings of a recent workshop held in Auki where Dr Rex Maukera from the National Psychiatric Unit at the Kilu’u Hospital had talked about mental health and stressed the importance of disseminating information on the serious health problem to health practitioners.

Interestingly, quoting the Sun’s article, Dr Maukera said to those attending the workshop, “One area of importance is the understanding that a healthy life does not simply mean the absence of disease or physical illness.

“Health also associates with our thinking which means if you are not thinking right or always thinking negative it also affects your health.

“We talk about major mental disorders and minor mental disorders, for example, anxiety disorder, stress disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. “

Twenty years ago as the local Police Commissioner I expressed my concerns about the way in which the use of marijuana and the consumption of kwaso (local brew) was affecting the thinking of many young people and warned of the long-term mental health concerns of those young people.

I went so far as to visit a Western Australian Drug Advisory Centre where I obtained a supply of informative literature on the use of marijuana and then had the health warnings re-published locally.

Referring to what Dr Maukera had to say about anxiety disorders, stress and post-traumatic stress disorders, have we stopped to consider how those conditions relating to mental health might now be attributed to current and future rising sea levels in our remote coastal regions?

I concur with Dr Maukera on the need to bring the issue of mental health into the open, for training and for the wider development of reforms and partnerships to emphasise the importance of greater community ownership in community-based mental health care.

It has to be borne in mind that in the Solomon Islands the distribution of skilled health workers and resources is severely hampered by geographical imbalances and financial restraints and moving to local and accessible mental health care makes sense.

Yours sincerely

Frank Short

Rennell Bellona chamber project

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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DEAR EDITOR, the status of the Renbel Chamber Project is quite interesting and at the same time raised a lot of eye brows, speculations and suspicious.

Firstly, the Project has been pending for quite long time.

Last year 2017 was tendered out and so happened that contractors from Renbel have applied, except the contractor who was awarded the construction of that Mini Hospital at Tigoa.

This contractor was not applied as was busy with this project.

Interestingly, the award was never happened, until these poor contractors have surprisingly saw the re-advertisement notice again this year without any word of explanation as to why was the project was delayed.

If the fund was there, then who are we waiting?

Or do we wait for that Mini Hospital Project at Tiggoa to complete?

I don’t want to believe, but I was informed that the Renbel Chamber Project was pre-arranged already and that was the main reason behind this long delay.

Nevertheless, the tender will be closed on Monday 7 May 2018, and I believe there is still room to reconsider those kind of corruption practices or the pre-arrangement for inducement payment which is commonly practiced in the SIG sector now.

On that note, may I speak as a Rennell and Bellona Indigenous.

Whether those who have been mandated to administer this project from the national government and perhaps the province do realize or like it or not, this is unquestionable and that is this is our project and our share in the national distribution, and definitely our contractors from Renbel deserved this employment opportunity.

We need this employment opportunity just as much as we need this infrastructures development in our province.

Secondly, I understand that this is a national project and it is an open tender. However, having said that, this is more than just a common sense.

Unless we are totally incapable or not interest, my conscience tells me that the project should reserve for the original and based contractors from Rennell and Bellona.

Or even the issue of main contractor and the associate, at least both must be from Rennell and Bellona Province.

In add, to the national and provincial government, how can we expect our people in Rennell and Bellona to build up its capacity as you always advocated, if this opportunity is taken away, then what is the Institutional Strengthening?

What does it mean to capacitate our people?

How can you capacitate our people here in Renbel while such opportunity cannot be given to them?

To our Provincial and our National Leader, we cannot afford to lose all these opportunities.

We have lost the opportunity of having an additional constituency from some few very selfish leaders in our community, dreaming that they will remain in those offices for everlasting life?

Where are they now?

Please, do not repeat the same mistake.

Let alone our differences, and challenges, I urge you to be more diplomat, mature and be professional in our decision making and allow our province and constituency to process and move forward with our own resources.

At least Rennell and Bellona is a small community and I understand that we all know exactly as who we are. Unless you just come home, I know we are very familiarize with all our people so as our contractors here in Rennell and Bellona province, and even you should know by hard, who are the failed and who are the successful contractors here in Renbel Province.

Again, you don’t need to do any research to find out who they are. Of course, it will be very unfair for those successful contractors to be penalize simply because of someone else failure.

Likewise, I hope you don’t want to be assessed using other people’s weakness or failure, aren’t you?

Finally to the Premier, I appeal that you defend your people, no matter what.

I strongly believe that you have been voted in for such a time, for we cannot afford to lose this opportunity, as was happened to the additional constituency issue, as well our Mini Hospital Project.

Give our contractors a chance.

Stanton Ta’akihenua

White River

Teenagers involving in illegal activities

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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0

DEAR EDITOR, as a youth, it is concerning to read news from the Island Sun local news dated January 4, 2018 in regards to teenagers being arrested for illegal brewing of homebrew on Ugi island, Makira province.

As stated by the provincial police commander, it is an unusual activity since police have received reports on arresting of mainly male offenders.

Now that young girls are seen to be involved in such illegal activities, it becomes an issue of concern for the police, parents, leaders and elders in the communities.

The provincial police commander strongly appeal to elders and leaders in the communities to think seriously about this matter as young girls are now seen to involve in such illegal activities.

This is an issue that requires the cooperation of parents, community and the law enforcers.

We might want to question why the world today is slowing changing in the inch of everyday activities compared to the past decades and so.

Some of the reasons as to why teenagers involving in illegal activities are because of family issues, lack of discipline from parents, school drop outs, peer pressure and so on.

However, there is uncertainty as to point fingers on who to be blamed when such issues involving teenagers arise.

Seeing teenagers involving in illegal activities is concerning as it gives the next generation of teenagers the idea that you only follow law when you are being monitored.

On the other hand, individual’s health should be considered as the effects of frequent homebrew consumption and other drugs may result in causing health risks.

I believe by working together and supporting the police in providing information in regards to criminal activities can help stop teenagers to involve in such illegal activities.

Moreover, it is ethically right to be whistle blowers whenever there are unlawful doings because people who participate in criminal activities deserve to face the law and its consequences.

With these, I agree that we should think seriously about this matter.

Morally parents should be role models to their children as discipline and teaching starts in the home. They have a responsibility to discipline and teach their children on what is right and wrong.

Furthermore, it is important that elders and leaders in local communities work together with the police by prohibiting the involvement of teenagers in criminal activities as community laws and to monitor those who do not abide the law.

By Monica Rehomora

(s11114148)

Culture minister impressed with MACFest planning progress

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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Minister for Culture and Tourism Bartholomew Parapolo.
Minister for Culture and Tourism Bartholomew Parapolo.

THE Minister of Culture and Tourism Bartholomew Parapolo says he is impressed with the progress made by the MACFest National Organising Committee so far.

Parapolo made the remarks when he met the committee in Honiara Thursday last week, saying the Government is watching with keen interest in how the committee is progressing with preparations.

The culture minister has expressed confidence that the country will achieve its mission to host this important event.

“The Government is closely watching the preparatory process and I would like to encourage the Committee to continue with your good work so far,” he said.

The festival will run from July 1-10 and is programmed to coincide with the country’s 40th Anniversary of Independence.

The ten-day event will run from July 1-10 on the theme “Past Recollections; Future Connections” which is programmed to coincide with the country’s 40th Independence Anniversary.

Approximately 1500 delegates from the five MSG countries (Fiji, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea and New Caledonia) will be attending the event. Also there will be invited delegates from the West Papua region of Indonesia, Timor Leste, and Torres Strait Islands of Australia.

Solomon Islands was the first MSG country to host the Melanesian Arts Festival in 1998. After this inaugural event, the festival has been held every four years on rotational basis in the five Melanesian Countries.

The Festival was conceived in 1995 by the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) to promote and preserve Melanesian culture, tradition, values and contemporary arts in the region.

–SIG, MSG & NOC JOINT PRESS

Temotu Premier tours far eastern outliers

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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Temotu Premier David Maina
Temotu Premier David Maina

THE Temotu Premier and his 28-member delegation left Lata onboard MV Onogou for a nine-day visit to outliers of the province.

He left with his delegation yesterday for Utupua, Vanikoro, Tikopia and Anuta Islands.

During his pre-departure meeting with members of his delegation, he re-iterated two major objectives of the visit. First, the visit is necessary to maintain provincial unity and togetherness amongst all island communities in the province.

“This means our presence in these islands will give rural communities the sense of being part of the province and the country as a whole.”

One of the main cries of the people of these outer islands, especially the good people of Anuta is the lack of recognition of the provincial and national government on their need for basic services.

He said their reluctance to participate during previous elections came about because of these reasons.

Hence part of the visit is to inform communities that their wish for a separate provincial ward boundary has been considered by the TPG Assembly and recommendation for such has been submitted to the boundary commission through the MPGIS.

Secondly, he said, “Our visit will see the signing of an MOU for a piece of customary land, outright purchased by the Temotu province government on Tikopia Island.

“The land is currently used for health clinic on the island and will remain for any such related use to advance health services on the island.”

The provincial secretary during the pre-departure meeting also advised team members that all provincial divisions will have opportunities to visit and meet respective officers and public facilities during the visit.

“It is time for us to learn and feel the issues, experienced by the island communities.”

He encouraged all to look carefully at opportunities in these islands, identify them through discussions, see what skills are available and prepare report of findings and suggestion for improvement upon return.

The Premier’s visit is the first in a long time since Temotu gained provincial status.

Upon hearing the visit, every island community is looking forward for the visit. The team is excited on the reception anticipated ahead of them.

The delegation includes 10 provincial government officers including the Premier and his spouse and 3 other executive members of the three wards, 10 official from Health division in the province, three staff of education division, two police officers and three members of the correctional service in Lata.

The team is looking forward to a successful visit and to return to Lata by Friday May 18, 2018 according to tentative itinerary.

–TEMOTU PROVINCE PRESS

Councillors and MPs called to step in and help MID

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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0

BY LORETTA BRIGIDIA MANELE

A former Honiara City Councilor voices that road development is crucial for the efficiency of services in the capital and suggests that Honiara City councillors and members of Parliament for West, Central and East Honiara constituencies step in and assist the Ministry of Infrastructure Development (MID) with its current roadwork initiative.

Speaking to the paper yesterday, concerned Mr Charles Lesimaoma stressed that as leaders who are entitled with funds for development purposes with the responsibility to provide good services for people in Honiara, they should utilise these public funds to help develop our roads.

With a document to show, he explained that from the 2018 approved estimated budget, the total ward development grant for councilors settles at a sum of $3,226,000.

He emphasised that the money should be used to help spur development because it is public money and money that should be allocated and spent for the people.

Lesimaoma expressed that if both parties collaborate with MID and donors then there should be enough money to cater for road improvements.

On another note, he said that in other constituencies, there is the reality of a new constructed clinic, road, bridge or even a purchase of a shipping vessel but when it comes to Honiara, the heart of the country’s development these things are hardly heard of or seen.

He furthered that the government must be serious about decentralisation because if not Honiara will be more populated and existing problems will only multiply.

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