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31 officers from government and private sector complete training

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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31 participants attending the Workshop on Developing local food and water microbiological testing capacity held on April 17

BY LYNTON AARON FILIA

31 participants attending the Workshop on Developing local food and water microbiological testing capacity held on April 17

THIRTY-ONE officers from Government ministries and private sectors completed a one-day technical workshop on developing local food and water microbiological testing capacity held at the Environmental Health Division Conference Centre, Ministry of Health headquarters in Honiara.

The workshop was organised by the National Public Health Laboratory (NPHL) of the Ministry of Health & Medical Services (MHMS), Cawthron Institute of New Zealand and Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations (UN).

The purpose of the workshop is to address gaps and update key government officials and stakeholders on the progress of two concurrent projects.

The projects are; Strengthening the capacity of the National Public Health Laboratory to provide services in support of market access for Solomon Island fish exporters and Strengthening the sustainability of Solomon Islands National Public Health Laboratory to obtain and maintain international accreditation.

FAO-UN is the main funding agency and the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF), and ratified by the MHMS.

The Solomon Islands fishing industry is one of country’s major industry sectors employing more than 2000 people and also contributing substantially to government revenues and the national economy.

Processed fish (mainly canned tuna and cooked tuna loins) are among the top three commodities with the highest revenues from international trade.

The Solomon Islands has been approved to export fish to the European Union (EU). Maintaining access to the EU (largest destination market) and other international markets is a national priority.

Substantial support has already been provided by Australia and the EU to establish the competent authority for food safety and the infrastructure for diagnostic testing.

However, additional assistance is needed to enable the national laboratory to carry out microbiological testing in line with international standards to maintain access to overseas markets.

This support is expected to protect jobs in the fishing industry and sustain commercial fish exports which are worth approximately US$45million.

Upon completion, the project will enable the NPHL to comply with international microbiological food testing standards.

Laboratory staff will be trained and essential quality systems put in place to comply with international standards and good practice techniques.

By the end of the project in 2020 the laboratory will be assessed as ready for ISO 17025 certification for microbiological testing by a relevant international accreditation body for example, International Accreditation New Zealand (IANZ).

Increased access to clean water and safe food are priority development goals for public health in the Solomon Islands.

By strengthening the laboratory’s capacity to monitor and evaluate contamination risks associated with water and food, the project will support efforts to protect domestic public health.

The laboratory will also be in a position to provide testing support to government agencies and international organizations involved in the delivery of local water projects and water management interventions.

The key government agency for implementing such interventions is the Environment Health Division health inspectors including the Honiara City Council health inspectors who are legally mandated to carry out water and food sampling routines and inspections and respond to public health issues.

The public is therefore advised to address their public health concerns and samples through our local health inspectors who will bring samples to the NPHL for analysis.

The technical workshop concluded with a visit to the National Public Health Laboratory facility located at the Solomon Islands National University, Kukum Campus.

A total of 21 participants were given the opportunity to observe the types of microbiological tests and instruments used to determine water and food quality.

It was a new and rewarding experience for the participants which helped them appreciate the importance of developing local laboratory testing capacity.

There are 31 attendees for the workshop includes key representatives from the MHMS such as Environmental Health Division, Competent Authority and Food Safety, Nutrition and Food Security Unit, NPHL.

Ministry of Public Service, Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Ministry of Commerce Industries Labour and Immigration, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade, Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAL), Ministry of Development Planning and Aid Coordination (MDPAC) and Honiara City Council Environmental Health Officers.

Pacific Horticultural and Agricultural Market Access Programme (PHAMA), FAO, Cawthron Institute, local food and water industries such as Soltuna, and Solomon Water.

Temotu Fish Limited, Sasha Water, Southern Seas Investment, Commodity Export Marketing Limited (CEMA), Kokonut Pacific Solomon Islands (KPSI), Sol Fish Ltd and Szetu Breweries Ltd.

McMahon teachers urged to avoid unnecessary class absenteeism

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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BY BARNABAS MANEBONA

CENTRAL Islands Province (CIP) Deputy Premier and Minister of Education Selwyn Luga urges teachers of McMahon Community High School (CHS) to avoid unnecessary class absenteeism.

He said this after unnecessary class absenteeism too was one of the concerns raised by parents and students over teachers this week during the open forum that was held on Monday to address lack of students discipline occurring in McMahon.

“When teachers are absent from classes unnecessarily then it also contributes to student’s behaviours and attitudes,” said Luga.

However, he said the blame cannot be on teachers alone too as parents are also responsible for their children’s behaviour.

The open forum was the provincial authority’s response to the report that a student of McMahon was arrested on April 13 for being in possession of marijuana.

The student’s arrest was deemed as the last straw to the growing issue of discipline in the school, hence the open forum to find resolutions.

“This issue of arrest has become a national report and it is not heartening to hear that the incident has occurred in our province,” said Luga.

He said the open forum was a success on the understanding that they will be addressing the issue of lack of discipline.

Sharzy plans Aussie album debut

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Milton Ragaruma
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By Mike Puia

Gizo

POPULAR Papua New Guinea-based Solomon Islands singer Samson Saeni, best known as Sharzy, will travel to Australia in June to promote his new album.

Sharzy plans to travel to Cains on June 16 to launch his album.

He plans to travel to Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.

With about seven week before making a debut of his new album in Australia, Noro and Gizo in the Western province will have a taste of the new album this weekend.

“I will perform a couple of my new songs during the Noro and Gizo show,” Sharzy said.

Sharzy will perform in Noro tomorrow and in Gizo this Saturday.

The new album called “One Summer” has different style of music when compared to his first albums.

Most of the songs in the album are about love and happiness. They are all written by Sharzy.

“The songs in the album are love and happy songs. The songs are all positive vibes,” the three-time award winning singer said.

Sharzy’s new album is recorded in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea under the Big Time production owned by a local.

He will perform two days before appearing in the Gizo magistrate court over his recent entry into the country crossing the border from PNG.

Law should reflect what’s important to your society: Prof Henaghan

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Milton Ragaruma
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(Second from right) Professor Mark Henaghan with the Chief Justice Sir Albert Palmer, New Zealand High Commissioner to Solomon Islands and Judges at the High Court Chamber.

BY JENNIFER KUSAPA

(Second from right) Professor Mark Henaghan with the Chief Justice Sir Albert Palmer, New Zealand High Commissioner to Solomon Islands and Judges at the High Court Chamber.

THE Dean of Law of the University of Otago New Zealand Professor Mark Henaghan says that Law should reflect what is important to the society.

Speaking to local journalists earlier this week at the High Court, Henaghan said it is important for the lawyers and judges to listen to the people and say what is not working and what is working in the legal system.

“Are we doing things good or badly it is important for the lawyers to open their minds to the people because the Legal system is only as good as how the people accept it if the people reject it then we do not have any rule of law,” he said.

He said legal system is a system working for the people and not for lawyers and not for judges this is a system for the people to resolve their dispute.

“Anyone out there in the streets will say if something happens I expect the legal system to work for me if it does not work then everyone loses faith in that and then we do not have any law to resolve disputes,” he said.

He also said that everyone in the society has to question the legal system and it is a healthy thing to do that.

Henaghan is currently in the country conducting training for judges, magistrates and lawyers on how they can effectively play their role in delivering their services to the people of Solomon Islands.

The training was made possible by the New Zealand Government who funded Professor Henaghan to come here and conduct the trainings.

He said this training for the justice system for the judges and lawyers of the Solomon Islands and for them to be best lawyers and judges for the Solomon Islands people.

The three-day training completed on Wednesday.

Criticising legal system is common

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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BY JENNIFER KUSAPA

MAKING criticisms against the legal system especially lawyers, magistrates and judges does not mean the legal system is weak.

Responding to questions raised by journalists, Professor Mark Henaghan, who is in the country conducting training for lawyers, magistrate and judges, said public can criticise lawyers and judges putting things online and on Facebook – that is normal.

“When people lost their case they criticise the lawyer and the judges and it is normal, because two people go to court and one loses and they never happy with the legal system because they can’t both win, it is the same in every legal system in the world they get criticism,” Henaghan said

“But I can say you have very good lawyers and judges here they are working very hard to deliver though they have very limited resources.

“Many of them are not paid as much as they would be in other countries they worked really hard worked long hours, so I don’t think you have a weak system.”

He also gave a talk which explained that lawyers have to be disciplined if they do something off track.

He also touched on young new graduate lawyers going into practice, which Henaghan cautions they be monitored by senior lawyers to guide them for an initial period of time.

“We want lawyers to have good protection and just the same in journalism you only learn from the people who are experienced, if you do it your own you can go off track, same for all profession.”

Ministry of Health celebrates World Malaria Day

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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BY LYNTON AARON FILIA

THE Ministry of Health and Medical Services (MHMS) commemorated World Malaria Day yesterday through dissemination of information to the public about important work of the Vector Borne Disease and Control Programme (VBDCP) at both national and provincial levels.

With this year’s celebration the VBDCP highlighted great achievements related to addressing vector borne disease globally and challenges the organisation faced throughout the years.

The National VBDCP director, Mr Albino Bobogare said, “Although we are continuously making achievements, there is still a lot of work to be done before we can eliminate malaria in Solomon Islands.”

Bobogare said there was substantial improvement in data coverage and completeness during 2017 as a result of the full roll-out of the VBDCP’s data collection programme.

He said such data allows the MHMS to ascertain whether confirmed malaria cases are being treated correctly according to the national guidelines.

The programme continues to assist provinces that are yet struggling to achieve timely entry of records as a result of poor internet connectivity.

The programme is placing additional emphasis now on developing simple web-based tools that will provide near-instant analysis and reporting at provincial and sub-provincial levels.

This information is crucial to ensuring that the VBDCP can respond to problem areas appropriately.

These achievements are significant, however the public also needs to make changes to keep the malaria cases down, Bobogare said.

He urges public to use mosquito nets properly as directed by health workers as to reduce mosquito bites at night, and strongly emphasises the importance of cleaning our surroundings, covering all storage containers, and ensuring drainage are not blocked with rubbish or other wastes.

Besides that, he advises people diagnosed with malaria to complete their dosage as directed.

“With the MHMS and the public working together, we can move in the right direction towards eliminating malaria in our country,” Bobogare said.

Lanelle hits campaign trail

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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Lanelle Orlandrea Tanangada

By Mike Puia

Gizo

Lanelle Orlandrea Tanangada

THE female candidate for the Gizo-Kolombangara by-election, in the Western province, Lanelle Olandrea Tanangada, wasted no time as soon as the nomination period closed yesterday.

Lanelle completed her nomination formalities in Gizo yesterday morning and in the afternoon launched her campaign.

The campaign launching started with a parade through Gizo town. At the venue for the official programme, Lanelle delivered a powerful speech that got the crowd cheering throughout.

Lanelle is the wife of the former Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency, Jimson Tanangada.

She is contesting along three male candidates. One of them is a former MP and Prime Minister, Gordon Darcy Lilo.

Mr Lilo was defeated by Mr Tanangada in the 2014 national general elections.

However, Lilo successfully lodged a petition against Tanangada which led to his disqualification from the seat last November ordered by the High Court.

Since then the Gizo-Kolombangara parliamentary seat has been vacant.

Lanelle said she is contesting the seat in response to calls by the people in the constituency for a leader to continue the work her husband had started.

Jubilation in the air.

This call becomes clear when speakers at the launching programme took their time to speak about their hope for a humble leader. They say Lanelle is the perfect person for the seat.

Lanelle said she had already received criticisms for contesting the seat as a woman.

“I think I know my place. I am a mother and I can speak for the silent majority especially the women and children in the rural areas.

“I want to do my best for the interest of the people in the Gizo-Kolombangara constituency,” Lanelle said.

She said she is confident and is prepared to be the voice of the constituency.

The 38-year-old calls for unity, solidarity and respect during this time until the polling day on May 23.

Lanelle is no ordinary woman. Like her husband, she is a teacher by profession. Lanelle graduated with a Masters in Education at the Waikato University in New Zealand.

She has given up her job as a teacher at Burnscreek School in Honiara to contest the seat.

Lanelle said she is contesting with no “revenge” as she is only putting to action the call by people in the constituency especially their leaders and women.

This is the first time a woman is contesting the Gizo-Kolombangara seat.

Whoever wins this by-election will only serve for seven months before parliament dissolves preparing for fresh national general elections next year.

Bed nets for one-third of population

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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BY LYNTON AARON FILIA

NEARLY 200,000 bed nets will be distributed to 16 locations across the provinces, it is reported.

The Ministry of Health and Medical Services through National Vector Borne Disease Control programme is preparing to distribute a total of 186,960 pieces of bed nets soon.

There are 4,621 bales each containing 40 bed nets, which hospitals and clinics in the delivery locations stand to receive soon.

The bed nets come in sizes—single, medium and large.

The target this year is to ensure one-third of the country’s population across Solomon Islands have adult bed nets.

According to National Vector Borne Disease Control programme, this is part of the national campaign strategy to battle malaria and other vector borne diseases in Solomon Islands.

Vector Borne Division also said distribution of mosquito nets now will be an annual activity, new approach implemented this year instead of hosting it after every two years.

Meanwhile, National Vector Borne Division reveals the In-door Residual Spraying has been on hold by the World Health Organisation due to some findings.

According to the Solomon Islands Annual Malaria Programme 2017 Report, 85,976 Long Lasting Insecticide Nets (LLIN) were procured in 2017 including remaining stock of 2016.

More LLIN distributed last year than expected due to incomplete implementation in 2016.

Malaita police officers 1-week training with PRT

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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Auki police officers during their training session on Wednesday.

BY GEORGE MANFORD

AUKI

THE Royal Solomon Islands police force (RSIPF) in Malaita are undergoing a gruelling one-week training under the country’s elite unit, the Police Response Team (PRT), in Auki.

PRT instructors from Honiara are in Auki, and immediately began the drills after the PRT facility in the Auki police station was opened on Sunday, April 22.

The training aims to strengthen the officers’ response capacity on any issue that may arise.

Police officers from Atori, Malu’u and Auki are participants.

Auki police officers during their training session on Wednesday.

The PRT instructors will be in Auki for the rest of this week for the training.

A demonstration exercise will be conducted at 9am tomorrow and is open for public and government officials to witness.

The venue for the demonstration exercise will be confirmed later.

A similar exercise was also carried out last year at the Aligegeo football pitch which was witnessed by the Premier of Malaita Province, Peter Ramohia.

Standing in an impenetrable front facing disturbance. Officers trained on formation.

The PRT is the ‘right hand’ unit of the RSIPF against anarchic activities such as riots, heavy crowd resistance to police presence and general disturbances.

Training requirements to enter this elite unit is well-known for being ‘tough and stringent’ which tests for superb physical and mental fitness and outstanding aptitude levels.

The PRT facility was recently opened on Sunday April 22 by a high-level delegation which included the Minister of justice and legal affairs, Australia’s High Commissioner to Solomon Islands, the deputy commissioner of the Australian Police Force, Malaita province deputy premier, RSIPF Commissioner Matthew Varley, and commander of the SI police development programme.

PPC of Malaita province Timothy Apaesi witnessing the training sessions on Wednesday.
Police officers listening to instructions from the PRT instructors.
Police officers holding up their Batons during their training.

Say no to rape culture

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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0

DEAR EDITOR, today rape case in the Solomon Island is one of the immense problems. As a Law student, my concern is to stop such cruel and disrespectful act.

Today, increasing number of girls under the age of 11 became victim of rape in Makira and Isabel province.

It’s a shame, rape culture had breath through our daily lives.

The problem is everywhere and yet we rationalise it.

To forgive is an action but it is wrong when leaving behind the survivors when they are the one who matters the most.

People think rape is always about desire for sex, but the truth is rape is not born of sexual desires, it is a desire to degrade and humiliate another person.

The assailant wanted to take all power away from the victim.

In life we may not have control over things done but the only thing we are in control of is our body.

It is sad that victims of rape had loses control of something that is very personal to them, which is their body.

Once these rights have been deprive, you feel like nothing is left of you.

Victim may leave up with hurt feelings and fear for the rest of their lives.

We must stop such act of violence by educating our children in homes and Schools about sexual consent, what it means, how it works, how to get consent, what to do when a potential sexual partner refuses to give (or retracts) their consent and as well as what the criminal law of our country had define this offence of rape. Nurturing them will help to stop rape culture.

Secondly Legislature should create laws to empower the survivors, not concerning the rapist only.

For instance policies in school or work place to prevent rape culture because survivors of rape don’t feel comfortable to speak out after being sexually assaulted, fearing repercussion of losing jobs, force to leave school or socially isolated.

Therefore creating of good environment where these survivors feel safe in speaking out and calling out their attackers and in which the repercussion for potential rapist to be emphasise instead.

Moreover there should be proper awareness talk about the criminal law concerning rape in the rural areas.

Law should be delivered in simple language or the mother tongue as some people may not know how to read, write or even speak both English and pijin.

By doing so law will be understood and people will say no to rape culture.

Finally Government should financially supported such organisation like “Save the children” in fighting against rape culture and other social problems our country had face by extending awareness programme of rape through media like radio, television channels and outreach program to our provinces.

This will put an end to rape culture.

Well I would call on all good citizen of Solomon Island that it is not too late to make straight the path, It is time to pick up ourselves from the dust and work together with great support in putting an end to rape culture.

Relmah Ha’ananga

Central Honiara

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