Jeffrey Wickham Member for ward 16 in Western Province.
By Mike Puia
Gizo
FOR the first time the Western provincial government will collect basic rates.
Capacity prevented the province from collecting basic rates in the past years resulting in the province losing huge revenue.
According to the Provincial Secretary, Jeffery Wickham, the province now has people to collect basic rates, which means the province is expecting an increase in its revenue collection.
“The province has been unable to collect basic rates in the past because it had no one to do the job. Now, we have people,” Wickham said.
Wickham said someone will be responsible for collecting basic rates in Gizo and another will responsible for collecting in Noro and Munda.
He said around end of June, the provincial government will issue a notice to the public, groups and entities concerning this basic rate.
Wickham said this rate will be paid to the provincial government.
He said those who fail to pay this rate could face the courts as this is a violation to the provincial ordinances.
SOLOMON Airlines Airbus A320 aircraft is still in the Maintenance Hangar in Singapore.
According to Mr Colin Sigimanu the Manager Commercial for Solomon Airlines Ltd, the C-Check has taken a bit longer than expected basically because they have been waiting on spare parts for one of the engines.
“It is difficult to source the engine parts due to a global shortage but we are hoping to have the aircraft back in service by the end of May,” said Sigimanu.
In the meantime, Sigimanu said Nauru Airlines will continue to operate international schedules on Solomon Airlines’ behalf.
Early this year, it was reported that the down time for this maintenance period was four weeks but on seeing that it has already reached April had raised the query of the maintenance update over the A320 aircraft.
THE national government’s cut to line ministries’ budgets appears to have crippled provincial branches.
Provincial agriculture extension offices are being hard hit.
According to the Western provincial agriculture extension branch, based in Gizo, most of its programmes have been stalled because of lack of funding.
“According to our programmes we should have tours to other parts of the province. This has not happened because we have no funding to cater for fuel,” John Kepas, Principal Field Officer for the agriculture extension office in Gizo, said.
Kepas said their office usually travels of other parts of the province and conduct awareness and share information with farmers and help do monitoring and evaluation.
He said they have other plans but because of funding unavailability they could not implement them.
Since the national government’s announcement of a major cut to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development’s budget, he said their office is unable to do its work.
Even with that, Kepas said their office in Gizo is open to farmers who may need the support of the office.
“Since we are unable to go out to the rural areas, farmers can still come to our Gizo office and seek our support,” Kepas said.
Several ‘financial anomalies’ prompts request for check
BY SAMIE WAIKORI
Auki
THE Malaita province’s account section is bound to be audited soon after some discrepancies were discovered, it is reported.
A request has been submitted by the province for an internal audit following ‘financial anomalies’ experienced by the accounts section.
In an interview Malaita provincial secretary, Mr Jackson Gege, he affirmed having made the request to the national ministry of finance after “identifying things not really going well within the accounts section”.
He said one of the main points of concern is a problem Malaita province has with its disclaimer, which he did not elaborate on.
Gege adds that another of their complications is the difficulty faced with reconciliation.
He describes the situation as ‘seem really mess in the account office’.
“Because it was identified that within the account section there is no financial stability, as finance is going up and down.
“This is the reason we called for the audit to find out the reason for that financial fluctuation,” he said.
Gege said regarding the audit exercise, a special audit will first be carried out in specific areas within the accounts section which have been observed to have these ‘financial anomalies’.
A normal audit follows suit.
Gege assures that the audit is a mechanism which will ‘straighten the accounts section and tighten it up’.
He adds that the audit is part of the provincial government’s desire to see Malaita progress into a new chapter of prosperity and fulfillment of its aspirations.
The audit team from the national ministry of finance is expected in Auki in the first week of May.
Solomon Islands Ola Fou board members during their welcome dinner.
By Francis Sivita
Solomon Islands Ola Fou board members during their welcome dinner.
OLA Fou students from Solomon Islands, Kiribati and Vanuatu welcomed the SI board members on Saturday.
After the long sessions from Thursday up to Saturday the students gathered together to rehearse and prepare a welcome ceremony for their board members.
The welcome programme started with a chorus sung by the students in Bislama pidgin and a traditional Maori call from one of their teachers. A short welcome speech was presented by one of the staff members.
One of the board members expressed her joy hearing the chorus sung in Bislama pidgin.
It shows how the students worked together despite their differences.
She on behalf of the board members welcomed the fellow students from Vanuatu and Kiribati.
After the welcome speeches, dinner was served and the board members mingled with the students enjoying their dinner and listened to speeches from their teachers and board members.
One of the students said that after the teachers assessed their last works they should have their graduation tomorrow.
Ola Fou diploma students from Vanuatu and Kiribati doing their last presentation on saturday
By Francis Sivita
Ola Fou diploma students from Vanuatu and Kiribati doing their last presentation on Saturday
OLA Fou students of Solomon Islands welcomed their friends from Vanuatu and Kiribati on Thursday last week at the SWIM compound, east of Honiara.
After the traditional welcome they continued with their normal programme up to Saturday where the diploma students got into groups and did their last presentation.
According to one of the diploma students, the Ola Fou programme was first held here in Honiara with few participants from the local communities surrounding Honiara.
He said from the first students it was then localised to Western and Malaita province and that is when he and few other locals joined.
He added that graduating with an Ola Fou certificate allows one to work in any Pacific country.
Speaking to one of the diploma students from Santo Vanuatu he said the Ola Fou programme really gives positive impacts to their communities back home especially on the youths.
He also expressed how privileged he was to be here in the Solomons.
He said being here really helped in his studies, where he learnt that some of the traditional values here are similar while some are different to his.
With the differences, he says it helps him solve some issues he faces in his community.
The Ola Fou programme is from New Zealand and with the help of one of the United Church members who came to Solomon Islands six years ago.
Ola Fou is part of Praxis – an educational organisation operating in the Pacific Islands, New Zealand and Australia.
Ola Fou means ‘new life’, it is an educational initiative aimed at supporting Pacific based youth workers to develop their leadership skills and gain a qualification around working with young people in their community.
One of the forgotten roads which has just about 5 percent or less in its value as a road and if no work is done on it soon, could lose its status completely. This
is the same to many other roads around Honiara.
BY BARNABAS MANEBONA
THE Honiara City roads are the Ministry of Infrastructure Development’s (MID) area of concern to take care of, said Honiara City Council’s (HCC) Mayor Andrew Mua recently.
Mr Mua made this clarification in response to continuous complaints pointing fingers to HCC to improve the roads conditions in the capital City.
“People always complain about the roads conditions calling on HCC to improve them, but I want to make it clear for the general public that it is not our responsibility,” clarified the HCC Mayor.
He said HCC is responsible for licensee in giving authorisation to businesses wishing to operate in Honiara but the responsibility for maintenance along the roads is the National Government’s through MID to take care of.
FORM 6 students and staff of Mbokona Community High School took part in a Mandarin awareness activity conducted by SINU’s Mandarin teacher from Taiwan, Ms Kuei-Mi Li, on April 20.
They were treated to a lesson of Mandarin tones and basic phrases and a presentation on different traditions, cultures and how languages interact in different countries.
A session where students answered questions correctly and awarded with gifts was also part of the activity.
According to Ms Li, students really enjoyed the activity and students on the other hand expressed the same with one student suggesting that the Mandarin language be included in the Solomon Islands syllabus so that every child in school can have the opportunity to learn it.
Li who has a linguistic and teaching background explained that she wanted to share her passion for learning new languages and discovering different cultures with the students through the activity and noted that by learning a language students can go beyond their borders.
“Learning a new language means discovering a new culture, it will widen our horizons and enrich our life. I want to open these young Solomon Islanders’ eyes and minds and let them know that their world doesn’t necessarily have to be limited in where they live because they can have more options in life,” she said.
Li also spoke of how impressed she was seeing one of her students, Drumond Theomae teaching the students Mandarin tones and basic phrases since he only began learning the language two months ago.
She said that the awareness activity also made her realize that people do not come to her Mandarin classes not because they are not interested but because they don’t know what it is, how interesting it can be and that it is offered in the country.
Li furthered that she is considering carrying out the activity in other schools and provinces.
“I think it’s important for me to continue the touring, even to the provinces so that people will gain awareness of this opportunity to learn a new language and culture,” she said.
A packed cathedral in yesterday’s requiem mass for Chris.
By Gary Hatigeva
Two of Christopher Utia Nemaia’s sisters, leading the mass to the Mataniko River site where flowers were laid and put into the water for him.
HUNDREDS turned out yesterday to join the family of Christopher Utia Nemaia in a Requiem Mass held at the Holy Cross Cathedral in honour of his memory. Chris went missing while on duty on April 19.
The programme’s theme “We will not stop looking out for you” reflects the determination in every family member and friend serviceman and woman involved in the ongoing search operation.
The family was joined by his Solomon Islands Visitors Bureau (SIVB) colleagues including his CEO and his family, officials from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism including Minister Bartholomew Parapolo and his Permanent Secretary, Andrew Nihopara, and friends.
Christopher, known to many of his friends and family as Chris Uto, was the Marketing Officer responsible for the Asian region and the Fishing Niche Market in Solomon Islands in the SIVB until the time of his disappearance in April 19, 2018.
According to his family and friends, Chris was a very faithful gentleman, with a huge dream and motivated by a very captivated vision to make the Asian region the main market for his country Solomon Islands, which they say he loves so dear.
His determination and zeal to present first-hand information about Solomon Islands as a genuine nirvana drove him until he went missing.
The congregation was told that he was not to go on the trip that ended in disaster, but because he wanted to have a feel of the environment, which was to be part of his new tourism products to market, he asked to go.
Christopher’s fervent duty and tenacity to see Solomon Islands emerge to be well developed in the Tourism arena would him say, “don’t forget the call to action”.
According to both his family and colleagues, Chris had devoted his life for the country’s tourism industry with his patience to invest long hours to develop products alongside tourism operators and the mass is a way of acknowledging his inspiration.
Following the tragic incident that happened on Thursday over a week ago, Christopher went missing and joint searches conducted were unsuccessful in locating him or any evidence of his remains (body).
Following the requiem mass at the Holy Cross Cathedral, the procession laid flowers on the Mataniko river.
SIG students at the University of the South Pacific (USP) in Fiji are reportedly impoverished after only receiving FJ$240 each for allowance.
Concerned students speaking to Island Sun said the $240 has been used up for their rentals and other areas such as debts, leaving them with nothing.
They are now calling for May’s allowance to be sent quickly within the first week of the month (next week) before their situation worsens.
Last week, the students were only paid FJD$240. This has shocked the students leaving them confused because earlier the NTU director, Clement Tito had assured them that their allowance would not be affected by the government’s austerity budget measures.
News of the cut in student’s allowances had been made known by the Education Attaché at the Solomon Islands High Commission in Fiji.
The SIG students both in Fiji and Vanuatu are now calling on the national government to consider their situation saying it is ‘no joke the problem they are facing’.
“We want our May allowances to be sent in quickly as we are facing a serious problem,” said the students.
It is understood that allowances are usually paid in to the sponsored students’ accounts every 5th of each month.
