BY BEN BILUA

CIVIL Society Group, Media, Parliamentarian and the government must be well-prepared to implement the Anti-Corruption Bill when it becomes law.

This was the message highlighted by UNDP’s Anti-Corruption Consultant Mr John Hyde during his meeting with the Media Association of Solomon Islands (MASI) last week.

He stressed that stakeholders and the media must be trained to get better understanding on their respective roles as whistle blowers.

Hyde strongly emphasised that providing training for stakeholders including the media on their roles to report Anti-Corruption Bill is the best way forward to execute the implementation of the proposed Act.

“One of the big problem in anti-corruption is that, everyone must be part of the team and everybody must be informed of what is inside of the legislation.

“Mainstream media is still healthy in the Solomon Islands and that equipping the media with law to protect the industry as well as training is very important,” he said.

Hyde adds that it will be a bonus for the media and stakeholders to tackle corruption if the whistle Blowers Bill is legislated.

He advises MASI to look for resources to facilitate trainings for journalist in the country.

Hyde informs MASI that there will be a training on corruption in Tonga this year and it is important for MASI to send representatives to attend the training.

In the meantime he said local journalist can use the resources outlined in the United Nation Convention against Corruption where Solomon Islands is a party, to report corruption.

Hyde advised local journalists that the convention provides important resources that media can use to make sure government and other organisations are held accountable of corruption practices.

“The resources are very important for journalist to look and apply them locally in investigating and reporting corruption practices,” he said.

Hyde stressed that the prediction on the legislations to fight corruption and also laws to protect the media industry looks positive as the Prime Minister Rick Hou, shows support to table the bills to Parliament this year.

He reiterated that Civil Society Group, Media, Parliamentarian and the government must all work together to combat corruption practices in the society.

BY GEORGE MANFORD

AUKI

CHIEFS in central Kwara’ae are calling on their communities to live together in peace.

The call was made after disagreements from the public and communities towards the “kingdom movement” issue over the past two weeks in Auki had caused fear and disagreement in the communities.

The failed promises by the movement had resulted in skirmishes in many villages between disgruntled followers who feel they had been cheated, and between public and followers.

The chiefs said, “Despite our disagreements we are all Malaitans and we will settle our disagreements in peace and harmony so that we will live happily again in our communities.”

The chiefs also made this call after a vehicle was destroyed by a group of men last week, a day after the failed doomsday.

The vehicle was believed to be owned by one of the movement members.

The group destroyed the vehicle’s (a three-tonne truck) tires which in turn caused fear amongst communities.

“The issue of the Kingdom movement must be settled quickly before it worsens and causes disharmony in the communities,” the chiefs said.

THE Parliamentary Opposition has called on the government to make a sufficient budgetary allocation for the Prime Minister’s official residence project in this year’s budget and speed up necessary arrangements for work to begin on the project.

“It is important that a sufficient budgetary allocation is made in the 2018 Budget for the Prime Minister’s official residence project and that relevant ministries speed up work arrangements for the this important project avoid the issue of the Prime Minister living in his private residence or being accommodated in expensive hotels.”

He said the temporary arrangement for the Prime Minister to be accommodated at the Heritage Park Hotel to allow his private residence, where he has been living since his election last November, for renovations to meet security and protocol requirements could have been avoided had successive governments prioritised the Prime Minister’s official residence project.

The Opposition Leader said the Opposition welcomes the Prime Minister’s prudent decision in opting for a reduced $490,000 bid for the renovation works to his private residence over a $2million bid.

He said the Prime Minister has demonstrated commitment to his election promise to ensure fiscal discipline across government sectors and the Opposition commends him for leading by example.

The Opposition Leader added that suitable permanent sites must be allocated for the proposed new Prime Minister’s Official residence together with the proposed Official Residence of the Speaker of Parliament and other constitutional post-holders.

He suggested that the government seriously considers working on a plan to have the Official Residence of the Prime Minister and the principal Office of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, all housed under one roof.

“This would not only meet security and protocol requirements, but will also serve as a convenient place where important meetings of Cabinet can be held and where the Prime Minister can receive and entertain foreign leaders and dignitaries.

“It will also save the Prime minister precious time that is normally spent navigating through lengthy traffic jams in Honiara. The home can then have historical significance to future generations of Solomon Islanders.

“It is also equally important that the official residence of other constitutional post-holders including the Speaker of National Parliament are built on ideal permanent sites within the crown boundaries to avoid having to relocate these state houses in the future.”

–OPPOSITION PRESS

BY MAVIS NISHIMURA PODOKOLO

BUALA Hospital in Isabel province is facing nurse shortage.

This has reportedly affected service delivery at the province’s only hospital since Christmas.

In an interview with this paper yesterday, Acting Director of Buala Hospital Ms Hellen Marau explained two possible reasons to the issue; one is that most staffs are still on leave and the other is staff housing.

“We receive reports that some of our staffs are still on leave while others are reluctant to return to work as there is not enough staff houses to accommodate nurses,” Marau said.

She stressed that the few staff left are being over-worked looking after the sick.

“Currently we have only one staff looking after clinical duties in three shift and this has imposed our nurses with more workloads,” Marau said.

She said nurses who are looking after the hospital administration have now stepped forward to do clinical duties which means lots of administrative work are being left undone.

In the meantime, Marau said Isabel provincial government has responded positively to their call by securing staff houses and Buala hospital management is looking at reallocating the nurses and their accommodations.

She hopes that nurses who are still on leave will return to work next week to ease the current situation.

Baula hospital is the main hospital in Isabel province and is currently serving 12 communities near Buala.

BY LYNTON AARON FILIA

A concerned farmer from North Guadalcanal is calling on their Member of Parliament to explain the $300,000 allocated for damage caused by heavy rains in December last year.

In a walk-in interview yesterday, Mr Timothy Urobo Junior said he wants his Member of Parliament to explain why the fund was delayed and its current status.

He claims farmers in the constituency have not yet received anything.

Urobo said MPs have already met at the GP Office recently over the matter and have conducted assessment already with the farmers and community, thus they assume the emergency relief distribution should be taking place.

Heavy rains in December last year had destroyed gardens and farms in the area, and had left many farmers in desperate need of assistance.

Meanwhile, Director for NDMO, Mr Loti Yates denies having released any $300,000 as alleged, but admits that they are aware that an assessment had been done by the Guadalcanal province.

He adds regarding the assessment the NDMO has supported the GP and plans for assistance is on the pipeline based on the assessment carried out by the GP team.

The local concerned farmers are based around Ngalimbiu Bridge, and during the heavy rain last month, they claimed that it had destroyed their long and short term crops for daily sustainable living.

Urobo as a banana farmer said he lost his farm, estimated to cost around $50,000.

BY JENNIFER KUSAPA

THE election petition case against Member of Parliament for Temotu Pele Constituency Duddley Kopu has been struck out by the court on Friday last week.

The written judgment on the case is yet to be compiled by the court but the decision was made last Friday.

The allegations had related to bribery, treating and undue influence which were alleged to have occurred during the period of the national general election in November 2014.

There were 15 cases that had been registered in 2014 and others already withdrew while others already solved in the court.

During the opening of the legal year the Chief Justice Sir Albert Palmer said that there are three outstanding petitions yet to be completed in which two are awaiting delivery of judgment and one is being considered for a stay in view of the failure to prosecute the matter timely.

BY JENNIFER KUSAPA

THE case against Ms Malia Katalake and two others will be mentioned in court today.

Peter Rockson and Junior Moris Bolas are the co-accused in this case.

This is the case which involves corruption related offences of fraudulent falsification, false pretence and embezzlement.

Katalake is a former employee of the Solomon Tropical Product, and was working as a plant manager when the alleged incident occurred.

She is charged with her husband Rockson, 30, of Lord Howe, Malaita Outer Island and 29-year-old Bolas from Choiseul.

Rockson faces four counts of receiving and soliciting while Bolas faces seven counts of receiving.

Katalake was responsible for receiving copra from local farmers, scaling and writing on receivable company document (copra inspections and payment forms) for farmers who came from the province.

The allegation said that between January 1, 2008 and June 21, 2008 Malia and Bolas made up false copra payments sheet under the ghost name Sisi David and fraudulently withdrawn a total of $152,570.80 from the company.

Police alleged Katalake was the mastermind of the company scandal and she at her own discretion, before submitting to the office receptionist, had them calculate and raise the payment according to what names appear on the copra sheet.

Most payments were alleged to have been done on cheque at the National Bank of Solomon Islands now the Bank of South Pacific and Malia and Bolas were the ones who collected and cashed the cheques at the Bank.

The matter was reported to police by the complainant John Vollrat who is the general manager of the Solomon Tropical Products, a company that deals with local farms by purchasing, processing and exporting of copra.

Office of the Director Public Prosecution appears for the stat