Republic of China’s President arrives today for courtesy call on ally and friend

BY BEN BILUA

TAIWAN’S President Tsai Ing-wen arrives in the country today, her plane scheduled to touch down at the Honiara international airport at 7.45pm.

She will be greeted by Solomon Islands Chief Protocol Officer Mr Kereta Sanga and Taiwan’s Ambassador to Solomon Islands, His Excellency Roger Luo.

Local organising committee has organised a special ceremony to welcome President Tsai at Honiara International airport tarmac before she meets the waiting government dignitaries which include Prime Minister Hon Manasseh Sogavare, Private Secretary, Mr Nigel Maezama, Permanent Secretary of Foreign Affairs and External Trade, Mr Peter Kenilorea Jnr, Police Commissioner, Mr Mathew Varley and Aide De Camp, Mrs Annika Nauasi.

The President will be garlanded by a flower girl and the Police Commissioner will lead the President and Prime Minister up to the Salute Dais where a Guard of Honour (GoH) ceremony will be conducted.

Prime Minister Sogavare will stand to the left of President Tsai with the Police Commissioner standing directly behind Prime Minister Sogavare and ROC Taiwan ADC directly behind President Tsai during the Salute Dais.

President Tsai and her ADC along with the Prime Minister and Police Commissioner will carry out the inspection of the guard after the anthems are played by the Parade Commander.

After the Guard of Honour Ceremony, the President will be led to her vehicle and escorted to the Mendana Hotel.

At 9.15am tomorrow, President Tsai will make a courtesy call to the Governor General, HE Sir Frank Kabui, GCMG, CSI, OBE.

A special traditional welcome will also take place at the Government House where President Tsai will be garlanded with traditional shell money by the Executive Assistant to the Governor General, Mrs Elizabeth Sinewala.

President Tsai will then greeted by the Private Secretary to the Governor General, Mr Maezama, at the entrance of Government House, sign the guest book before meeting the Governor General and Lady Kabui.

Governor General and Lady Kabui will then escort the President and her delegation into the ceremonial room for a photo session before the courtesy call begins.

At the end of their meeting, Sir Frank and President Tsai will exchange gifts in front of both local and international media.

President Tsai and her delegation will depart the Government House and head to the Office of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

BY JARED KOLI

FORMER Prime Ministers Danny Philip and Snyder Rini have denied lucrative cash offers alleged in the local media in recent days.

It was alleged that the two MPs were offered two cheques by the Chief of Staff (COS) of the Office of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (OPMC), Robson Djokovic.

But MP for South New Georgia, Rendova Tetepare Constituency Danny Philip denied having any contact with Djokovic, and firmly denied the allegation.

Philip made this denial to Island Sun yesterday morning.

Outgoing Minister for Fisheries, Snyder Rini has also denied the allegation.

“No such thing, I don’t even know about that, that is not true, I don’t even know who lied about that, and put it in the media.”

However, in contrast, a Member of Parliament (MP) who attended a meeting with the Honiara Hotel camp, said it was public knowledge amongst the MPs that the cash in cheques were offered last week.

The cheques were said to be from a Private Law firm in Honiara.

Djokovic remained silent since the allegation was published. Instead he appeared to have turned to individuals in the social media to deny the allegations.

Meanwhile, when asked about the reasons for their resignations, Rini said the reasons have been disclosed to and published in the local print media.

Former Deputy Prime Minister Manasseh Maelanga told the local media that he resigned from the DCC Government because coalition members have serious lack of confidence in the Prime Minister’s leadership.

Maelanga told the local media that MPs have “totally lost all trust and confidence in Mr Sogavare’s leadership”.

Meanwhile, despite Government claims that its number remains intact, the Honiara Hotel group has confirmed it has 29 MPs in its camp.

The number includes former Public Service Minister, Moffat Fugui as well as the Minister for Environment Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology (MECDM) Samuel Manetoali who is yet to tender his resignation.

Both men are due to arrive in Honiara later today.

Our sources said government lobbyists are working hard behind the scene to win over opposition and independent MPs so they could be sworn in as new ministers before Monday November 6, 2017, when parliament is due to vote on a No Confidence Motion against Prime Minister Sogavare’s government.

Government House told Island Sun that no new Minister was sworn in yesterday.

BY JARED KOLI

REAL Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth in 2017 is focused to be around 3.2 percent says Minister of Finance and Treasury John Maneniaru.

Delivering his statement on the government’s Finance and Economic update on Parliament yesterday, Maneniaru said this reflects continued strong growth in agriculture, fishery, logging, construction and service sector.

He said although fuel price rise slowly, it is still around USD$50 per barrel.

Maneniaru said inflation as measured by Honiara consumer price index decreased in year average to 0.6 percent in 2016 largely driven by sharp decline in global energy and commodity prices as Solomon Islands is vulnerable to those external price.

“Real GDP in 2018 is focused to around 3.5 percent, an average around 3 to 4 percent over the medium term or into stabilisation in the level of log production.

“Business investment is focused to progress to increase over the next couple of years. This is inline in work commencing in a number of infrastructure and investment particularly in the transport and energy sector.

“The ongoing work in investment in private and public infrastructure will force the productivity growth and lower the cost of doing business. In 2017 Solomon Islands Current Account Deficit (CAD) is now expected to narrow slightly to around 4 percent of GDP from 5 percent of GDP in 2016.”

The Finance Minister said improvement in the balance of income and current account transfer balance are expected to be the main drivers of the CAD. He adds, the lower price of oil imports has helped to offset the impact of weak export growth on the overall trade balance.

“The balance of trade in goods is expected to be narrowed in 2017 by around 52 million as compared to 108 million seen in 2016. This downward trend reflects the expected decline in value of exports and increase in value of imports in 2017.

“The CAD is expected to whitened around 5 percent in 2018 and 6 percent in 2019. This is in line with the stabilisation in the value of log export, stabilisation of donor in flaws, expected increase in the value of oil imports and the impacts from the large projected investment projects.”

He said the key risks to the Solomon Islands economic outlook reflect low fiscal and external purpose and subdue investor.

“At present sustain levels of moderate economic growth rely disproportionately more on expansionary fiscal policy and unsustainable logging. Years of unsustainable logging have heightened the risks of an eventual collapse that may be more rapid and disruptive on the economy than previously anticipated.

“In the long run a slowdown in logging will pose a significant risk to the macro economic outlook in the economy, especially as it accounts for the growing share of exports,” he said.

Maneniaru revealed that over the years Solomon Islands has faced significant challenges to infrastructure service providers.

More than 60 percent of population has lack of access to economic activities and over 70 percent of the population has no access to electricity, roads and other services.

He assured that over the next few years, projects that could support social and economic development are the Tina River Hydro development project, submarine cable project and Solomon Islands Electricity Authority capital project.

Maneniaru said the outlook for Solomon Islands economy is for growth to average between 3 to 4 percent per annum over the medium term.

However given the high rate of population growth to 0.3 percent, this rate of economic growth will not be sufficient to generate substantial improve means in the living standards of Solomon Islanders.

“Broad based growth that raised the benefits of economic development should remain the top priority of the DCCG, given expenditure pressures and the challenges for the government will be to strengthen a balance between the need to generate sustainable revenue and ensures that funds are directed to quality spending, while at the same time ensure that this does not discourage potential investors and investment on essential services and key infrastructures,” he said.

Motion to oust PM Sogavare set for Monday Nov 6, gov’t rules with minority

BY JARED KOLI

EMBATTLED Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare will face a Motion of no Confidence – to be introduce in Parliament Monday next week.

The National Parliament has confirmed receiving a notice of the motion of no confidence to oust the Prime Minister.

Mover of the no confidence motion and Independent Leader, Hon Dr Derek Sikua submitted the notice on Sunday October 29, Clerk to Parliament Clezy Rore confirmed to Island Sun yesterday.

Rore said the notice has been endorsed by Speaker of Parliament Ajilon Nasiu and has been put to notice.

Reasons for the motion is still shallow at this stage, with the primary reason provided by the mover being ‘no confidence in the Prime Minister’s leadership’.

Deputy Clerk to Parliament David Kusilifu said the reasons will be elaborated when the motion is debated in parliament.

He furthers that the motion could be introduced in Parliament Monday next week, or any day after that, after a clear seven days’ notice, according to Section 34(2) of the Constitution.

The notice follows a weekend of political drama resulting in the resignation of nine ministers and 10 backbenchers from the Sogavare-led Democratic Coalition for Change Government (DCCG).

Head count in yesterday’s parliament meeting saw 17 members of Parliament (MPs) sitting in the government bench and 26 MPs in the Opposition and Independent bench.

Sogavare then moved a Motion on Special Adjournment that parliament shall adjourn to Thursday November 2, 2017.

Sikua yesterday sought leave from the Speaker under Parliament Standing Order 26, section (2) subsection (b) to dispense with the required notice for amending the Special Adjournment Motion by the Prime Minister for parliament to adjourn to Monday November 6, 2017 at its adjournment on Thursday November 2, 2017.

The Speaker then granted the leave and amendment to the special adjournment by Prime Minister, and was unopposed by the Prime Minister who said the government side had no problem with that.

The amendment to the Special Adjournment was then passed in parliament yesterday which spells out clear that parliament will resume on Monday November 6 at its adjournment this Thursday (November 2).

Pundits say the move by Sikua is a clear indication that the motion of no confidence will be introduced in Parliament Monday next week, November 6.

Meanwhile, a Member of Parliament has told the media that MPs have totally lost all trust and confidence in the leadership of Sogavare.

“Sogavare has allowed his controversial nephew Robson Djokovic to control government affairs.”

Djokovic serves as the Chief of Staff in the Office of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

It was alleged that in a desperate move, Djokovic made “lucrative” offers to Snyder Rini and Danny Philip to remain with the government, but both MPs declined.

Sogavare counters this allegation, saying that some of the nine Ministers who have left his government were responsible for undermining the progress of the Anti-Corruption Bill (ACB).

In a statement on Sunday, the Prime Minister’s Office said the reasons the defectors have reported in the media were an attempt to disguise the underlying reasons for the move – the Anti-Corruption Bill.

The Anti-Corruption Bill 2017 went over First Reading in Parliament yesterday and was deemed to be set down for Second Reading next week.

Meanwhile, it is clear that the government is now running the country on minority.

However, as the political drama continues to unfold, reliable sources said government lobbyists are working hard behind the scenes rallying opposition and independent MPs to be sworn in as new ministers anytime until Monday November 6, 2017.

Island Sun understands that cabinet had a closed session after parliament which ended before lunch time yesterday.

Meanwhile, resigned Minister of Public Service Moffat Fugui penned his intentions while on a government sanctioned trip overseas.

A source familiar with government procedures said Fugui is legally disqualified to hold the portfolio as the Minister of Public Service during the trip because he had resigned from the government.

He left the country last week with the Minister of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology Samuel Manetoali, Minister of Education and Human Resource Development John Dean Kuku and government backbencher Commins Mewa to attend UNESCO’s annual Youth Forum in Paris, France.

The resigned ministers and backbenchers are currently camping at the Honiara Hotel.