Home Blog Page 1617

PM points to ACB as reason for walkout  

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
-
0
PM Sogavare

BY JARED KOLI

 

PRIME Minister Manasseh Sogavare has stated that some of the nine Ministers who resigned from his government were responsible for undermining the progress of the Anti-Corruption Bill (ACB).

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

Seven of the Ministers resigned on late Friday evening and two more resigned yesterday afternoon as confirmed by the Government House Deputy Private Secretary to the Governor General, Rawcliffe Ziza.

They are;

  • Danny Philip, Minister for National Planning and Aid Coordination and member of United Democratic Party (UDP).
  • Snyder Rini, Minister for Fisheries and Marine Resources and Member of UDP.
  • Chris Laore, Minister of Forestry and Research and member of Peoples Alliance Party.
  • Moses Garu, Minister of Police, National Security and Correctional Services and member of Kadere party
  • Moffat Fugui, Minister of Public Service and member of UDP.
  • Elijah Doromuala, Minister of  Justice and Legal Affairs and member of Peoples Alliance Party.

Two other Ministers that resigned yesterday are the Minister of Provincial Government and Institutional Strengthening David Tome – member of Peoples Alliance Party and Minister of National Unity, Reconciliation and Peace – Samson Maneka who is a member of UDP.

Sources said that more Government MPs including backbenchers are likely to resign from the government and a Motion of No Confidence is expected this week.

 “Some of these resignations come as no surprise based on the fact that some of these same Ministers were responsible for undermining the progress of the ACB and the Opposition and Independent Parliamentary Groups have inadvertently aligned themselves with this agenda,” Prime Minister Sogavare said in the statement.

The statement also added that the ACB has been tabled in Parliament and is scheduled for Parliament this week.

It says the government remains intact despite the nine resignations and that Prime Minister Sogavare is confident and assures the Nation that the DCCG will deliver on its promise.

“The DCC Government will not allow petty politics to hinder the delivery of the Anti-Corruption Bill. This is what the people want and DCCG will deliver the Anti-Corruption Bill.” Hon. Sogavare MP further stated.

The political drama come on the eve of the visit of Taiwanese president Dr Tsai Ing-wen, who is due in Honiara on Wednesday.

Minister dumps allegiance in Europe

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
-
0
Moffat Fugui

BY BEN BILUA

ONE of the nine Government Ministers who resigned over the weekend penned his intentions while on a government sanctioned trip overseas.

Reports reaching this paper states that Hon Moffat Fugui who appeared in the media yesterday as one of the Ministers who have resigned is part of a government delegation who will be attending a meeting in Paris.

It is still unclear whether Hon Fugui submitted his recognition while he is in the country or did he send back his resignation letter to the Governor General Office while overseas.

Minister of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology Hon Samuel Manetoali, Minister of Education and Human Resource Development Hon John Dean Kuku, Minister (former) of Public Service Hon Moffat Fugui and Hon Commins Mewa left the country last week to attend UNESCO’s annual Youth Forum.

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

“If a Minister legally resigns, the post he/she once had will be vacant immediately after the announcement of his/her resignation, the government will then appoint a new candidate and refer it to the Governor General’s office for swearing in as a Minister,” the source said.

The source explained that a resigned minister of the crown is disqualified from making any statement on behalf of the country in any international convention unless the Prime Minister allows him/her to do so.

Expatriate dies in Ngossi home

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
-
0

BY JARED KOLI

AN expatriate was found dead at his Ngossi ridge home on Friday evening.

The expatriate was identified as the Shift Manager of Coral Sea Resort and Casino and British national, Steve Brotherhood.

Reports reaching The Island Sun said Steve didn’t turn up for work on Friday. He was later called during the evening but didn’t respond.

Work colleagues then went to his house and found the dead body on the sofa in the building and alerted the police.

Police Forensic Officers including Police Criminal Investigation Department (CID) soon arrived at the scene and collected evidence to assist in the investigations as reasons surrounding the death remains unknown.

The dead body was taken to the morgue for post mortem to confirm the cause of death and repatriation arrangements were made to fly the dead body home.

Call for cooperation over Manaoba MoA

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
-
0
Manaoba Airport

BY JARED KOLI

CHAIRMAN of Aebusu tribe Hardyson Maenu’u and his tribal members have been called on to cooperate with the Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) and allow flights to Manaoba airstrip.

Chief Frank Lauta Daoga of Lolo tribe made the call yesterday after Mr Maenu’u and two of his tribal members threatened to dispute the MoA – saying they do not recognize the MoA.

The MoA was signed on October 19, 2017 by representatives of Lolo, Toniwane, Kaore and Aebusu tribes with the Commissioner of Lands at the Attorney General’s Office at the Panatina Plaza.

Aebusu tribe was represented by Hardyson Maenu’u’s elder brother Ben Maenu’u and Kelesi Robu during the MoA signing, claimed Chief Daoga.

But in a latest move, Mr Hardyson Maenu’u and two of his tribal members Vice Chairman Ben Faramai and member Robu Saeni threatened to dispute the MoA as reported in the Solomon Star on Friday.

Responding to this, Chief Daoga said Mr Hardyson Maenu’u should go along with his elder brother and tribal leader Ben Maenu’u and Kelesi Robu who signed the agreement to allow flights to Manaoba airstrip.

“Air services must be experienced in the Lau Baelelea area and other neighboring parts of Malaita province.

“We have experienced travelling by ship, now we want to experience air services to the Northern region of Malaita.

“As a chief of Lolo tribe who have legal document over the registered land I call for cooperation by Mr Hardyson and his party,” Chief Daoga said.

He said according to legal documents stemming from House of Chiefs to Customary Land Appeal Court (CLAC), Lolo tribe is currently the rightful land owner of Manaoba.

Chief Daoga said they must cooperate with Ben Maenu’u and Kelesi Robu because they are the ones pronounced as their leader to him as Chief of Lolo tribe.

Chief Daoga said there is no dispute over ownership of the airstrip pending before the High Court as Aebusu has lost all its court cases and have signed a Consent Order in the High Court on 11 March 1999.

The Consent Order signed by late Paul Maenu’u – Appellant of Aebusu tribe and late Gabriel Ramo – Respondent of Lolo tribe hereby ordered that both are members of Lolo tribe which owns the lolo/Ngwalulu disputed land where the airstrip is situated.

This consent order was an out of court understanding to serve a certain purpose including that both parties ensure that any development activities planned for the tribal land proceeds undisturbed, according to Chief Daoga.

He rubbishes Mr Hardyson Maenu’u’s claim which suggests that the MoA reflected some people wanting to get their pockets filled during the festive season as he (Hardyson) heard reports that contractors are doing grass cutting and other jobs to prepare the airstrip.
“MoA is not something that you sign to take money from the government; it is a binding document that we agree for flights to proceed.

“We must let flights go freely to Manaoba, because the government has spent huge money to build the airport, and we must let the airstrip without use which has now gone for three long years, but must allow this service” he said.

Chief Daoga said as Land Owner he welcome the notion that flights must resume to Lau and Baelelea this festive season so that people travel freely to their homes and villages to spend their holidays.

“If you have legal matters bring them to court but you cannot stop the flights, we must allow services to proceed now, and experience air service in our area.

“If we bring in air service we can experience thriving cash flow in our area, in terms of tourism, market and other goods and services locals can offer,”

“Disagreement will only create problem, a bunch of legal documents have been taken to the courts, why do we have to agree on one side and bark on each other on the other side, the court has all the right to decide on our claims.

“We should agree to the MoA and move forward,” Chief Daoga said.

On behalf of the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Communication and Aviation who is also the Chairman of the Aviation Task Force (ATF), Attorney General James Apaniai said, apart from the four main disputing tribes, the agreement is still open for signature by any other tribes who claim ownership of the airfield and urge such tribes to come forward and sign the agreement if they want to be parties to the agreement.

Chief Daoga said he will sign the MoA today or tomorrow to allow flights to Manaoba.

Body builders make history

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
-
0
U-70kg gold medalist Rocky Teklem is the 23rd South Pacific Bodybuilding Championship overall winner…Photo Taromane Martin

Teklem is Mr South Pacific

BY TAROMANE MARTIN

SOLOMON Islands body builders competing at the 23rd South Pacific Body Building Championship in Honiara have created sports history, dominating the medal tallies over the weekend.

The body building championship was held at the Multipurpose Hall on Saturday and saw athletes from New Caledonia, Tahiti, Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands competing to be crowned the overall South Pacific Body Builder champion.

Solomon Islands won gold in the men’s junior category, the U-65kg, U-70kg, U-80kg, U-85kg, U-90kg, U-100kg, the master’s category. Under- 75kg gold medal winner Rocky Teklem claimed the overall title as the South Pacific Body Building champion after a tough show down with U-75kg gold medalist New Caledonian Sanmarso Nelson, U-80kg gold medalist Tahitian Mataira Teripuia and Under-85kg gold medalist John Ima.

Solomon Islands Body Building Federation Vice President Dickson Kai thanked the government and their sponsors for believing in their athletes saying, “Preparations will continue for next year’s event”.

PM could fail today

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
-
0
PM Manasseh Sogavare

By Alfred Sasako

 

PRIME Minister Manasseh Sogavare, the nation’s only politician who has held the post three times, could face the inevitable when Parliament resumes this morning.

Reports suggest the DCC government has lost up to 21 MPs including senior government ministers through resignations over the last two days.

The defectors have teamed up with the Opposition, putting the head count in the Opposition camp at 32 MPs, leaving the government’s dwindling number at 18. Last night, they were finalising their plans for this week’s sitting of Parliament, which resumes this morning after a week’s adjournment.

Mr Sogavare’s deputy, Manasseh Maelanga, could take over the leadership in a vote of no confidence, some reports suggest. Insiders say a notice of the no confidence vote was submitted to Parliament on the weekend.

The DCC Government was also meeting in Caucus all day yesterday but no details were immediately available.

It was confirmed as of last night that some 12 Ministers and nine (9) backbench had resigned. The figure included seven Ministers whose resignations were tendered and accepted by Government House on Saturday. More resignations were on the way, according to some reports.

If these figures were correct, it would mean the Opposition now boasts of 32 while the DCC government has 18, largely made up of Kadere Party members.

The 32 MPs on the Opposition side are from the United Democratic Party (UDP), the People’s Alliance Party (PAP) and the Democratic Alliance Party (DAP) which has joined the new Opposition grouping.

Punters say only last minute inducements could save Mr Sogavare as he struggles to keep members of the Democratic Coalition for Change (DCC) Government intact.

Social media reports say two men on the government side were offered $1 million each in cheques, but they refused.

Island Sun can confirm that the two men were former Finance and Treasury Minister, Snyder Rini and former Minister of Development Planning and Aid Coordination, Danny Philip.

Both men told members of the new grouping that Chief of Staff Djokovic gave them $1million in cheques but they refused as they had made up their mind to walk out from the government. According to the two former Ministers, the offer of payment was intended to stop them from deserting government.

Mr Djokovic could not be contacted for comments last night.

Many blame the mass resignations on a number of factors, including the way Chief of Staff, Robson Djokovic, runs the Office of the Prime Minister. They say Mr Djokovic simply wields far too much power.

It is public knowledge that his style of leadership was blamed for driving MPs away from the Sogavare-led administration in 2008.

“It looks like the 2008 syndrome is going to repeat itself. If it has, then it is clear Mr Djokovic has never learned from his mistakes,” insiders said last night.

Meanwhile the new grouping has scoffed at suggestions by Prime Minister Sogavare that Coalition MPs deserted him because they fear he would table the Anti-Corruption Bill.

“Nothing could be further from the truth. The reason we have moved away from the government is because of Mr Sogavare’s indecisiveness on the Anti-Corruption Bill. We want to be free so we can bring the Bill to Parliament,” a spokesman said.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister’s Office last night said the numerical strength of the Democratic Coalition for Change Government (DCCG) remains intact despite the recent resignations of nine (9) government ministers. SEE RESPONSE FROM THE PMO ON PAGE 3

Caritas plans another stage for START

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
-
0
Senior Programme Coordinator of Caritas, Ms Marion Ferguson.

BY SAMIE WAIKORI

THE Caritas Aotearoa NZ that currently working with the SIAVRTC is planning another stage of the START programme for Rural Training centres in the country.

The programme “Strengthening Technical and Agricultural Rural Training” (START) has been effective over the last three years with support from Caritas and the New Zealand Government on the improvement of RTCs in the country.

Senior Programme Coordinator of Caritas, Ms Marion Ferguson told Island Sun yesterday that more people are showing interest in the programme as it is ending.

“We finish in August 2019 and between now and then we have to prepare data/information because we really want to plan another stage.

“And we think this programme is really successful even though we are halfway. Lot of people has been telling us we need to do this more.

“But would probably do it a little bit different and probably use more Solomon Islands trainers and make more to use local expertise,” she said.

However, Ferguson said the problem is getting enough money from the people in NZ to put alongside NZ government’s money.

She said the NZ government is very positive in its assistance especially to the programme and the result of the programme is what they really want to see.

“But the result is really good as we see huge change and amazing hard work from the people as we work on the programme,” Ferguson said

“So NZ government is waiting to get the final report of the programme and after that we thing of pursuing them for more fund for another stage of the programme.

“Because for this programme NZ government supported 80 percent and the catholic communities in NZ supported 20 percent of the fund.”

The programme is a joint cooperation between Caritas Aotearoa NZ and Solomon Islands Association of Vocational Rural Training Centre (SIAVRTC) that provided trainings, infrastructure and other areas toward improvement of RTCs in the county.

New sets of nursery tools for Vatukola community

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
-
0
A POB Staff (right) hands over the Grass-cutter to Chief Agusto and another village elder, during the ceremony yesterday. Photo by POB Media.

VATUKOLA Community at Kakabona, North West Guadalcanal has received a new set of nursery tools today, thanks to the Pan Oceanic Bank (POB) and its CSR project.

Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Pan Oceanic Bank Mr Nigel Adrian and his staffs donated the tools to the community as one of the first community that joined them in the project.

The tools were purposely to assist the community in their tree planting activities.

“We gave a grass-cutter, spades and bush knifes for them to keep the area near the trees clean and nice.

“This is donated to the community, so that the plains can grow well and gave beauty to the landscape,” the COO said.

Speaking in appreciation for the kind donation of the useful tools and mahogany trees, Community Chief Agusto has thanked POB for seeing it fit to assist his community, as well as the Ministry of Forestry and Research for the project to plant trees.

“First of all, we thank POB and Forestry for the approach and interest to supply mahogany seedlings to this particular community Vatukola.

“We are so fortunate. We will do our best to keep and nature these plants through the process,” Chief Agusto said.

The chief added that this project will encourage his community to work together and do some good in their mass grass lands, for something that they all can benefit from in the near future.

–POB PRESS

Human resource – NRH lab’s main challenge

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
-
0
Brenda Laurii and Ann Lin in the dengue lab of the NRH

BY LYNTON AARON FILIA

 

HUMAN resource is one of the major challenges the national referral hospital’s lab is facing.

And this problem has been persisting for years, it is revealed.

This has forced Taiwanese deployed doctors to be employed in the lab to fill in the manpower gap.

Recently, Taiwan Health Centre in Honiara through its partnership with Solomon Islands government and Taiwan’s Government, have sent two specialists from Taiwan to join the lab team.

NRH Laboratory Technologist, Mrs Brenda Laurii said the lab’s current staff of 27 is still not enough to meet the demands.

She said to keep the lab functioning each department needs to have good number of working staff but unfortunately the Ministry of Health and Medical Service has freezed recruitments.

Laurii said lab plays an important role for diagnose activities inside NRH and doctors also rely on them although it is regarded as second or third grade among workers.

“Currently we should improve our machines such as PCR and DNA testing to avoid spending lots of money for sending samples overseas.

Taiwanese Lab Technician, Mrs Ann Lin completed her two-week volunteer work as lab technician to work in the NRH’s dengue lab.

She said although they did well during the course of two weeks, they did not keep up with regular tests due to insufficient manpower.

Lin adds to the outcry for more workers, saying that more technical personnel are needed for regular testing and maintenance of the equipment.

She recommends that the lab’s problem be solved immediately.

Lin graduated from Kaohsiung medical university in medical technology.

She worked with Kaohsiung medical university hospital for seventeen years, and expressed her excitement to have a chance in joining the plan for dengue lab.

Election date for Western and Choiseul

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
-
0

BY JARED KOLI

THE Choiseul and Western Provincial Assembly Elections will be held on a date to be set by officials from the Ministry of Provincial Government and Institutional Strengthening (MPGIS).

This is according to Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs George Palua when he addressed the media at the launch of the BVR update for the two provinces and communication campaign yesterday.

Mr Palua however, said it is hoped that each respective Provincial Election will be called by the Ministry immediately after their Voters Roll had been completed by the Solomon Islands Electoral Commission (SIEC).

“All the remaining provinces will have their update as part of the nation-wide voter registration update beginning in the second quarter of 2018 in readiness for the National General Election which is highly likely to be in early 2019,” he said.

Mr Palua said he is confident that the Electoral Commission is well prepare for this update and wish them well in the implementation tasks that lie ahead.

SIEC has launched the Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) update for Western and Choiseul province yesterday.

The update exercise hopes to commence in 28 November 2017.

The BVR exercise will be conducted in readiness for the two provinces to conduct their provincial Assembly elections early next year.

 

1...1,6161,6171,618...1,665Page 1,617 of 1,665