BY ALICE CAMPBELL

Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele on Wednesday evening had a private dinner with Lord Malcolm Bruce of the United Kingdom House of Lords. 

The dinner was hosted by the British High Commissioner, HE Paul Turner at the British Residence.

The discussions focused on shared parliamentary insights and the importance of strengthening support for Members of Parliament, ensuring that MPs can effectively balance national legislative responsibilities with the needs of their constituencies.

Bruce is visiting Honiara from February 2-6 as part of the Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD) programme.

WFD has partnered with the National Parliament of Solomon Islands since November 2022 to support parliamentary accountability, transparency, and institutional development.

The meeting was marked by a candid exchange of lessons drawn from extensive careers in public service.

Bruce, who served as a Member of the UK House of Commons for more than three decades before his appointment to the House of Lords, shared insights into Parliamentary reform issues. 

A key topic of discussion was the practical value of a parliamentary calendar, with both leaders noting that a predictable parliamentary schedule enables members to plan their work and constituency travel in advance, reducing pressure to choose between parliamentary obligations and community engagement.

PM Manele noted that, drawing on shared experiences highlighted by Lord Bruce, the effectiveness of parliamentary secretariats is a critical factor in ensuring that parliamentary committees function effectively.

Strong committees, supported by capable and well-resourced secretariats, were identified as essential to a well-performing and accountable parliament.

Manele was appreciative of the UK support for the National Parliament and highlighted that such discussions form part of ongoing efforts to ensure Solomon Islands MPs have access to international best practices. 

He noted the continued engagement of WFD, with the rollout of forthcoming online learning resources for Members of Parliament, and follow-up consultations with those who participated in recent professional development visits to the United Kingdom and the Isle of Man.

For feedback, contact: [email protected]

Editor: [email protected]

BY JOHN HOUANIHAU

Relief and maintenance works were carried out on Wednesday night this week at several key roads in Honiara as authorities continue efforts to address road damage caused by the recent bad weather.

The Ministry of Infrastructure Development (MID) confirmed that grading works were completed on Vura 1 and Vura 2 roads, with teams set to move to Vura 3 next for drainage improvements and culvert repairs.

Asphalt sealing is planned once preparatory works are completed.

MID said that grading and resurfacing using basecourse materials were undertaken to maintain safe and smooth access between Point Cruz and the Honiara City Council area along Mendana Avenue.

These temporary works will help sustain the road condition while awaiting full rehabilitation by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) under the Land and Maritime Connectivity Project (LMCP).

At Hibiscus Road, grading and resurfacing are also underway in preparation for asphalt sealing, MID said.

The Ministry’s Transport Infrastructure team is assessing drainage easements that have been blocked by nearby buildings, noting that effective water management is essential to ensure the longevity of the repairs.

MID said that relief works also commenced on the Panatina–Tanakake road network, which has been affected by poor drainage and road surface deterioration.

Meanwhile, preparations are underway for the reconnection of the Kohi (Tanaeba) Bridge.

MID said a contractor is expected to be mobilised to the site once the necessary paperwork is finalised.

The Ministry said additional road networks within Honiara and in the provinces have been identified for relief and repair works. However, budget limitations mean that priority will be given to the most critical sections first.

To support the ongoing road works, the Road Transport Board Taskforce is rolling out traffic management measures that aim to ease congestion and reduce delays, particularly along the main highway.

MID cautions that all works remain highly dependent on weather conditions, as the country is currently experiencing the wet and cyclone season.

Despite these challenges, the ministry reaffirms its commitment to continue essential road maintenance across the capital.

Photo: Supplied

For feedback, contact: [email protected]

Editor: [email protected]

 BY JUNELYN KELLY

Young women from Solomon Islands and overseas are busy preserving the cultural heritage of our islands.  

Under the watchful guidance of National Museum curator, Grinta Ale’eke and Nick Dixon from the New Zealand Voluntary Service Abroad (VSA), the young ladies have been cleaning, reorganising and electronically cataloguing all the cultural heritage artifacts of the National Museum before they get installed back into the main exhibition hall.

The museum has been closed for renovation but should be reopened soon.

The cleaning and cataloguing work is a multinational effort: Margareth Dawea and Lucy Florita are young Solomon Islanders who will be working for the Museum when it reopens. 

Natalie and Claire Turner are the nieces of British High Commissioner, HE Paul Turner. 

The twins, who have just graduated from school, are currently spending a month in Solomons working on voluntary programmes; they plan to go to university next year. 

Mr Turner visited his nieces at work yesterday and was given a tour of the premises and the thousands of artefacts in storage. 

He said it was a hugely enriching experience seeing young people discovering and preserving Solomon’s history.

Mr Dixon is working for the Ministry of Tourism and National Museum.  

A key part of his work is organising the permanent exhibition at the new “Number 1 Haus” Museum in Tulagi where some of the artefacts will be shipped. 

The building is the former residence of the first British Commissioner for Solomon Islands, Charles Woodford, and was the centre of the British Solomon Islands Protectorate until World War II. 

The reconstruction of the residence was completed last year through the support of the Ministry of Tourism.  

New Zealand and the UK are providing financial and technical support to the “Number 1 Haus” exhibition which is planned to open in June.

Photo: Supplied

For feedback, contact: [email protected]

Editor: [email protected]

BY ALICE CAMPBELL

OPPOSITION Leader Matthew Wale calls on the Ministry of Infrastructure Development (MID) to ‘seriously’ review all road and infrastructure contracts.

Following a month of heavy rains, Honiara’s roads have deteriorated to severe conditions which Mr Wale described earlier this week as ‘posing risks to lives’.

Wale doubled down on this yesterday, blaming it on ‘unqualified contractors who lack the technical capacity, equipment, or experience to deliver durable infrastructure’ who MID has been contracting to repair Honiara’s roads.

He also calls on the MID Minister to ‘remove people who are incapable of their job’.

“I encourage the minister to take the lead to ensure only genuine, properly qualified, and experienced contractors are awarded road construction and maintenance contracts across the country,” Wale said in a statement yesterday.

The Opposition Leader said the continued deterioration of roads, bridges and infrastructure, particularly during heavy rain, is clear evidence of poor workmanship and weak oversight in the awarding of public infrastructure contracts.

“Too many of our roads are failing within months of completion. This raises serious questions about contractor qualifications, procurement standards, and supervision by responsible authorities.”

Taxpayers’ money must not be wasted on substandard work carried out by unqualified contractors who lack the technical capacity, equipment, or experience to deliver durable infrastructure, Wale said in the statement.

Wale said officials entrusted with safeguarding public funds and infrastructure standards have a duty to do their jobs.

He said their failure to properly monitor projects and hold contractors accountable has contributed significantly to the current state of our roads.

“I am urging the MID minister to remove people who are incapable of their job.

“Roads, bridges or any public infrastructure for that matter are not just about convenience. They are critical for safety, access to markets, health services, and education. When roads collapse, communities suffer and lives are put at risk,” Wale said.

The Opposition is calling MID to:

-Enforce strict contractor qualification and accreditation requirements

-Ensure transparent and competitive tender processes

-Strengthen supervision and quality control during construction

-Hold contractors accountable for defective or failed works

Solomon Islands has just come through three consecutive bouts of bad weather in which heavy rains and strong winds warnings were sounded for the entire country.

The adverse weather conditions were associated with troughs which hovered over the country, caused by tropical low systems which were developing to the country’s south.

Cancellation for the latest bout of bad weather warnings came about on Sunday, Feb 1.

Apart from Honiara’s roads, bridges in parts of Guadalcanal leading into the east and western ends of the city were also damaged by flooding.

MID throughout has been engaging contractors to repair the roads in between intermittent torrential rains but it only seemed to worsened the roads’ states.

With the sun shining again, it is hoped that the dry weather continues for road repairs to continue without disturbance.

Photo: MID

For feedback, contact: [email protected]

Editor: [email protected]

BY JUNELYN KELLY

The Police Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Department will conduct planned bomb blast operations in Western and Choiseul provinces as part of ongoing efforts to safely dispose unexploded ordnances (UXO).

In Western Province, the operations will be carried out in Munda and the surrounding communities and islands from today to Thursday, February 12, a police statement yesterday said.

“The activities will take place daily between 8am and 4pm.”

In Choiseul Province, operations will be conducted inland at Tarekukure today and tomorrow between 8am and 4pm each day, police said.

Communities within these areas are strongly advised to keep clear of the operational sites while the bomb blast activities are in progress. Roadblocks will be enforced during the stated times to ensure public safety, police said.

Affected communities will be duly informed of the specific operational sites, and the RSIPF kindly calls on all residents to cooperate with police officers on the ground, as the safety of the public and officers remains the highest priority.

Meanwhile, the police urges communities in Western and Choiseul provinces to continue reporting any sightings of unexploded ordnance.

“Reports can be made directly to the RSIPF EOD via phone number 7495215 or to the nearest police station.”

Photo: Supplied

For feedback, contact: [email protected]

Editor: [email protected]

Solomon Islands Government 2026 scholarship list officially endorsed, expected to be released today

BY SYLVANA TEKUMAHA

The Solomon Islands Government (SIG) 2026 Scholarship list has been officially endorsed and is expected to be released today.

The total scholarship recipient for 2026 is around 1440 spaces.

Minister of Education and Human Resources Development (MEHRD), Tozen Leokana endorsed the scholarship list yesterday.

During the endorsement programme, the Solomon Islands Tertiary Education and Skills (SITESA) Chief Executive Officer, Constance Nasi said assessments were done and admitted delays occurred.

SITESA has allocated 68 scholarship spaces for the in-service teaching sector following final assessments and presentations.

A further 53 spaces were awarded under the in-service public service category, while 123 spaces were allocated to the in-service private sector.

An additional seven spaces were set aside under the close category for higher qualifications.

Under the pre-service constituency category, Ms Nasi said SITESA increased the number of scholarship spaces this year.

“For the 2026 scholarship listings, SITESA has allocated 10 more scholarship spaces for the constituency category. Last year we provided five,” she said.

She explained that the increase follows the introduction of a new “tuition-only” scholarship category for the 50 constituencies, where only tuition fees are covered.

Because of this initiative, the number of recipients under the category has risen from 5 to 15 compared to 2025, improving access to education opportunities for more students.

Nasi added that 750 recipients at the Solomon Islands National University (SINU) are funded under the tuition-only category, while 470 fully funded pre-service scholarship spaces have also been allocated for 2026 based on merits.

“Majority of the recipients under the pre-service constituency category were self-funded, they already have a programme at SINU but due to financial constraints they could not continue, so we are supporting that,” she said.

Minister Tozen thanked the staffs and the oversight committee who worked tirelessly throughout the process, making the endorsement a success.

“This investment clearly demonstrates our government’s commitment to building a skillful workforce and securing workforce of the future of Solomon Islands,” he said.

This is an investment in our nation’s future, by strengthening education, governance and commerce.

“As the Minister of MEHRD I am proud to sign this, and let us celebrate the partnership and let us celebrate the future of our people,” Leokana said.

Photo: Supplied

For feedback, contact: [email protected]

Editor: [email protected]