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The reunion

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    BY JOHN HOUAHIHAU

    Established in late 2023, the ‘Colleagues Band’ comprises members who are not strangers to the music scene, as many have previously played in various local bands in Honiara.

    Driven by their shared passion for music, these individuals united to create the ‘Colleagues Band’ in May 2023.

    “We began our journey two years ago,” stated band leader Samson Faisi. The name ‘Colleagues’ was chosen purposefully, symbolizing the solidarity, enthusiasm, and mutual interest in music that binds them within the Solomon Islands’ music community.

    “It signifies that we are all friends; instead of using the term ‘friends,’ we opted for ‘colleagues.’ Everyone shares a common passion, and we have come together because of our love for music. The band consists of members from various local bands, with some having previously played in groups such as the Little Rastas,” Faisi explained.

    Faisi also noted that these talented musicians encountered several challenges during their time in previous bands, leading many to take a break and remain at home.

    A significant location in their journey is the spot where they often gathered before forming the band.

    “We frequently found ourselves sitting beneath a mango tree at St. John School. This is where the idea to form the Colleagues Band originated. Most of us are already familiar with playing instruments and possess singing abilities.” Faisi said.

    In addition to this year’s 2024 World Food Day celebration, the colleagues’ band has actively participated in various events as a stage band since its establishment last year.

    “This marks the second year of the band since its beginning. We engage in significant events based on requests. For instance, during this year’s World Food Day, we were asked to provide entertainment over three days,” stated Faisi.

    “Our first performance after our formation took place during the Malaita second appointed day in 2023, and this year 2024,” he added.

    One notable achievement for the band was their participation in the Bonfire Festival 2024 in Honiara, which provided them with international exposure.

    “We are quite pleased with the opportunities we have received. It is a source of pride for us to contribute to the entertainment of such major events. All of my band members are currently unemployed, so these activities present them with a chance to earn income for themselves and their families instead of remaining idle,” Faisi remarked.

    “Performing at events is a truly enjoyable experience for me as a musician,” expressed Tony Katchi, the lead vocalist of the band, who is 42 years old.

    Music is a significant aspect of their lives, and each performance creates an atmosphere that entertains the audience while simultaneously allowing them to convey important messages.

    “I take great pleasure in what I do,” said Katchi.

    Katchi began his singing career in 2003 for the Little Raster’s Band.

    “I serve as a backup vocalist. some of our members had to leave due to other commitments. Despite their departure, a few of us have persevered, driven by our passion for music,’’ said the 42-year-old.

    Although there were aspirations for this young artist, circumstances at that time did not unfold as anticipated.

    “It is a common experience for many bands in the country; we form a group, and then some members leave, which often leads to disbandment. Ultimately, we decided to establish the band ‘Colleagues,’” he explained.

    One of the future objectives for the Colleagues Band is to focus on recording.

    “When we perform live, we also aim to record our songs. This is part of our plan. Music is meant to be enjoyed, to convey messages, and to promote peace and love, ultimately allowing us to become good ambassadors for our country. That is my perspective,” Katchi stated.

    “My brothers and I founded the Colleagues Band last year, around May 2023,” shared Mcintosh, the drummer and co-founder of the band.

    Mcintosh has also played drums for other prominent bands in Honiara.

    “We all came together and agreed that we could create our band and give it a name. We chose ‘Colleagues’ to reflect our shared identity as musicians. Having been active in the music industry, it felt appropriate to name the band ‘Colleagues,’ as it signifies our solidarity within this field.”

    The 33-year-old began playing the drums in 2007.

    “I am the one who proposed the name, as we all share a background in the music industry, where most of us earn our livelihood. Music is our primary source of income, particularly since we do not hold other jobs. We are musicians by profession.

    “Engaging in music is a wonderful experience. It has the power to transport you to unfamiliar places. Music fosters love, peace, and enjoyment, although one may encounter various challenges along the musical journey. Nevertheless, that is a part of life,’’ he said.

    In any profession, challenges are inevitable, and music is no exception.

    “We face numerous obstacles in our musical careers as well. But we are delighted for this God-given talent,’’ said the Band drummer, Mcintosh.

    EXAM LEAK PROBE FINDINGS

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    Education Ministry and Malaita Education Provider uncover source of leakage as investigations continue

    BY SAMIE WAIKORI

    An investigation into the reported leakage of the form six mathematics exam paper in Malaita province has uncovered five students as being involved.

    The five form-six students of Maoro Community High School in Central Kwara’ae are reportedly facing disciplinary action and will not sit for their exams.

    Reports say the students admitted responsibility in a swift investigation carried out by the Ministry of Education (MEHRD), Malaita Education Provider and Maoro CHS.

    Investigations continue following the reports of exam leakage in Malaita.

    A source close to the incident told this paper that the exam was leaked on Monday night by a form-six student of Maoro CHS.

    The source said the student was residing with the school principal and on Monday night, the principal told the student to go to the school office – where the exam papers were kept – to turn off the school wifi (internet).

    The source said the school principal gave the key of the school office to the student and left to attend to a death in a nearby community.

    His attendance to the death was to aware relatives that despite the death, the school must commence examination the next day.

    “The school principal was away in the community and the student as instructed went into the office to turn-off the wifi. It was during that period of time the student stole the exam paper.

    “The student then locked the office, returned the key to the principal’s house, but didn’t turn off the wifi. Around 2am that night, he joined four other colleague form 6 students and leaked the exam paper on social media.

    “The next day, nothing about the leakage was known at the school until evening of that day, when the examination supervisor for Maoro School saw it on social media.

     “Every school has a code number printed on the cover page of their exam papers, and the one he saw on the exam paper posted on social media belonged to Maoro CHS.

    “This is when he started to check the exam papers and found out the leak,” the source said.

    The school informed Malaita EP which relayed the information to MEHRD and a joint investigation was immediately launched into the matter.

    The source added that the investigation also showed that the students had shared the exam paper to form 6 students from other schools in the province.

    The matter is currently before the MEHRD and Malaita EP and further procedures to be taken either on the students or the school is also at their disposal.

    MAL to introduce dried fruit snacks for flights

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    By Loretta B Manele

    Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAL) is working on introducing dried fruit snacks to the menu for Solomon Airlines.

    Dr Samson Viulu, permanent secretary of the ministry spoke briefly on this during a recent interview.

    He said they are in discussions with Solomon Airlines to introduce dried fruit snacks in their flights and the chairman of the Solomon Airlines board really agrees with the idea.

    “We want to introduce dried mango fruit, dried pineapple fruit and dried papaya fruit”

    He explained that they are currently using some machines to find the best possible process at the most affordable cost.

    “So, we want to find the best low-cost approach to produce these three dried fruit snacks and once we come up with the best approach, we will introduce it to the private sector then the private sector will commercially produce it and sell it to Solomon Airlines”

    He mentioned that this is the first step they expect to take next year amidst having already worked on processes such as trials in their labs and so on.

    Viulu said the point is we don’t have any pride in those airlines because none of our local food are sold in these planes and the meals served are bought from overseas.

    Tentative trial date for case against 4 men set for next year

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    BY ROMINAH FAKA

    Court has set the tentative trial date for voir dire into the case of four men accused charged with grievous bodily harm to March 31, 2025.

    The matter was moved from previous principal magistrate to a new presiding magistrate, the reason being one of the accused is related to the magistrate.

    However, the presiding magistrate’s calendar for this year is fully booked.

    Court moved to November 22 for interim-mention. All accused are excused from appearing in court up till February 28, 2025 for last interim-mention which they are expected to appear in court.

    Court also directs in any event any of the accused were intending to travel out of Honiara, they are required to inform their lawyer for court to varied their bail conditions.

    Prosecution charged Luise Meke, Daniel Rofeta, Warren Basil and Daniel Fugui jointly for count of grievous bodily harm.

    All the four accused pleaded not guilty to the charge.

    It was alleged between 1am and 2am in the morning of August 16, 2023 at the Town Council Depot area.

    The complainant was waiting at the front gate of the Holy Cross transit in front of his girlfriend’s residence.

    It was alleged that the complainant honked for the security guard to open the gate for him and whilst waiting, he saw all the four accused running towards him from the opposite side of the road.

    When the victim shows that, he began to suspicious that this group might harm him and he quickly drove away to escape from them.

    After 30 minutes and so complainant return to the same located and whilst waiting for the security to open the gate he smoked a cigarette.

    All of the sudden the accused group attacked the complainant from behind.

    They used a hard object to strike the complainant right hand, causing him to fall onto the road unconsciously.

    Fortunately, one of the security officers at the Honiara City Council (HCC) workshop witnesses the attack and intervened and prevent the boys from further harming the complainant.

    Later he was later assisted to his girlfriend residence and later that same night complainant was not feeling well and went to National Referral Hospital.

    He was informed that his right side of his skull was cracked and there was internal bleeding.

    The injuries sustain by the victim was severe he was referred to Gold Coast University Hospital in Queensland, Australia for further medical assists.

    Vernon Taupongi acts for the crown and Delilah Kukura represent Luise Meke, Daniel Onorio represent Warren Basil, Jennifer Happilyn represent Daniel Fugui and Daniel Rofeta.

    First pineapple export expected in 3rd quarter of 2025

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    By Loretta B Manele

    The first pineapple export is expected to take place during the 3rd quarter of 2025.

    Dr Samson Viulu, permanent secretary for the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAL) revealed this during an interview with the media after the opening of “World Food Day” on Wednesday, 30th October at SINU, Panatina FOPA village.

    He said their friends from the Australian High Commission encouraged the idea for Solomon Islands to export fresh pineapple, particularly from Malaita province.

    Viulu said from their visits to pacific island countries they found that the tastiest pineapples came from Solomon Islands.

    He mentioned that of course other provinces also produce the fruit but Malaita stands out because of the unique flavour of pineapples grown there and because the province has “strength” in producing the fruit.

    Viulu said MAL has already purchased two fumigators last year, which is the machined used to treat fresh pineapples like removing pests from its skin before it’s exported.

    He added that while the machines are already in the country, they are yet to be installed as there is no housing or chamber to accommodate them.

    Viulu said it’s been a week now since they’ve put out a tender for interested contractors to submit their applications to construct the fumigation chamber.

    “This tender will close on 5th Nov and the selected contractor will build the fumigation chamber and do the installation of the machines at the ministry’s area at Henderson”

    Viulu said hopefully, the country should export fresh pineapple to Australia by the 3rd quarter of 2025.

    Australia funds standby generator for Auki police station

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    BY SAMIE WAIKORI

    Provincial police headquarter in Auki, Malaita province will no longer face challenges with electricity, as a new standby generator is provided for the station.

    Installation of the generator is underway coinciding with the current renovation of Auki police headquarter, both funded by the Australian government.

    Provincial Police Commander Malaita, chief superintendent Tex Tafoa expressed delight to the Australian government for the tremendous support.

    He said Auki police headquarter office will be among very few offices in Auki to have standby generators, which is important when face with power problems.

    “Now that we have a standby generator, I hope our work won’t disrupt by load-shedding like we used to before. It will also help my officers carry out their office work without concern on power supply,” Tafoa said.

    The PPC hoped that with such resources in place, it will help bolster their work output and their general policing work in the province.

    He stressed that this is however the essence of the support that will encourage and ensure police perform to the expectation of people they serve.

    Tafoa said his office is happy for the support from Australia as they look forward to make great use of the standby generator.

    Man pleads not guilty to murder and rape

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    BY ROMINAH FAKA

    A man has pleaded not guilty to murder and rape.

    John Koti, 41, was charged over allegations of the rape of a 31-year-old woman who later died due to her injuries sustained from the incident.

    The incident reportedly took place at New Vunuha, Ngella, Central Islands province.

    Defence opted for a short form preliminary inquiry to which the crown tendered in court yesterday the committal deposition documents.

    The matter moved to November 8 for ruling on the committal deposition.

    Police alleged on August 25 at New Vunuha village, Ngella, Central province, the deceased was at her home with her family.

    On that day, the deceased’s family was having a family gathering.

    Around 6pm, the family had their dinner, which was followed by discussion and storytelling session. The meeting ended around midnight.

    After the meeting, all the people that gathered for the family meeting left while the deceased and two women remained at the deceased’s house for clean-up.

    Between 12am and 1am the deceased and the two women were still cleaning when a person called in at the house. It was alleged that this person had just come back from fishing. He gave some fish to the women.

    The deceased told one of the women to cook the fish while she went to a Frank and Mary’s house about 50 metres away from her house.

    She was returning a pot they had borrowed for the family gathering earlier that night.

    Police alleged that these two women waited for more than an hour for the deceased to return but she did not return.

    The deceased suddenly returned after an hour passed and told one of the two women that her body was not okay.

    The woman saw that the deceased was bleeding heavily.

    The deceased told the woman that on her way to Frank and Mary’s house, the accused grabbed both of her hands and shut her mouth and dragged her into the grass and raped her with great force.

    The deceased said she had told the accused that she was bleeding profusely and he got up and took off.

    Prosecution said the deceased struggled and managed to get herself up and tried her best to walk back to her house.

    As she reached her house the two women tried their best to stop the bleeding but were unsuccessful.

    They took the victim to Tulagi that morning, August 26, where she was referred to the NRH in Honiara.

    When they reached the NRH the victim was pronounced dead.

    John Wesley Zoze appears for crown and PSO appear for Koti.

    Opposition leader Wale calls for PS Viulu’s sacking

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    Opposition leader, Matthew Wale

    BY NED GAGAHE

    This week Opposition Leader Matthew Wale called for the sacking of the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture & Livestock (MAL) Dr Samson Viulu.

    Wale made the call following documents that showed that Mr Viulu has continued to give directives under the Chinese Embassy’s Rural Sustainable Development Programme (RSDP) to the officers administered within the Ministry of Rural Development (MRD).

    The Opposition leader said documents showed that on October 4, 2024, Viulu used the RSDP letterhead to write a transfer memo for 200 drums of fuel purchased for Temotu Nende Constituency in 2023 to be transferred to Renbel Constituency in October 2024.

    This was done long after Viulu was moved out from the MRD.

    Wale has questioned why the RSDP letterhead is still used by someone no longer an officer employed under MRD.

    The opposition office is aware that this is just one of many letters Viulu wrote under the RSDP since he moved to MAL.

    But PS Viulu is yet to respond to clear the air over the allegations levelled against him.

    This paper attempted to speak with PS Viulu to respond to the allegations levelled against him yesterday but was unsuccessful.

    An email sent to him remained unanswered before this paper went to print last night.

    Following the publication of the statement by various media platforms it has also attracted a wave of criticisms and mixed reactions from the public spaces especially on the social media platforms in support and against the Opposition Leader’s call.

    Some commentors on social media demands that PS Viulu came out to clarify his side of story explain his actions revealed by the Opposition Leader.

    Others have defended PS Viulu’s actions.

    Minister of Agriculture and Livestock (MAL) Franklyn Derek Wasi was one of the commentors to came out defending Mr Viulu.

    “It’s an unappropriate fund which belongs to PRC and phase 1 is still being implemented. Funds blo PRC not SIG. Cheers,” emphasizing that the funds belong to PRC not Solomon Islands Government.

    He commented on a thread on the news posted on SMB online.

    Leader of the Independent Group and MP for East Are’are Peter Kenilorea Jnr also commented on the thread.

    “This is what happens when China outsources their money under the RSDP to govt ministries.

    “The CDF, on the other hand, goes through parliamentary processes and the management of resources are guided by the public finance management Act.

    “The RSDP, given that its China’s funds, should have been administered and managed by the Chinese Embassy themselves and should have never been outsourced to a SIG ministry. For example, Japan has its ‘grassroots’ programme that they manage themselves. Australia has its ‘community partnership programme’ that the manage themselves. US has SCALE.

    “These countries don’t outsource the management of their funds for their programmes to govt ministries. Interested communities apply directly to these Embassies, High Commissions, or non-government entities to access the funds.” MP Kenilorea said.

    The Opposition Secretariat issued a press statement on Thursday calling on the Prime Minister to fire Mr Viulu.

    “Viulu is the PS of MAL and not MRD so why is he still writing transfer memos under the RSDP and why are officers of MRD still taking directions from him. Is the RSDP his personal account and monies? There is clearly wrong doing on Dr Viulu’s part, but also on the part of the MRD officers that are enabling his illegal unethical behaviour,” Wale said.

    Wale said the RSDP is administered by MRD and not MAL and something fishy is going on.

    He has also questioned why signatories of the RSDP account have not changed from the previous management to the current one.

    “Viulu also confirmed to MPs that he only takes instructions from the Minister for Police Hon Jimson Tanangada which is total wrong,” he said.

     “In this matter, it is clear the Prime Minister knows everything that is going on with RSDP, and he is allowing it to continue,” Wale adds.

    He said the Prime Minister is too weak and indecisive and cannot take tough decisions and this is a real problem for governance for Solomon Islands.

    Wale said the PRC’s RSDP programme is being run by a mafia operation that treats the funds as private property and they refuse transparency and accountability to parliament and the public.

    The Opposition Leader said it is surprising that both the government and Chinese embassy have remained silent with the RSDP.

    “Why the silence? What are they hiding?” Wale questioned.

    Wale adds it seems the Minister of MRD himself is not aware of the situation or maybe he is ignorant of the crooked practices happening within his ministry.

    “This should not be the situation, and it is tragic and negligent,” Wale said.

    Wale said the RSDP must be brought under the budget and have the Public Finance Management Act applied to it.

    Wale calls on the Chinese Embassy to insist on it.

    “The current RSDP set up outside the budget has proven to be a hotbed for corruption and other unethical practices that are not good for the governance of Solomon Islands,” the Opposition Leader said.

    SEASONAL WORK WOES

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    Solomon Islands workers paid below minimum wage in Australia’s largest food processing company JBS Primo

    BY NED GAGAHE

    Solomon Islands seasonal workers in Australia’s largest food processing company JBS Primo under the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme are being paid below the Australian minimum wage rate of AUD24.1 per hour.

    Around 50 workers are reportedly affected by this mistreatment, and are being paid at AUD23.52 per hour.

    It is understood they are first-year workers, and are in their eighth month of employment. Second-year workers and above are reportedly paid the minimum wage and above.

    JBS Primo has not responded to enquiries sent it by Island Sun.

    The Solomon Islands foreign affairs ministry (MFAET), which coordinates the seasonal worker scheme here has also chosen to remain silent to enquiries.

    The Australian High Commission in Honiara has reiterated to the paper that the Australian government has zero tolerance for mistreatment of workers under the PALM scheme.

    One of the spokespersons for the Solomon Islanders employed by JBS Primo, who requested anonymity, shares that they had been misled by the company and MFAET officials during their meetings before flying over to Australia.

    They are heading towards their ninth month with JBS Primo and apart from being paid below minimum wage, they are still paying off deductions which they were promised would only be for the first three months.

    Payslips of several workers Island Sun have sighted show – mobility ongoing programme deduction, mobility programme ST flights deduction, health and mobile deductions – which the workers dispute.

    Another worker, speaking on anonymity said:

    “Now, I have been working for over a year with the company, but we’re still being paid below the minimum rate, this is totally unfair. 

    “Some of the workers who came before us, now in the second year, are being paid the minimum rate or more.”

    The minimum wage in Australia is AUD24.10 commencing from July 1 this year or $915.90 per 38-hour work.

    A spokesperson from the Australian High Commission, Honiara in response to this paper’s enquiry said that worker welfare and wellbeing is at the heart of how Australia approaches labour mobility.

    The spokesperson said all workers participating in the PALM scheme have the same workplace rights and protections as Australian workers.

    “Despite this we have no option but to sacrifice ourselves, work tirelessly every day,” a seasonal worker who spoke to Island Sun said.

    While the workers recognise the economic necessity of their employment, sending money back home to support their families and contribute to various purposes, they also highlight the adverse impact on their welfare and wellbeing.

    “This is really affecting us because we have to pay for weekly accommodation bills, living costs and other needs, we have to foot these bills,” the worker added.

    If there is no overtime work they receive only around AUD400 that payday, the worker said.

    The worker emphasised the need for responsible authorities to take this matter seriously, as it could have a detrimental impact on the well-being of individual seasonal workers.

    “Time and again we raised this with our supervisors and authorities but it seems it falls on deaf ears,” the workers said.

    As the concerns of seasonal workers gain attention, it remains to be seen how authorities will respond to ensure the fair treatment to the workers who play a crucial role in the agricultural workforce of Australia.

    The Island Sun sent questions two weeks ago to JBS Primo via their website but did not receive any response. This paper also contacted the JBS Primo via their Facebook page but with no response.

    This paper also sent questions to the Director of LMU of MFAET for comments for nearly three weeks but received no feedback or comment on that matter.

    This paper understands that in recent changes to the PALM scheme, from January 1 this year, employers are required to offer 30 hours of work per week, averaged over four weeks, for all existing and new short-term recruitments.

    Meanwhile, the spokesperson for Australian High Commission in Honiara said that the Australian Government has zero tolerance for worker mistreatment in the PALM scheme

    “We take all allegations of worker mistreatment seriously and promptly investigate them. Where breaches of Australian law or PALM scheme employer obligations are identified, we refer them to the appropriate authority or regulator.

    “Anyone with any concerns about PALM scheme workers’ welfare and wellbeing should contact the PALM scheme support line on 1800 51 51 31 or via ([email protected]).”

    The PALM scheme has provided over 7,600 jobs for Solomon Islanders, who save and send home an average of SBD8,500 per month, enabling them to pay school fees, build houses and start businesses.

    This programme helps support Solomon Islands’ economic development, and the benefits are felt across the communities of returned Solomon Islands PALM workers.

    FROZEN TARO

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    Local Malaita-based agribusiness launches pre-packed product

    BY INDY MAEALASIA

    A local agribusiness based in Malaita has marked a major achievement with the launch of its newly labeled pre-packaged taro product, now available for public purchase.

    Goshen Enterprise Ltd has teamed up with Meat Delights Shop at NPF plaza, Point Cruz to offer its ‘Solomon Frozen Taro’ product this week.

    Reflecting on this achievement, Goshen’s operation manager, Levite Maesimae shared his delight with Island Sun.

    “I am happy and excited, it is a new step towards my goal to get the products labeled,” he said.

    The idea for product labeling arose from previous discussions Goshen had with several local shops in Honiara.

    “We usually start with the normal production process, and our products did not have the labels. However, we soon realized that the domestic market wanted proper labeling,” he explained.

    With this new development, Goshen has seen a rise in interest from both existing and potential customers.

    “When we started with the labels, we began seeing growing interests among customers from various backgrounds- messaging me on Facebook to inquire about the products,” he mentioned.

    The taro crops are sourced from rural Malaitan farmers, processed and packaged in the provincial capital, Auki before being transported to Honiara for sale. Currently, the finished products are priced at $35 per package.  

    Maesimae explained that the current pricing is due to factors such as label printing which is costly and logistics.

    Despite these, he expressed hope to enhance the products and meet additional criteria to expand their availability in other shops.

    Meanwhile, Meat Delights Shop Manager, Tony Tepe emphasized that this partnership aims to promote local businesses and their products.

    “It aligns with our vision and is in our interests to assist and promote local business and their products,” Tepe said.

    Tepe also emphasised that offering the taro products would save customers valuable time and energy, making it more convenient for them to access high-quality local food options without the hassle of searching at the markets.

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