New Choiseul Province Premier, Tongoua Tabe, being bestowed the shell money (Jiku Kesa) to lead the 30,000 plus people in the province. Photo: Tongoua Tabe/Facebook.
By EDDIE OSIFELO
NEW Choiseul Premier, Tonguoa Tabe, a descendant of the minority Kiribati community living in the province’s Wagina ward, has been given full responsibility to lead the 30,000 people of the province.
This was after the caretaker government that looked after the province for the last six months, led by Provincial Secretary, Nelson Kere handed a shell money (Jiku Kesa) in a short cultural ceremony in Taro, yesterday.
“Please do accept to wear our shell money (Jiku Kesa) to symbolize that you are the paramount leader of Choiseul Province for the days and years to come,” Kere said.
“This Jiku in our Lauru custom, only the Chiefs can wear,” he added.
“So today you carry the full responsibility of looking after the 30,000 plus people of Choiseul Province.”
Premier Tabe accepted the shell money graciously by kneeling down to receive it.
Speaking after receiving the shell money, Tabe said it is the proper time to undertake this ceremony because “I can now affirm you that my Executive is in full force, full position”.
“I have all the support from the backbenchers,” he said.
Tabe said this is a consultative government and this is “your government and we will make sure to make you happy to work extremely hard to please everyone in this province”.
“Together with the shell money, this is a test that the spirit of our forefathers of this land will bless us as we deliver for the next four years and beyond in Jesus’ name, thank you,” he added.
WING Leader of Gizo camp, Jeffrey Wickham says his team compromised for the sake of Western Province.
Speaking during a press conference yesterday, Gizo Camp which is chaired by Rence Sore explained why they compromise during the election of the Speaker and the Premier.
“We clearly understand that if today’s (yesterday) election came as a tie, the assembly will definitely dissolved and God know when will be the next provincial election.
“This is the very reason why we compromise our votes. Let me be clear, we are not part of the winning side or the result today (yesterday) does not mean that our team has joined the other camp, what we did was, we gave our vote but we remain as team,” Wickham said.
He said the reason why his team remain is that they established a policy that he believe would encourage better services and development.
Wickham adds that the policy was crafted based on ideas and understanding that the members of the team heard and suggested to their people during their campaign.
“My team’s dream is to establish a government that has conducive policy that would align with national policies as well as the interest of the people of Western Province.
“Now the result is not in our favor, we will try our best according to our legal mandate to make sure the newly elected provincial government delivers services and developments that are vital to Western Province,” he said.
Camp Chair, Rence Sore shared similar sentiment saying that to comprise is not losing but a show of maturity.
“Let me tell you this, Western Province is in the heart of this camp. We came together as team with strong ambition to serve our province.
“Our mission was for a united government because if we have united government, we will deliver expected services and development we inspire,” he said.
Sore reiterated that the result of Speaker and Premier’s election shows his team’s maturity and the heart to save Western Province from another catastrophic outcome.
“We have the interest of Western Province in our hearts. We do not want the 10th Assembly to be dissolved because our province has already suffered for six months.
“Now the ball in on the other camp and we will play our role as watch-dog to make sure there is check and balance in the province’s operation,” he said.
Responding to comments on Social Media, one of the team’s member, Opportunity Kuku said people should understand the process before painting a bad picture on people.
“The reality of our decision is totally different from people’s view on social media. While we accept their freedom of expression, they should or must understand the reason behind the results.
“Freedom of expression is part of our rights, but to comment on something that you don’t understand is something else.
“As my colleague already mentioned, we get to the point that there is no reason to play cheap politic but to save the province from another disaster, that is dissolution of the 10th Assembly and go for a fresh election,” he said.
Member of Provincial Assembly for Choiseul Province, Florence Vasaro, is the new minister for Lauru Affairs.
By EDDIE OSIFELO
CHOISEUL Province saw only one woman elected into the current Provincial Assembly.
Florence Vasaro made her way into the Assembly after winning the Babatana ward.
She is the only female MPA in the 16 male-dominated Assembly.
She received praises from a lot of women leaders in the country.
One of them is a respected woman from Choiseul and member of Solomon Islands National Council of Women, Ruth Liloqula.
Liloqula said Vasaro is a strong and outspoken woman in her community, who has a strong support from family and extended family.
She said Vasaro has only reached Secondary level of studies but a strong community leader.
“I met her when Transparency Solomon Islands went down to her village.
“I saw her people respected her when she talked in the public,” she said.
Liloqula said she has a lot of respect for her and glad she won the election.
Further to that, Liloqula, also Chief Executive Officer of TSI, said Vasaro will make a good MPA because she gets backup from her family, community and the church.
Furthermore, Liloqula said Vasaro’s winning election is a result the Lauru Land Conference of Tribal Community (LLCTC) push to see women take part in all aspects of leadership in the community, including politics and church.
She said as a result of this, LLCTC has increased the number of women in the executive.
LLCTC is a non-government organization founded in 1981 by Bishop Rev Leslie Boseto.
It belongs to the people of Choiseul Province – known locally as Lauru.
LLCTC is recognized both locally and internationally as a grassroots, ecumenical indigenous NGO.
Apart from Vasaro, Choiseul Province has also elected a first ever elected Premier from the minority Kiribati ethnicity, Tongoua Tabe.
Tabe represented Wagina ward, an island allocated and occupied predominantly by people of Kiribati-descent.
Solomon Islands Council of Trade Union (SICTU) has passed a resolution yesterday to do further consultation with their respective union members over the proposed 10 percent pay rise for MPs.
This was agreed following a meeting in Honiara yesterday, attended by Union leaders of doctors, nurses and paramedics, Solomon Islands National Teachers Association (SINTA) and Solomon Islands Public Employment Union (SIPEU).
SICTU President David Tuhanuku said they have agreed for the Union leaders to hold further consultations with their members.
He said they will return next week to discuss the issue, based on the feedbacks they get from their respective members.
The meeting came about after Cabinet approved a $13,000 increase to the fortnight salaries of all 50 Members of Parliament under the Parliamentary Entitlement Commission.
The Commission is expected to meet in March to decide on the proposal.
Prior to the meeting, PEC also invited MPs and beneficiaries to attend a consultation meeting on 15th February 2023 at their conference room at AJ City Mall Room 42.
The Commission is currently in the process of reviewing the Members of Parliament Entitlement Regulation.
The PEC proposal will see the Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare awarded an extra $30,000, on top of his annual salary.
This will give the PM’s new annual salary of $338.000.01.
The current annual salary of the MP is $307,919.30.
Furthermore, the Deputy Prime Minister’s new annual salary will be $304,872.67.
Ministers, Leader of Opposition and Leader of Independent Group to get $266,123.00.
The Deputy Speaker, Chairperson of Parliamentary Caucus, Chairpersons of Parliamentary Standing Committees to get $241,166.24 and the members to get $218,231.60.
Other benefits include:
meal allowance that increases from $200 to $500;
education allowance increases from $10,000 to $25,000;
appointment grant increase from $10,000 to $15,000;
Clothing allowance (to be differed from outfit) none, with Members to get USD$3000 while PM, DPM, Ministers and Leaders to get USD$7000.
Premier Billy Veo in the middle and his newly appointed Executive
Western Province appoints new ministers
BY BEN BILUA
BILLY Veo wasted no time following his election as new premier of Western Province, Monday, appointing his new executive on January 10
The executive members took their oath yesterday in front of the Speaker of Western Province, Commissioner of Oath and officials from Western Province’s Administration.
Here are the new ministers and their portfolios:
Premier Billy Veo – Minister for State, Community and Ecclesiastical Affairs
Carlrick Runimetu – Deputy Premier, Minister for Finance and Treasury
Pitrie Sute – Minister for Lands, Housing and Physical Planning.
Gordon Zebo – Minister of Education and Human Resource Development
Alesina Redfern – Minister for Planning, Economic Development and Aid Project Coordination
Jennings Movebule – Minister of Commerce and Investment
Ron Kituru Ghemu – Minister of Culture and Tourism
Jenty Isaac – Minister of Agriculture and Forestry
Stutcliffe George – Minister for Energy and Natural Resource
Brian Lotikena – Minister of Transport, Works and Communication
Kenneth George Minister of Health and Rural Water Supply
Richard Beck – Minister of Women, Youth and Sport Development
Fredrick Alepitu – Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources.
In his short remarks during the swearing-in ceremony, Premier Veo said he is confident that his executive will carry out the tasks successfully.
“After spending weeks with these leaders, I’m confident that they will deliver their mandated tasks.
“I hope and believe that my executive will perform in a highest standard and professionalism,” he said.
Veo said he expects his ministers to start mobilizing and get to work as soon as possible as Western Province needs to move forward after the long halt since June last year.
He said his government will work closely with Western Provincial Administrations and the office of the speaker to make sure needed developments are achieved and also services are effectively delivered.
Deputy Provincial Secretary (Acting Provincial Secretary) of Western Province, Patrick Toiraena told the executive members that the provincial administration is looking forward to support the new government.
“We are just implementers of government policies and at the same time delivers needed services, as such we are looking forward for your cooperation and supports,” he said.
Toiraena said Western Provincial Administration gives its support towards the new government.
He congratulates the new executive for their appointments.
Speaker, Ramrakha Talasasa shared similar sentiment saying that the Assembly Office will behind the appointed executive.
He urged that executive to support the Premier in delivering the government’s policy.
“Our Premier needs you so as the people needs the government. Our cooperation is paramount,” Talasasa said.
The new government of Western Province consists of seven former MPAs and six new ones.
Diku and Walemae pose for the camera at Kennedy Island
BY BEN BILUA
When love is rock solid, no one can change it unless by force. In the case of Solomon Islands, it is uncommon for a boy with disability to marry a girl without one.
But some wise men once said, seeing is believing and this was something I got from Diku Salau and Stephenson Walemae’s wedding.
Walemae was born with speech impairment, but that did not stop Diku Salau from falling head over heels with him.
She said yes to his marriage proposal last year.
You are now wife and husband.
Walemae and Salau tied the knot in a special ceremony first at Kennedy Island where they exchanged rings and then at Gizo Outback Living where the Garden wedding ceremony took place.
A special escort was arranged where the couple were transported by a fast-craft while families and friends including flower boys and girls filled more than nine boats to Kennedy Island and back to Gizo.
The wedding party were then escorted to Gizo Outback for the blessing of the marriage and feasting.
Walemae was the happiest man in the world, his smile throughout the wedding ceremony said it all.
On the other hand, Salau eyes also fixed on Walemae smiling as they were given special escort from Kennedy Island to Gizo hotel jetty and to Gizo Outback.
Diku and Walemae pose for a photo at Gizo Hotel Jetty.
“Love is blind but as a human being I see no difference between us. Our love is more than any definition you can give,” Diku said with a huge smile.
She recalled sighting Walemae during her graduation. Walemae was at the graduation to support his sister who also completed form seven at the same school.
It was the beginning of bigger plans but they went separately on their way home.
Walemae lives at Simbo and Diku at Kolombagara.
“At one point we met at Gizo and we started speaking to each other. I fell in love with him but cannot tell him.
“We were attracted to each other and continued to say hello whenever we met.
“Our friendship become romantic when Walemae asked for my facebook account. I gave him my account.
“One day I was checking my facebook and a message popped out. It was Walemae and he ask me and he wants to be my boyfriend.
“I accepted his proposal and we started dating. This was in 2021,” Diku said.
During the height of COVID-19 community transmission in Western Province, Diku and Walemae were separated again.
The night before they were about to travel to their separate islands, they met up for the last time and when the day broke, they went their separate ways.
Diku went back to Kolobangara and Walemae went back to Simbo.
The couple and their best maids.
“It was really challenging but we managed to keep in touch on Facebook. We continue to talk to each other until one day my Walemae lost his sim card.
“We lost contact and insecurity beginning to grow within me. I was desperate to speak to Walemae. One evening I was sleeping on my bed with lots of thoughts going through my head, I saw a text message. The statement reads ‘this is my new sim card’. I was comforted and I came back to Gizo to meet my husband.
“It was this time that we decided to let our parents know,” Diku said.
She said Walemae was the first to inform his family about their relationship.
“At that point, my mother-in-law very skeptical about our relationship because my husband has speaking impairment.
“She questioned me many times but my answer was the same. I moved to their home and I lived there with my husband. All these time, my in-laws cannot believe me, they were thinking that I’m just messing around with their son,” Diku said.
She recalled having a serious discussion with her mother-in-law and soon an engagement was made.
Diku said the fact that her husband has speech impairment does not change her feeling for him.
Her love for her husband is ‘rock solid’.
Walemae recalled meeting Diku for the first time was funny and a bit odd given that he was not able to speak.
“I saw her during her graduation and my mind was unsettled. I promised myself to pursue my love for her.
“I think far and near how to approach my wife but then I realize the easiest way to ask her is give her a message on Facebook and that was why I asked for you Facebook Account.
“It worked and I’m one of the luckiest man in the world,” he said.
Diku smiles as she and her husband was escorted to Kennedy Island for the exhange of rings.
Walemae described her wife as very loving, understanding and the best person he wants to spend the rest of his life.
“People like me always neglected in Solomon Islands and I want to prove that we are all human. We can enjoy life together if we have true understanding for each other.
“It was my desire to marry a girl that can talk or speak so that she can help our kids in the future,” he said.
After their spectacular wedding on Thursday, Diku and Walemae were given special treat where they spent a night at Gizo Hotel.
AUKI police are investigating a traffic accident that occurred over the weekend at Ambu village, near the provincial capital.
PPC Lesley Kili told SunAuki yesterday that the truck was used to provide public transport service in and around Auki.
He said on 7th January (Saturday) the truck picked passengers from Fauala in the interior of Central Kwara’ae and along the south-road on its way to Auki.
Kili said between 600hrs – 700hrs just as they were coming to Auki town, the driver fell asleep and the truck veered off-road and rolled downhill towards Ambu village.
He said police were alerted to the accident and responded with the support of members of Ambu community to assist more than 10 passengers onboard the truck.
Kili said several passengers sustained injuries and medical examination taken on passengers onboard the truck during the accident was submitted to police.
He said in their investigation, the driver was served with a notice to provide his driving documents to police to help in the investigation.
Kili said the case was established under the traffic law and investigation is ongoing. No death is reported from the accident.
Solomon Islands National University (SINU) pre -enrolment is currently underway.
SINU also kicked off its 2023 academic year as of yesterday, January 9, where it announced it is open for business.
According to its 2022 -2023 timetable this week from January 9 to 15 is the week five pre-enrolment week.
Next week from 16th to 22nd January will be enrolment week one and from 23rd to 29th January 2023 will be enrolment week two.
The first trimester will begin on January 23.
Meanwhile, according to the timetable, SINU will run for 35 weeks only in the 2023 academic year.
In semester one, 18 weeks are allocated for the whole semester whilst in semester two 17 weeks.
For semester one, 14 weeks for lecture, one week each for mid-semester break and study break and two weeks for final examination.
For semester two only 17 weeks. There will be 14 weeks for lecture, two weeks for mid-semester break and study break. Then one week for final examination.
MINISTRY of Infrastructure Development has blamed the internal processes in the Ministry of Finance and Treasury for the delay of upgrading the deteriorating roads in Honiara City.
This was after the public accused the government for not maintaining the road on the city’s highway from White River to Alligator Creek and the feeder roads in the outskirts, since last year.
MID Permanent Secretary, Stephen Maesiola said the process in the Finance is very slow, because the Compliance team could not approve the tenders after the competition of scoping study, so that the contractors could commence their work on the roads.
He said it is not MID’s problem that contributes to the slow maintenance of the roads.
As part of the addressing the issue, Maesiola said MID, Ministry of Finance and Treasury and Office of Prime Minister and Cabinet will meet today to iron the out issue.
He said in an emergency situation like this, some of the processes in the Finance should be fast-racked to allow work to continue rather than waiting for months.
Further to that, Maesiola said the three Ministries will also discuss the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Land and Maritime Connectivity project, to rehabilitate the road from Point Cruz to White River.
He said this is to see whether to start the work before the Pacific Games or next year.
Moreover, Maesiola said the upgrade of the second phase of the Kukum Highway from Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources to Lungga Bridge, and from Lungga bridge to Henderson Airport, still continues.
Also, three contractors, EMCO Pacific (SI) Limited, Solomon Sheet Steel and Xiao have carried out temporarily work on the deteriorating roads in Honiara already.
Outgoing premier of Choiseul Province Tongoua Tabe. Photo supplied
Choiseul makes history with election of Tabe as premier
By EDDIE OSIFELO
CHOISEUL Province made history yesterday when it elected Tongoua Tabe to be its next premier.
Tabe becomes the first person from the minority ethnic group of I-Kiribati (Micronesians) to be given the honour to lead Choiseul for the next four years.
He swept to victory with 10 votes ahead of his rival David Deva, who collected six votes in the 16-member Provincial Assembly.
“I feel very emotional,” Tabe told the Island Sun from provincial capital Taro after his victory yesterday.
“In fact, I am in tears,” he added.
“I feel loved, appreciated and respected by my colleague MPAs.
“I can see the Spirit of God with us in the chamber.
“Gracing us with love, unity and respect from our camp and the other camp too.”
Tabe later addressed the Choiseul Provincial Assembly Chamber.
“Let me, at the very outset, state this.
“I am not making a speech to you as your new Premier.
“Today, I want to speak to you and our people directly from my heart and on behalf of my Tabe family and the people of my Wagina Ward.
“I have plenty of time to speak to you later as your Premier.
“The election of any person to a high Executive Position is a demonstration by electors of their confidence in the person elected.
“You have precisely done that to me today in electing me as your Premier.
“Well, I can reply to that expression of your Will with two words best known and deeply engrained in me. ‘Work hard, and work harder’.
“I therefore, solemnly pledge to you today that I will work hard, and even harder, to repay the confidence you have in me.
“I am not a stranger in this beloved Province of ours. I am a born-and-bred Lauruan, but you all know that I come from our minority ethnic group of Ward 1 in our province.
“This makes your expression in electing me as your Premier extra special.
“It is fitting, therefore, at this time, that I, on behalf of my Tabe family and ethnic group of Ward 1, thank you sincerely for valuing the contribution of one of their sons, to this highest office of our beloved Choiseul.
“We will be getting down to businesses in the next 24 hours. I will, of course, be counting, 24/7, on our Ministers in the Executive Government and our very capable civil servants to push our development agenda.
“We will be a consultative government and leaders who will always uphold the rule of law and have high respect for our Offices and the people of Choiseul, whose power we will be exercising in the performance of our functions as Ministers in this Government.
“Solomon Islands has a Unitary Government, which means a provincial government must work with the National Government to optimise the delivery of our development priorities.
“This means that we must work hard to negotiate and then integrate our development aspirations and priorities with those of the National Government.
“Let me also state openly that whether you have voted for this government or not, this Government is for all the people of Choiseul.
“It is my intention to visit all wards in the next four years. But for now, allow my team and me to first put together our ‘brains’ in the next few weeks to determine our deliverables in the first 100 days and thereafter.”
Tabe, an educationist by profession, told his people of Lauru that he will work very hard with his government, to pay back the trust they accorded him on this Premier post.
He said they are still working on their key priorities but obviously, they will carry on from where the previous government left.
Tabe will appoint his ministers tomorrow.
Prior to his appointment, Tabe was a Secondary school teacher and later, an administrator.
He then became a classroom assessment officer within the Ministry of Education and Human Resources (MEHRD), where he served for six years.
Tabe got a Bachelors in Education and Masters Business Administration (MBA) from the University of South Pacific in Fiji.
