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One active covid-19 case detected

Written by
Mavis Podokolo
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BY MAVIS N PODOKOLO 

RECENT samples collected shows one active case of covid-19 been detected in the first week of April.

This is according to the Secretary to Prime Minister Dr Jimmie Rodgers in a press conference yesterday.

“Based on recent testing of 26 samples in the first week of April there is one positive case of COVID-19 and the Ministry is stepping up testing across sentinel sites for a more accurate picture of the viruses in circulation,” Rodgers said.

He said testing have highlighted earlier that Human Rhinovirus/Enterovirus as the predominant virus for the first week of April.

“We will provide more information once results from ongoing testings come through,” Rodgers said.

He adds in terms of priorities, COVID-19 operations all have ceased and only testing for surveillance purposes is continuing for patients presenting with flu like illnesses to clinics.

“Much of the focus now is on strengthening health systems to better respond to the health needs of our people and to better prepare for similar disease outbreaks such as COVID-19 in the future. This is implemented as per our National Health Strategic Plan 2022 -2031,” Rodgers said.

6-STOREY UNSAFE

Written by
Ofani Eremae
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The current state of incomplete Anthony Saru Building.

With only 1 emergency exit stairs and a faulty elevator, tenants are calling on NPF to fix the crumbling high-rise building

BY NED GAGAHE

Safety of tenants occupying the Anthony Saru Building is at stake following slow progress by Solomon Islands National Provident Fund (SINPF) to fully restore damages caused by last year’s 7.3 magnitude earthquake.

Concerned tenants have issued fresh calls for SINPF to swiftly take necessary actions and complete restoration works urgently.

It is still unclear when the restoration works will be completed and the building declared safe for use.

Tenants of the building told Island Sun public access via stairwell leading to upper levels of the building have been sadly out of use since November last year.

Tenants were assured in November via a notice by the SINPF Board and management that stairwell propping work was supposed to proceed following procurement of materials.

To date nothing has happened.

“The lift was not functioning properly. On few occasions the lift dropped with people trapped inside.

“Another occasion people being trapped for almost 30 minutes locked up inside before being freed.

“In case of an emergency, fire or earthquake, there is no alternate escape route except for the only one lift that is working.

“But the lift is working is not functioning properly as well.

“We fear that the worst might yet to come if these issues are not urgently addressed.

“Why took so long to fix these issues.” They said.

In light of these incidents the tenants have called on to the SINPF to investigate these and ensure that work is done to fix these problems as a matter of priority and urgency. To guarantee the safety of its occupants.

Comments is being sought from SINPF on the matter.

The building is the home of some of the government ministries which includes, Ministry of Women Children, Youth and Family Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade and other private sector firms.

Trepidations of a female student in Port Moresby

Written by
Ofani Eremae
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Not being apprehensive about your safety in public spaces is a luxury – one that I recently enjoyed as an ANU-UPNG Summer Scholar in Canberra.

Sadly, this is not a luxury that is available for Papua New Guineans.

The issue of law and order has been a longstanding one in the country, generating concerns of safety among the country’s population, especially its female population.

As a female student living in Port Moresby, my safety while travelling to and from school is a cause of concern for myself and my family.

The concerns faced by the female population range from petty crimes such as pickpocketing to armed robbery, kidnapping and rape.

During my childhood, I was fortunate to have been spared from the burdens of the anxiety of personal safety while travelling to and from school.

My father being an officer with the Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF) meant that I grew up in the safety net of a military barracks in Port Moresby, and attended the primary school located within the barracks.

My daily commute to and from school involved a 15-minute walk through the barracks with my siblings and other children of PNGDF officers.

The only concerns to our safety were speeding cars, and the occasional snake during periods of rainy weather when the bush became overgrown around the path.

This cocooned safe reality was not the case for students commuting to school outside the barracks, who had to face the threats of pickpocketing, armed robbery, and drunk and disorderly behaviour from men and youths – all of which I was soon to discover.

High school brought with it the introduction of apprehension for my safety.

The high school to which I was selected for my lower secondary education was notorious for the fights among its male student body, and interschool fights with neighbouring secondary schools.

It was also located within the vicinity of a suburb that was deemed an unsafe place in Port Moresby.

During the two years I attended the secondary school, there were school fights, petty thefts, drunk and disorderly behaviour from youths due to substance abuse, several armed robberies of students while they were travelling to or from school within the vicinity of the suburb, and the most unfortunate case of the rape of a female student in the toilets located on the outskirts of the school in 2016.

Even though I was only a witness to such incidents and not subjected to them myself, the fear was ever present in me and my female fellow students.

It prompted us to walk with our guard up at all times, to have our bags and bilums draped in front of us, to pack our phones and purses in the deepest parts of our bags or bilums, and to always be looking over our shoulder when someone got too close in the crowd.

University was no different. Residing off campus required that I still had to travel to and from university, however, unlike high school where classes concluded between 3.30pm and 4pm, I now had some classes that finished at 5pm.

On the days when I had late classes, I was most anxious as it was not safe, and especially not safe to be a female travelling alone, so late in the day.

I particularly disliked and avoided the crowded main bus stops, filled with street vendors and people who just loitered about, as it was usually amongst these loitering crowds that opportunist thugs mingled in wait for their next victim to pickpocket or rob.

I recall an armed robbery of two passengers on a public bus I was in. It was around 7am, the bus was parked waiting for passengers at the main bus stop at Holola, Port Moresby.

I was sitting two rows ahead of a couple of teenagers when two thugs walked in casually and held the duo at knife point.

They took their phones and walked out as casually as they walked in, mixing with the crowd outside.

I was left shaken and disgusted at the ease with which they committed the theft.

However sad and unfortunate the incident was, it is a norm for residents in the city.

These are my trepidations of travelling to and from school, but they are common trepidations shared by women and girls in Port Moresby going about their daily activities.

Crime and law and order issues are still on the rise in Port Moresby, in part fuelled by unemployment and the rural to urban drift.

There also appears to be a gun and knife culture on the rise among criminals in the city, evident in the increased use of these weapons amongst criminals recently.

While the government is making law and order a priority issue, and the Papua New Guinea Royal Constabulary is working within its capacity to curb crime, this is not a fight to be fought by the government and police alone.

Normal citizens must rise and make it their civil duty to take ownership of making their communities safer, working in collaboration with the authorities to make PNG a safe country for all.

Disclosure: This writing of this blog was undertaken with the support of the ANU-UPNG Partnership, an initiative of the PNG-Australia Partnership, funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The views are those of the author only.

*This article appeared first on Devpolicy Blog (devpolicy.org), from the Development Policy Centre at The Australian National University. Sharon Banuk is a final year economics undergraduate at the University of Papua New Guinea.

By Sharon Banuk

DEVPOLICY

Trepidations in Honiara – not so safe a town to walk

Written by
Admin
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Safety was once a pride of Honiara. Once!

Citizens in the 80s and 90s can attest to this.

Children reading story books then would have had to shake their imaginations to picturise what pick-pocketing looked like, or they’d chance upon it in a video.

Nowadays, it is hard to imagine that of Honiara.

An Op-ed by one Sharon Banuk [read viewpoint below] details the ‘Trepidations of a female student in Port Moresby’ as its title goes.

Ms Banuk’s experiences in the article are synonymous to a female student travelling through Honiara’s streets.

There is no luxury of ‘not being apprehensive about your safety’ when walking in the streets of Honiara. Daytime or, worse, night.

In Banuk’s article, one experience stands out which can be said is similar here – “It prompted us to walk with our guard up at all times, to have our bags and bilums draped in front of us, to pack our phones and purses in the deepest parts of our bags or bilums, and to always be looking over our shoulder when someone got too close in the crowd”.

Pickpocketing is rife in Honiara, and has been given a name in the local pidgin – Beliga.

Social media is riddled with posts concerning Beliga activity in Honiara. This does not affect female students alone – from children to elderly, male and female.

Beliga activities in the city is most profound at the Central market and surrounding areas. Over the years it has spread to the city’s CBD, Pt Cruz.

It is also common along the Kukum highway near shops and offices eastwards of town, and further parts of Tandai highway, west of Honiara.

Odd enough, as with Banuk’s article, Beliga activities are somehow also linked with bus-stops here.

Over the years, Beliga activity has morphed to actual burglary. In some cases it has become armed burglary, such as the incident on January 19 this year, in a bus along the main road above Koa Hill in which a teenage boy was stabbed by a Beliga demanding his mobile phone.

A PLAN International report in September 2020 had said only seven percent of 236 girls surveyed said they ‘always feel safe in public’. The report said ‘adolescent girls, boys and their communities all agreed that girls weren’t able to fully participate in Honiara’s public spaces because of the high number of harassment and violent incidents, especially at night’.

And, the reasons they don’t feel safe include high levels of sexist behaviours and sexual harassment. Risks to girls in public include drunk and intoxicated people, theft, verbal harassment, touching and rape.

The PLAN report also mentions a high rate of Bystander Culture (more than 80 percent) in which members of public are indifferent to harassment or a girl being victimised in public.

For pickpocketing, it is believed that this may be lower. But the practice being rife contends it does not offer much of a deterrence.

An array of factors contributes to the high rate of Beliga activity in the streets of Honiara.

High urban drift and unemployment undoubtedly top the list. Inundated capacities of responsible authorities to deal with it, and lack of effective policies and ordinances to tackle this problem. Deteriorating family values and morals must not be overlooked.

Collective and concerted efforts are needed! (Sad that this line has become somewhat a cliché for Solomon Islands’ problems)

Proactive police action needs to step up. Such as what transpired over the Easter weekend, in which police carried out public awareness sessions in various spots in town.

The Honiara City Council has a law enforcement arm which is expected to consistently monitor hotspots within the city, such as the central market, busy walkways along the city’s CBD, etc.

Since this issue is indiscriminate for any Honiara commuter, it should be the business of the public not to become blasé bystanders.

There is a thing called the citizen’s arrest [Criminal law 9.0.2], rather than entertain the notion that it should be left for the authorities and law enforcers to deal with it alone.

While some of Ms Banuk’s experiences are relatable in the Honiara context, some are not. Yet! If we are not careful! Such as the use of guns, extreme boldness in committing such crimes in the open, and the very high prevalence of such open street crimes as in the context of Banuk’s experiences.

CAUSE faces challenges on land access and covid-19

Written by
Eddie Osifelo
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By EDDIE OSIFELO

THE Community Access and Urban Services Enhancement Project (CAUSE) has faced challenges with land access and covid-19 to implement its projects in Honiara, Malaita and Western Province.

Project Manager Cris Afable confirmed this during questions and answers on the launch of its 10- minutes video on Covid-19 response and economic recovery at their office, Wednesday.

Afable said in component one which involved community access infrastructure, about 15-20 percent of projects faced of challenge of access, landownership and everything.

However, he said they have a robust social environment safeguard policy, where they able to reduce number of issues.

“We talk to landowners and eventually they would agree to do the work,” he said.

Furthermore, Afable said another challenge they faced was Covid-19.

“We have to follow protocol.

“When we doing the training, we want to enforce the vaccination card,” he said.

“In some areas in Honiara, Auki and Noro, the people were reluctant to do vaccination.

“We have to go to the communities and explain, because without vaccination we cannot do the training,” he added.

“If we do not get to employ the people, we cannot finish the work.

“During one and half years, we struggle against pandemic,” he added.

However, Afable said they were again somehow level up because of proactive stand they are doing with regards to vaccination requirements.

“It stuck a while for three months, then we find a way, luckily no infection, so we have to invest in PPE like masks.

“Pandemic made us a bit worry, if it continues on, it would have an impact on us,” he added.

Despite the challenges, Afable said they are now even with their targets, expenditures and timelines.

“We are right now on track and we are confident to finish the work before the end of the project in April 2024,” he added.

CAUSE is Government of Solomon Islands programe.

It is funded by the World Bank and the Australia Government Funding and PNG and Pacific Islands Umbrella Facility Grant.

LMU commences screening of applicants

Written by
Ofani Eremae
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Two female interviewers (left) one is taking notes and the other talking to applicants as part of the screening process for LMU recruitment yesterday at St Barnabars Cathedral.

BY NED GAGAHE

Screening process for the Labour Mobility Unit (LMU) has kicked off at the St Barnabas Cathedral with the first batch of 151 applicants attended yesterday.

The programme commenced at 8am where the applicants have face-to-face interviews and fitness assessments conducted by panels led by LMU staffs and officials from Pasifiki HR.

Day-two of the screening process will continue on today where another 152 applicants will go through the same screening process.

Speaking to the Island Sun yesterday, officials who conducted the panel sessions explained the process involved assessing the applicant’s fitness by recording necessary information and actual face-to-face interview.

The official said the key focus of the sessions is to ensure that applicants meet strict requirements before their application is registered in the work ready pool.

She clarified that the sessions do not guarantee candidates work but is an initial step of the recruitment process.

Jason Lagho a 23-year-old youth from Lambi, west Guadalcanal was excited to be amongst the first group.

He said he is confident that he will get through the process.

Meanwhile, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade (MFAET) said that the two-day sessions are just the beginning of many more screening to be hosted in the coming months.

Applicants are encouraged to listen out for further advices on the upcoming interviews and fitness screening as they will be informed via calls or through published lists.

MFAET said the screening will proceed following the order in which applications were received.

The screening process will conclude 4pm today.

Bilateral agreements can play a role in climate accountability: Green

Written by
Ben Bilua
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BY BEN BILUA

BILATERAL agreements are a vital avenue that countries like the Solomon Islands can channel negotiations to hold countries with the highest rate of global emission accountable.

Speaking to international journalists who have engaged in climate change advocacies, Jillian Green, a decorated and award-winning Journalist from Africa said countries at the receiving end of climate change but are unable to directly deal directly with global emitters can do so through bilateral negotiations with developed countries.

She told journalists that approaches to make sure industrial companies in respective countries in the world are accountable for their action differs from regions around the global setting.

“When a country is on the receiving end of the impacts of climate change, your approach is different.

“It’s hard for you to hold a country outside your geographic location accountable but what you can do is to hold your government countable to push incentives that would hold other countries countable.

“It is important to figure out where your power lays and know that your influence is within your country in other words your government is to be held accountable for driving green-washing and accountability agendas.

“Bilateral agreements with polluting countries is one way of domesticating global agendas,” Green said.

She said the role of local journalists is to make sure the agreements can be environment-friendly.

Senior Reporter for Climate based in London, Akshat Rathi adds that another approach that small states can drive their agenda is through COP meetings.

He said Small Island States can be heard if they go into COP as a group to present their agendas and to vote for greater consideration on the 1.5 degree Celsius agenda.

These statements were made during Oxford Climate Journalism Network’s (OCJN) first session for 2023.

The topic discussed during the session was Green-washing and Accountability.

Afio AHC not well resourced: MPA Pola

Written by
Mavis Podokolo
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0

BY MAVIS N PODOKOLO

The Afio Area Health Centre (AFC) is reportedly not well equipped with medical apparatus, drugs and human capacity.

This is according to the Member of Provincial Assembly for ward 21 (Raroisu’su ward) in Malaita Province Dickson Pola.

“As one of the concern leaders, the issue of having one of our Area Health centres not well equipped with human capacity, medical drugs and equipment worries me a lot,” Pola said.

He said during the handing over event of this AHC last year there is still no effective health care services this hospital is delivering.

“It seems that the main aim of constructing this mini hospital is not being achieved.”

Pola said Minister of Health and Medical Services Dr Culwick Togamana when handing the Afio Area Health Centre assured the people of Southern Region of Malaita that within a couple of months after the handover occasion the facility would be well equipped with human resources and necessary equipment.

“I can confirm here that after the official handing over there is nothing much happen.

“Therefore, I call on the ruling DCGA and its ministry responsible to quickly consider the health care services for the people of southern region, where is the goal of universal health coverage, is the Roll Delineation policy archived its objective or just a piece of note,” he said.

Pola adds, Afio Area Health centre was built to address the issue of transporting sick patients to Kilu’ufi hospital and Honiara by Out Board Motor to prevent avoidable deaths.

He in the same note called on the current southern Region Member of Parliament and Member of Provincial Assemblies work collaboratively in addressing this issue.

12 male candidates for West Kwara’ae by-election

Written by
Samie Waikori
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BY SAMIE WAIKORI

A total of 12 male candidates have been nominated to contest the West Kwara’ae by-election.

This was confirmed by the electoral team at the nomination centre at Buma after the close of nominations at 4pm yesterday.

Election Manager, Mr David Filia Tuita said “as of the closed of nomination at 4pm, 12 candidates have been nominated to contest the by-election.

He said a list of the candidates will be published by the Election Commission’s office later.

According to the timeline for the by-election;

  • Wednesday 12th April 2023, last day of delivery of nomination papers (closed) [sect.59] publishing of ballot paper draw notice [sect.74 (2)(a)]
  • Thursday 13th April 2023, last day of checking validity of nomination papers (closed) [sect.64 (1)(b)]
  • Friday 14th April 2023, last day of withdrawal of candidature [sect.66 (2)]
  • Wednesday 19th April 2023, last day of ballot paper draw [set.74 (2)(a)]

The closed of nomination yesterday will begin the political campaign for intending candidates until the last day of campaigning on 22nd May 2023.

Polling day or election day for west Kwara’ae by-election will be on May 24.

So far, Malaita province held three by-elections under this current term. Two provincial by-elections for wards 18 and 28 and one national by-election for West Kwaio constituency.

Fourth for the province will be the upcoming by-election for West Kwara’ae constituency.

HCC, NHA to sign deal before release of $6m

Written by
Eddie Osifelo
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City Clerk Justus Denni

By EDDIE OSIFELO

BOTH Honiara City Council and National Hosting Authority will need to sign an agreement first before the release of the $6 million to the 12 wards councillors.

City Clerk, Justus Denni explained this after he submitted the work plans of the 12 councillors to Government Services Integration Committee (GSIC) to approve last week.

Denni said HCC ‘accepts and appreciates things have to go through process’.

“We give them time and look through what we have submitted.

“Then they are going to prepare some kind of agreement to sign between NHA and HCC,” he said.

Furthermore, Denni said HCC as recipient must be accountable, therefore there needs to be proper reporting and accounting must be in place.

“That’s why MOU must be in place.

“For people to want to see the funds available quickly, that’s not the process,” he added.

Apart from that, Denni said NHA will also be allocated $6.5 million to Ministry of Infrastructure Development to purchase garbage trucks and compactor trucks, before handing over to HCC.

Secretary to Prime Minister, Dr Jimmy Rodgers assured HCC last month that the Government will give half a million each to the 12 wards, to implement regular clean ups in their respective wards, ahead of the Pacific Games in November.

Dr Rodgers said under the programme, they want to see daily clean-up programmes, a least two hours a day, in the wards by youth groups, women, schools and churches to clean Honiara.

Apart from that, the Government agreed to support the HCC enforce its bye laws on May 1.

Dr Rodgers said the legal instruments are there but what is needed is the support for HCC to enforce them.

With the enforcement, the HCC will once again re-enforce the ‘on the spot fine’.

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