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FUGUI DIES IN BEIJING

Written by
Ofani Eremae
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Country’s first ambassador to China passed away

BY NED GAGAHE

JOHN Moffat Fugui, the country’s ambassador to China, has died in Beijing yesterday, December 23 just more than a year into his new role.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed the news, but has not disclose the cause of death.

Fugui, 61, was the country’s first ambassador to China after Solomon Islands switched diplomatic ties from Taiwan in 2019.

He took up his posting mid last year.

In a condolence notice published in the Island Sun today (see page 8), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs described Fugui as an inspirational leader who served his country with dedication and commitment.

“Fugui was instrumental in shaping Solomon Islands foreign policy and placing the country on the right side of history in formalizing diplomatic relations with People’s Republic of China,” the notice reads.

“He lived a life of service, advanced and advocated the interests of our country.

“The Ministry and the country will miss the late Ambassador Fugui’s leadership and contribution in strengthening the warm and cordial relations between Solomon Islands and the People’s Republic of China.”

A spokesman for the ministry told Island Sun last night the ministry is working on arrangements to bring Fugui’s body home, details of which will be released later.

Fugui comes from Fourau village, east Malaita.

His career in national politics began when he was elected to Parliament as the member for Central Honiara in the August 2010 general election.

He was hen appointed Minister for the Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology in Prime Minister Danny Philip‘s Cabinet.

When Gordon Darcy Lilo replaced Philip as Prime Minister in November 2011, Fugui retained his position in government.

Following the 2014 general election, in which he retained his seat, Fugui was elected Deputy Speaker of the National Parliament, on 17 December.

He was re-elected again in the 2019 elections but lost the seat a year later in an election petition case after the High Court found he bribed certain people to vote for him.

Fugui was instrumental in the Sogavare Government’s decision to switch ties from Taiwan to China, which made him the number one choice for the Beijing diplomatic position after he lost his parliamentary seat.

Tei’ifi calls for laws guiding development in West Kwaio

Written by
Eddie Osifelo
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New Member of Parliament for West Kwaio, Claudius Tei’ifi

By EDDIE OSIFELO

MEMBER of Parliament for West Kwaio, Claudius Tei’ifi is calling on the Government to legislate for all development identified for Bina Harbour in his constituency.

Speaking at the sine die motion in Parliament last Friday, Tei’ifi said he is aware that major developments also come with risks and consequences and these if not managed and mitigated ahead can defeat the good intentions of establishing such developments.

As such, he said Government must bring into this house a piece of Legislation that will govern all development aspects of major developments planned for Bina Harbour.

“This is important for purposes of government control and regulation over development activities on the ground.

“The standard and quality of infrastructure on the ground must be determined in this piece of legislation Mr Speaker Sir,” he said.

Tei’ifi said having legislation in place safeguards his people from the negative effects brought about by large-scale development activities on their livelihood and their immediate environment as well as legislating for maximum benefits derived from their resources.

“This in my view Sir, should be the next serious step for the government, and that should provide the framework for all planning and forecasting for Bina Harbor,” he added.

Ministry of Fisheries and Resources in collaboration with New Zealand Government and World Bank are behind the drive to establish Bina Harbour Tuna Processing Plant.

The New Zealand Government has also engaged a partner to operate a Project Office with a funding support of $12.5M New Zealand Dollars for a period of 5 years in Auki.

NRH relocation tops MHMS list for 2023

Written by
Mavis Podokolo
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Minister for Health and Medical Services Dr Culwick Togamana

BY MAVIS N PODOKOLO

Relocation of the national referral hospital (NRH) will be one of the Ministry of Health’s (MHMS) top priorities next year.

Health Minister Dr Culwick Togamana announced this in parliament this week, describing this plan as ‘long overdue’.

“My ministry, the Ministry of Health and Medical Service will treat that as top priority for next year,” Togamana said.

He said that his Ministry has been engaging with relevant ministries to finalise the portion of the land for the hospital and other important facilities including the medical store.

“Order of removing Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) is already budgeted for in the 2023 budget,” Togamana said.

Kopu lashes out at Opp MPs going against parl extension

Written by
Eddie Osifelo
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Minister of Rural Development, Duddley Kopu.

By EDDIE OSIFELO

MINISTER of Rural Development, Duddley Kopu has called upon Opposition members to rethink their decision not to support the Bill to defer the life of the 11th Parliament.

About 37 of the 49 Members of Parliament voted for the Constitutional Amendment Bill 2022 in the second reading and third reading, to defer the 11th Parliament to December 2023.

Initially, the term of the 11th Parliament commenced on 15th May 2019 and ends on 19th May 2023.

The passage of the Bill means citizens of Solomon Islands, age 18 years old, will go to Elections around April 2024.

Speaking on the sine die motion in Parliament on Monday, Kopu said in principle, those of you who did not vote to support the Bill to defer the life of the current Parliament, should vacate your seat at the end of this current session and should not be eligible to receive any Constituency Development Fund (CDF), in the fiscal year 2023.

However, Member of Parliament for East Honiara and Chairman of Public Accounts Committee, Douglas Ete raised a point of order.

Ete said the issue of the extension of life of Parliament is an individual conviction.

He said there’s going to be a High Court case going on next year, not from the Members of Parliament but from the people

“I think it is not really right,” he said.

Minister Kopu then withdrew the issue and apologized for his observation.

‘WE WANT TO BE A STATE’

Written by
Eddie Osifelo
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Minister of Police, National Security, and Correctional Services, Anthony Veke.

Veke echoes Guale’s wishes in parl

By EDDIE OSIFELO

Minister of Police, National Security and Correctional Services, Anthony Veke has reiterated Guadalcanal Province’s desire for State Government system.

Veke, also Member of Parliament for West Guadalcanal and Former Premier of Guadalcanal, stated this during his contribution on the sine die motion in Parliament on Friday December 16.

He said for Guadalcanal, the State Government system is the closest option that they have at the moment to realise a democracy that stands from their way of life.

“Whether we truly understand what constitutes the state government system or draft federation system, it doesn’t matter,” he said.

Furthermore, Veke said the democracy Solomon Islands adopted some 40 years ago is the reason for what the country is today.

“It is a way of life of some racist somewhere built into a government system that did not match our way of living.

“This is a hard fact. Look around the world or just sit in front of the TV, and you can see man marrying man, woman marrying woman and human marrying animals,” he said.

Veke said it makes him wonder.

“Are we going to be able to keep Solomon Islands to its values and principles?

Further to that, Veke said today, leaders that found themselves in leading in the government system are sometimes to some extents are not termed as leaders but as slaves.

“I don’t want to create an academic debate in these areas.

“But this are some of the perceptions that some people hold that create a situation we are facing in the Solomon Islands,” he said.

“To me, to be slave to the people, is different from listening to the people.

“And leading people is different to slaving,” he said.

“But that’s the way some advocacy going around and doing in Solomon Islands that leaders don’t look like leaders but slaves.

“I wonder where those values and principles come from. If you look around in our society, it’s obvious that the society is bit confused,” he added.

Veke said the abnormal becomes the normal for the day.

“Things we say abnormal is what people are doing.

“And we allow and believe that those abnormalities should become the normal way of living and become parts of our lives,” he added.

“In my view, venturing into a government system that born out of our living and not someone’s way of living is not a bad undertaking

“This is the way we can describe ourselves as truly attaining democracy in our context,” he added.

Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare has assured Parliament of given a State Government to Guadalcanal in 2026 as promised to them.

The State Government will give more autonomy to the province to get more revenues from their resources.

Old man gets 9 years for sexual abuse of 7-yo grand-daughter

Written by
Jennifer Kusapa
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BY JENNIFER KUSAPA

A 63-year-old man has been handed nine years imprisonment for sexually abusing his seven-year-old grand-daughter in 2017.

Justice Leonard Maina in his sentencing said the offence of sexual intercourse with a child under 15 years is a concern.

“The court has expressed its concerns on the rising number of such cases and in particular the case of sexual intercourse regularly coming to the court.”

Maina said the man’s act with the way of sexual intercourse with his granddaughter is serious and ridiculous.

“On that, the Court must not take it lightly when sentencing the offender of this nature.

“You deserve a sentence that will teach you and others. An abuse of trust in the sexual act is against not only the law but also a bad behaviour or attitude in the communities and also a shameful thing on you and your people.

“I noted that each case’s sentence defends on its own circumstances, the defendant is in the position of trust as a grandfather but decided to abuse that trust had sexual intercourse with your granddaughter.

“As a granduncle or grandfather as commonly referred to in our places, you are required by your people to take all the responsibilities, and ensure the care of the child or whenever you were there. However, you decided to abuse that trust,” Maina said.

Therefore, Justice Maina upon the consideration and taking into account the facts, mitigation and the aggravating features of the case, imposed nine years imprisonment on the man and ordered that the total sentence be back dated to the time he spent in custody.

Public Prosecutor Patricia Tabepuda and Amanda Mono appears for the crown.

Court sends strong message on taking alcohol to solve problem

Written by
Jennifer Kusapa
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BY JENNIFER KUSAPA

The High Court has sent out a strong message that taking alcohol is not the answer to solving problems.

Judge Maelyn Bird said this when sentencing a man to eight years imprisonment for manslaughter.

Buake Tekirawa killed his partner in May 2021 – he stabbed her on the neck at Niu Manda village in the Western Province.

Judge Bird said, “getting drunk when you have a problem is not a solution. It will tend to make the situation worse.

“You should have been sober minded and be man enough so that you would be in a position to sort out the mess that you have created between you and the deceased.

“This should be a turning point in your life. Try and learn from the mistake that you did and you should also think about quitting alcohol.”

“The court had nonetheless held that you were provoked into committing the offence. It is further submitted by your lawyer that you have a chance of rehabilitation. With the type of attitude that you had in how you consumed alcohol, there is little chance for rehabilitation.

“Take that to heart and redirect your life for a better future for you and your two young children,” Bird said.

Bird said the offence committed was serious because it took place at their family home, a place where each person should feel the peace, security and tranquillity of the home, but turned into a crime scene.

“Therefore, being drunk is not an excuse to commit such horrific offence to your very own partner,” Bird said.

HCC: Kukum market is for all crops, vegetable sellers

Written by
Ofani Eremae
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0
One-of-the-two-Kukum-Market-building-facility-that-was-recently-opened

BY NED GAGAHE

Honiara City Council (HCC) has clarified rumours circulating that only persons or groups owning stalls can use the Kukum Market.

In a statement on December 20, City Clerk Justus Denni clarified that there is ‘no such thing as people owning stalls or pre-booking stalls at the new Kukum Market’.

Denni said the market is open for all root crops and vegetable sellers.

“We wish to dispel rumors circulating in the public that only persons or groups owning stalls can use the Kukum Market.

“All roots crops and vegetable vendors are welcome to use the Kukum Market. The fees are similar to those at the Central Market,” Denni said.

Denni added that HCC Market Division staff are available at the Kukum Market to organize where vendors can sit and sell their produces.

As such he said security is also provided at the Kukum Market.

HCC opened the upgraded and refurbished Kukum Market on Friday, December 2 after almost two years of renovation and upgrade.

New Chinese investor eyes Mamara for 5-star hotel

Written by
Ofani Eremae
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0

BY NED GAGAHE

A new Chinese investor is interested to build a 200-room five-star hotel at Mamara township, west of Honiara.

This was revealed by Minister of Culture and Tourism and Member of Parliament for Ngella Constituency, Bartholomew Parapolo in Parliament on Monday December 19.

Contributing on the final day of the sine die motion, Parapolo said that his ministry has received interest from an investor from Guangzhou, China, who is interested in investing on a five-star hotel in the Mamara township area.

Parapolo highlighted these achievements of the ministry and updated parliament on the latest the ministry has undertaken to accelerate tourism investment development in the country.

Parapolo said his ministry fully supports the undertaking because it is not like previous arrangements where the Ministry of Culture and Tourism is responsible for the promotional and marketing undertakings of the project to the international arena.

He said in this case, the new investor will be responsible for the promotion and marketing aspect abroad for international tourists.

Parapolo said that this will be made possible through the Air Surface Agreement (ASA) that government will sign with People’s Republic of China (PRC) for direct flight from China to Solomon Islands ‘hopefully by early next year’.

“My ministry has fully supported our new friends from China to setup five-star hotel on our shores. They are interested to put up 200 rooms hotel at Mamara where land was already available.

“The Ministry of Culture and Tourism has supported the undertaking, after these things were sorted out, they will soon kickstart start the construction,” Parapolo said.  

He added that the Ministry of Aviation and Ministry of Finance will work on the area by early next year so that Solomon Islands can have direct flights from China.

Parapolo said despite the Ministry’s budget (tourism) is not big enough he is optimistic and relied on other ministries such as the Ministry of Aviation and Communication, Ministry of Infrastructure Development (MID) and other line ministries for the improvement and upgrade of airstrips and facilities to achieve these goals.

He said impact of covid-19 had really changed the tourism sector and how it does its mandate to promote and market the country on the international arena.

He also thanked his Ministry staff, tourism operators and stakeholders for their commitment and patient especially during the covid-19 Pandemic and to restore the tourism sector which saw the boarders now reopened.

Sogavare admits Solomon Islands is aid-dependent

Written by
Eddie Osifelo
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Manasseh Sogavare Ownership, Unity and Responsibility (OUR) Party Parliamentary Wing Leader.

By EDDIE OSIFELO

PRIME Minister Manasseh Sogavare has admitted that Solomon Islands is an aid-dependent country.

Sogavare acknowledged this when responding to Opposition Leader, Matthew Wale, when he winded the sine die motion down in Parliament, on Monday December 19.

Wale said the country’s future in the world must not be built on the assumption that we will forever be dependent on aid from other countries.

Sogavare recalled that Solomon Islands started from scratch in 1978 after taken from a list of territories after depended on Great Britain’s budget for 88 years.

He mentioned the draconian policy relating to land alienation, that was one of the main factors of the ethnic conflict on Guadalcanal in 1998.

Further to that, Sogavare argued that 20 years after year 2000, the country continues to experience political instability every one or two years.

“I was a victim of two motions of no confidence.

“What surprises me, there was no good reason to justify my removal,” he said.

Sogavare said his government was never given the opportunity to address economical predicaments of the country.

However, he said said what the country needs to rise from aid dependency is for the development partners to put more emphasis on aid for trade.

“A strategy that would lead to improving capacity of aid receiving countries to improve our abilities to trade with them.

“Encourage Foreign Direct Investments to improve our competitive advantage as an exporting country, that’s what PACER Plus was supposed to do but take all day,” he added.

Sogavare said the government is seriously working on strategy to attract Foreign Direct Investments.

“We have already seen big interests of China genuine interests in the country even before we implement the strategy.

“With the arrangement with provinces by establishing sister relationship with Provinces in China, we will more Chinese investors heading our way,” he added.

“We cannot possibly take advantage of this development if we adapt a policy of excluding FDI from countries that considered to be the enemies of our traditional partners.

“We will move nowhere,” he added.

“We really need to come out from this thinking because that is what it is.

“It will be a grave mistake to lock our provinces out just because we want to please the enemies of China,” he said.

Sogavare said it is Solomon Islands that will suffer economically, not the enemies of China.

“They will laugh their heads off once they achieve their purpose

“We need to wake up to this development that is unfolding in front of our very eyes,” he added.

Sogavare said the so-called Auki Committee that makes this position clear, is a great mistake.

“I call on leaders of Malaita to reconsider your position because we are misleading our people and play right into the hands of big powers who are making use of us,” he added.

Parliament stands sine die until it returns for its meeting next year.

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