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We depend much on China for trade: Data

Written by
Ben Bilua
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BY BEN BILUA

Gizo

Solomon Islands trade with China is now so huge that the country is one of the most China-dependents in the world, according to data from the international Monetary Fund and other international sources.

The data, analysed by the Chief economist at the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs, show China ranks as the number one destination for Solomon Islands exports dwarfing all other trading partners.

In 2020, 64.4 percent of Solomon Islands exports went to China.

The table below shows Solomon Islands principal export destinations in 2020.

Source: Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Solomon Islands Economic Fact Sheet

By comparison, other countries – including those ranked in the ‘Top 10 China Dependent Countries’ by leading business magazine Forbes- send less than 40 per cent of the exports to China.

Last week, longest serving Member of Parliament, Danny Philip said, 70 per cent of Solomon Islands exports are bought by China and it seems that Solomon Islands export rate to China is growing.

He described Solomon Islands and China trade relations as very important while acknowledging that Australia remains Solomon Islands’ partner of choice.

“What we need is not to compromise. We own this country very much. We only want the best for SI and its people. Everything that happens needs to be the best for the people.

“We are open to all sorts of things. Beggars have no choice but we don’t want to open ourselves to geopolitics. We do not want Solomon Islands, small as we are, drawn into these geopolitical things,” Philip said.

Is Solomon Islands benefiting from its resources?

Solomon Islands has huge potential in agriculture but the economy depends very much on logging and most logs end up in Chinese markets.

Leader of Opposition Parliamentary group Matthew Wale described the country’s economic model as exploitative.

The country’s wealth goes overseas through unrestrained transfer pricing, aided and abetted by leaders, he explained

In his statement to media earlier this month, he said the “exploitative economy” only works for foreign interests.

“The extractive industry leads the way, aided and abetted by Solomon Islands government leaders.

“Natural resources are removed from our islands, and our people are poorer after that.

“No tangible sustainable development has resulted from this exploitative economy.

“Indigenous Solomon Islanders own all the natural resources, and are marginalized by this exploitative economy,” Wale said.

He said there is no incentive to change the status quo, as long as key government leaders continue to be the beneficiaries of this exploitative economy.

Wale said the exploitative economy will never build the future Solomon Islands that give hope to young Solomon Islanders.

“Indigenous Solomon Islanders ask why their own government goes out of its way to serve foreign business interests, and neglect their own people.

“This is a key driver of internal discontent, and a threat to stability,” he said.

What’s best for Solomon Islands?

Dr Transform Aqorau suggested that the best security arrangement is that we all work with partners to develop the country with infrastructure that would help Solomon Islands graduate from least developed status and give a future to young people.

“Think about the future of our young people and how they are going to be able to lead a comfortable life in this country,” he told the same event at which Hon Danny Philip spoke..

Is Solomon Islands vulnerable to a China  trade trap?

Economic theory tells us it is dangerous to be too dependent on any one industry or trading partner.

China has a history of using trade to exert pressure on  its trading partners. The more dependent a country, the more vulnerable it is to such action,

In early 2020, China slapped restrictions on a wide range of Australian exports after  Australia supported a call for a global inquiry into China’s early handling of Covid-19.

Affected exports included lobster, beef, timber, cotton, barley, wine, coal and copper,

Even though Australia sends 32.6% of its exports to China – or around half the value of Solomon Islands exports – the trade restrictions caused significant disruption.

The action raises questions about the impact Chinese trade restrictions could have on Solomon Island’s much more China-dependent economy.

Sambora Finest commends  South Vella Constituency

Written by
Ben Bilua
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Tractor for Sambora Finest and South Vella farmers

BY BEN BILUA/Sambora Finest Press

LOCAL Agricultural start-up Sambora Finest has boosted its operation following the delivery of a tractor to the Constituency, thanks to Member of Parliament for South Vella La Vella, Fredrick Kologeto.

In a statement on its Facebook Page, Sambora Finest acknowledged the assistance as it will grow rural economic activity. Co-founder John Wopereis shared that starting a small business in the rural villages is not an easy task as there are a lot of supply chain challenges. The tractor gave the Sambora Finest team confidence to kick start operations in 2o21 to meet the needs of the people.

He states that the tractor operates on a hiring basis in order to meet repairs and other mechanical services.

“We hire the tractor on a needs basis and it helps us to deliver our dried beans to the wharf in time for shipment to Honiara. The tractor has made our operation more sustainable and also allows us to transport heavy cargo such as timber or building materials which we did when building our new dryer and storage facilities in Sambora village.”

He shared that farmers have been struggling to transport their products over the past years and now their prayers have been answered.

“Agriculture is our peoples strength however market access is always a challenge. The tractor is a step towards enabling our local community to contribute to growth in both our rural and national economy. We look forward to more initiatives targeting these very basic challenges. Thank you to the South Vella La Vella Constituency under the leadership of Hon. Kologeto for providing this tractor to the people of South Vella to boost our agricultural output.”

Sambora Finest is a community based supplier of traditionally organic cocoa beans working together with farmers to harness South Vellas potential in Cocoa. In 2021 they supplied a total of 2.8 tons of dried beans to the domestic market providing income to a total of 214 small holder farmers in 7 small communities within Sambora.

We will respond if SI fails to honour its promises: US

Written by
Ben Bilua
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ASSISTANT Secretary, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, at the US Department of State Daniel Kritenbrink.

BY BEN BILUA
Gizo

ASSISTANT Secretary, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, at the US Department of State Daniel Kritenbrink says United States will respond if steps were taken to establish a de facto permanent military presence, power-projection capabilities, or a military installation in the country.

He made the statement during a Teleconference with journalists on Tuesday.

Mr Kritenbrink said the United States will keep a close eye for any developments in consultation with regional partners.

“We have noted their assurances that they’ve stated to us and to others, and we’ve indicated that we’ll continue to monitor the situation closely and continue to engage with them going forward.

“We outlined clear areas of concern with respect to the purpose and scope of the agreement.

“We made clear that we respect the sovereignty of the Solomon Islands but at the same time, we also tried to make clear that there are potential implications to the decisions that the Solomon Islands makes, and those implications could impact the security interests of the United States and our partners, and we wanted to be crystal-clear about what that may mean,” he said.

Kritenbrink said there will be further consultations between Solomon Islands and the United States to discuss in greater detail security issues of mutual concern, economic and social development, public health, and finance and debt.

He stressed that such High-level strategic dialogue aimed at enhancing communication, address mutual concerns, and drive practical progress. 

Kritenbrink said United States relationship with the Solomon Islands is bigger than security agreement.

Manawai community thanks MPG for support

Written by
Samie Waikori
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Manawai Chief, Jerial Papapu escorted Premier Daniel Suidani to inspect the market building after its official handing over to Manawai community.

BY SAMIE WAIKORI

Auki

COMMUNTIES of Manawai harbour in East Are Are have thanked the Malaita provincial government and MPGIS through the PCDF programme for funding them a new market building.

Chairman of the Manawai Market committee, Mr Frank Hatahiru said the facility will assist families with income generating to support their livelihood.

He said in the past their forefathers used barter-system to trade with each other in exchange of fish for root crops between coastal and highland people of Are Are.

Premier Daniel Suidani receives a gift of Are Are shell-money from an elder of Manawai communities during the handing over of the market building last week.

Hatahiru said modern money had changed the lives of their people where they need money as access to food, clothes, school fees and etc.

He said as adapted to modern society the elders of Manawai started had a market, but people used to sell their products in an open space at Manawai beach.

“However, today is a different story that we were privileged to have a market facility in our community. It is a historic moment for Manawai people and its surrounding communities.

“The market building will provide conducive environment for my people to sale their products in a safer setting,” Hatahiru said.

Former MP for East Are Are, Andrew Manepora’a, Premier Daniel Suidani and Manawai chief Jerial Papapu posed for a shot in the newly handed over market facility at Manawai.

He also said that the facility will motivate their people to engage in mini commercial farming to sell their products and earn money to support the need of their families.

Hatahiru on that note called on people of Manawai to take ownership, pride, respect and responsibility to care for the facility to serve their well-being and generations to come.

He also called on MARA government for continues support as they will work together to address some of the pressing issues face within Manawai communities.

Suidani wraps up visit to south-eastern region of Malaita

Written by
Samie Waikori
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(L-R) Former MPA for ward 19, Morris Houahe, Premier Daniel Suidani, Manawai Chief, Jerial Papapu and current MPA for ward 19, Meshack Maukera in the market facility.

BY SAMIE WAIKORI

Auki

Premier Daniel Suidani has visited the South-eastern region of Malaita province, a first since the last visit by any premier four decades ago.

The visit was part of the premier’s office attempt to engage with people in the province; Mr Suidani had also made a number of similar visits to other parts and regions of the province.

Suidani and delegation concluded the tour early this week after he visited five communities Manawai, Honoa and Hautahe in East Are Are and Fanalei-Fouele and Walande communities in Small Malaita.

The visit is to bring the government of Malaita to the people they represent and see how they could work together to address common needs of the province.

Also during the visit the team handed over a PCDF funded market project at Manawai to the communities and had a site visit to PCDF projects especially at Hautahe.

Members of Manawai community and its surrounding communities attended the handing over ceremony.

Premier and team were happy to meet communities in the region, saying this is the fulfillment of a representative leader who has a duty to serve their people.

Suidani thanked the communities for their hospitality and for the opportunities to learn, engage and dialogue with each other and their provincial government. 

“This is the purpose of the visit to bring the government of Malaita to the people and see how we could work together to address common needs of the province,” he said.

“If you’re a person who takes-up public office and sit-down behind computers in Auki that doesn’t show the commitment you have to your people.

“And this visit is a fulfillment or truth of the right thing we should do as leaders to go to our people and hear from them,” he said.

Foulofo panpipers provide entertainment during handing over of the PCDF funded market to Manawai coimmunity last week.

Suidani said the visit should not be viewed in the lens of history; rather it should be viewed as an obligation leaders must do.

On that note, people from the communities thanked Suidani and team for the visit saying this is the latest visit to that part of the province since late Stephen Tonafalea’s visit almost 40 years ago.

They said that all along they felt left-out of provincial government and the visit has re-strengthened them as important stakeholders to MPG to work together for the development of the province.

People also thanked Suidani and MARA government for insights provided on the standoff between MPG and national government on the China issue and related issues.

Lots of doubts and narratives on the issue and other development issues had cleared with a show of overwhelming support towards MARA government.

Manawai receives new PCDF market building

Written by
Samie Waikori
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0
The PCDF funded market building at Manawai in East Are Are.

BY SAMIE WAIKORI

Auki

COMMUNITIES in Manawai harbour in East Are Are were privileged to receive and officially open a new market building last week.

The market project was funded through the PCDF programme; former MPA, Morris Houahe began its building phase and was completed by the current MPA, Meshach Maukera.

Speaking during the handing over ceremony, Mr Houahe said the idea towards establishing the project came from chiefs and elders of Manawai.

He said he was consulted on the project and pursued it during his time and work commenced, and Maukera carried it on to complete the project.

Houahe thanked MPGIS through the PCDF programme and MARA government for the successful completion of the project that will now serve its intended purpose.

Guests attended the handing over of Manawai market building last week.

MPA Maukera thanked his predecessor Houahe for his leadership that the completion of the project was a fruit of what he had initiated for the people of ward 19 and Manawai.

He said the project has reached what he had once dreamed off for his people and will now be serving them with economic activity through markets to support the livelihood of their families.

Maukera thanked all stakeholders that supported the project to its completion and called on the people of Manawai to use the facility with great care to continue support generations to come.

On that note, Premier Daniel Suidani said the project has shown commitment of his government and outgoing provincial governments to bring services to people in the province.

He said thanked communities in ward 19 especially Manawai communities for being among few wards out of 33 wards in the province to receive such market project.

Suidani said this is what his government is questing to see people in rural communities in the province engage in something that will support their livelihood.

LONGEST JAIL TERM

Written by
Jennifer Kusapa
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The High Court of Solomon Islands. Photo by SIBC.

Couple killers to spend 53 years in prison

BY JENNIFER KUSAPA

CHIEF Justice Sir Albert Palmer has imposed a minimum term of 53 years sentence on Jimson Erega Goufi and Raymond Keota before they can be considered for parole.

The prisoners Goufi and Keota were convicted on 6 September 2018 of the double murder of the Chinese couple at their town ground shop, and commenced serving their mandatory sentence of a life imprisonment on that date.

Sir Albert in his ruling on the minimum sentence yesterday said the determination of the court on the minimum sentence to be served was in line with recent changes to the law on the imposition of a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment for murder.

He said Section 200 of the Penal code imposes on a conviction of murder a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment.

However, Sir Albert said there is no law which requires the imposition of a minimum term by the Court in such cases to be served before the prisoner is eligible to be considered for parole.

This, he pointed out, means once a conviction of murder is entered a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment is imposed.

Sir Albert explained that the requirement for the imposition of a minimum term came about with the enactment of new legislation, the Correctional Services Act 2007 (No 8 of 2007) the Correction Services (Amendment) Act 2008 (No 6 of 2008) and the Correctional Services Regulation 2008.

This included those serving mandatory life imprisonment sentence before they can be eligible for parole.

This has changed the landscape for sentences of life imprisonment for murder. Prior to this the court was not required to impose any minimum sentence for murder.

“I am satisfied this case falls within the very serious or most serious cases category,” Sir Albert said.

“I have indicated that this is one of those extremely rare case in which the attack involving the use of a weapon was pre-planned and the killing pre-mediated,” he added.

“They took time to carefully think through and plan what they going to do.

“They knew what was going to happen and, on the day, sought to implement to calculated ferocity and viciousness.

“After killing the husband, they did not stop there but proceeded also to kill the wife when she ran out from the kitchen to see what was happening.”

Sir Albert said the killing was done by none other than one of their own security guards (a supposedly trusted employee), who had engaged an accomplice to assist him in carrying out this heinous crime.

He said the defendants took advantage of a position to trust to commit the crime.

“The least the couple expected was to be attacked by one of their very own employees.”

Sir Albert said a clear message in terms of deterrence, needs to be sent out that this type of killing will not be tolerated in this country.

“Security guards should be men and women of honour, loyalty and trust.

“If they cannot discharge that honorable duty to their employer or master, then they should consider finding another job.

“The killing involved a betrayal of trust and confidence between an employer and an employee relationship.

“The couple were business people running a number of businesses at the premises they were killed.”

After assessing and considering all the facts of the case, Sir Albert sets a starting point of 50 years, for additional aggravating features, increase the minimum sentence by 5 years and reduce the term through mitigation that they are both first time offenders by a period of two years.

Therefore, the minimum term to be served by each prisoner is 53 years and commenced from the time both prisoners were remanded in prison for the said offence.

SolAir strikes deal to clean up country’s environment

Written by
Press Release
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0

Solomon Airlines and Nufuels Ltd, a New Zealand-based clean technology company, have signed a partnership to work together to support the clean-up of plastics and other environmentally harmful waste from the Solomon Islands environment and to support local communities in sustainable environmental energy projects.

The companies will work with communities and corporate partners to develop regular environmental cleanups to maintain cleaner waterways and roadside areas and will train community representatives to use technology to convert that waste to energy to lower household poverty and create new work opportunities.

“Solomon Airlines has a historic commitment to community based waste solutions and to the development of tourism, particularly eco-tourism, so we are particularly pleased to support this program,” said Solomon Airlines CEO Brett Gebers.

“There are numerous positive outcomes from cleaning up our surroundings, waterways and coastlines and introducing new technology which converts that waste to lower emissions and reusable energy. Through this partnership, we can also discover possibilities to utilising by-products in our own operation,” he said.

“The initial focus will include Central Honiara, Henderson and Munda, and establish processes to mitigate potential pollution which could have a negative impact on tourism development,” Mr Gebers added.

New Zealand-based Nufuels Ltd are the developers of simple community-scale ‘waste to energy’ technology designed for the Solomon Islands and wider Pacific. The technology converts processed waste to usable energy which is in turn economically used by local communties.

In the Solomon Islands, Nufuels and Solomon Airlines will identify and address areas where plastics wastes are visible or harmful to the local environment, including land, river corridors and fragile marine environments.

In the longer term, the partners will explore the development of bio-diesel for initial use in the Solomon

Airlines ground fleet, and establish a system that can be accessed in the Henderson area.

Under a United Nations Small Project Fund initiative, Nufuels currently has three waste conversion systems to be deployed to St Martin’s Rural Training Centre Honiara, Kaotave Rural Training Centre, Guadalcanal and to St Peter’s Rural Training Centre, Gizo, Western Province including the Plasticwise Gizo group.

The systems are being built by the Henderson based Design and Technology Centre in partnership with Nufuels Ltd, with some components coming from New Zealand. This initiative builds on a pilot project funded by the New Zealand Government and Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand.

In conjunction with local communities, 6-9 months of training and community coordination are planned to embed the systems within each community and to assist utilisation of the recovered energy.

“Using simple technology we can recover usable energy from collected waste plastic using a process called pyrolysis,“ said Leigh Ramsey, Managing Director of Nufuels.

“Under our program, we provide communities with this technology as well as operational training to extract the energy from plastic waste and we encourage substituting this recovered energy for purchased fuels to help support households.

“Our approach is to address environmental preservation and to provide an ongoing community benefit at the same time.

“By working with communities to regularly clean up our environments we are assisting education about the importance of environmental preservation and by converting gathered waste to energy we are illustrating new possibilities that can assist to combat poverty and support the creation of jobs.

“Access to recovered energy can lessen household running costs by using the energy for cooking, clean water, for lighting and small generators, and also support small business production such as food drying and small scale manufacture,” Mr. Ramsey said.

“Importantly the training, education, and operational aspects of our projects are achievable for men and women. We are particularly keen to see increased participation by women,” he added.

“We already have two communities with existing waste conversion systems in the Solomon Islands and are now establishing three more.

“Looking forward we will steer on-going engagement with the contracted community coordinators based in Honiara and Munda working with the three new communities and two communities with existing systems.

”Recovered energy has an estimated 20% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions over standard fuels and over time we see more opportunities to work closely with like-minded eco-tourism businesses such as Solomon Airlines and to explore bio-fuels and associated emulsion fuel initiatives within Solomon Islands and the wider Pacific,” he said.

–SOLAIR PRESS

China to fund cardiac theatre

Written by
Mavis Podokolo
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The National Referral Hospital (NRH) in Honiara

BY MAVIS N PODOKOLO

THE People’s Republic of China have sealed an agreement with the Ministry of Health and Medical Services to finance a cardiac theatre aimed at dealing with heart diseases in the country.

This was confirmed by the Minister of Health and Medical Services, Dr Culwick Togamana yesterday in Parliament.

“One MOU signed with the PRC is to establish a cardiac theatre to deal with heart diseases related to Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs) too,” Togamana said.

Togamana said this new cardiac theatre will be built on the East of the National Referral Hospital.

He adds that MHMS had also put together efforts in addressing this NCD, but this is a collective effort and should not be left to the Ministry alone to deal with.

 “Our people must be responsible and accountable for their own health as well.

“And it is important at the household level and community level we must continue to advocate importance of diet, important of healthy activities.

“These are vital to reducing NCD,” he added.

Forestry Bill still in the works, 3 years on

Written by
Eddie Osifelo
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By EDDIE OSIFELO

WORK on the outstanding Forestry Bill is still ongoing, three years on since the government came into power in 2019.

Attorney General, John Muria Junior confirmed this when responding to questions by the Chairman of Public Accounts Committee, Douglas Ete and Opposition Leader Matthew Wale in Parliament yesterday.

Muria Junior said the draft has been circulated and is in the process of ‘finalising’.

He said the ministry is trying to iron out some issues before finalising it and should be signed soon.

Island Sun understands the Solomon Forest Association had gone through the Drafting Instructions of the Forestry Bill last year.

The main objective of the Bill is to make amendments to the Forest Resources and Timber Utilisation Act, Cap 40, in order to make it more robust and forward looking in nature to cater for the new activities and developments which is occurring in the forestry sector now and into the future its fundamental aims and objectives.

The secondary objectives and purposes of the recommended Amendment to the Forest Resources and Timber Utilisation Act include:

Enable the Act to accommodate changes in the Forestry sector and establish the platform for changes in the Forest Resources and Timber Utilisation Act and its relevant Regulations [2005]

The licensing and enforcement of the relevant conditions of the License

One of the recommended Amendments is the Commissioner of Forest Resources” should be replaced with the word “Forestry Technical Committee” (Commissioner will issue License based on the advice of the Forestry Technical Committee).

According to section 10 (1) the word “appropriate Government” should be replaced with the word “Council of Chiefs” and the word “Customary Land Appeal Court” should be replaced with the word “Tribal Land Panel” (as Local Court will no longer have the power to hear Land matters).

Section 17, a fine of three thousand dollars or imprisonment for two years or to both such fine and imprisonment” should be replaced with the phrase “a fine of fifty thousand dollars and five years’ imprisonment or both’.

There will be a Forestry Board established to:

To receive appeals from the Minister of Forestry and Research from aggrieved parties

To advise the Minister to lift suspended license and reinstate cancelled Felling License.

To advise the Minister of Forests on appeal matters generally

Any other matters that are referred to the Board by the Minister.

Make decisions on issues pertaining to all Forestry plantations either owned by individual, family or community.

To call up relevant expertise to advise on technical matters when needs arise.

Deliberate on the Declaration of a Moratorium when the need arises

Deliberate on forest clearance for other development purposes e.g., Agriculture, Palm oil, mining, major settlements, infrastructure developments,

To advise the government of the day on Forest Policy issues, e.g., policy review.

Forestry Board’s decision is final

Furthermore, the Ministry of Forestry and Research will put in place a Budget for all Timber Rights Hearing. The total amount should not exceed $80,000.00 dollars per sitting.

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