The lobbying game is on again in Solomons

Another problem... The lobbying game between the government and opposition is on again and it is another time for Solomon Islands citizens watching their representatives fighting for power and this current government like the previous ones will not complete its four year term.

Solomon Islands is now entering another political struggle. The fight for the political leadership of this beautiful and resourceful country is now on again. This just came as the Parliament is ready to sit for 2012 national budget meeting in November.

This started when the opposition learnt that 17 prominent members of the current government were unhappy about some decisions made the Prime Minister Danny Philip. A reliable source within the government stated that the members planned to leave. This was immediately noticed by the opposition and the number game came into play between the opposition and the government as the government faces possible motion of no confidence.

The Prime Minister, however, has recently called the members of the government to meet and sort out their grievances. A source within the government said that the grief members are now strongly agreed to support the government in upcoming motion of no confidence and this gives the Prime Minister confidence to defeat the motion submitted by the opposition leader Dr Derick Sikua.

The insider said the 17 who attended excluded the strong-holds of NCRA so there is no doubt we are rock solid. The Opposition is currently playing a political tactic in trying to put Opposition strongman and former Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare as their likely candidate for Prime Minister to lure support from members of the government.

The motion came in the light of the issue of good will payment for failed PNG Chancery Building in Honiara, new appointments of Solomon Islands diplomats to Taiwan and Fiji. For sure, the opposition would like to take over the power to correct things. It will be all on majority rule game that these two camps are fighting to take. Any group wins majority number will rule. Ordinary Solomon Islanders just watch as this will be on their Parliament representatives.

The government’s biggest mistake.

In light of this power struggle, for sure the current government must fight had to clear its name. Not long after the government appointed its two new foreign diplomats, Laurie Chan and Pattison Oti, former foreign ministers, the opposition criticized the appointments and asked for the government to re look at this. This was because the opposition said that these people were not suitable to head the foreign mission and said there were some experience and qualified people for the post, who were not chosen.

To make things went from bad to worse, one of these appointed diplomats was found carrying out foreign interests in Solomon Islands.

Just recently, a document taken by Solomon Star, which was believed to be from wikiLeaks, showed that Mr Chan was secretly working as spy for Australia and the US in Solomon Islands. The report said that Mr Chan was a reliable source of the US and Australia local intelligence in the country.

A document revealed in April, 2006 just five days before the election of former Solomon Islands Prime Minister, Snyder Rini, causing the April Riot in Honiara, which was tracked by several countries like Solomon Islands, Guatemala and China stated that Mr Chan had a secret conversation with US Ambassador to Solomon Islands.

In this conversation Mr Chan said if his government wins power, he will continue to support the US idea for Guatemala at the UN, but he said that he is afraid of other group led by Charles Dausabea which also fought for power. Mr Chan said that he feared that this group might support Taiwan interests and oppose Australian led mission, the Regional Assistant Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI).

Similar revelation was disclosed about former Attorney- General of Solomon Islands, Julian Moti. It was reported secret conversation going between the Australia Government and Mr Chan to deport this man to Australia. This secret intelligent resulted in the deportation of Mr Moti to Australia where he faced child sex charges committed in Vanuatu, which was believed to be cleared by Vanuatu court.

It is another time for only big boys fighting for the power. During times like this, ordinary Solomon Islanders just powerless as any government to form depend on majority number of MP which any of the two groups will have in the coming Parliament meeting. It is believed that some foreign powers will involve in the fight for power like what already happened in the past.  Aid assistance will be one of the strong force in this fight. It is another government which, if defeated, will not complete its term in power and the country will suffer its consequences.

$2 Million to cover government sin

Why does the Solomon Islands Government plan to fund the incomplete PNG Chancery building? This is a kind of question being asked by Solomon Islands citizens and those of PNG.

Before the project started last year, the PNG Government and Solomon Islands Government, as understood, had made an agreement to build their chancery buildings in each country. Green light was given to Solomon Islands Government, and the construction of this chancery building started last year in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, and completed towards the end of that year. It seems that everything from PNG Government side was just fine as far as the agreement was concerned.

Just beginning of last year, the two governments moved on to build PNG Chancery building in Honiara, Solomon Islands. The PNG Government took all responsibilities in funding the project. A local company won the bid to carry out the construction of the chancery building. 

However, towards mid last year, the company stopped working because there was no fund to continue on with the project.

The PNG Government has been questioning how the fund was used, but the Solomon Islands Government kept silence about the issue. Since then, it was a matter of concern between the two governments.

Recently, the Solomon Islands Government under the leadership of Prime Minister, Danny Philip, announced $ 2Million to fund the chancery building project. Solomon Islands Government described it as goodwill fund for the project.

Both PNG Government and Solomon Islands opposition spoke out against this move by Solomon Islands Government. This is because, according to the two groups, a full investigation should be carried out on the matter, especially on how the PNG funds for the project were used, which resulted in the incomplete Chancery building project.

The leader of Opposition, Dr Derick Sikua, is surprised that instead of launching an investigation into the misappropriation of the chancery project funds as requested by PNG, the cabinet has seen it fit to pay an additional funding of SB$2 Million dollars towards the project.

What amazes the Opposition is the fact that the Cabinet's decision swiftly followed the call by the PNG Prime Minister on the Solomon Islands Government for a separate investigation into the misappropriation of PNG funds for the construction of the chancery.Solomon Islands should be facilitating the PNG Government's request for an investigation into the misappropriation of the funds and not additional goodwill payments for a project that had obviously failed.

The question that should be asked now is why does the Solomon Islands Government want to fund the incomplete project while there has been no any kind of investigation what so ever being carried out on how the PNG funds for the project were used.

Something must be wrong within the government and responsible individuals should be held accountable.Such case like this, citizens should talk out against. It seems some of our parliament representatives think of themselves first rather than people they represent.

Just days after the recent political argument, PNG Government announced state wedding  for the nation's ninth Governor General, Sir Michael Ogio.

Sir Michael is to wed a Solomon Islander. Sir Michael Ogio met Ms Esmie Ereoli, a former employee of Pacific Casino Hotel in Honiara in 2009. The report said they met when Sir Michael Ogio was a PNG Cabinet Minister. The couple maintained a very private relationship since then to this day.

In an interview with Radio Australia, the Governor General's Official Secretary, Tipo Vuatha, confirmed it and said that the wedding will be the first of its kind in PNG, which is to be staged in public.

It is also another big story for both Solomon Islands and PNG people, which, to some extent, calmed down the recent political tension.