The Native Iowan

Container stored at minister’s residence

CONTROVERSIES have erupted again over a 20-foot container of beche-de-mer due for shipment this weekend.

The container (No: CAXU3249964), owned by a local Chinese Xu Qiang, is being kept at the residence of Foreign Affairs minister Clay Forau, at Henderson.

It was feared the contents may have been falsely declared and authorities are called on to check it out before shipment.

Sources familiar with beche-de-mer export said while the number of bags loaded and quantity declared may be correct, Customs need to check out the different species.

“It’s common for exporters to make false declaration of the types of species they are exporting,” one source said.

For the container at Mr Forau’s residence, some say it was filled with high quality beach-de-mer species but are only declared with less number of bags.

Sources further questioned whether Mr Qiang has a licence to export beche-de-mer.

Previously, Mr Qiang is a business partner of Jerry Sun who recently exported his beche-de-mer container under Rendova Trading Company.

They split over differences and Mr Qiang has since moved on and started buying beche-de-mer himself.

This week, the police went searching for Mr Qiang to speak to him, and some claimed he was hiding at Mr Forau’s residence.

But Mr Forau strongly denied harbouring Mr Qiang.

Reached for comments yesterday on his mobile phone, Mr Qiang said he did nothing wrong, declined to make further comments, and instead referred the Solomon Star to his lawyer.

When contacted, private lawyer David Lidimani said he just received his client’s file and is still looking into it.

However, Mr Lidimani stated it could be something to do with the beche-de-mer issue.

He added he will be seeing the police today over the matter.

Mr Forau said the majority of Mr Qiang’s customers are from Temotu.

“In fact he has been buying beche-de-mer from Temotu since 2002,” Mr Forau said.

He said he knew Mr Qiang since then and they become friends.

Asked why as a minister he allowed his residence to be used as a loading point, Mr Forau said this happened due to the recent issue between Mr Qiang and his business partner Jerry.

The fall-out between the duo last month resulted in the burning of Mr Qiang’s car at his residence at Tasahe by those believed to be associates of Jerry.

The incident was now a police case.

Asked whether Mr Qiang is a licensed buyer and exporter, Mr Forau said he did not know.

“What I can tell you is we used to sell beche-de-mer to him since 2002,” the Foreign Affairs minister said.

Asked whether it is right as a minister of the crown to allow his residence to be used by an Asian to load the container, Mr Forau said he did not see anything wrong with it.

“I am a just an ordinary person like everyone else and we all do things for survival. We all work hard and do things for our livelihood,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Malaita Ma’asina Forum president Charles Dausabea called on Mr Forau to resign.

If he refused, Mr Dausabea said the prime minister should sack him.

But Mr Forau said: “I think my conscience is clear because I am merely helping a friend who is helping my people to harvest and sell their products. I am doing this not as a minister of the crown but just like an ordinary person.”

Mr Dausabea also called on relevant authorities to properly check the container.

“If Mr Qiang is found to have committed fraud, he should be referred to the courts, or deport and ban him from returning to the country,” he added.

By Daniel Namosuaia 

 

DOLPHIN hunter and exporter, Robert Satu plans to resume his dolphin export activities next month.

Mr Satu revealed to this paper yesterday that over the past month, he has received more than 100 offers from various dolphin dealers around the globe.This according to Mr Satu and the government’s lack of keeping its promise to compensate Mr Satu and the Solomon Islands Marine Export Limited (SIMEL) for halting their dolphin export activities has motivated him to resume the business.

“I started the business, it was my means of survival and that of the many other fishermen involved in the business with me.

“After the government told us to compensate us if we released the dolphins and cease the export, we agreed to that, however the government has yet to live up to its promise to us.

“Therefore the only means whereby we can get income for ourselves to support our families is to go fish again,” Mr Satu said.

Mr Satu also revealed that he has already made arrangements for the export of 28 dolphins next month to China.

“Within the next couple of weeks, I will finalize all the arrangements for the first shipment of 28 dolphins to China, whilst hunting will start as soon as this month,” Mr Satu said.

Dear Editor – In terms of morality, ethics, and integrity in national leadership, the national Parliament ought to be the shining light on the hill for all to see and emulate.In this sense it serves as the ideal example that society should follow. It is sad that our national Parliament is the exact opposite of this. It is giving out bad examples for the rest of society.

The current national Parliament at one stage elected people who had issues with the laws of the country as its Speaker and Deputy Speaker.

The former Deputy Speaker has since simply moved on to an equally very influential and sensitive position in the national leadership circles, that of Chairman of a Caucus I keep claiming not to have any Constitutional basis.

One of the messages these moves sent out to the rest of the country is that it is alright for our laws to be disrespected even to the extent of breaking them.

In fact, the national Parliament is saying to the rest of the country that it is more rewarding to break the laws of the nation.

For such a message to be forthcoming from the supreme law-making body of the nation is downright immoral, unethical and in general, seriously questions the integrity and image of the national Parliament and Government leadership.

The two instances of disrespecting the laws of the country have been very clear to the public.

One involved criminality proven in a court of law and imprisonment, whilst the other is the continuation of the disregard of the appropriate laws pertaining to gambling.

There is the requirement by our existing laws that gambling can only be conducted in the premises of Hotels.

Yet, a member of the current Parliament continues to ignore this with what seems to be blessing from both the national Parliament and Government!

In effect, this particular law is being broken with the approval it seems of Parliament and the Government.

When the national Parliament and the Government appear to condone and reward national leaders for contravening the laws of the country, the negative impact throughout society can be severe and detrimental.

It is no wonder that the rest of the public service and society at large is following suit.

Corruption and criminality are now rampant. Disciplinary problems   in schools and homes are at such high levels as never seen before.

The moral, ethical, and integrity of national leadership fabrics of our society are in shreds and there doesn’t seem to be any serious national efforts to address this serious decline.

I attribute this worsening national moral and integrity leadership situation to political expediency – the ‘numbers game’, for purposes of power (be the government) to be authoritative and influential.

It is Parliament as exemplified here that is spear-heading the national rot in morality, ethics, and leadership integrity.

The basic cause of the ‘numbers game’ is the fact that the political party situation in the country has not developed to any form of the maturity needed to ensure party discipline.

Political party discipline in turn would ensure members remain loyal to their party to minimize, if not prevent altogether, such practices as the ‘grass-hopping’ tendencies for the highest money offers so characterised the national Parliament.

In 2010/11, a bi-partisan Task Force was established to advise Government and Parliament on ways to address the national concern over National Leadership integrity, and Political stability.

Good progress was made initially but efforts ground to a halt in mid 2012.

One of the problems was the extremely slow reactions to submissions of the Task Force by the bureaucrats in the Cabinet and Prime Minister’s Offices.

Not the elected politicians but bureaucrats. Government’s intention that some form of legislation be considered by Parliament in March 2013 is now highly unlikely.

Our National Parliament should be a special Institution. It must be governed by the highest standards of morals, ethics, and leadership integrity.

In this sense, it must be a shining light on the Hill for all to see.

If we fail to do this, we would be like the situation in India where in the State of Uttar Pradesh; half of all the Ministers in that State Assembly are under criminal charges.

In the Indian national Parliament one third of all MPs are under criminal charges.

Observers are attributing the severe lawlessness in that society to these facts.

We don’t want this.

 

Gabriel Taloikwai
Honiara

 

A SENIOR police officer has labelled the government’s failure to renew former Police Commissioner, John Lansley’s contract as a political success but a major blow for the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) and national security.The officer who wished to remain anonymous said that Mr Lansley was supposed to have stayed on for an additional three months, however was no longer wanted by the government and therefore the government failed to extend his contract and instructed him at the eleventh hour (last week) to leave the country immediately.

According to reports recieved, on Wednesday night (last week), Mr Lansley was contacted by the Prime Minister’s Office and informed that his contract will not be extended and that he is required to leave the country immediately.

According to the officer, the government wanted to cover up some of the alledged corrupt and political acts committed and abused by most senior officers within the RSIPF executive board.

“I have no reason of doubt that former deputy commissioner, Walter Kola is behind this-as Kola is a government crony.

“Not only that but most of us the senior officers of the RSIPF also have reason to believe that Mr Kola wants the top job more than anyone else,” he claimed.

Mr Kola was earlier this year subsequently suspended by Mr Lansley, facing several allegations that have since been under investigation.

It was only after Mr Kola had been suspended that questions were raised about Mr Lansley contract with the RSIPF.

Meanwhile Police Minister Christopher Laore during a farewell parade held in honour of Mr Lansley last week highlighted that the government felt that it was time that the top Police post be nationalized.

“It is time that Solomon Islanders have a sense of ownership of the RSIPF. For too long our force had been led by outside assist-not it is time that our own nationals lead the force,” he said.

The police officer however said that Lansley should have remained at the helm of the RSIPF a further three months so that the transition from Lansley to his successor would go smoothly.

“We wanted stability in the RSIPF and we got John Lansley, now that he is no longer with us, even we the most senior officers do not know exactly how the government wants to proceed with appointing the new commissioner.

“Nevertheless the new commissioner must be appointed within the next three months or the government and off course our national security will face serious consequences,” he said.

By Jeremy Inifiri

 

Know the facts before you reconcile

TRUE reconciliation can only happen when people know the facts of the issue, an Anglican bishop says.

Bishop Terry Brown was responding to accusations Guadalcanal premier Stephen Panga levelled at him over his decision to release the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) report.

Mr Panga accused Bishop Terry of acting illegally, adding the report should be released after reconciliation is held between Malaita and Guadalcanal.

But Bishop Terry said via email:

“It would be even worse to do reconciliation first and have all the facts come out later. That would reopen wounds and destroy the reconciliation that has taken place

“As the TRC Report was the one mandated document to provide the facts (the truth), the sooner it is in the public forum, the better.

“I have great respect for Stephen Panga and I do not want to engage in a public debate with him.

“I don’t quite know what he means by “there [are] issues [that] need to be settled” before the report is released.

“It seems to me that there are so many unknown facts that the TRC Report brings to light, that need to come to light, before true reconciliation is possible between Malaita, Guadalcanal and the national government.”

He added that the Report documents the failure of the “top down” or “high level” reconciliation process.

“A ‘bottom up’ process requires the people to know the facts and the TRC Report provides them.”

A former bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Malaita, Bishop Terry was the editor of the report.

He released the report online from his home country of Canada, where he now lives.

He said on previous occasions, he has requested the Government to release the report through parliament, but that was not done.

Bishop Terry also said he initiated discussion on social media network to get the public to pressure the government to release the report, but that too has not produced any results.

He said he decided to release the report after much prayer and reflection and was prepared to take personal responsibility for his decision.

Prime Minister Gordon Darcy Lilo had held on to the report since February last year, citing sensitivity issues.

While the releasing of the report was unprocedural, most Solomon Islanders welcomed Bishop Terry’s decision, and instead urged the Government to act on the recommendations.

By Elliot Dawea