Be like real statesmen, Sogavare tells senior citizens
PRIME Minister Manasseh Sogavare has hit out at three senior citizens who condemned his government’s pay-out of $3 million to ex-militants on Christmas Eve.
Sir Allan Kemakeza, Sir Paul Tovua, and Joses Tuhanuku were three of the nation’s top leaders who helped bring an end to the ethnic tension more than a decade ago.
The trio described the controversial payout as “irresponsible and potentially destablising”.
“Such a payout flies in the face of the decision of Solomon Islanders to move forward and put this dark period in the nation’s history behind us,” they said in a strongly worded statement published at the weekend.
They added the pay-out was an “illegal and an irresponsible use of taxpayers’ funds”.
But Mr Sogavare told the Solomon Star in an interview Sir Allan, who became prime minister in 2001, should ask himself about the promises his government made to the militants then.
“Let me set the record straight that the decision to pay the ex-combatants is made by Cabinet, and not my own,” Mr Sogavare said.
“I am running a ‘cabinet government’ not a ‘cowboy government’ as Sir Allan did during his tenure in office,” he added.
“What my government is trying to do here is clean up the mess Sir Allan himself created during his time as prime minister.
“Therefore, he should either put up or shut up,” Mr Sogavare stated.
He said he had the documents in his office that have the promises Sir Allan made to the ex-militants.
Mr Sogavare said when he was prime minister in 2000, his government with the help of the Taiwanese Government made lost property payments worth over $300 million to those who lost properties.
“Interestingly, Sir Allan as then deputy prime minister and minister for National Peace and Reconciliation received $850,000 of the funding for properties he claimed to have lost.
“But this is ridiculous because Sir Allan’s claim is outside of property damaged by combatants.
“This is why I sacked him at that time because of his personal interest in the lost property payments,” Mr Sogavare said.
He said if Sir Allan, Sir Paul and former politician Mr Tuhanuku are real statesmen, they should go to his office and discuss the issue than to the media.
“Pull up your socks and act like real statesmen instead of joining the queue of irresponsible people, making irresponsible statements in the media,” he added.
Speaking to the Solomon Star from his Visale home in west Guadalcanal yesterday, Sir Allan said the Townsville Peace Agreement has already expired.
He said government should forget about the past and stick to its policies in order to take the country forward.
Sir Allan said the $3 million pay-out has set precedence for more people to lodge in their claims.
By ELLIOT DAWEA
