PRIME Minister Manasseh Sogavare finally carried out his plan to reshuffle the Minister of Finance and Treasury Snyder Rini and the Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources John Maneniaru.
Minister Rini and Minister Maneniaru were sworn in for their new ministerial portfolios by the Governor General Sir Frank Ofagioro Kabui at the Government House on Friday.
The reshuffle is a continuation of the major reshuffle exercise the Prime Minister embarked on since August this year.
The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) reiterated the Prime Minister carried out the reshuffle after consulting the government caucus.
It said the Prime Minister is confident that the reshuffled ministers will provide their new ministries with the necessary support and that the Prime Minister calls on the general public to support the ministers.
The Solomon Star understands the Prime Minister has been planning to reshuffle the two Ministers since May this year but the plan did not meet the approval of the United Democratic Party.
The United Democratic Party (UDP) is the major coalition partner in the Democratic Coalition for Change Government. The other two parties are Kadere Party and Peoples’ Alliance Party.
Sources told Solomon Star in August when the first reshuffles were made that this major shuffle exercise was orchestrated by the Kadere party which is keen to see its parliamentary wing-leader take on the Ministry of Finance and Treasury portfolio.
A political observer said it is interesting that UDP has finally succumbed to the Kadere Party-orchestrated reshuffle exercise but the sincerity of its acceptance will be proven true if Parliament is not served with a notice of a motion of no-confidence against the Prime Minister.
He said the timing of the two latest reshuffles is a mistake, adding that the Prime Minister should have carried it out when Parliament is not in session.
