Reports of Surface Access Agreement process hijack emerge as 11 of 24 landowning tribes in East Malaita withdraw their support from the mineral prospecting operation of New Asian Mining company which the Malaita Provincial Government issued a business license to after the Fini-led MNGFR took office
THE Malaita Provincial Government under the leadership of Premier Martin Fini has issued a business license to the New Asian Mining Company to carry out mineral prospecting in East Malaita, it was revealed.
Documents sighted by Solomon Star revealed that the business license is valid from April 1 2023 to 31 March 2024.
The New Asian Mining Company paid a sum of SBD250, 000 for the business license to Malaita Provincial Government on 13 April 2023 and was issued with the receipt number 23403.
The issued business license was signed by the Malaita Provincial Treasurer, Francis Irofimae.
A note handwritten by the Deputy Provincial Secretary (DPS), David Filia, on the day the license was issued reads, “This application was approved by the executive at the rate of SBD250k, please continue on with the issuing of the business license for prospecting.”
The presence of New Asian Mining in East Malaita has been the subject of discussion on social media recently with many Malaitans commented against this development.
According to an East Malaita prominent figure, who is also a landowner of one of the land tenement areas earmarked for prospecting, William Baefua said the whole mineral prospecting deal has been highly suspicious right from the start.
Mr Baefua shared his thoughts regarding the current mining development in East Malaita on the social media forum ‘Malaita Province Development Forum.’
He said of the 24 landowning tribes whose customary lands were earmarked for mineral prospecting, only 13 agreed for the prospecting activity to proceed, whilst 11 had withdrawn their interest due to irregularities in how the mining company has dealt with them.
“On December 6th 2022, a launching meeting was held at Aluta Bridge, Ward 15 East Kwara’ae.
“The purpose of the meeting was for landowners who are interested in prospecting to get their tribal land trustees to attend the meeting and sign a document, pledging their interest for prospecting.
“According to one of the engineers from the Ministry of Mines, Energy and Rural Electrification who drew up the budget informed me that the budget for that one-day launching was 2.6 million.”
“During the launching, each landowning tribe was given a pig each and SBD1000 for each signatory.”
“I followed up on the process and later discovered that the signing on 6th December 2022 was the Surface Access Agreement (SAA).
“According to them, they ill-informed the people that anybody can sign and they will fix it later, not knowing that it was the SAA.
“Actually, it was a one-sided agreement.
“According to the mining process, before a SAA is signed, the Director of Mines and the representatives from the company should conduct meetings with landowners at Principal villages within the tenement.
“That process was bypassed.”
He said most of those who signed on the 6 December 2022 were not well versed with the context of the agreement they signed.
“On the agreement, a premium of SBD $160,000 was to be paid and a sum of $50,000 to be paid within 60-days after the signing.
“To date, none of the 24 landowning tribes have received any money.
“The company, however, allocated $5,000 for each landowning tribe to advance and that is their only payment.
“This is a breach of the SAA signed and 13 landowning tribes are down for the prospecting, while11 had withdrawn and I’m one of those landowning tribes that withdrew because right from the start everything went wrong.”
Some social media commentators were quick to put the blame on the previous Daniel Suidani-led Malaita Alliance for Rural Advancement (MARA) Government for allowing the New Asia Mining Company into Malaita Province.
Speaking to this paper, Mr Suidani denied the allegation, stating that his MARA Government was totally against developments like mining.
He stated it is the current Malaita New Government for Fundamental Redirection (MNGFR) under the leadership of Premier Fini which allowed the mining company into Malaita Province by giving it a business license to operate.
When Solomon Star investigated the matter, documents collected indicated that it is the current MNGFR executive that approved the mineral prospecting operation of the New Asian Mining Company in East Malaita with the issuance of a business license worth SBD250k on 13 April 2023.
Following the executive’s decision on the subject matter, DPS Filia authorised the Provincial Treasurer, Mr Irofimae, to sign and issue the business license to the mining company.
The New Asian Mining Company is now carrying out mineral prospecting in East Malaita.
By WILSON SAENI in Auki
