KADERE Party president Peter Boyers has urged journalist Alfred Sasako to “stop misleading the public on issues he knew little about”.
Mr Boyers was referring to recent articles Mr Sasako penned about his meeting with chairman of Russell Islands Plantations Estates Ltd (RIPEL) chairman Patrick Wong.
“The suspicions Sasako raised about my meeting with Mr Wong is nothing but the exposure of his demeanor of ‘how one thinks is how one judges’,” Mr Boyer said.
He said the RIPEL issue is a long standing matter for the government to resolve, which precludes individual agendas and Mr Sasako’s navel approach is totally questionable.
“Firstly MrSasako must understand that any reference to the Hells Point area is based upon High Court rulings and decisions that he should read and try to comprehend, which I am not sure if he has the capacity to do based on all his misguided media rhetoric.
“As a senior journalist it is a disgrace to make personal judgements to cover your ignorance of high court rulings and lack of respect for internal government processes. No one is above the law.
“Secondly, Kadere is political party that has a manifesto, which focuses on traditional rights and traditional governance structures.
“The Kadere Party has been engaged with the issue of RIPEL since 2014 and as a party we represent the traditional interests of the Lavukal people by virtue of our policy platform.
“Therefore, the party has a vested interest to ensure the Lavukal people do not end up victims once again because of commercial interests lurking within their traditional setting or from external factors.
“We as a party have a mandate to engage by virtue of the PPI Act whereas you Mr Sasako do not but simply use the media to distort the facts.
“We do not go hiding around corners and stabbing people with mongering gossip and bad judgements but are clear on our representation and engagement.”
Mr Boyers said the Lavukal people have been spectators and victims for nearly a century and the cycle of fracturing and suffering has to stop.
“The SIG is obligated to make sure the Lavukal get the best deal in relation to their traditional jurisdiction as well as the traditional land owners of Guadalcanal.
“That is who we represent as a party.
“If you think otherwise then you put it on the table in black and white but making speculative statements only raises questions on whether you have ulterior motives beyond your role as a journalist.
“Why are you so presumptuous on this issue, have you got a divergent agenda?”
Mr Boyers argued it is a fact that in the past and more recently, Mr Sasako had tried introducing a group called BLACK GOLD to the government on the premise that these apparent investors who are also directly interested in acquiring RIPEL with their access to a significant source of funding which is being offered to the SIG.
“MrSasako’s direct involvement with Black Gold is a well-known fact which raises questions about whether his journalistic integrity has been compromised by using the media to influence outcomes that suit his own vested interests.
“Is not this the same group that came here in the nineties, with promises of millions of dollars to invest within the country, which resulted in a prominent statesman being adversely affected as a result of his involvement with the Black Gold proposal?
“Maybe these outstanding issues need clarification before committing the SIG to another Skyline or Nasar scandal.
“As a major Coalition partner in the SIDCCG, Kadere Party has a political mandate to serve in the best interests of the government and the public they represent whereas self-serving journalists such as Mr Sasako, only have conjecture and personal opinion which in no way form or shape represents the public interest.
“Instead of using the media to personally attack others, I called Sasako to explain who Black Gold is and what involvement he has with these Investors.”
