Former Prime Minister (MP) and Member of Parliament (MP) for Central Honiara Gordon Darcy Lilo, has vigorously defended himself against allegations regarding the bauxite mining situation on Rennell Island in the Rennell/Bellona Province.
The former Prime Minister’s responded following statements made by the current Prime Minister and the Minister of Mines during a recent parliamentary session.
On Thursday last week, the Prime Minister claimed that the controversial bauxite mining issues on Rennell were inherited from the Lilo-Maelanga administration.
The Minister of Mines also reiterated these claims, promising to provide further details regarding the alleged mismanagement.
In his rebuttal, Hon. Lilo has challenged the Prime Minister and the Minister of Mines to present concrete evidence to substantiate their accusations.
“I urge you to provide any proof against me or my deputy at the time,” he stated firmly.
In a statement, Hon. Lilo expressed concern that the Prime Minister is being misled by his advisors, emphasizing the need for factual evidence before making inflammatory claims that could have repercussions for members of his own Cabinet.
“The Prime Minister must demonstrate that either I or my deputy, Hon. Maelanga, pressured the mining board. He will find no such evidence,” he asserted.
Hon. Lilo clarified that the authority to regulate mining matters lies with the mining board, independent of any specific government or parliamentary term.
Regarding the decision to eliminate export duties, he explained that the issue had been presented to both the Finance Minister and the Minister of Mines during his administration.
“We concluded that zeroing the export duty was unfeasible. In fact, we recommended a rate of 20%, similar to the 25% applied to round log exports. However, the subsequent government, which took office after 2014, chose to zero it out,” he recounted.
The Central Honiara MP also pointed out that the current government, which succeeded the Lilo-Maelanga administration, had shown favoritism towards mining companies.
He highlighted a letter from the Prime Minister at that time expressing support for APID and Bintang, which had been publicly disclosed in the media.
“Additionally, it has come to light that certain senior government officials, who hold constitutional positions, are renting their properties to Bintang. This connection raises serious questions about the current government’s ties to the very entities involved in the mining controversy,” he noted.
Hon. Lilo concluded by reminding the public of the serious allegations that surrounded the government that succeeded his own when CCTV footage surfaced showing the then Minister of Mines receiving envelopes from mining representatives at the HP Hotel car park.
