THE O’ori tribe who claims to be the real land owning group of Bina/Talifu land site is now questioning the government and the chairman of the Bina Interim trust Board, Dickson Maearia over the recent signing of the land title last week.
The signing ceremony between the DCCG and the interim was hosted at the Iron Bottom Sound last Thursday.
Bina/Talifu land the site at Bina Harbour that is being earmarked by the government for the proposed international harbor.
Spokesperson, Patricia Sam Dallu said, that this does not go down with them and the two parties need to rethink that signing.
“We have been sitting, watching and waiting for the National and Provincial governments in the past to come down and consult with us but they never made any effort to involve us until today,” Ms Dallu said.
She stressed that in 2005, their tribe made submission to the Lafari Ngarilasifono Council of Chiefs, to survey their boundaries and landmark for evidence of proof on the land.
“After that the land survey had carried out on Farua’a/O’ori land, the chiefs have approved and recommended that the Farua’a/O’ori tribe is the true land owning group based on the evidences found and identities.”
“The pass governments never made any attempt to approach the Lafari Ngarilasifono Council of Chiefs to identify the rightful land owning group yet, continue to hold public meetings in the villages of Bina where settlers from different tribes outside our tribal land and now the DCC government is doing what is unacceptable by the tribe,” Ms Dallu said.
She added that members of this so-called interim with their legal adviser, group of the political appointees with PMO know very well that the group formed this interim are not the land owners but yet continued to registered the Bina/Talifu with Perpetual Estate hand-over to the group on Thursday 10th last week.
She said she wants to ask these following questions;
1. Who mandated this interim Committee chaired by Dickson Maearia?
2. What tribe in Malaita does Mr Maearia with his interim committee members who signed the Consent order originated from?
3. Why the Ministry of Lands allow registration when tribal owners already identified more that 10 years ago?
4. Why take short cut?
“What Mr Maeari’s interim Committee and the government are doing right now has caused anger to the tribal owners of Bina/Talifu.
“He should stop making nonsense barking in the media and go set up an Interim for his tribal and in Uagwari and his interim members set up their own tribal and trust board in preparation for any development may come their way,” Ms Dallu said.
“It is clear in Mr Maeari’s explanation in Solomon Star issue no: 6129 that ‘the registration is only done on an interim basis. Until such a time when proper assessment on ownership claims is determined. This piece of report shows that he and his interim are not doing the research.
“The current process is being conducted according to the consent order signed in 2010,” she said.
“Who are the signatories to the Consent Order? We know very well these tribal men to the consent order are from different tribes and not from Bina/Talifu. Therefore the Consent Order is not for our tribe’s concern.
Farua’a/O’ori, do not need any interim to represent them or engaged in any dialogue with any government whether it be National or Provincial government. “We have our own Trust Boards legally registered and these are the only boards or associations mandated and recognized by our tribal members to negotiate on our be have,” she said.
She said that it is clear, that the settlers on Bina/Talifu and outside the area are the cause of all the unnecessary disputes in the past and not the true land owners.
Ms Dallu said, they know and understand the definition of the “Interim” and “Perpetual Estate” land title therefore asked of the DCC government to deal direct with our tribal owners if they are serious about the proposed Bina Harbour Sea Port and Cannery, and not to deal with the middle men who desperate for power and all for CASH in exchange for hijacking someone’s else’s customary land.
Ms Dallu pointed out the piece of advice in Kwaio Land Tenure: the important that guards rules in land tenure.
1. The original shrine called Bae ni Sunga which is situated over the grave of the original ancestor and its sister ritual ceremony of Fuanialo is the identity of ownership to clans as local, social and political groups of tribe.
It is the identity of the clans as a tribe. It constitutes conclusive evidence of tribal land ownership.
2. The subsidiary shrine called Bae ni Fafialo is the land identity of ownership to clans as land holding groups. It constitutes conclusive evidence of land ownership.
3. The performing and place of the ritual ceremony of Oifanuanga is also land identity of ownership to clan land or nay given land plots.
4. Other shrines and other places of ritual except of the above, 1, 2, 3 maybe relied on the evidence of occupation but do not, by themselves constitute conclusive evidence of land ownership.
5. Properties such as fruit trees, palm trees etc, old garden sites, dwelling sites and stone walls are evidence of occupation but do not constitute evidence of land ownership.
“We urged the Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare to re-think about such action done by his top position holders in the Ministry of Lands and his Political Appointees in the PMO to nullify the Bina/Talifu land registration before any development design or activities for the harbor, otherwise there will be no development for this proposed project but a mere good fund raise effort for these boys,” Ms Dallu said.
By LESLEY SANGA
