How and what triggers the political rumblings on Malaita

 

MALAITA Province seems to be on an irreversible course – for bad or worse – is anyone’s guess.

But pinning down what triggered such determination is also difficult, if not very difficult until now that is.

Now that things have settled somewhat, snippets of what compounded the situation are beginning to come out in drabs and dribs.

For example, Solomon Star has been investigating why the Malaita Provincial Government had opted to abandon the MARA’s commitment to support DCGA core policies on development from day one.

Some blame the switch to China in September 2019 without consulting the provincial leadership. Others say China is a Communist country and as a Christian nation, Solomon Islands should have nothing to do with the Chinese government and its people.

Still others have their own reasons

In conversations with different people, largely Malaitans it has become clear what triggered Malaita Provincial government’s rumblings.

You guessed it. It is MONEY. Millions of it

According to those in the know, individuals on Malaita were pedalling lies that Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare paid a private visit to Beijing prior to the switch. It was subsequently discovered that it was a lie.

Prime Minister Sogavare never travelled to Beijing until October 2019 – a month after Solomon Islands switched diplomatic relations to China. Solomon Star has checked out the veracity of the story and concluded it was a lie.

But that was not the end.

Some span the story that it was the Minister of Mines, Energy and Rural Electrification and deputy Parliamentary Leader of OUR Party, Bradley Tovosia and MP for West Honiara, Namson Tran that made a private visit to China prior to the switch.

There, according to the lies spreading throughout Malaita like wild fire, both men “negotiated” a USD$850 million funding as the price for the switch. Others said the visit to Beijing was undertaken by Tovosia and the then President of OUR Party, Robson Djokovic.

In Beijing, so the story goes, they met with China Railway, which according to the story provided the funding. According to the story that raced through the Malaita Provincial government echelon, the money was to be paid via Vanuatu because of its tax haven status.

From there, it would be transmitted to the British Virgin Islands – a yet another tax haven, before the funds comes back to Solomon Islands.

It was a dead end for those spreading the rumours.

But by then the damage had already been done as Malaitans had been told of the USD$850 million haul which they said the DCGA government had received but never shared it with other provinces including Malaita.

“If the government had shared the money equally each Province should have received USD$94.4 million (about SBD$755.2 million),” Solomon Star was told.

Their story is strengthened by what they saw with their own eyes as Members of Parliament – not all of them, but most – splashing money on land and building purchases not only in Honiara but other provincial centres as well.

“That’s the money they are spending while the nation and its people suffer,” they charged.

“That USD$850 million rumoured to have been received by the DCGA government is really what had triggered the rumblings on Malaita. It is not about China. It is not about the switch.

“It is about the USD850 million (about SBD6.8 billion) rumoured to have been given to the DCGA government,” this newspaper was told.

At the time rumour mongers were spreading their lies, the United States’ NGO, Winrock was making its entry in Solomon Islands. Its brief was to be based in the Western Province.

However, because of the lies about the USD$850 million Chinese funding, Winrock was encouraged allegedly by Australia and New Zealand to consider going to Malaita.

Australia and New Zealand, it is said, have made heavy investments in Western Province and rather than concentrate in one area, Winrock should consider Malaita.

A number of people spoken to said Premier Daniel Suidani was advised and he acceded to inviting Winrock to Malaita. Under its SCALE program, Winrock plans to spend USD$25 million over the next five years.

Consultants would get the lion share of the funding, it was stated.

By ALFRED SASAKO
Newsroom, Honiara