HONIARA: Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare extended his gratitude to national leaders, chiefs and community leaders for “making the right decision” in working with authorities to maintain law and order.
His acknowledgement comes following riots in the capital last wee,k following his election as Prime Minister.
“I believe that we Solomon Islanders are a peace-loving people and what happened must not define who we are,” Sogavare said in an official statement today.
He also conveyed his thanks to the members of the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) for their efforts to ensure safety of the people.
Sogavare said the RSIPF showed their standing as one of the best police forces in the region and deserved formal recognition for their professionalism.
Several new Ministers took their oath last week while the remaining unannounced portfolios will be allocated after discussions with the four parties that formed the Democratic Coalition Government for Advancement (DCGA).
A US congressional delegation has been in Fiji this week for bilateral talks with the government.
US Senator Richard Shelby meets Fijian Defence Minister Inia Seruiratu in Suva on Thursday. Photo: Fiji govt
The delegation included the Senate appropriations committee chairman Richard Shelby; the Senate’s banking, housing and urban affairs chair Michael Crapo; subcommittee on military construction chairman John Boozman; armed services committee’s Deb Fischer and John Kennedy, the chair of the subcommittee on financial services and general government.
They met with Fiji’s minister for defence, national security and foreign affairs Inia Seruiratu and his permanent secretary Ioane Naivalurua.
This is the first visit by an American congressional team to the country in seven years. (RNZ)
Manasseh Sogavare speaks on the steps of Solomon Islands National Parliament shortly after winning the prime ministerial election. 24 April 2019 Photo: Forum Solomon Islands International
An expert on politics in Melanesia says at the nub of the political instability in Solomon Islands is that no real change is being offered by either side.
While the jury is still out on whether the unrest was a legitimate political protest there was a strong sentiment in the lead up to the election that a win by Mr Sogavare would represent the status quo, with most of the MPs in what became his coalition group having also formed the last government.
But a professor in Comparative Politics at Victoria University of Wellington, Jon Fraenkel, said if you look at the make up of the winning coalition and the opposing coalition, led by Matthew Wale, they are almost identical.
“There are politicians that have been around for ages on both sides, there are politicians in the pockets of the loggers on both sides, there are new politicians on both sides and neither side expressed a coherent alternative platform around which people could potentially rally at elections.
“Elections in Solomon Islands don’t do that.
“It is only after the election that people sometimes try and describe one coalition or the other characterised by a different kind of politics. But that is I think misleading,” he said.
MATHEW Wale says his group walked out from the prime minister’s election yesterday for the “sake of the rule of law”.
He said they made the decision after Governor General Sir Frank Kabui refused to accept a High Court order he obtained to postpone the election.
Wale’s rival Manasseh Sogavare was declared prime minister after he received 34 ballots of the 35 that were casted. One ballot was recorded as spoilt.
“While the Grand Coalition recognised the Constitutional authority of the Governor General to preside over the meeting, we felt that the decision of the High Court injunction and orders directing the GG to postpone the meeting should have been adhered to,” Wale told reporters.
“That order did not question the GG’s authority under schedule 2 of the Constitution,” he added.
“Rather it directed the postponement given that the full hearing on the submission on the validity of the nomination of Manasseh Sogavare will be convened on the 26th Friday at 9:30am.”
Wale said the Grand Coalition believes that “our legal processes need to be respected”.
“We believe that the order and directions of the High Court were reasonable given the significance of the submissions,” he said.
Wale said the walkout therefore is for the sake of the rule of law because the Governor General did not abide by the direction to defer the meeting.
“No one is above the law,” Wale said.
He added that the Governor General may have his own interpretation of the law however it is for the courts to interpret law.
Wale further added that the Grand Coalition believes the election of Prime Minister is an important business of the country and so it requires diligent and prudent handling by the Governor General.
“Different views of the law should be left to a neutral body like the Court to deal with but it is unfortunate that the Governor General being the Head of the Executive acted like a judge in the election process,” Wale said.
He confirmed the Grand Coalition will now seek judicial review challenging the determination by the GG.
“The Grand Coalition group continues to call for calm and cooperation of the wider public as this process continues.
“We call for respect for the rule of law,” Wale said.
Governor General Sir Frank Kabui, a retired High Court judge, presided over yesterday’s election.(Solomon Star)
He responded to questions about the foreign policy of his government regarding West Papua during his first press conference on Wednesday (04/24).
This happened after he [Sogavare] received a call from the Indonesian Embassy in Port Moresby [PNG] to congratulate him on his victory.
Sogavare told reporters that his government would be more actively involved with Indonesia in issues surrounding human rights violations in West Papua.
“The Indonesian Embassy in Port Moresby [PNG] just called me and said they were looking forward to a friendly dialogue and consultation on the West Papua issue as a friendly neighbor,” Sogavare said.
He clarified that, at the initial stage when he was standing (position) as Prime Minister and also as Chair of the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) it was because of the position taken by the MSG so far.
“Well there is nothing stopping each Melanesian State from having their own foreign policy on West Papua issues but it would be great if we consider it a collective body to combat human rights violations,” Sogavare said.
He added, this is a sad story when 600,000 Melanesians died, all because their rights were suppressed.
He further added that as a coalition government he would certainly discuss this issue with their partners and come up with a friendly way to overcome the problems of the Melanesian brothers in West Papua. (Solomon Star News / Andrew Fanasia)
The United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) has claimed a successful boycott of the Indonesian election on Wednesday, estimating that about 60 percent of voters have declined to cast their ballot.
While voting did not take place in many polling stations as the ballots had not been delivered, it is the boycott by voters that has reduced participation to record lows, says the ULMWP.
Benny Wenda, the London-based chair of the ULMWP, said:
“THIS IS THE FIRST TIME IN OUR HISTORY THAT 60 PERCENT HAVE BOYCOTTED THE INDONESIAN ELECTIONS IN WEST PAPUA. IT’S A GREAT ACHIEVEMENT, AND THE SECOND TIME THAT THE WEST PAPUAN PEOPLE HAVE NOT JOINED THE INDONESIAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS.”
Wenda said the boycott was growing.
“More people boycotted this year’s elections than the previous 2014 Indonesian elections,” he said.
“There is growing confidence in West Papua that we will be an independent state.
“People around the world should hear the voice of the West Papuans in our call for self-determination.
“The West Papuan people have already voted – 1.8 million signed a petition to the United Nations for an international supervised vote for self-determination”
The call to boycott the Indonesian elections was made on March 26, 2019.
In a statement, the ULMWP also called for people to rally on April 5 for a referendum.
The date of the Rally for Referendum call – April 5 – marked the anniversary of the establishment of the Nieuw Guinea Raad (the West Papua National Parliament).
On April 5, 1961, the Netherlands and the international community formally recognised West Papua’s right to self-determination and eventual statehood.
A West Papuan activist holds a banner demanding independence. Image: CNN Indonesia
Rebel fighters in West Papua‘s Central Highlands shot and wounded two Indonesian soldiers on Wednesday.
West Papua Liberation Army unit, led by Egianus Kogoya. Derakma, Nduga regency. Photo: Supplied
It’s the latest violence in troubled Nduga regency, where a war has killed dozens on both sides since December.
Indonesia’s military says a helicopter was unloading 10 soldiers and supplies at a compound in Nduga when rebels sprang an ambush.
A military spokesperson, Colonel Mohammad Aidi, said two soldiers suffered gunshot wounds in the hit-and-run attack on Wednesday morning .
He said they were in a stable condition at nearby Timika General Hospital.
Claiming responsibility for the attack, the West Papua Liberation Army said it killed three soldiers and injured three others.
The rebel group, which is frequently at odds with the military over incident reports, claimed to have killed another two soldiers on Tuesday in a separate attack in Nduga.
Colonel Aidi said the military forces tried to retaliate during Wednesday’s attack but that the rebels had attacked suddenly before disappearing into a forest. (Radionz)
Maikel Ilintamon (25), who was beaten by Abepura (Abe) Class IIA Lapas (LP) officers, Jayapura, Papua (24/04).
Jayapura – Narapidana (Napi) on behalf of Maikel Ilintamon (25) was beaten by Abepura (Abe) Class IIA Lapas (LP) officers until they were battered and killed in prison. This was known to the media after receiving a report directly from one of the inmates in Abe prison in Jumaat (04/26/2019), Jayapura, Papua.
Chronology and Current Conditions
Initially Maikel Ilintamon and 9 other people wanted to escape from Abe prison, however, he was arrested by Lapas Abe security officers, and then Maikel was dragged into a room in the prison, then he was beaten to death.
Before being beaten, Maikel Ilintamon and several other friends were handcuffed by the Abe LP security guards and then they were beaten using barrel shoes, dead rubber (tonfa sticks), 5 x 5 cm pieces of wood, upstream until they were stunned using electric voltage which later resulted in Maikel Ilintamon being killed dead on Wednesday, April 24, 2019.
9 other prisoners suffered bleeding until now their condition was critical in Abepura (Abe) Class IIA Prison (LP). They are detained, each person is placed in each room [individually], in a room measuring 2 x 2 m. In the small room, each of them was tortured, making it difficult to get fresh air and breathe because the room was too small and narrow.
After the prisoner on behalf of Maikel Ilintamon was beaten to death, four hours later Lapas security forces told the media, Maikel was killed by residents. The [chronological] event that was deliberately being covered up and the Abe Lapas party was trying to obscure this incident, so as not to be suspected and known by the families of victims and humanitarian agencies.
Information received by the media directly from Abepura prison by a witness in one prisoner confirmed that Abe Lapas was trying to cover up this incident, the family and the public needed to know this. The prisoner continued, the officers serving in Abepura (Abe) Class IIA Prison (LP) were all incorrect. There is no guidance and service carried out by all Lapas officers without respecting human values.
It was said, there were indications that the security of Lapas Abe had paid the local media to hide the death of Maikel Ilintamon by reporting that was not in accordance with the actual events [HOAX]. The news in the media that, Maikel Ilintamon was killed in the attack was only an engineering that was made, after being brutally carried out by Lapas officers resulted in the death of Maikel.
By law, acts of violence against prisoners by Lapas security forces were killed, this could be categorized as a criminal act. It makes sense if the steps that can be taken against the prisoners who want to escape are harmed, but the prison officers are very sensitive.
Prisoners who are in critical condition are currently pleading to confirm to their families, but in the meantime, for family visits of 9 critical prisoners this is limited to 3 weeks.
The victim’s family can prosecute the perpetrators [Abe Lapas officers] to be legally processed.
The Shadow Attorney General and Member for Sinasina Yongomugl, Kerenga Kua welcomed the resignation of Mr James Marape from the O’Neill Cabinet, saying it is timely and we still have the opportunity to save this country if more cabinet ministers follow suit and abandon the corrupt practices of Prime Minister Peter O’Neill.
Mr Kua said,
“My sacking as the Attorney General in 2014 was for the very same reason
that Marape today has resigned from Cabinet. O’Neill does not take
advice from his Cabinet but instead takes a lot of ill advice from
opportunists that surround him.
“We have seen more scandals
during O’Neill’s administration than any other time in our short history
starting from the purchase of the generators from Israel to the UBS
loan that were both undertaken without following due government
processes. We witnessed the blow out in costs for sports infrastructure
for the Pacific Island Games. We watched with disbelief as Mr O’Neill
tried to expropriate the PNGSDP.
“We watched the huge spend and
borrowings for the APEC meeting that has seen little to no trickle-down
effect to the people of Papua New Guinea. Yet we are reminded daily as
we drive along Wharf road, Port Moresby and see the line of buses and
cars being corroded by the salt air of the amounts wasted by this
government. Monies that have could have been spent on medicines in both
urban and rural areas of the country; and on education so that schools
should not be suffering and forcing parents to pay despite the PNC
promise of free education.
“More recently we saw the unfurling of
the Paladin scandal and the setting up of Mr O’Neill’s Pacific Brewery
on alleged customary land.
“Mr O’Neill is unstoppable, he does
not heed to advice as in the case of the Department of Petroleum’s
notice that the Papua LNG agreement is not ready for signing but
expediency seems to be the order of the day. Not enough awareness has
not been conducted and many landowners from the project area feel
further marginalised and do not understand the significance of the
signing of this project agreement.
“We witnessed the manipulation
and demise of state departments and agencies to suit outcomes
favourable to Mr O’Neill and a handful of his political and business
associates. A lot of damage has been done eroding the capacity of our
institutions.
“But Mr Marape’s move gives the Opposition and the
people of this country hope that more members of parliament will move to
partner with Opposition to put an end to this continual abuse at the
highest Office of our country.
“We are still a democracy and one
person cannot unilaterally overrule other elected representatives of the
people of Papua New Guinea. Mr O’Neill cannot undermine the system of
government that we have by overlooking ministers and dealing directly
with Department heads. Cabinet ministers should not tolerate this
tyranny.
“Further it is unbecoming that Mr O’Neill should
suggest to a senior and loyal Cabinet minister that Mr Marape has not
performed in his electorate. Mr O’Neill has not resolved pending police
matters in his own electorate and should not be pointing fingers.
“Importantly, I urge cabinet ministers to stop suffering in silence and
come forward by tending your resignation and forming a better political
alliance where we can truly serve the interest of the people of this
country.
Kerenga Kua MP Shadow Attorney General & Minister for Justice
