Ladies and Gentlemen, fasten your seat belts for its gonna be a hell of a ride!!!

After a weekend of media speculation, Hon. Snyder Rini is back with the government side. This was confirmed with his swearing-in this afternoon at the Government House as the new Minister of Development Planning and Aid Coordination (MDPAC).

Lilo is now the new Minister of Finance and Treasury.

Having heard the news of his return, I have been pondering why Hon. Rini has finally returned back to the government side and to settle for the MDPAC portfolio instead of the finance and treasury portfolio which wanted so badly?

In the weekend it was speculated that Hon. Rini had moved to the Opposition because him and another high pofile MP, Gordon Darcy Lilo were tussling over the finance and treasury portfolio.

These speculations of in-fighting between the two were believaable for even the PM himself was caught in its midst and had hesitated to announce any names for finance and treasury portfolio, not even that for MDPAC.

PREJUDICED understands that initially as the leader of Independent Democratic Party (IDP) Rini was the one to become Minister of Finance and Treasury as his party has got some numbers to support Philip in his government.

But Rini's wish was never going to be granted as Gordon Darcy Lilo decided not to join his SIPRA members when they moved to Heritage Park Hotel and remained at Honiara Hotel to give Philip the numbers to lead government.

Hon. Lilo was also a potential PM candidate. His wishes to take the top political position were never kept secret but were publicly known since when a new MP Lilo first entered Parliament in 2001. Lilo was the only MP to have been a new MP in Parliament and to have stood as candidate for PM just after taking his oath as MP. Dr. Derek Sikua was another, but he was in Parliament for more than one year before he successfully contested prime ministership.

So Lilo may have long bargained his way for the finance portfolio through and among the ranks of Honiara/ Pacific Casino Hotel camp way before the PM's election. PREJUDICED understood the camp appointed Philip as their candidate without going through an elimination. Thus, Lilo may have agreed to relinquish his desire to be PM in order to have the finance portfolio way before the Philip was elected PM.

Lilo became a leading figure in the lobbying and 'horse-trading' that followed. A very influential figure among his colleagues, Lilo for sure have gained the favour of Philip through out the whole process and therefore was Philip's preferred candidate for the finance ministry.

The tussle between Lilo and Rini became an imminent issue after the election of Philip as Prime Minister, and as Philip began the task of naming his cabinet.

Amidst the disagreement, Rini decided to move to the Opposition with the hope that his switch would give the Opposition the required numbers to successfully move a motion of no confidence and to form government.

However, he may have realised that for him even a move to the Opposition would never make him take the finance portfolio as powerhouse Rick Hou is already with the Opposition and is their shadow Finance Minister.

So obviously his return to the government is not at all with good intentions but is filled with dissatisfaction and the realisation that whatever he does, as far as the finance portfolio is concerned he is in a lose-lose situation.

With the swearing- in of Lilo and Rini the government now has a total of 23 Ministers including the Prime Minister, with one ministerial portfolio yet to be filled.

But with fluidity, uncertainity in numbers due to the death of one MP and personal ego and ambitions on high alert, the fate of the new government is still very much uncertain.