SIFF Lost $800,000 in fire

Hello again good wantoks,

The recent news that SIFF has lost $800,000 cash in the fire that burnt down their office is stunning. Why do they have to keep  such as amount of mony lying aroung in the office like that? Don't they trust the banks anymore? I think they should be held accoutable for the money because fire or no fire, such huge amount of money should not be lying around in cash like that in the office.
I think the decision by the SIFF management to have such money, especially when it is in cash, lying around in the office is totally irresponsible and unjustifiable. No wonder that they have been accused for misappropriation of funds by critics; it is because they don't use the banks. This is a very naive way of doing business.

The incident made me to suspect something totally different, that they have used the fire that has burnt down the office as cover for monies they have or are intending to misappropriate. It would be very difficult to prove things to the contrary of the money being burnt away by the fire. However, I still believe that an inquiry should be undertaken on the whole issue, including the burning of the office and the loss of assets, the management ill-decision-making and so forth.

SIFF is a national office and the people of Solomon Islands to knows answers, not questions hanging in the air. Mi really doubtem that hem true that selen ia hem burnt lo fire ia. SIFF must come out clear and explainin lo people

Go Solo Go...

Hello again wantoks,
Just wanted to register that we have once again made world history last night at Dubai when our Bilikiki boys defeated the mighty Uruguay. Barava ova nice nao. Uruguay is rated as one of the strongest teams of the tournament, but our boys have proven that nothing is impossible.
We do hope that their game tonight, against the hosts, also a very competitive and well organised side, will also be a good one for them. If they win the next game then definitely they will be able to proceed to the quarter-finals, which is their ultimate goal for the tournament.
Please keep on praying that our boys will be able to shine again for our nation at the highest level of global sports.
All the best BILIKIKI....Go Solo Go!!!

Youth Parliament in Solomon Islands - Is it worthy?

Dear Friends,
 Hello again! As you all know that National Parliament of Solomon Islands has recently convened the National Youth Parliament Program which coincided with the National Parliament Open Day. These are both very huge undertakings and to have them all in one go is indeed commendable achievement. Hence, first of all I would like to applaud the Speaker, Clerks and the hardworking staff of Parliament for successfully hosting the Youth Parliament Program and the Parliament Open Day all in a single week. You deserve all praise and commendation.


 Having said that, I do understand that there are people out there who do not subscribe to this line of thinking hence their open criticisms of the Parliamentary Youth Program. And while I do appreciate that everybody has a right and freedom of speech to voice out their views on issues, personally I was overly flabbergasted by some of the writers' blatant and ferocious attacks on program, making it to seem as if it was a total waste of money and resources and that nothing good will ever come from it. Some even stated that this is the first ever youth parliament they have heard of to have youths sitting in the seats of elected MP's on the floor of Parliament to openly debate political issues. Others went to the extent of questioning the 'cognitive ability' of the participants, labeling them as 'kids' and asserting that their level of understanding is still inadequate to fully grasp and digest issues of policy, governance and politics. But in all the arguments in opposition to the Youth Parliament Program it was obvious that the main line of argument was that the program was a 'nuisance', 'insane', 'irrelevant' and a waste of money that could have been used for better things such as economic development activities and for the provision basic essential services.

To me I think these are very superficial arguments that somehow have painted a very negative picture on the Youth Parliament Program. These criticisms have made it to seem as if that because of the Youth Parliament Program, all other sectors of the economy have been deprived of something valuable, whether it be money or an opportunity to learn and that we should not engage in new initiatives but to stick to our conventional ways of doing things, that 'old usual stuff' since 1978. Obviously personally I think these critics do not have a vision for our youths as future leaders, and they have failed to acknowledge and realise the important role and responsibility that Parliament has as an Institution to reach out to its people.

 The concept of Youth Parliament is common throughout the Commonwealth countries where youths are regarded as important cornerstone of society. In Solomon Islands youths make up the majority of our population, hence proving to be a very important part of our society. For this reason active youth participation and engagement is crucial for nation building. Our youths, therefore, must be allowed to actively engage and participate on issues of policy, governance and political debate at an early stage in life. Youths are like clay in the system. To come out with a desired end product of value, the potter has to mould the clay accordingly. And when youths are properly trained and moulded to become better citizens, they are like sparks that need no ignition. As the late US Senator, Robert Kennedy stated: "This world demands the qualities of youth: not a time of life but a state of mind, a temper of the will, a quality of imagination, a predominance of courage over timidity, of the appetite for adventure over the life of ease."

Hence, in Solomon Islands, if they are continuously ignored and suppressed, our youths are like a time bomb waiting to be ignited. One does not have to go back long into history to see how susceptible but precarious our youths are if they are engaged to achieve bitter ends. The concept of Youth Parliament therefore is to give young people the opportunity to have their views heard by key decision-makers and the general public and also to help them to fully realise their own potentials and hence their very important role in the society. It is a very effective way of raising the self-esteem of youths and empowering their participation in the democratic process. In relation to policy and governance the concept will help young people to understand and actively participate in parliamentary processes; to learn how to influence governmental decision-making as active citizens and to highlight the importance of helping young people to understand how decisions are made and how young people can be involved in influencing their worlds. Through the participation of the 50 Youth Parliamentary Representatives all our youths throughout the country can realise that they are being recognised as an important part of nation-building in Solomon Islands.

But there is even more to the Youth Parliament than that. It is an opportunity to learn a little more than many people know, about the distribution and the exercise of power. A vast number of people in Solomon Islands know little or nothing at all about how power is distributed and how our governance system operates. Many of the problems we face today in governance and politics are mainly due to our lack of - or mis-understanding of how the system works. For a better future, it is essential that we have a young generation now that better understands their political system and fully realises their place in the society so that they can participate and engage fully in it. It is important that our young people gains a deepening understanding of parliamentary democracy so that they do not hold misconstrued conceptions of it. By gaining such as a knowledge they can be able to uphold and advance its practices when it's their turn to lead the country, whether as politicians or as community leaders. After all, real power belongs to the people and as prescribed by the Constitution. But how can people responsibly exercise this power if they are ill-informed or are unaware of issues surrounding them? One may argue that that can be learned at school through the normal Secondary School Syllabus. But the reality is that there is no better place and way of learning about the system and how it works than being at Parliament itself and engaging in programs such as the Youth Parliament.

Furthermore, Solomon Islands is a member of the United Nations Organisation and therefore is a party to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. As a nation Solomon Islands is required to honour the commitments it has made in signing the Convention. Articles 12 and 13 of the Convention emphasises on the need to uphold the right of young people to have a say - to have the opportunity to express their views - on matters that affect them, and the convening of a Youth Parliament is a means of realising an important dimension of those Articles of the Convention.
 Financially, the above factors are all very important and immeasurable achievements that no money can buy. The critics have argued that consideration should be given to our ailing economy and the fact that we are the poorest country in the Pacific, and therefore in the world. Some argued that instead of using the money for Youth Parliament it should be channelled through the normal processes to encourage youth participation in rural economic development. However, I think this kind of analyses lacks forward thinking. How can you possibly develop a nation of peoples that lack proper and adequate knowledge on government and policy? Off course we are poor, thus educating our young people about politics and how they can fully engage in governance and policy debate is one way of alleviating poverty. We must understand that poverty alleviation and economic development is not only about tangible or 'hard' infrastructure. It is also about 'soft' infrastructure which concerns sound policies and empowering our mental capabilities to make rational decisions. We can spend all the money we have to encourage the youth to utilize their coconut plantation, cocoa plantations, fisheries, carpentry, sewing but how could you guarantee them a good future if they are ill-informed about issues that are affecting them? And not all of them will be farmers, or fishermen, carpenters or tailors. Some of them will be required to be leaders in their communities, in their provinces or states, or even at the national and international levels, and having proper understanding of governance and policies issues will be crucial.


 As I have mentioned earlier, the concept of Youth Parliament is widely practiced throughout the world. Fiji had a very successful Youth Parliament Program until the army took over the government. They even have an Alumnus according to which the program is run. In Tonga, its Youth Parliament Program was started in 2003 after a national survey indicated that the many people were not turning out to vote at elections times. The Youth Parliament therefore was designed to run as an outreach program "to enable all the youths of Tonga to be more involved and take positive actions in decision making and development of the Nation". The process was run exactly as the system of the National Parliament of Tonga where youths are engaged in debates on matters affecting them. The result of the program was overwhelming as it raised the profile of youths and parliament and contributed to more awareness of the governance system of Tonga. Hence, voter turnout increased as people become more informed of the importance of political participation.

In Zealand, Youth Parliament has been held every three to four years since 1994. For the Program, young people from around New Zealand are chosen by their local MP to be a Youth MP. During Youth Parliament Youth MPs have the opportunity to debate a mock Bill, engage in general debate, sit on Select Committees and ask parliamentary questions of Cabinet Ministers. The New Zealand Youth Parliament Program is made to be as real as possible. Government personnel and procedures are maintained throughout the whole program.

Similar programs are also run throughout all the Parliaments of the States of Australia, in Pakisatan, India, Scotland and even England, from whom our Westminster system was adopted. In all these practical cases, the results have been universal being that it is a very important opportunity to inculcate in youths with the values and spirit of democracy, the importance of dialogue, tolerance for others views, an understanding of the concept of Parliament and its role in democratic decision-making and oversight.

Apart from having youth parliaments in individual jurisdictions, Youth Parliaments are also held at regional levels. For instance the third Pan-Commonwealth Youth Parliament took place in Brisbane, Queensland from 19-23 April 2005 and over 70 delegates nominated by Legislatures across the Commonwealth took part in the event.  Sixty per cent of delegates were from developing countries. In convening the event the Speaker of the Acting Speaker of the Queensland Parliament, Hon. Jim Fouras MP, who was the Speaker of the Youth Parliament Program stated that: "The event will facilitate young people from all around the world being able to learn about and engage in the democratic process. I hope that it will also create an awareness of issues affecting youth around the world". There is also the European Youth Parliament (EYP) Program which was founded in 1987. The EYP encourages independent thinking and socio-political initiative in young people and facilitates the learning of crucial social and professional skills. Since its inauguration, many tens of thousands of young people have taken part in regional, national and international sessions, formed friendships and made international contacts across and beyond frontiers. It has thus made a vital contribution towards the uniting of Europe. Today the EYP is one of the largest European platforms for political debate, intercultural encounters, political educational work and the exchange of ideas among young people in Europe.

Looking at the above issues and factors, I strongly believe that the Solomon Islands Youth Parliament is far from being a 'nuisance', 'insane', or 'irrelevant'. It is a commonly practiced concept that is new to Solomon Island but one that can be very beneficial to our youths and Solomon Islands as a whole. I therefore 'rubbish' all the criticisms that have been made against it.

Youth Parliament commences in Solomon Islands

Dear Readers,

The National Parliament of Solomon Islands has finally hosted the Solomon Islands Youth Parliament. The event, indeed again marks another milestone in the path of parliamentary development and strenghtening in Solomon Islands and the leaders and staff of National Parliament, all donor partners and CNURA government should be applauded and congratulated for an overwhelming task and accomplishment.

From what I collected through the grape-vine there are 50 parliamentarians representing the various provinces of Solomon Islands. I believe all the provinces are well represented both numeratically and in relation to the debates in the House.

This first youth parliament is a great achievement. The task now is for us to built on the experience and work towards better things in the future.

GOD BLESS SOLOMON ISLANDS..

Change of PEC Leadership- What for?

Dear Frens,


And what on earth is the government planning to achieve with the change of PEC leadership? Are they trying to penalise the former PEC Chairman for the decisions made in relation to the PER 2009 and show to the public that the blame is on the him, or is it that the former PEC Chairman has spoken out in the media and have revealed too much; much more than he should have said at least in perspective of the government?

Since I could not find a much better possible reason, I personally believe that the former is the more likely scenario for such a move as the government is trying to save its face at the eleventh hour.  I recalled the statement by the Prime Minister when he announced that they (government) are taking the PEC to court because the Chairman (now former) has refused to take heed of goevrnment's advice to revoke the PER 2009, specifically the controversal $50 000 spousal grant. But what role does the government have in trying to influence the PEC when it has already made its decision? The government has no authority to call for the PEC to change a decision it has already made and has been passed through the Attorney-General's Office for eventual gazetting.

Be reminded that after the decision was made by PEC on PER 2009, it was processed through the government's 'screening process' and even the Attorney-General, as the chief legal advisor of the government has had the chance to provide appropriate legal advice to the government and PEC before the decisions were made to become legally binding and enforceable. The irony is that it is the Attorney-General, on behalf of the government, that is taking the PEC to court for the decisions it (PEC) has made on behalf of the Members of Parliament. And to an extent, it seems that the government or the Prime Minister for that matter is pre-empting the decision of the courts on the matter by demonstratting that the the PEC has made a wrong decision and as the person responsible, the Chairman is now removed.

However, puting legality question aside, I find the move by the government to replace the PEC Chairman as very childish and a shallow attempt to shift the blame from itself and save its face. We all know that the Chairman is only part of a group of people (Commission) and that the decisions he endorses as Chairman of that group (Commission) are not his own but that of the whole. And we all know too that as logic would tell us, the only source from which the various submissions received by the Commission originated from are the Members of Parliament themselves. So effectively the Prime Minister has fired the Chairman because he has endorsed their (Member's of Parliament's) wishes (submissions) for increases to thier entitlements. The Chairman was acting on behalf of the Members of Parliament (including the Prime Minister) and now that public has disagreed with the decision he (former Chairman) made for them (MPs), he is the one to be fired and to take the whole blame. Isn't that hypocritical?

Yes, that's the simple fact; he (the Chairman) has been fired because he has endorsed the submissions to increase the MP's entitlements which were submitted by the MP's themselves. It was fortunate that the media and the public have taken notice and have spoken out putting pressure on the government to revisit the PEC/PER matter. But what if it has been the other way round? Consider this scenario for the Chairman: what would have happened if he had refused to endorse the submissions at the first instance when they were before the PEC and decided not the approve the PER increases? I guess he would have suffered the same fate as he does now and got himself fired because the Members of Parliament would not be too keen to have a PEC Chairman who does listen to thier wishes.

So to me the problem and source of controversy are Members of Parliament themselves and not the Chairman of PEC or the PEC itself. The former PEC Chairman is a victim of dirty miscalculated political games by the Members themselves and changing the PEC Chairmanship will make no difference to the 'gravitational' influence politicians have over the PEC. In fact it might even be worse because now they have set a very bad precedence that as Chairman of PEC one must be subjected to government (Members of Parliament's) directives and influence, and if one fails, you will face the axe even if it means being morally correct in speaking out and putting facts right.

To me, the move by the government is out of frustration and desperation to enable them to continue to loosely grip to power and regain public support and confidence, especially in the light of the upcoming judgment day (general elections). I doubt the move will remedy the current public distrust on the government at all but will only raise more questions than answers. The simple fact is that the truth is known that it is all part of a dirty game of political maneuvering and even a simple man along the street will be able to figure it out.