GOVERNOR GENERAL DECLARES BYE-ELECTION DATE

Governor-General Sir Nathaniel Waena has appointed September 23rd this year as the date for National Parliament Bye-Elections in the Lau/Mbaelelea and East Honiara Electoral Constituencies.

Sir Nathaniel today made the declaration of the date of the bye-elections.

The declaration of the date of election today means that nomination of candidates in the two constituencies will open tomorrow.

Nomination of candidates will close on the 26th of this month, while the last day of withdrawal of candidature will be 29th this month.

A bye-election is being held in the Lau-Mbaelelea Constituency following the death last year of the late Samuel Bentley Ragosomani.

Meanwhile, the East Honiara Constituency bye-election comes following the automatic disqualification of incumbent, Charles Dausabea.

The court had sentenced Dausabea to prison on charges of conversion of funds in 2001.
CANDIDATES AND CAMPAIGNING

Anyone wishing to contest the Lau-Mbaelelea Constituency and the East Honiara Constituency bye-elections can start campaigning once their respective Returning Officers have accepted their nominations.

John Babalu of the Electoral Office says, this follows the Governor General Sir Nathaniel Waena's declaration of the 23rd of September this year as the bye-elections date for the two constituencies.

Mr Babalu says the Returning Officer for Lau-Mbaelelea is Donald Anga Talofunu and East Honiara's Returning Officer is Cornelius Tariga.

He says the election fee for an intending candidate is two-thousand dollars.

Mr Babalu says each candidates is allowed under law to spend up to 50-thousand dollars in campaign costs.
FORMER SECRETARY GENERAL OF FORUM SECRETARIAT DIESThe Pacific is today mourning the passing away of the immediate past secretary general of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, Greg Urwin.

Mr Urwin passed away after being ill for the past eight months. He was 62.

He began his first three-year term as Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat in February 2004 and was re-appointed for another three-year term in October 2006.

The Acting Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, Mr Feleti Teo has informed the Chairman of the Pacific Islands Forum and Prime Minister of Tonga, Feleti Sevele and other Forum Leaders of the great loss to the region.

Mr Teo said the Pacific has lost a leader who had the region at heart. He was a very humble person and very sensitive to many cultures that make up the membership of the Pacific Islands Forum family.

Arrangements are underway for a memorial service to be held in Suva, Fiji while the funeral service will be held later in the week in Apia.

Mr Urwin is survived by his wife and three sons.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER CLARIFIES MEDIA REPORTSThe Deputy Prime Minister Fred Fono clarifies media reports that 100-thousand dollars have been paid into each M-Ps bank accounts.

Instead, Mr Fono says the money was paid into bank accounts of constituencies.

He says the money is government's contribution towards development in the constituencies.

Mr Fono explains the 100-thousand dollars for each constituency were not meant, nor were they paid into bank accounts of members of parliament.

GOVERNMENT TO INTRODUCE TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION BILL
Government plans to introduce the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Bill 2008 to parliament on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Derek Sikua announced in parliament today that the bill will go to parliament in its second reading, and debate on it is expected to continue on Thursday.

Parliament is also expected to look at a report by the Parliamentary House Committee, to be tabled by committee chairman and M-P for East Makira David Sitai.

On Tuesday, debate is expected to be on the 2007 annual report of the Central Bank of Solomon Islands.

The House today looked at the 2007 annual report of the National Provident Fund.

PARLIAMENT DELIBERATES ON FUND ANNUAL REPORTThe National Parliament today deliberated on and passed the 2007 National Provident Fund Annual Report.

The report was tabled by the Minister for Finance and Treasury Snyder Rini, seeking parliament to resolve into a Committee of the whole house and to consider the report.

Members of parliament who contributed to today's debate of the motion spoke very positively of the report and of the management of the fund.

Among them was the Leader of Opposition, Manasseh Sogavare.


AUSTRALIA TO SCALE DOWN ON GUEST WORKERS.

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd Rudd has dramatically scaled back plans for a controversial Pacific “guest worker” scheme amid concerns of a community backlash.

The Herald Sun reports the Coalition has already raised concerns over the radical immigration plan, allowing islanders to work in rural communities for up to seven months.

But with unemployment on the rise, the Rudd Government has halved the number of participants to just 2500 over three years.

Only three countries - Tonga, Kiribati and Vanuatu - will be involved in the “pilot” scheme, although the Government is keen to sign up Papua New Guinea.

Senior Government sources last night confirmed Cabinet had adopted a “safety first” approach, following concerns it could trigger a backlash from “Pauline Hanson-type forces”.

Mr Rudd would announce the scheme in the next few weeks ahead of meeting with Pacific leaders on the tiny island of Niue on 19 August.

It is expected to get off the ground later this year, although the Government may hold back until 2009.