SOLOMON IS: NGO's reject gov't control
Updated
Civil Society groups in Solomon Islands are against moves by the government to control them. They are reacting to Prime Minister Sogavare's plans to introduce legislation requiring NGOs and civil society groups to be accountable. Announcing his intention in parliament, Mr Sogavare said while the NGOs demand transparency in government, they themselves must be accountable. Spokesman for the civil society groups, Joses Tuhanuku says the NGOs are governed by their constitutions and are accountable for all their activities. Mr Tuhanuku says controlling the activities of NGOs is just part of Prime Minister Sogavare's dictatorial move.
Presenter: Sam Seke
Speakers: Joses Tuhanuku, spokesman for Solomon Islands civil society groups
TUHANUKU: The prime minister obviously is in the process of creating some sort of dictatorship in this country. He wants to be in control of the police, the judiciary, parliament, everything, and of course he wants to be in control of the life of ordinary people of Solomon Islands.
The thing is that Non-Government Organisation in Solomon Islands, they have their own Constitutions and they have to comply with the provisions of their Constitution. They have to account for whatever funds they use and so on. I just don't know exactly what he is thinking of doing, whether he wants this independent and private organisation to account to him as prime minister. I have no idea, but we'll just have to wait and see.
SEKE: According to what he said in parliament, the civil society groups are always demanding transparency in government and the accountability status of your organisations are questionable.
TUHANUKU: Well, that's a fair enough point that all organisations must be accountable. But the question is who are they going to be accountable to. Whatever they are doing, they should be accountable for their actions and when it comes to funds, they should be accountable for whatever funds that they may have expended. I mean that's a fair enough point. But my impression is that what he is asking is the Non-Government Organisations to do whatever he wants, because that is the trend of his prime ministership that everything must come under his control.
SEKE: He actually made some very strong remarks in parliament and he was very dismissive of the civil society groups, saying that you actually did not represent the majority or the people in the country as you say you do and he actually went on to say and I quote "you have no support whatsoever from the grassroots and the ordinary people of Solomon Islands."
TUHANUKU: He hasn't got that support himself either. He is the person put in there by people who gave him the money and he is the person who is put there by his cronies and that has nothing to do with Solomon Island people.
SEKE: It looks like the more the Opposition and the civil society groups speak out against certain government actions, the more defensive he becomes and seems to be tightening his strangle hold on his critics?
TUHANUKU: Whatever he has been saying, they don't make sense anyway,I don't think he has tightened his hold or anything. He is accusing people of doing things that he is actually the one that is guilty of. When he accused people of being agents of foreigners. He is an agent of foreigner. He is not doing anything, because of the interest of the country. He's doing it for his foreign cronies, like Julian Moti. So I don't think he is in a position to be critical of anybody, not being independent of foreigners or any such thing.
