SOLOMON IS: Lobbying and numbers game continues
Updated
In Solomon Islands, lobbying continues with both the government and parliamentary opposition claiming they have the numbers to govern. The future of Prime Minister Sogavare's coalition government looked doomed earlier this week following a mass defection of government ministers and a couple of back-benchers. However, Mr Sogavare says the government has now regained the majority and that the political crisis is over. But the Leader of the Opposition, Fred Fono says the Prime Minister has mis-lead the the nation about the government's numerical strength.
Presenter: Sam Seke
Speakers: Fred Fono, Opposition leader
FRED FONO: I would say to him, you know that to prove that his words are true he needs to fill the five vacancies within cabinet. At the moment he….they are trying their very best to lobby some opposition MPs to fill those five vacant posts, since Monday this week. Up until the time I'm talking now, these five ministerial portfolios are still vacant and these vacant ministerial portfolios came about after the resignation of the ministers from the current government and they are now with the opposition. So, his claim that the game is over is not correct. He has told lies to the nation, he had twenty-three cabinet ministers and, at the moment he has only eighteen cabinet ministers and four five…four back benchers.
SAM SEKE: So does that mean that some of the eight ministers and two back benchers who defected and joined the opposition have gone back to the government?
FRED FONO: No, no, they are still with us. The eight ministers that defected the government have joined with seventeen members currently in the opposition, that gives us twenty-five plus one back bencher, the MP for West Kwaio, Honourable Peter Tom - that gives us a total of twenty-six members. We are fully intact and no-one is going to desert the opposition to take those ministerial portfolios.
SAM SEKE: Yesterday some of the, the government members who defected to the opposition, namely Stanley Sofu, Sammy Duri and Patrick Vahoi, they were reportedly … have gone back to the government and that they were to have been sworn in yesterday as cabinet ministers.
FRED FONO: That's misleading. That's quite misleading. Only Patrick Vahoi was taken on to and switched from aviation to ministry of fisheries. The other two Stanley Sofu and Sammy Duri - that's misleading, they're still with the opposition camp as of Monday, that they've given their resignations, they're still with the opposition camp until now. They've issued statements to rebuff those claims that they have switched sides. They are physically, they are still with us. As I'm, I'm talking now, they are still with the camp.
SAM SEKE: Yeah, Mr. Fono, Parliament has to meet by December 31st but in Solomon Islands politics that's a very long time. Do you think you can still hold onto your members?
FRED FONO: We are quite confident. But otherwise, now that we have the majority and the Prime Minister has the minority, we are still pushing for some understanding on the Governor General to convince Parliament.
