SOLOMON IS: PM candidate concedes defeat.
Updated
The losing candidate for the job of prime minister of Solomon Islands, Patteson Oti has conceded defeat. Mr Oti also turned down an offer by the outgoing government group to become leader of the opposition. Outgoing Prime Minister, Manasseh Sogavare is now the new Leader of the Opposition.
Presenter: Sam Seke
Speakers: Patterson Oti, losing candidate for PM of Solomon Islands
OTI: As a process we continue to uphold the democratic process enshrined in our constitution in the choosing of a prime minister, and that has been fulfilled really. Apart from that of course it is now up to the new government to put together a policy framework, and we can only wait in the next few days I guess as to the focus and the emphasis to which they would attach to the different issues and the programs expected by the general public.
SEKE: Now Mr Oti are you now going to be the leader of the opposition?
OTI: No I declined the leadership of the opposition. After the parliamentary process we regrouped and appointed new leader of the opposition, and that would be the former prime minister Mr Manasseh Sogavare.
SEKE: Why would you say did more of your members have switched sides during the election?
OTI: I could not speculate on that really, it's really up to the individual members, and at this stage we don't know who those members are. I wouldn't know any reason apart from perhaps maybe a lot of new members and they cannot forego certain privileges under which they are currently enjoying under ministerial appointments and so on. But I'm not saying that that's one of the reasons, I'm just saying there are so many others I cannot establish, or we cannot establish at this stage what the reason was.
SEKE: Where could you have gone wrong, or what could you have done differently?
OTI: Difficult to say, in terms of the policies that we stand for I think we've always been united on that front. Maybe there may have been differences of opinion by members of the group which perhaps was not set out in a transparent way. So in a way perhaps there are issues that need to be resolved and which are not being addressed appropriately.
