NATIONAL PARLIAMENT OF SOLOMON ISLANDS

PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMITTEE TRANSCRIPT

Inquiry into the 2007 Supplementary Appropriation Bill 2007 - Head 294: Ministry of National Unity, Reconciliation and Peace

Monday 6 August 2007

(Uncorrected Version – subject to changes upon revision)

MINISTRY OF NATIONAL UNITY, RECONCILIATION & PEACE

Chairman: We are looking at the 2007 Supplementary Bill. Parliament Appropriate $2million recurrent to the government and $5million development. The Ministry of National Unity, Reconciliation & Peace is asking for $4million of this. We have the officials from the Ministry, the Permanent Secretary and the officials to explain this money. I take this time to welcome them, welcome PS and colleagues to this committee. I shall give you this time to go through your submission and after that if we have any query we will ask you.

Mrs J Kere (PS): Thank you Chairman and thank you Members of the Public Accounts Committee. The Ministry of National Unity, Reconciliation and Peace is happy to explain why we are asking for this almost $3.9 million or $4million in our supplementary budget. As you will note under the subhead item 2192 or Capital Expenditure or discretion funds while the title is such I must explain that this is the subhead of the budget item that the Ministry realizes and uses for its program activities in the area of reconciliation and peace building. So there is a big increase from the $956,000 total to the total of over $3.9 million that we are asking for. Earlier on the year we have already expended that $301,000 for our reconciliation activities. So this $3.1 million is basically for our reconciliation activities and I have a brief outline of how this figure is broken down into our program activities. That is just the summary of how we are intending to expend that amount of money and the reason why we are requesting that amount of money. As I have mentioned it is really for the reconciliation activities that we need the funds for. The breakdown is there and if I could just go through very briefly. $190,000 approximately would be for payments which have been paid towards former NPC workers. This was a Cabinet decision that we have had to ask for the supplementary, they have been paid in April this year to refurnish that particular subhead. $120,000 from that $3.1 million will go towards Peace and Unity government programs. As we all know a lot of other stakeholders are also involve in the area of reconciliation and the Ministry as the Government Ministry in order to take a lead in policy directions and also programs, we need to consult very closely with other stakeholders like our Churches and our traditional government’s leadership. So that is for our workshop and a meeting where we bring in peace stakeholders so that we review and see what other stakeholders are also doing in the other areas of reconciliation and peace. And that comes under our Peace and Unity Division responsibility.

Further down about $1.8 million is for reconciliation in Guadalcanal Province. If I could recall when I was here met with PAC there were a lot of questions asking about, where are your provisions for actual reconciliation activities. At that point in time I had said that once we got our program activities developed, strategies in place and costed out that we would come out with a supplementary, and this is a lot of money $1.8 million for reconciliation programs on Guadalcanal. The breakdown is there and basically it is in three areas for Guadalcanal Province. We are looking at in trap Provincial reconciliation, if you look at it we have identified key strategic areas in Guadalcanal where the government will be helping. But I must emphasise here that this amount of money is just part of the facilitation process that the government will help. The actual reconciliation processes itself that needs to come from the leaders of these respective areas but from the Ministry, the government has identified these key strategic areas like South Guadalcanal Constituency, which we are now starting as an ongoing program through the Member of Parliament for that particular constituency and also the community initiative and with their provincial government leaders, and that is the important point here. The government is not paying for the reconciliation in terms of compensations but it is facilitating the process. Reconciliation is a process more than just a reconciliation ceremony out there. So it involves facilitating meetings, holding dialogues between Wards. So South Guadalcanal constituency is a key strategic area. Bolomona area which is in the Gold Ridge area, this is an economic zone of government and we have assisted there as well, Landowners and the company and the government. East Guadalcanal constituency may be the honourable Member question that one as well and some funds allocated there. This is just for facilitation, getting the consultation process people to talk over issues. But the initiative and the desire for this reconciliation and the actual process itself need to come from the community. Government can only assist and facilitate

The other key areas is North and South Guadalcanal reconciliation between North and South as we know the issues on Guadalcanal, the impact of the conflict, they are issues of North and South Guadalcanal. We tried to budget money here as well through the national leaders and through Government Provincial Government leaders, the reconciliation process and the consultant process can be facilitated. And the other key area is the North Guadalcanal constituency reconciliation. These are the key strategic intra provincial reconciliation consultations that are already in place.

The other level which is also that I have identified here is the SIG/Guadalcanal reconciliation talks. This is an outcome of the Guadalcanal Province submission to the National Government where high level Government committee is now looking at some of the recommendations and submissions made by the Guadalcanal Province.

Then the other level is of course other inter-community, it comes from the Community themselves, but there some limited funds where the Ministry or the Ministry present or the staff from the government level …. So those are three areas and to coordinate these reconciliation program on Guadalcanal, we have also established a Guadalcanal Peace and Reconciliation Committee, where we can coordinate things better between Provincial Government and National Government level and plus the communities, through the government institutions of representation. But we need to coordinate things because otherwise there are different issues being raised here and there and this an important area that we have experienced as well in terms of our provinces. Issues of reconciliations need to be coordinated they come up with one voice. So that what the key objectives of this community. So that is the one from Guadalcanal very briefly. It is a lot of work and need to move on with the process. Having said that this amount of money like for example some of the Member of National leaders are already putting in some of their own funds. The communities are already doing a lot of their own community work.

Now if look over the page the other one is for the Malaita reconciliation program activities. The government’s program in Malaita of course, Malaita contextual issues they are different as a result of tension in terms of reconciliation. We have recently established Malaita Peace and Reconciliation Committee, they are now in place. The main objective now is to coordinate the Malaita Provincial Government issue on inter provincial reconciliation. This is terms of reconciling with Guadalcanal in line with the government policies. So we are looking at all these works culminating in a national day of reconciliation in 2008. This is where all these programs are targeting towards. The Malaita Peace and Reconciliation Committee on the first week of September will be holding a Malaita Leader Summit on reconciliation, looking at issues with reconciling with Guadalcanal Province. So they are holding a big Summit there. So it is an important Committee and an important mechanism through which the Ministry could work and coordinate the Provincial government level. And of course the next item is the inter-Provincial we are getting there. I must explain here that with reconciliation there needs to be a lot of consultation, a lot of dialogue forums created for people to come and express what is in their minds and the key issues that they need to reconcile. So the $150,000, we are looking at the two Premiers of the two provinces coming together to outline or to plan the reconciliation process that they wanted to follow or to adopt as their program. So we already planned and put our agenda together with the provinces and we are planning something in the second week of September for inter provincial reconciliation and consultation between the two Premiers and their immediate Executive.

And the other provision there is for the Bougainville crisis. As reflected in the government’s policy statement that we need to come go back and we are now recruiting someone to look specifically at this one in line with the government policies. These are some of the outstanding issues that we need to go back and look at what the government has done to address some of these outstanding issues. So we need to go back and verify some of the claims we made, some of the issues in order for the government to address it more realistic given the current situation. So that is for that $3.1million additional that we are asking for. And then the other subhead item 6301 for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The Steering Committee is now in place and they are now doing public consultations. This was the figure that is approved by Cabinet as the Cabinet decision. The $2.183 million was what allocated for in the Recurrent Budget for this year and there is the 8.6 that we need to put in place now so that when the consultations are completed and the draft ….. the initial setup of the Office can start. So that is the amount that we are looking at now for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. So the TRC are in two phase, the Steering Committee consultation come up to the draft TRC Bill and then we have the initial setup of the Commission once the Bill or the Legislation is in place which the establishing that we are hoping to start early next year, end of this year. I think basically that is the amount $3.1 million and the $806,000 that we are asking for. Thank you.

Hon Fono: In fact I was the one that raised the question relating to the actual reconciliation process at the last PAC meeting. So I am quite happy now that there are allocations in the Supplementary Budget to cater for that. Now whilst I appreciate the statement from the PS relating to the compensation aspect of it, it will not really achieve that reconciliation process, if that is to be in line our cultural traditional norms of reconciliation, we need to exchange gifts so the budget should cater for those customary gifts not just the consultation process. Otherwise a lot of this money will be only for consultation process and not of the actual ceremony to facilitate the exchange of gifts because the forgiveness or the healing process can only be completed if two parties that at war or and that had problems they exchange gifts. And I believe that it will complete if this budget will also caters for the traditional form of gift giving so that we do not revisit again in next year’s budget. Otherwise if this is only caters for consultation and then the actual ceremony is for doing the exchange of gifts is not catered for, we might find that process incomplete. I will strongly recommend to the Ministry to look at that so that the process of reconciliation is complete during the actual ceremonies to exchange gifts. That is my view on it, otherwise it will be incomplete. It will be interesting to know from my colleague here as to how he sees that in relation to his budget allocation in the East Guadalcanal.

Hon Koli: I too would like to welcome this budget consultation that is place before us in the Supplementary Appropriation Bill. May be next year the real budget allocation for the reconciliation in terms of gifts can be provided. At the moment we are in the process of identifying the conflicting parties to consult with them. I already have plans for my constituency and for the provincial members and myself. And I will consult my constituency just to be in line with what Hon David Pacha has done for South Guadalcanal. We have already consulted each other as to how best we can see these problem areas. And thank you for this budget allocation then it is a matter of consultation with the Ministry.

Chairman: I note that these figures are very neatly allocating being a portion to these activities. This is not a final figure that you ask for or what id you as or in your budget submission. Did you actually ask for more or you obviously made the allocation after the amount is given to you. So you actually ask for this amount?

Mrs J Kere (PS): Yes

Chairman: The whole amount is been given to you.

Mrs J Kere (PS): That was whole amount that we I ask for.

Chairman: So you are the exceptional because the others are complaining that they have been given the amount totally below their submission. You have been given this as in the submission that is good.

Mrs J Kere (PS): Chairman, can I just refer to the point just raised about what these budgets are for and in terms of the issue of compensation and the importance of working towards reconciliation? Basically, the Ministry uses the term to facilitate consultations between the various parties or even the varies Wards within say these areas, the strategic areas that mentioned. It also involves the logistics of getting people together to a point. It also involves the Ministry identifying the key resource person that would serve as a mediators and facilitators during those talks for reconciliations. It also includes like when we move towards reconciliation ceremony itself, some gift of token has to be a community institute and the area reciprocity as well within the various groups in our traditional culture. It also helps towards that one not so much compensation in the sense where I was referring to those early of years 2003 and 2002 when there were very high million dollars claims of this and that. Things are more reasonable now where the community too has an input into what comes out as exchange of gifts like the chuku in South Guadalcanal, their traditional ceremony like strings of money and pigs. But the Ministry or the government also provide provisions with the money. Most of it is for that logistics of getting people together. It is quite an expensive process and working through existing mechanisms already placed, our chiefly structure, the Churches are already on the ground, NGOs like World Vision for example so this is what it covers. The other area I must clarify here is with the SIG/GPD reconciliation talks. As I have said with reference to the Guadalcanal Province report and their submissions. The government committee now has come up with a government position. We are now costing that office. I must explain that part of this reconciliation is the rehabilitation part of it. So compensation as such in terms of just a monetary payment is in the rehabilitation programs. So you would not see that millions of dollars for cash handouts. It has the potential of creating other things but rehabilitation component of it, the Government is also looking at very seriously. Some money would go to that. So this process we try to ensure that it is between the communities, between the national leadership, provincial government and those various stakeholders. So those token of money is also catered for but we will be very willing to work with the Member of Parliament for East Guadalcanal for example that we could use similar kind of approach where we have done with South Guadalcanal that coordinated approach and the system in place is quite important.

Chairman: The interim TRC (Truth and Reconciliation Commission). There’s a lot of money to spend between November and December.

Mrs J Kere (PS): The major budget now from here on is the provincial consultations, the actual going out to the provinces. We have spent $410,000, so far we are now doing the consultation in Honiara so after that we all have to visit the provinces and that is when we will expend money and also the office as well, rental Logistics for the office which under the budget now which is incurring some expenses under the budget but the consultation will be our major task and plus of course the preparation of TRC.

Hon Fono: How many members in that Commission?

Mrs J Kere (PS): Chairman and eight other members.

Hon Koli: What about the NPC gratuity payment, have they been paid?

Mrs J Kere: They have been paid. Actually it is a goodwill payment. Gratuity may it implies as part of their contract. It just a thank you thing when they are finished.

Chairman: So you paid them $492,000.

Mrs J Kere: No, $190,000 to 85, Monitors and Councilors. So they got about $2,000.00.

Hon Fono: Some of were still demanding payment for intimidation during the social ethnic period.

Mr J Kere (PS): There was claim coming in saying why are you paying compensation for some of the ex militants and not for some of them who actual bring peace but some of those of what came under that payment.

Chairman: Any more query, that’s it PS thank you.

Mrs J Kere (PS): Thank you very much.