Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Distribution of Chinese funds by Solomon Islands PM raises questions

Distribution of Chinese funds by Solomon Islands PM raises questions

The Solomon Islands Prime Minister's office distributed Chinese government money to 39 out of 50 members of parliament twice last year, a budget committee was told, prompting criticism the payments were politically motivated.
Prime Minister Manesseh Sogavare, who switched the Islands' diplomatic ties from Taiwan to Beijing in 2019, survived a vote of no confidence last December after deadly anti-government riots saw buildings burnt in the capital, Honiara.

Before the no-confidence vote, opposition leader Matthew Wale accused Sogavare of using money from China in a national fund to prop up his position.

On Tuesday, the Prime Minister's Office said SBD20.9 million ($2.49 million) was provided by China for a fund spent at the prime minister's discretion in 2021, and two tranches of payments were made to 39 lawmakers in November and December.

A request for SBD9.75 million ($1.16 million), or SBD250,000 per lawmaker, was made on Nov. 22, and distributed equally to the 39 lawmakers, Jimmy Rodgers, secretary to the prime minister, told a livestreamed committee hearing.

Another payment of SBD831,000, or about SBD20,000 each, was made on Dec. 13, he said.

Rodgers said China had agreed in 2019 to pay the funds to the Prime Minister's Office for three years, continuing a practice established by Taiwan.

Sogavare's office and the Chinese embassy in Honiara did not respond to requests for comment.

In a statement on Wednesday, Sogavare's office rejected allegations it was using money from China to maintain power.

The United States, Australia and other Pacific countries have expressed concern about a security pact agreed this year between the Solomon Islands and China, which they say has regional implications as China seeks to extend its influence.

Rodgers said aid partners want the system for the allocation of funds reformed so that money goes to projects and not politicians' offices.

Former deputy prime minister John Maneniaru said the policy to distribute money at the prime minister's discretion was "not good for unity in this country".

"He is the prime minister for 50 constituencies, not just that handful of constituencies," Maneniaru, a committee member, said in the hearing.

Sogavare was elected prime minister of a coalition government on the floor of parliament with 34 votes in 2019.

He survived a no-confidence motion in December with the support of 32 members after an anti-government protest on Nov. 24 led to rioting, which saw Sogavare seek international police help to restore order.

Sogavare is seeking parliamentary approval to delay elections due in mid-2023.

($1 = 8.4034 Solomon Islands dollars)
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Unelected PM of the UK holds an emergency meeting because a candidate got voted in… which he says is a threat to democracy…
Farmers break through police barriers in Brussels.
Ukraine Arrests Father-Son Duo In Lockbit Cybercrime Bust
US Offers $15 Million For Info On Leaders Of Cybercrime Group Lockbit
Apple warns against drying iPhones with rice
Alexei Navalny: UK sanctions Russian prison chiefs after activist's death
German economy is in 'troubled waters' - ministry
In a recent High Court hearing, the U.S. argued that Julian Assange endangered lives by releasing classified information.
Tucker Carlson says Boris Johnson wants "a million dollars, in Bitcoin or cash, from Tucker Carlson to talk about Ukraine.
Russia is rebuilding capacity to destabilize European countries, new UK report warns
EU Commission wants anti-drone defenses at Brussels HQ
Von der Leyen’s 2nd-term pitch: More military might, less climate talk
EU Investigates TikTok for Child Safety Concerns
EU Launches Probe Into TikTok Over Child Protection Under Digital Content Law
EU and UK Announce Joint Effort on Migration
Ministers Confirm Proposal to Prohibit Mobile Phone Usage in English Schools
Avdiivka - Symbol Of Ukrainian Resistance Now In Control Of Russian Troops
"Historic Step": Zelensky Signs Security Pact With Germany
"Historic Step": Zelensky Signs Security Pact With Germany
Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny has died at the Arctic prison colony
Tucker Carlson grocery shopping in Russia. This is so interesting.
France and Germany Struggle to Align on European Defense Strategy
‘A lot higher than we expected’: Russian arms production worries Europe’s war planners
Greece Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage and Adoption Rights
Russia "Very Close" To Creating Cancer Vaccines, Says Vladimir Putin
Hungarian Foreign Minister: Europeans will lose Europe, the Union's policy must change drastically
Microsoft says it caught hackers from China, Russia and Iran using its AI tools
US Rejects Putin's Ceasefire Offer in Ukraine
The Dangers of Wildfire Smoke and Self-Protection Strategies
A Londoner has been arrested for expressing his Christian beliefs.
Chinese Women Favor AI Boyfriends Over Humans
Greece must address role in migrant vessel disaster that killed 600: Amnesty
Google pledges 25 million euros to boost AI skills in Europe
Hungarian President Katalin Novák Steps Down Amid Pardon Controversy
Activist crashes Hillary Clinton's speech, calls her a 'war criminal.'
In El Salvador, the 'Trump of Latin America' stuns the world with a speech slamming woke policing after winning a landslide election
Trudeau reacts to Putin's mention of Canadian Parliament applauding a former Ukrainian Nazi in his interview with Tucker Carlson.
The Spanish police blocked the farmers protest. So the farmers went out and moved the police car out of the way.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy fires top Ukraine army commander
Tucker Carlson's interview with Vladimir Putin raises EU concerns
Finnish Airline, Finnair, is voluntarily weighing passengers to better estimate flight cargo weight
Russia's Economy Expands by 3.6% Due to Increased Military Spending
Ukraine MPs Vote To Permit Use Of Dead Soldiers' Sperm
German Princess Becomes First Aristocrat To Pose Naked On Playboy Cover
UK’s King Charles III diagnosed with cancer
EU's Ursula von der Leyen Confronts Farmer Protests Amid Land Policy Debates
Distinguishing Between Harmful AI Media and Positive AI-Generated Content: A Crucial Challenge for the EU
Tucker Carlson explains why he interviewed Putin
Dutch farmers are still protesting in the Netherlands against the government, following the World Economic Forum's call for 'owning nothing.'
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stands up for European farmers and says, 'Brussels is suffocating European farmers.
×