HONIARA MAYOR OUSTED IN NO CONFIDENCE VOTE
Unauthorized payments alleged

By Ednal Palmer

HONIARA, Solomon Islands (Solomon Star, April 17, 2008) - Nomination for a new Honiara City Mayor is now open after mayor Alfred Maetia was ousted in a motion of no confidence yesterday.

Seven councilors, including some in Mr. Maetia’s executive, voted in support of the motion.

Five voted against it.

Mover Ngossi Ward councilor Andrew Mua, said since the executive was elected there had been a lot of unauthorized payments made.

Mr. Mua said these payments were made without the knowledge of the executive.

He said one of such payment was NZ$56,000 [US$44,000] Maetia used to fund some people to go and work on apple farms in New Zealand.

According to Mua, the mayor made a deal with an apple firm in January to recruit people from Solomon Islands.

"This resulted in council funds intended for computer trainings being used without the approval of the executive and I have all documents to prove this," he said.

Apart from the payment, Mua said the mayor had no entitlement to use a vehicle.

"The council is currently hiring a car for the mayor to use, which he has no entitlement over," Mua said.

He went on to claim that the mayor decided to live in his own house at the expense of the council while the mayor’s official residence at Tavio was unoccupied.

He also claimed that the mayor’s phone bill was highly excessive because most of the phone calls were made to New Zealand.

"And in relation to the phone bill, it is found that bills for a mobile phone used by the city clerk’s son was billed through the council and I wonder, under whose authority has this happened," Mua said.

Mua also claimed that the executive never approved most contracts for road works carried out by some contractors and some NZ$4,000 [US$3,000] has been used by some councilors for bus fare.

"These are some of the questionable activities that under the leadership of the mayor needs to be checked on in this motion," he said.

The mayor in his defense said that the deal to send people to work in New Zealand is not for his own benefit.

"It is evident that those from Mua’s Ngossi ward have been sent to work under that deal and it was initially aimed at addressing the high rate of unemployment in the capital," Maetia said.

He refuted claims he authorized the NZ$56,000 to meet expenses of people to work in New Zealand.

"There was no secret deal as I have been approaching the former government to intervene.

"But because they still have no policies in place for the matter, the funds were used but were to be refunded by the government," he said.

Maetia said the mayor’s official residence was not occupied because it was under repair.

"I waited for some three to four months but the residence was never repaired, so I decided to use my home as stipulated in the council act," Maetia said.

He also said that the phone calls to New Zealand were made for a good cause.

"I was serious about addressing the unemployment problem in the city and the mayor has the right to use a telephone to do whatever would benefit the people," he said.

Maetia said that the motion was not from the councilors but was influenced by some politicians.

"I can name some, but I see the motion as a direct move to oust me from office for some unknown interest," he said.

During the debate, Guadalcanal Premier Joash Salani said he saw the motion as untimely because Maetia, who is from Malaita, would better work closely with Malaita which made up the large population of the city.

"It would be very unfortunate for Guadalcanal province if someone who will not work closely with those that dominate the city is at the post," Mr. Salani said

"Guadalcanal province rely on the Honiara City council to work together with and solve matters that are of concern to the city which means Guadalcanal and people such as Maetia has been a bonus."

Under the Honiara City Act, Guadalcanal Province is represent by the premier at council meetings.

But he has no right to vote.

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