BY NED GAGAHE

Premier of Central Islands Province Kenneth Sagupari has clarified concerns of unpaid costs for his executive’s recent stay at an accommodation in Honiara for the recent swearing-in ceremony.

Concerned citizens of the province are asking about who will foot the bill at Bulaia Backpackers Rest Haus in Chinatown.

It was revealed that the cost has accumulated and now totals up to more than SBD 8,000.

They said this is a repeat of the same issue in 2024, when non-executive members stayed at the same place and incurred an unpaid bill of over SBD 8,000.

However, Premier Kenneth Sagupari denied claims that all his executive ministers were ordered to stay in Honiara until Thursday, stating that most have already returned to their communities.

He clarified that unpaid bills from his time as a non-executive member were settled and emphasized that accommodation allowances for MPAs are paid directly by the Ministry of Provincial Government.

Sagupari stressed that any extra costs incurred from personal accommodation choices are the responsibility of the individual MPAs, not the Provincial Government.

“Despite assurances from the current Premier that this would be paid, no payment has been made to date and the landlord has since followed up and reported the issue.

“Who is responsible for covering the extended accommodation costs of the ministers while in Honiara on official duties? If the provincial government is not paying, then who is? It’s now been a week and the unpaid costs continue to grow.”

Concerned citizens expressed the above adding that this is a growing concern that reflects a troubling pattern of past behaviour, where personal or political expenses are incurred first and later reimbursed from provincial funds, often without proper approval or transparency.

They said this is not the type of governance the people of Central Province deserve.

“We respectfully call on the Premier and the executive team to settle all outstanding accommodation and related costs immediately. Publicly clarify how these expenses were planned, approved and whether public funds are being used in a transparent and accountable manner.

“Ensure provincial resources are not used to support political movements that do not reflect the public interest or mandate.

“It is also important to emphasize that travel allowances were already provided during the executive’s swearing-in period. Therefore, any additional personal expenses should not fall upon the former administration or be unfairly drawn from public funds.

“Let us protect the dignity and reputation of our province.

“We remind our elected leaders that holding public office is not a privilege for comfort, it is a responsibility to lead with integrity, humility and full accountability to the people,” The concerned citizens said.

Following the concern raised in the Central Islands Forum on Facebook, Premier Sagupari responded promptly to clarify the issue.

He said the claim that all of his executive ministers were instructed to remain in Honiara until Thursday is not true.

Sagupari mentioned that as of yesterday, most of his ministers have already returned to their respective wards and communities.

“Only a few remain in town, mainly those who have families based in Honiara”, he said.

On the issue of unpaid bills at Bulaia Backpackers, he said that during his time as a non-executive member under the former government led by Michael Salini, they only stayed at Bulaia when handling official lands-related business and to his knowledge, those bills were already cleared.

He said most importantly, the public needs to understand that MPAs are entitled to accommodation allowances that are paid directly by the Ministry of Provincial Government.

“If any individual MPA chooses to stay elsewhere, that is a personal decision and the Provincial Government is not responsible for those costs.

“To support our team during this transition, I have given all ministers a one-week break to return to their families and home communities before we reconvene for the Second Appointed Day. After that, by early July, all ministers will return to Tulagi to officially begin work under the new policy directives of this executive government.

“I hope this clarification helps to clear the air. Let us move forward in unity and focus on serving the people of our province with transparency, commitment and responsibility,” Premier Sagupari said in a statement.

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