[New post] Vanuatu Daily News Digest | 4 September 2015

WordPress.com bobmakin posted: "The Opposition is preparing to deposit a motion against the Prime Minister, Radio Vanuatu news tells us today. Eighteen members of Parliament on the Opposition side have agreed and they are trying to find support from Government MPs. The main reason is th" Respond to this post by replying above this line New post on Vanuatu Daily Digest Vanuatu Daily News Digest | 4 September 2015 by bobmakin The Opposition is preparing to deposit a motion against the Prime Minister, Radio Vanuatu news tells us today. Eighteen members of Parliament on the Opposition side have agreed and they are trying to find support from Government MPs. The main reason is the bribery case in which allegations have been raised against 16 MPs amongst whom 5 are state ministers. This, they say, is giving Vanuatu a bad name both regionally and in the world. A total of 37 signatures will be needed. Prime Minister Kilman is in China for the 70th anniversary of the Chinese victory over Japan at the end of the Second World War. The PMO has made no statement concerning the many allegations against those of cabinet rank within his Government, including the Acting Prime Minister and Acting Head of State. Nor has there been any official reaction to the Finance Minister's plea of "Guilty" in the Bribery Case. Further to what the Digest has already reported, the Acting Head of State Marcellino Pipite, following his visit to New York to meet ambassadors from countries adopting the Westminster system, Speaker Pipite observed that Vanuatu has shifted away from the Westminster system. This has meant "too many cases that have seen MPs and political parties seeking court decisions." Pipite adds "It is my intention to invite members of the Westminster System, preferably from the United Kingdom, to come to Vanuatu and provide insight to MPs on the procedures, and how the system operates, in order to bring Vanuatu back on track of the system we inherited in 1980." (Daily Post, 2 September) Wednesday's Post has the Reunification Group (VP, NUP, MPP and Nagriamel) all in agreement to support the VP candidate in the election in October to replace the late Edward Natapei, former Leader of the Opposition. Graon mo Jastis Pati leader Ralph Regenvanu was present as present Leader of the Opposition, Ham Lini, made the announcement. MP Lini also suggested that if a consensus could be reached, the Reunification Group would like to see the VP candidate (Kenneth Natapei) elected unopposed, saving the Government considerable money. Daily Post this week also reported a horrendous traffic accident in which three Onesua students had to be hospitalised in Vila after their drunken driver crashed their vehicle near the Siviri field. They were travelling on the open flatbed of the truck and bags of cement landed on top of them. Today's Daily Post has water costs being reduced by 6% as of today. The decrease in energy prices has enabled the reduction. bobmakin | September 4, 2015 at 11:16 am | Categories: The News, Digested | URL: http://wp.me/p2A4RK-DH Comment    See all comments    Like Unsubscribe to no longer receive posts from Vanuatu Daily Digest. Change your email settings at Manage Subscriptions. Trouble clicking? Copy and paste this URL into your browser: http://ift.tt/1fYcFiH Thanks for flying with WordPress.com

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[New post] Vanuatu Daily News Digest | 3 September 2015

WordPress.com bobmakin posted: "This Digest is late owing to no early morning Bribery Case news on Radio Vanuatu and a sell-out of Daily Post copies today. Just a few further aspects to the Bribery Case ... Justice Mary Sey is allowing no further appeals concerning her rulings in the " Respond to this post by replying above this line New post on Vanuatu Daily Digest Vanuatu Daily News Digest | 3 September 2015 by bobmakin This Digest is late owing to no early morning Bribery Case news on Radio Vanuatu and a sell-out of Daily Post copies today. Just a few further aspects to the Bribery Case ... Justice Mary Sey is allowing no further appeals concerning her rulings in the matter so far, seeing these as simply being delaying tactics. Further appeals must now await judgements in the matter. Processes of her court must not be appealed until the cases are decided. From Monday the cases proceed in three steps, beginning with the most serious. The current Acting Prime Minister faces the majority of the charges in the Bribery Case. DPM Carcasses is the recipient of 24 counts. However it was not stated where Prime Minister Kilman happens to be at this time. Your news Digest has failed to establish whether the Government has issued any press release in the matter of the Bribery Case. The dispiriting affair is the subject of an excellent Opinion piece in today's Daily Post in which Kierry Manassah points out that some 25 years ago former President Sokomanu felt obliged to stand down after a simple road offence. Daily Post today suggests that this present Acting PM sees the Bribery Case as a "politically motivated" matter, as if that makes it less of a crime. bobmakin | September 3, 2015 at 4:40 pm | Categories: The News, Digested | URL: http://wp.me/p2A4RK-DG Comment    See all comments    Like Unsubscribe to no longer receive posts from Vanuatu Daily Digest. Change your email settings at Manage Subscriptions. Trouble clicking? Copy and paste this URL into your browser: http://ift.tt/1UtscVj Thanks for flying with WordPress.com

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[New post] Vanuatu Daily News Digest | Additional Bribery Case news

WordPress.com bobmakin posted: "Vanuatu has Acting Head of State facing bribery charges. Marcellino Pipite is the Acting President since, as Speaker of Parliament, he took over the function of President Baldwin Lonsdale yesterday whilst the latter is in Fiji for USP purposes. Of course" Respond to this post by replying above this line New post on Vanuatu Daily Digest Vanuatu Daily News Digest | Additional Bribery Case news by bobmakin Vanuatu has Acting Head of State facing bribery charges. Marcellino Pipite is the Acting President since, as Speaker of Parliament, he took over the function of President Baldwin Lonsdale yesterday whilst the latter is in Fiji for USP purposes. Of course everyone is innocent until proven guilty. And Pipite did see a need to revisit the Westminster system following his visit to New York ended early this week. However, it has to be added that Finance Minister Willie Jimmy Tapangararua did plead guilty in the Bribery Case this morning in the absence of the person he has chosen as his counsel. This was not made clear in the earlier Digest blog today. Do read Daily Post tomorrow for a full account. bobmakin | September 2, 2015 at 6:14 pm | Categories: The News, Digested | URL: http://wp.me/p2A4RK-DF Comment    See all comments    Like Unsubscribe to no longer receive posts from Vanuatu Daily Digest. Change your email settings at Manage Subscriptions. Trouble clicking? Copy and paste this URL into your browser: http://ift.tt/1N9oGk8 Thanks for flying with WordPress.com

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[New post] Vanuatu Daily News Digest | 2 September 2015 – the Bribery Case

WordPress.com bobmakin posted: "All other news is swept aside in view of the importance of the Bribery Case which started in a packed (standing-room only) court house at Dumbea this morning. The Bribery Case, having taken the full morning, is now adjourned until Monday morning. Some 56" Respond to this post by replying above this line New post on Vanuatu Daily Digest Vanuatu Daily News Digest | 2 September 2015 – the Bribery Case by bobmakin All other news is swept aside in view of the importance of the Bribery Case which started in a packed (standing-room only) court house at Dumbea this morning. The Bribery Case, having taken the full morning, is now adjourned until Monday morning. Some 56 charges were heard, the vast majority against MP Moana Carcasses Kalosil. Almost all charges were answered by the accused in this morning's plea-taking as "not guilty". It seems, however, that Finance Minister Willie Jimmy Tapangararua, who was present, was not represented by Robin Tom Kapapa as accepted last week, and his chosen new counsel was not present. Almost all are accused of accepting illegal loans under the penal and leadership codes. Thomas Bayer's charge of complicity in bribery was detailed as the procuration of half a million US dollars through offers and sales of shares in his off-shore bank, European Bank Limited, and shares in a lease title which was detailed. Documents supplied by Bayer were alleged to be sufficient to enable the European Bank to receive the money from the United States to then be transferred to an account of Moana Carcasses Kalosil to enable the large number of public officials to be bribed. Bayer's plea was "not guilty". Many of the accused are of the rank of minister in the present government. Marcellino Pipite is Speaker of Parliament. bobmakin | September 2, 2015 at 2:31 pm | Categories: The News, Digested | URL: http://wp.me/p2A4RK-DE Comment    See all comments    Like Unsubscribe to no longer receive posts from Vanuatu Daily Digest. Change your email settings at Manage Subscriptions. Trouble clicking? Copy and paste this URL into your browser: http://ift.tt/1N8ZpGN Thanks for flying with WordPress.com

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[New post] Vanuatu Daily News Digest | 1 September 2015

WordPress.com bobmakin posted: "Sixteen Members of Parliament are in the Supreme Court to answer the charges of bribery tomorrow. Their pleas will be given then. Further investigations are expected according to this week's Vila Times. Daily Post today has "more MPs may become Prose" Respond to this post by replying above this line New post on Vanuatu Daily Digest Vanuatu Daily News Digest | 1 September 2015 by bobmakin Sixteen Members of Parliament are in the Supreme Court to answer the charges of bribery tomorrow. Their pleas will be given then. Further investigations are expected according to this week's Vila Times. Daily Post today has "more MPs may become Prosecution witnesses." VBTC has signed an intention for a memorandum of understanding with a Chinese equipment supply company. The full MOA is to be signed this month. The move is intended to extend terrestrial TV availability throughout the Vanuatu islands on cell phones. The company will fund and supply all the equipment and programme material needed, VBTC News said yesterday. The project should be completed by May next year. Many will wonder at the overall value of such a service when VBTC technical facilities and Vanuatu's mobile telephone providers gave such a poor showing at the time of cyclone Pam. Ensuring proper disaster warning and advisory information should surely be considered a greatest responsibility for the national broadcaster. Head of State Fr Baldwin Lonsdale is pressing for a Vanuatu Christian Council representation in the Electoral College to choose a head of state in future. Such a representative would join the politicians from Parliament and the regional assemblies. The President's campaign will continue. (VBTC) Today Radio Vanuatu News is covering the supply of more cyclone-resistant planting material for certain varieties of food crops. This may well be of immense value in future and the Digest will report more later. Daily Post yesterday reported Education Minister Alfred Carlot promising a monthly increase to teachers' housing allowances, from VT 15,000 to VT 25,000. This follows a petition of teachers and much more news is bound to result as "illegal salaries" and planned re-structuring are addressed. Daily Post today details an alleged illegal handling of the IRU agreement between the Government and Interchange, the company operating our cable link. It is said the Government's Chief Information Office (OGCIO) is improperly selling band width and charges may well have to be increased in future. Ninety days has been allowed for resolution of the problem. Kenneth Natapei, son of the late Leader of the Opposition, will stand in the by-election to choose a replacement for his father. He will do so as a Vanua'aku Pati candidate. bobmakin | September 1, 2015 at 11:07 am | Categories: The News, Digested | URL: http://wp.me/p2A4RK-DD Comment    See all comments    Like Unsubscribe to no longer receive posts from Vanuatu Daily Digest. Change your email settings at Manage Subscriptions. Trouble clicking? Copy and paste this URL into your browser: http://ift.tt/1Jt7PCs Thanks for flying with WordPress.com

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