THE CURRENT ruling Western provincial government is said to be facing a planned petition to oust Premier Robert Pye Kuve following mounting pressure from the non-executives.
Apart from deteriorating confidence in his capability to lead, the move for a change of leadership is also said to be based on a string of alleged misappropriation of funds and government funded projects by the ruling executive.
Six provincial assembly members in the ruling executive have crossed floor last month and joined forces with the non-Executive side to press for political change of leadership.
Provincial Member for ward 18 in Nono, David Sogavare, who is one of the six defectors, said a motion of no confidence will be difficult, which needs 12 clear months, since a latest no-confidence motion was moved but defeated in November last year.
But Mr Sogavare adds they are going through the Speaker of the Provincial Assembly who has the power under provincial standing orders to issue a notice of petition to oust Premier Kuve once they have numbers.
“Currently we are working hard, we are confident to secure the support of two or three members, and if we have the numbers, we will sign a petition for the Speaker of the Provincial Government to call up an urgent meeting to replace the current premier and his executive in the coming days or week,” the MPA for Nono ward told Island Sun Gizo in an interview yesterday.
Mr Sogavare said with six members defected from the ruling executive, the non-executive side now has 12 provincial members, and the government side left with 14 MPAs in the 26 seat provincial assembly house.
“The bottom line issue is we are trying to tell the government to come to one common understanding to change the Premier, because he has been ill and is incapable of running the government.
“And there were whole lot of issues in the current government that warrants a change of leadership.
“We are joining forces to try and pressure a change of leadership because we have uncovered that there is so many issues including misappropriations and mismanagement of provincial funds that the current executive is hiding from the public,” Mr Sogavare said.
Member of Provincial Assembly for ward 16, Nusa Roviana, Ramrakha Talasasa said since the beginning of last year, Premier Kuve has showed signs of incapability, and has been unable to attend to executive meetings, official meetings and other important hearings, such as state constitutional reviews, and even assembly meetings, which he said is a disgrace to the province.
He adds other issues which demand for a change of leadership involves other technical issues in the province, one was that of Bunikalo Fisheries centre.
“The Bunikalo Fisheries Centre is a Provincial Capacity Development Fund (PCDF) funded project and there are signs that Western Province is likely to be fail for another disbursement, because $200,000 has already been paid out, and that money was not paid to the contractor, but was collected by the Deputy Premier, and until today no materials were on the site.
“There are also internal disagreements in the executive bench, but what I am surprised of is that they keep on remain with the government.
“As critical leaders, to show you are not happy with the government, there is only one option, resign,” Mr Talasasa told the paper.
Reports said the provincial government executive is currently in Honiara at the moment for an executive meeting.
A move which also did not go down well with the other side of the house.
“We have learnt that the executive have travelled to Honiara for an executive meeting, we have question what funds are used on the trip but later discovered this morning that the money also comes from the provincial purse.
“That is what we find out, but their trip to Honiara is little known because there has been no executive paper for that sitting,” said Hon David Sogavare yesterday.
Meanwhile, it was said that Premier Kuve is currently settled in Honiara after he has undergone medical treatment at St Vincent Hospital in Australia following an over-an-year long mild condition.
Attempts to have Deputy Premier Maepio comment on the issue were futile yesterday before the paper went to print last night.
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