THE proposed opening on Manaoba is slower than expected.

This is according to the Permanent Secretary (PS) of the Ministry of Communication and Aviation (MCA) Moses Virivolomo.

The long disputed Manaoba airport’s tentative plan expected to resume flights to Manaoba airport by April this year.

The PS also exclusively disclosed this to Island Sun in February this year.

As it is now the beginning of the stated month, the PS has now disclosed that the proposed opening is slower than expected because the process of getting consent for opening needs to all landowners (LOs) can only eventuate until all landowners agree to terms.

“The terms are for all parties (LOs) to agree to opening of airport while ownership and claims dealt with separately while services continue.

He then added that a taskforce setup to deal with the issues will soon hand out a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for landowners to agree to, sign and then enable the Solomon Airlines market to resume flights.

This will only eventuate if all landowners sign the MOU.

The airport taskforce set up under by the Ministry met with the Lolo and Aebusu tribe in February and discussed a possible Memorandum of Agreement (MOA).

It was to include all tribes and designed it to simply agree to open the airport while ongoing issues of ownership and claims are sorted under existing legitimate systems.

“We have since then, spoken to other tribes who too have a stake on the airport who most agree to allow air services on Manaoba.

“The Ministry of Communication and Aviation will hopefully seek agreements of other tribes next week before issuing a draft MOA for the parties to agree and sign if mutually agreed,” the PS said.

A longstanding claim of ownership over the Manaoba airport between the Lolo Tribe and Aebusu Tribe, declared both parties as dual landowners last month (March).

This High Court ruling came after a long disputation of ownership by the Lolo Tribe as the sole landowning tribe of Manaoba that has now become null and void.

This means, Lolo Tribe and Aebusu Tribe are both (dual) landowners of Manaoba airport.

Lawyer of the Aebusu Tribe, Donald Marahare told Island Sun when the ruling came out that it is basically true to the extent that the Court in its ruling delivered last month upheld the validity of a consent order made between Late Paul Maenu’u (Aebusu Tribe) and Late Gabriel Ramo (Lolo Tribe).

The consent order made between the now deceased duo was made in a land appeal case before the High Court in 1999.

Frank Daoga, brother of the deceased Late Gabriel Ramo has been following up issues on behalf of the Lolo Tribe whilst Hardyson Maenu’u now represents his father, Late Paul Maenu’u – Aebusu Tribe.

This proceeding now before the court was instituted by Late Paul Maenu’u after the other group in defiance of the consent order made in 1999 dealt with the Commissioner of Lands (apparently without Late Maenuu’s consent and knowledge) for the acquisition of that land that now accommodates the Manaoba airport.

Late Maenuu’s group asserted in their claim filed in the proceeding that the Perpetual Estate was registered in the names of the representatives of the other party contrary to the consent order of 1999.

Last month the Parliamentary Opposition called on the Prime Minister’s Office to intervene and pursue to the end the auditing of the payments made in respect to Manaoba, Malaita Province.

The Office stated that the money expended on the airstrip are public funds and must be properly accounted for.

“The millions of dollars paid out to parties connected to Manaoba airstrip have been appropriated for by Parliament and therefore questions such as who the actual beneficiaries from the funds and how much they were getting are important issues pertinent to the principles of transparency and accountability.

“As it is the Manaoba airstrip story seems to have the hallmarks of a well-planned scheme devised to defraud the state.

“Therefore a call for the government to consider setting up a commission of inquiry is the right thing to do.

“The objective of the commission would be to find out how the whole project has been managed and funded,” the Parliamentary Opposition Office stated.

In 2015 the MCA PS disclosed to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) spent $SBD60M worth of development – more than what was spent on the country’s alternative international Munda airport which was contracted and constructed by expatriate for $SBD40M.