The Speaker of the Western Provincial Assembly (WPA), Hon. Ramuraka Talasasa, has confirmed that his office is yet to receive any formal notice regarding a Motion of No Confidence (MoNC) against Western Province Premier, Hon. Billy Veo.
Speaking in an interview with Solomon Star, Speaker Talasasa clarified that despite the circulating political rumors, no official letter has been delivered to his desk to trigger the motion.
Hon. Talasasa described the current political climate as a “normal democratic process,” noting that such movements are part of the political landscape.
He emphasized that the Assembly’s focus remains on the upcoming budget meeting.
“At the moment, the agendas set for the budget meeting scheduled for March 16th are already finalized and ready to go,” the Speaker said.
However, while the Speaker’s office remains officially quiet, a political “tug of war” is reportedly intensifying behind the scenes between the Executive and the Non-Executive sub-groups.
Internal sources claimed the political ground is shifting under Premier Veo’s leadership.
It is alleged that two members of the Executive government have already defected to the Non-Executive side.
According to a source close to the developments, the non-executive now claims to hold a majority of 14 members, leaving the Veo-led Executive with 11.
“The numbers are in our favor at 14 to 11, and we expect another member to walk away from the Executive side shortly,” the source claimed.
“We are standing strong and united, we believe the province needs new leadership and policies that actually work.”
Despite these claims, the source admitted that the situation remains fluid.
“The game is unpredictable. It can change in a minute or a second,” they added.
As of now all eyes turned toward the Gizo provincial headquarter as the March 16th budget session approaches.
By ULUTAH GINA
Solomon Star, Gizo
Lead Photo Caption – Premier Billy Veo and his Deputy Premier Hon. Brian Lotikena
