‘PM follows protocol’
By ANDREW FANASIA
Honiara, Newsroom
PRIME Minister Manasseh Sogavare was never invited to attend the Malaita second appointed day earlier this month in Auki.
This was revealed by the Office of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (OPMC) on Thursday.
The explanation came after Prime Minister’s critics and observers criticized and questioned why the PM readily availed himself to attend other provincial second appointed days and not Malaita.
“The OPMC would like to set the record straight regarding the question of why the Prime Minister did not attend the Malaita province 2nd Appointed Day celebrations in Auki,” OPMC said through the PM Press Secretariat desk.
PM Press Secretariat stated that the fact of the matter was that the Prime Minister was never invited to the Malaita second appointed day.
“Official invitations only included the DPM and other Malaita MPs. As a matter of protocol, the Prime Minister does not attend events where he is not invited,” PM Press Secretariat said.
“Similarly, if he was not invited to other provincial days, his attendance would not eventuate,” the statement added.
Meanwhile, the interesting question that needed to be answered was why the Premier of Malaita Province chose not to invite the Prime Minister.
Prior to the second appointed day celebrations in Auki, there was an ongoing exchange of words between the DCGA government led by Manasseh Sogavare and the executive government of Malaita.
Observers said that the continuous battle of words and ideas between Malaita executive and the national government will not stop easily.
Comments are sought from the Premier of Malaita.