OPPOSITION LEADER QUESTIONS COMPUTER PROJECT

Opposition Leader Manasseh Sogavare says he was disappointed that the Ministry of Education had ignored a national project costing nearly five million dollars.

The Opposition leader and the Minister for Environment, Conservation and Meteorology, Gordon Darcy Lilo have had a row over the media about the project.The project is for the supply of computers to selected secondary schools in the country.

Both leaders have accused each other for the failure to deliver 200 computers to the schools to date since payment of four point nine million dollars was made to a local company ANTECH Computers in October last year.

The Opposition Leader says after several enquiries with the Ministry of Education, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry last week said nothing has been done on the progress on the issuance of computers to the schools.

But Mr Sogavare says only Su'u National Secondary school in Malaita province received one lap-top computer under the project.He says 14 other secondary schools in the country listed to receive computers under the project have yet to receive computers.

Mr Sogavare says that four point nine million dollars was paid by the Central Bank of Solomon Islands to the bank account of ANTECH Computers company in October last year.But he says immediately upon receiving the payment the company withdrew 200 thousand dollars.

Mr Sogavare says the Opposition is questioning the transaction.

source: SIBC