HONIARA – In Solomon Islands, seven government ministers have resigned from the Manasseh Sogavare led Democratic Coalition for Change (DCC) government.

They are the Deputy Prime Minister, Douglas Ete, and Dr Derek Sikua, Ishmael Avui, Bodo Dettke, Commins Mewa, Augustine Auga and Andrew Manepora’a,

The ministers have submitted their resignations to Government House, which confirmed receiving them late yesterday afternoon.

The resigned ministers belong to the United Democratic Party and Kandere Party which are the major coalition partners in the coalition government.

However, there are unconfirmed reports that six MPs from the opposition are now backing the Sogavare government.

The intrigue began with a poor turnout of elected members in Solomon Islands parliament on Monday believed to be connected to the political instability within the government following the removal of senior government ministers.

Deputy Prime Minister Douglas Ete reportedly resigned on Sunday after learning about the move to remove him.

The parliament chamber was half full when the Education Minister Dr Derek Sikua presented his ministry’s White Paper on Education in parliament.

According to one close associate of Ete, some MPs were disappointed with the decision by the Prime Minister, Manasseh Sogavare, to take away their portfolios and thus boycotted the sitting.

He also said the frustrated MPs are likely to join the opposition and give their support in a likely no confidence motion to be moved in the parliament against Sogavare.

The PM’s Office said to counter such a move, some opposition members were likely to cross the floor and take up the vacated seats.

Meanwhile, Sogavare has described as “cowards” the “anonymous insiders of government” who provided information to media outlets about what they feel are “corrupt and unjust decisions and actions government was embarking on as a matter of policy”.

The prime minister condemned such officials, branding them cowards whom he said have no place in civilized organisations that believe in upholding the rules of confidentiality and respect for authority.

Sogavare said, while government supports media freedom and its important role of keeping this nation informed of what is happening, unfortunately not all reports are factual and are tainted with bad politics.

He said the reports are not doing any good for the country.

The prime minister said: “If we do not check bad reporting, we will be in danger of creating a society that will learn to have no respect for authorities and a tendency to believe anything they read.

“I am saying this because no one should underestimate the power of the pen as the saying goes,” Sogavare said.

He said misleading information supplied by so called insiders in the PM’s office and government who frequented the office of the two newspapers clearly have ulterior motives and agendas to pursue.

“My office is now working on identifying these so-called insiders and the feedbacks have been very interesting and shocking,” he said.

Sogavare reiterated the statement by the opposition leader Jeremiah Manele who said that the enemy was within and more dangerous.

“If anything happens to the government it will be triggered by internal squabbles over petty politics and selfish agendas.

“My last appeal to people who nurture such an agenda is to put national interest over our little factional interests and learn to grow up in politics, otherwise we should reconsider why we seek employment with the government or be in politics at all.

“If we are to move forward in the implementation of the decisions taken by this parliament through the executive government the attitude of ganging up on people we believe are hindrances to our personal agendas in government must be removed.”

- PNC sources