SOLOMON Islands Members of Parliament claim they have been offered money to join Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele’s minority government.
Speaking to local media, the 28-member Opposition coalition claimed their MPs had received phone calls and text messages from lobbyists who promised millions of dollars for them to cross the floor.
The Opposition claim is the latest chapter in an ongoing saga which began last month when MPs left Manele’s cabinet, claiming they had trust issues with the prime minister.
Manele has refused to leave office, and the matter is now before the High Court.
The Opposition neither named the lobbyists nor the MPs who had received the offers.
“We have text messages and recorded voice messages from government lobbyists offering huge amounts of money. The price tag has increased from thousands to millions for any MPs to move across. The latest attempt involved an offer in millions over the weekend,” an Opposition statement said.
“Such conduct exposes a desperate government in clear decline and one that has lost the confidence of the majority and is now resorting to unethical and reckless tactics to survive.’’
Source: Indepth Solomons
