The Minister for Provincial Government and Institutional Strengthening has refuted accusations by the Malaita Ma'asina Forum that he led a delegation to discuss political independence with Malaita provincial leaders.
Minister Manasseh Maelanga however says he led an official ministerial delegation to Malaita last month to visit PCDF funded projects which are being administered by his ministry.Mr Maelanga says he visited projects in the northern, eastern and southern regions of the province.
He says he did meet with the Malaita Premier and his executive and administrative officials but never at at any time had he gone there purposely to discuss a resolution by Malaita leaders for political independence from the rest of Solomon Islands.
He says the issue of independence was informally raised to him by some people, but he told them he was a Minister of the Solomon Islands government and his views are guided by the Constitution and Provincial Government Act.
Mr Maelanga has called on the Malaita Ma'asina Forum to stop making statements which lack proper analysis and the support of the majority of Malaitans.
The Forum's General Secretary William Gua had accused the government of treating decisions already made by the Malaita provincial leaders for independence as only a joke.
Mr Maelanga called on Mr Gua to apologise to the leaders of Malaita for pulling them into his mess.