by Ronald Toito’ona, Ofani Eremae, and Ednal Palmer

Powerful Chinese-born naturalized citizen Yang Jian Qing is now the new owner of the 15.8 hectares of government land, once the site of Dodo Creek Agriculture Research Centre, east of Honiara.

And In-depth Solomons can reveal that Jian Qing, owner of JQY Group of Companies, bought the land for $3 million when the Land Board publicly tendered it out in 2021.

The sale of the former government research station, which was ransacked and shut down at the height of the ethnic tensions in 2000, came under intense questioning and heated exchanges in parliament today.

This was after Central Honiara MP and chair of the Public Accounts Committee Gordon Darcy Lilo questioned the Minister of Agriculture and Lands, Franklyn Wasi, about the sale.

“…..I just want a clear answer regarding the Dodo Creek land. 

“Was it sold, and if so, what was the sale price? I want to know the value. 

“Who facilitated the sale — the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Lands, or the Ministry of Agriculture?” Lilo asked.

Wasi, Finance minister Manasseh Sogavare, and even Prime Minister Manele were unable to provide Lilo the answer he was looking for.

Nothing sinister about sale

In-depth Solomons took the issue up with the Commissioner of Lands Alan McNeil, who confirmed that the Land Board had approved the sale of the Dodo Creek land to Solomon Agriculture and Livestock Development Limited, a company owned by Jian Qing.

McNeil told In-depth Solomons there’s nothing wrong with the sale.

“As far as the land board and my office are concerned, there’s nothing sinister about it,” he added.

He said Solomon Agriculture and Livestock Development Limited came up with the highest bid of $3 million and won the tender to purchase the land.

McNeil explained that the land board went through proper due diligence of the ministries, including to ask them if they wanted the land or have any interest in redeveloping it.

“The Ministry of Agricultural Livestock at the time were very clear saying, we don’t want that land. 

“We are developing at different sites, towards the Guadalcanal Plains.

“So we just had no interest expressed from any ministry. Actually, we’ve questioned the ministries a couple of times, and we just had zero response, zero interest in the land.”

That was when the board decided to publicly sell the land through tender.

McNeil said they’ve advertised the tender in the newspapers and several companies put in their bids.

“The Lands Board chose what they believed to be the best tender,” he added.

Furthermore, McNeil said people should not just look at the $3 million premium sale.

“People also need to know that the company will also pay an annual land rent of $300,000 for the Dodo Creek land.

“That’s quite substantial when you add that up over the years.

“So it’s not just the initial one-off price, but also the annual land rents to pay every year.”

Jian Qing: I bought the land for $3M

Jian Qing, whose company JQY was one of the government’s preferred hardware suppliers, confirmed purchasing the Dodo Creek land for $3 million when it was put out on tender.

He said he plans to establish an agriculture training centre once issues relating to squatters who are currently occupying the land are settled.

“I have already spent over $1 million assisting the tribes that lay claim on the land with building materials.

“There are graves and squatters to deal with too. But we are discussing and are sorting out these things.”

Jian Qing said he wanted to genuinely engage with the people to develop the area.

Drama in parliament

Here’s what unfolded in parliament after Lilo raised the issue this morning.

In response to Lilo’s question, Agriculture minister Franklyn Wasi said he was aware when he took up his portfolio in May this year that the Dodo Creek land was offered for tender twice by the Lands Board.

“I was informed that someone has already purchased the land, but I don’t know the sale amount,” Wasi said.

“ The Ministry of Lands or Guadalcanal Province would have more details,” he added.

But Lilo maintained that the government needs to disclose to the public how much the land was sold for.

Finance minister Manasseh Sogavare then stepped in and said his ministry did not have the information on the land at hand but assured parliament they would look into it and provide the details later.

“I think we don’t have the information readily available here, but we can find out and provide it to the house,” Sogavare said.

Lilo expressed surprise at the government’s lack of knowledge about the selling price.

“It’s shocking that state institutions seem to operate in the shadows,” Lilo stated.

“The minister mentioned the Lands Board—who are they? When was the land sold? For how much? And to whom? 

“These are critical questions that need answers because this concerns an asset tied directly to the ministry’s recurrent budget,” he stated.

Then came Prime Minister Manele.

 “We will collect the necessary information to address these important concerns,” Manele stated.

“The House will be updated, and the Ministry of Lands, Housing, and Survey will also inform the nation.”

A rather surprising Opposition Leader, Matthew Wale, then spoke up saying he had just learnt of the sale of the Dodo Creek land in parliament. 

In terms of the policy rationale behind the sale of the land, Agriculture minister Wasi said:

“I only joined Parliament and assumed the role of minister in May, so the former minister and members of the Lands Board would be better positioned to explain why the land was sold.” 

Wasi also expressed his own concerns about the sale, questioning why such an essential piece of crown land had been disposed off.

Minister for Lands, Housing & Survey (MLHS), Polycarp Paea then told parliament that the land was sold for $3 million to a private company.

“So the Dodo Creek Land has gone through a tender process. The Land Board made the decision and then the land was sold for around $3 million in 2021.

“The land was sold to Solomon Agriculture & Livestock Development Company.”

Questioned by Lilo about the proprietor of the company, Paea responded that he would investigate and inform Parliament.

Upon learning that $3 million had been paid for the 15.8-hectare property, Opposition Leader Wale described the transaction as “a gross undervaluation,” stating, “they are robbing us. Why was it undervalued like that?”

Echoing Wale’s concerns, Lilo remarked that based on standard valuations, the price paid for the size of the land was shocking and difficult to believe.

“This $3 million is an outrage. We are sabotaging ourselves. I feel deeply for our country. 

“We must hold those responsible accountable—giving away a government asset like this is unacceptable,” Lilo lamented..

Finance Minister Sogavare informed Parliament that the government shares concerns about the sale of the Dodo Creek Land. 

He recalled that he was the President of Cabinet when this issue came up, but they have no control over the decisions.

“I was president of the Cabinet in 2021 when this was happening ….the way things were, the Lands Board was normally ranked higher than the Cabinet. 

“There were some directives from the Cabinet on decisions made for other matters relating to land, but we were told by the Land Board that cabinet does not have the right to make any directives to the Board.”

Sogavare said as president of Cabinet at the time, he would have the same concern and would also like to know what really happened to the sale of the Dodo Creek Land.

He assured parliament that “the matter will have to go under a full investigation, so that we find out what was really happening to the sale, the value, and why it was sold to that particular individual.”

“So we are just as concerned,” Sogavare added.