by Georgina Maka’a
Harry Kuma, who lost the Finance ministry portfolio in last weekend’s sudden cabinet reshuffle, was reportedly shocked and unhappy at the decision.
Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele swapped Kuma with Trevor Hedley Manemahaga, who was Minister for Commerce, Industry, Labour and Immigration then.
“Kuma was never given an explanation on why he was removed from the Finance portfolio,” a source close to the minister told In-depth Solomons.
“In cabinet this week, he found the chance to express his disappointment to Prime Minister Manele and other ministers,” the insider said.
Kuma’s removal came just weeks after he directed the acting Comptroller of Customs to suspend all unloading activities of imported goods at the seven sufferance wharves along the shores between Mamara, west of Honiara, to Alligator Creek in the east.
These wharves were owned mostly by logging companies.
A sufferance wharf is any loading or unloading site not formally designated as a port, but where the Comptroller of Customs may permit operations under specific conditions.
Since August 2024, the Solomon Islands government has restricted all import activities to the country’s only three designated international ports – Honiara, Noro, and Leroy Wharf.
Although the use of sufferance wharves helps handle large volumes of cargo and reduce local infrastructure costs, they also raised concerns around security, environmental compliance, and revenue leakage.
There were claims Kuma’s removal was linked to his decision to halt the use of the sufferance wharves.
But Prime Minister Manele has dismissed the claim.
“There’s no pressure from outside the government,” Manele told reporters when asked about the reshuffle, Wednesday.
“There’s no external pressure,” he added.
Earlier when announcing the reshuffle, Manele said Cabinet reshuffles are a normal part of government operations, aimed at maintaining unity, stability, and effective service delivery.
He said this latest exercise demonstrates the Government’s commitment to ensuring key sectors of the economy continue to receive strong political leadership and support.
When contacted, Kuma declined to comment on his removal.
However, a spokesman for the minister said Kuma was unhappy at the way the reshuffle was conducted.
“Frankly, Kuma did not know the specific issues and reasons for his reshuffling,” the spokesman said.
“He was simply in the dark as no specific explanation was given to him on the reshuffle. But he knows there are interests within and outside the government on the continued operations of sufferance wharves,” he added.
Kumas was given the Commerce and Trade ministry when the Manele Government came into power after the April 2024 national elections.
He was shifted to Finance in May this year after then Finance minister Manasseh Sogavare resigned and moved across to the Opposition – a move that nearly brought the Manele government down.
Manemahaga, who was previously Minister for Environment before being shifted to Commerce and Trade, could not be reached for comments.
Meanwhile, Kuma’s directives to suspend the operations of sufferance wharves on the east and western sides of Honiara means all unloading activities of imported goods are now being stopped at sufferance wharves, particularly those located near the two declared international seaports in Honiara.
The directive stated all imported cargo must be unloaded only at three declared international seaports:
- SIPA International Seaport, Honiara
- Noro International Seaport
- Leeroy Wharf International Seaport, Ranadi (East Honiara)
According to the letter, sufferance wharves will no longer be used for import unloading.
However, it said loading of round logs and mineral-related export products at sufferance wharves remains unchanged for now.
The letter cites a “limited capacity to monitor imports at sufferance wharves” and concerns about non-compliance with International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) standards as the rationale.
It states the measure aims to safeguard national trade and revenue and to ensure consistent security standards across ports.
The directive warns that non-compliance could trigger enforcement actions under the Customs Act and related regulations.
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