Toni, Solomon put in-house feud aside, focus on working together

National, Normal
Source:

The National, Thursday 23rd May 2013

 By MALUM NALU

COMMUNITY Development and Religion Minister Loujaya Toni and her acting department Secretary Anna Solomon have decided to put their guns away and work together for the good of the country.

Toni and Solomon held two different meetings on Tuesday, first with staff and then with stakeholders and donor partners, where they stated that they would work together for the good of the department and country.

Since becoming minister last August, Toni had wanted to remove suspended former secretary Joseph Klapat and Solomon.

She said the leadership issue between the two had tarnished the reputation of the department and service delivery had become ineffective.

Toni said a more capable person would be appointed to the post to deliver the vision she wanted realised for the department.

Yesterday, all seemed to have been forgotten, as Toni and Solomon came together.

“Each of you has a strategic and very important role to play,” Toni told stakeholders and donor partners.

“I’m so glad that I’m able to articulate to you this afternoon that I’ll be working very closely with my acting secretary, and ministerial staff, to achieve and implement what you have signed up for, representing your different organisations.

“Thank you for your patience during this time when there was a level of uncertainty as to who was the person you would report to.

“I’d like to tell you that the house is in order.

“We are unified development partners.

“I can’t thank you enough for working with my acting secretary.”

Solomon echoed her minister’s sentiments.

“I’d like to recap what the minister said, especially in thanking all our development partners for your patience throughout the challenges 

the department faced,” she said.

“I’d also like to thank all the development partners that attended the development partnership forum on March 26.

“It gave you a clear picture of what the department is all about.

“From that forum, we got indications from development partners that would like to go forward from there.

“We will continue to move forward from there.”