5 Aug 2002

Solomons foreign minister accepts demotion to tourism portfolio

3:49 pm on 5 August 2002

A reshuffle of the Solomon Islands Cabinet is now complete, after the former Foreign Minister Alex Bartlett accepted his reassignment to the Tourims portfolio.

The reshuffle, announced last weekend, sparked a week of infighting in the Cabinet, with Mr Bartlett calling the actions of Prime Minister Sir Allen Kemakeza, outrageous.

On Friday Mr Bartlett who had continued to occupy the Foreign Affairs office, was sacked by Sir Allen but hours later reinstated.

The Prime Minister's office now says Mr Bartlett has agreed to go to Tourism.

Meanwhile the Opposition leader Patteson Oti says the government has been in place for eight months during which time it has failed to address the problems the country, and the reshuffle will not make any difference.

"there were issues that need to be addressed which have not been brought about the impact of which is now what we are going through at the moment so in a sense allot of things that the government said it would do have not been done and we are only seeing the consequences"