Pamela Naesol, one of the scrutineers of the Miss Pacific Islands Pageant, and head judge Jerry Brunt have refuted claims of result tampering following accusations that Brunt altered the official results during last Saturday’s crowning ceremony. The allegations emerged on social media, claiming Brunt had changed the final results.
Naesol, the Chief Executive Officer of the Institute of Solomon Islands Accountants, explained the process in an exclusive interview with In-depth Solomons. “I want to assure everyone that there was no tampering or rigging of the results,” she said. “The scores were recorded using a spreadsheet, which automatically tallied the points as they were entered.”
Brunt, a Samoan lawyer and hotelier with years of experience in the pageant, also responded to the accusations, emphasizing his commitment to fairness. “I can honestly tell you that I don’t even know where that allegation came from,” Brunt said. “It’s impossible for me to rig any scoresheets in front of thousands of eyes. God is my witness.”
Naesol outlined the procedure followed during the event, confirming that judges submitted their scores and a runner collected the papers before handing them over to her. “After the onstage interview results came in, we saw a tie between Miss Tonga and Miss Samoa. According to the rules, Jerry Brunt, as the head judge, was the only one authorized to cast the final vote. He chose Samoa.”
Brunt added, “I hold the integrity of the entire Pacific Islands pageant show in high regard, and I feel saddened by these false accusations. Again, I really don’t know where the conspiracy and allegations are coming from.”
Naesol also addressed the controversy surrounding the results announcement. Despite rumors that Brunt had handed the MCs different papers, she clarified that she was the one who gave the results to the hosts, not Brunt. “After Jerry’s vote, I compiled the results and handed them over. The accusations about Jerry ripping up scoresheets are completely false,” Naesol stated.
Following the crowning, Naesol was approached by a Tongan judge who questioned the final result, asking why Samoa had won instead of Tonga. Naesol explained, “I told her that the papers we received indicated two points each for Samoa and Tonga, but she claimed that three judges voted for Tonga. I advised her to discuss the matter with the MPIP.”
Naesol noted that during the subsequent discussions about the votes, someone recorded a video and posted it on Facebook. “That video recording was misinterpreted by many on Facebook and was used as a basis for accusing Jerry over the results,” she said.
Naesol also responded to the omission of the Best Float Award from the crowning ceremony. “The Best Float Award was awarded to Miss Solomon Islands Elsie Polosovai earlier that week, but for reasons I don’t know, it wasn’t announced that night. However, the results were correct and included in the envelopes handed to the MCs.”
Brunt added, “The integrity of this pageant means everything to me, and I have always been committed to upholding its fairness.”
Despite the online backlash, both Naesol and Brunt remain confident in the fairness of the event. “There was no manipulation of the results,” Naesol affirmed.
This is not the first time a tie has occurred in the Miss Pacific Islands Pageant according to Talamua Online News. In 2006, a draw between Samoa and the Cook Islands was resolved with a vote from the head judge, which led to Miss Cook Islands’ win.
