PAP president and former Prime Minister Sir Allan Kemakeza said cutting down the number of government Ministries is driven by figures showing overspending by the government.
“That money is best awarded to the rural populace to drive one of PAP’s aims of decentralization,” Sir Allan said.
He was speaking at the second media forum organised by the Media Association of Solomon Islands MASI yesterday.
“The 2010 national budget payroll alone consumed $485 million.
“Other charges for overseas trips by MPs, funding and benefits for MPs such as rentals stand at $756 million.
He said that money is a huge unwarranted which can be best diverted to the rural populace.
“The project to rural people only stands 295 million.
“This is why PAP is considering reducing the number of Ministries to a sustainable level; reduce the payroll by 20 percent per annum for the next four years and assist provinces in their capacity building to allow them to take leading role in rural development and economic developments.
He said inorder to focus on decentralization; they have to make some saving somewhere.
“We have to make some saving somewhere somehow inorder to give the populace some money, and PAP believes we need to make some savings.
“The new twist and direction is to focus and put more resources and funding into the rural populace which people who are going to be unemployed due to the cut in ministries will be deployed into rural areas to work and look after this very significant sector.
“Because if we redirect huge funding and resources to the sector but there’s no skilled manpower to work, there will be no progress.”
Sir Allan said they will also call on development partners to assist in the process to ensure what Solomon Islands contribute plus theirs (development partners) is geared towards that direction.
“We don’t believe that whilst we have a huge public service that goal can be achievable.”
That is why we want to formulate development councils surrounded by professional and technical partners to ensure the resources scaled down to provincial governments are taken care of by these provincial authorities.
Sir Allan said PAP plans to formulate nine provincial councils through which the Rural Constituency Development Funding will be channeled.
Sir Allan was the second prominent speaker to be invited by the forum on the questions “what does PAP has to offer Solomon Islands and why should voters vote PAP at the 2010 general elections?”
The forum commenced with first and the only former female parliamentarian Hilda Kari last week.
Another prominent leader is expected to speak to the media next Sunday.
The forum aims to bring prominent politicians and leaders under the spotlight ahead of the National General Election on August 4.
By EDNAL PALMER
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