OPPOSITION Leader Mathew Wale has called on Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele to exercise stronger political discipline and make firm decisions in the national interest.
Wale made the remarks following what he described as the low productivity of the Government for National Unity and Transformation (GNUT), which has passed only a few bills and budgets since taking office on April 29, 2024.
Speaking on the Insight Podcast aired on the Office of the Leader of Opposition’s social media page, Wale said the government’s overall performance in 2025 has been poor.
“In fairness, we allowed the government space to finalise its policies, translate them, and implement programmes of action,” he said.
Wale noted that some legislation requires broad dialogue and consultation, but argued that weak political discipline within government has contributed to delays.
He said many ministers have travelled overseas for meetings that could have been attended by officials, and alleged that some ministers travelled without informing the Prime Minister.
The Aoke/Langalanga MP said the Prime Minister is “paralysed” in decision-making due to political numbers within the coalition.
He acknowledged the Prime Minister’s view that political instability contributed to low productivity last year, but attributed this to what he described as state capture.
Wale claimed the government is divided, with some ministers allegedly linked to private interests, resulting in cabinet disagreements when national-interest decisions are required.
As an example, he cited two motions that were dropped in Parliament last year after government ministers allegedly crossed the floor to the Opposition side to table the notices.
Wale urged the Prime Minister to address these issues and called on the government to introduce more legislation this year.
He added that submitting bills earlier to the Bills and Legislation Committee would allow more time for proper scrutiny.
