SOLOMON Islands need a vision that is realistic, reasonable and focused.
The Leader of Opposition Matthew Wale uttered this in Parliament during his response to the ‘Speech from the Throne’ on Monday.
Wale said unfortunately the National Development Strategy (NDS) in its present form has fallen short and cannot fill this void.
“We do need a dreaming exercise, a collective visioning that need not be politicized,” he said.
The Opposition Leader said there is no argument that our country is in desperate and urgent need of transformative change.
However, he said transformative change cannot happen in a vacuum.
The Member of Parliament (MP) for Aoke Langalanga said, transformative change requires a clear articulation of the immediate short term needs and challenges the country is grappling with, and importantly, of a long term vision of what Solomon Islands should look like.
“If we ignore the short term needs and challenges, government is at risk of operating outside of reality.
“Without a long-term vision, government is at the mercy of the winds of superfluous ideas that blow from time to time and change direction from time to time.
“This is a real problem, and one that, unfortunately, we know from experience,” he said.
Wale said government’s budget is the first indication that it is serious about change, but only an indication.
He said government’s actual expenditure is the proof of government’s true intent and commitment.
“We know from many years’ experience that just because something is in government policy, it does not necessarily mean it will be in the budget,” he said.
MP Wale said, a public expenditure review would be useful in identifying the true priorities of government over any given period.
He said it would provide clear pictures of what would otherwise be strategic investments by government that do not get funded.
“This would be useful information to government’s decision making and fiscal discipline,” the Opposition Leader suggested.
- Opposition Press
