This nation needs good leaders from the national level right down to the provincial and community level, says Chief Justice Sir Albert Palmer.
He said we need to have the right men and women in positions of responsibility who will lead by example.
Sir Albert was speaking at the opening of the Legal Year held at the High Court yesterday.
He said Solomon Islands desperately need good leaders who have vision and commitment, knowledge, skill and expertise to direct affairs in the 21st Century.
“And to get the right leaders to those positions of responsibility, there are processes and procedures that have been set out in various legislations and regulations,” Sir Albert said.
He said taking in the recent elections as an example in choosing the right leaders for Parliament.
“And if we have not achieved what we want, then we need to think outside of the box and start looking at other ways of choosing leaders.
“If the current election process is not producing the right leaders in Parliament and the executive for this country, then the Government should be looking at other ways including structural changes to get right leaders into those crucial arms of Government.”
The chief justice said Solomon Islands is fortunate to have a system of government which recognises the roles leaders play in the government of the country; leaders in the Executive, Legislature and the Judiciary.
“We in the Judiciary and the legal sectors, have been very fortunate to have set out in our constitution an independent process based on merit and suitability for appointment to all legal and judicial offices by a fairly independent and robust body, the Judicial and Legal Service Commission.
“So the process for appointment is not so much an issue in getting the right persons, who are qualified and have the necessary skills and experience for the job or task.
“Unfortunately we have not been as successful as we would want in having the right persons at some posts for various reasons, one of which being that the salary levels and terms and conditions for those posts in the legal sector and the Judiciary are not attractive enough.”
He said as a result of this, it has given rise to the situation where they have had to consider having officers transitioned into senior positions much faster than would be preferred or appropriate.
Sir Albert added that at times, this has had adverse effects, most notable in the Magistracy.
“Ultimately this has had a negative effect on the quality of work produced and reduced output resulting in the due administration of justice to be compromised.
“One of the ways we are seeking to address this is to focus more on having suitable training programs on management for our senior management level.”
He said while training and developing the workforce will continue to play crucial role, implementing a comprehensive staff performance management program is essential to address regular occurrences of absenteeism and punctuality issues as well as providing incentives and rewards to boost morale and output.
By ASSUMPTA BUCHANAN