Temotu provincial government has incurred a debt of nearly SBD $1million over the past two years and is now facing immense pressure to settle it.
Reports reaching the paper said, the million dollar debt has affected normal provincial government services and is causing frustration amongst the direct employees of the province because their National Provident Fund (NPF) contributions were never paid since 2014.
Temotu provincial premier Nelson Omar Menale in an interview with this paper yesterday confirmed the news blaming the previous government for the mess.
“The debt was created by the previous governments and has accumulated over the past two years.”
He highlighted that the debt has frustrated all the provincial government officers, direct employees of the provincial government and its stake holders.
The news of the debt has hit hard especially on the provincial government employees when they were informed that their NPF contributions was not paid by the provincial government since 2014.
According to the premier, the workers’ NPF contribution is included in the $1million debt.
Reports reaching this paper claimed that most of the workers were not satisfied with the news about the lack of payment to their NPF contributions.
Because of that most of all the provincial government employees on Wednesday wanted to stage a sit-in protest against their employer; however the sitting protest was abandoned.
Meanwhile premier Menale has assured the workers and its stake holders that his government will settle the debt.
“This issue is now become my government’s priority. It is a normal thing that whatever debt has been left behind by the previous government, any current government must settle it,” he said.
The premier said, his government has already put $700,000.00 in the 2016-2017 budget to meet the debt.
“My government should settle the debt within one and a half year period.”
Temotu provincial government has recently passed its $6millon budget.
He added the workers’ NPF contribution is very important and his government is not turning a blind eye.
“We are now working to short out the NPF contributions of the workers.”
He stressed the debt has truly affected service delivery in the provincial government; however he has assured the people of Temotu that his government is confident that it will settle the outstanding debt and get the provincial government back on track.
By BIRIAU WILSON SAENI
