Dear Editor – It is my considered view that the national budget being debated at the moment is a budget to continue funding corruption which is rampant nationally.
The Budget is not funding the reforms and restructures that are needed to bring about the changes to eliminate corruption.
The new government, which prides itself in the acronyms DCC (Democratic Coalition for Change), does not have much to show for in terms of provisions in the budget, which would bring about the much needed change.
If it was a budget to fund the aspirations of the people, it would have been focused more on the reforms that would clean up the national systems so that services can be delivered cleanly and therefore efficiently to the people.
While delivering the background speech to his report to Parliament, the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament alluded to national issues that he views as threats to the implementation of the budget.
Members of Parliament would do well to take serious note of these.
One of his basic concerns was that reforms were not emphasized as much as they should to make the budget more efficient.
He was basically concerned that corrupted systems still exist to render the budget ineffective.
Soon after the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee spoke, the Member of Parliament for Rendova and Tetepari spoke and lauded his Cabinet and Caucus colleagues for availing so much more money than ever before to Members of Parliament for Constituency purposes.
This MP (former PM) appeared to be actually enjoying himself informing MPs that he was partly responsible for a huge increase in the MPs RCDF!
One could sense from the excitement in his voice that he was really looking forward to the time when he would be accessing these public funds for his personal use.
Little was he concerned about the fact that a lot of these RCDF funds have not been properly acquitted.
Nor was he concerned that no real rural development has taken place in the Constituencies since the RCDF began.
All we hear and see so much of are Members of Parliament owning boats, trades stores, buses and taxis etc, and are generally secure and doing well in life than the rest of their constituents.
Since the MPs salaries are not that much, public funds through the RCDF must have a lot to do with it.
Gabriel Taloikwai
Honiara
