Is the PRC deceived on development funding?
THE Government may have deceived the People’s Republic of China (PRC) on its latest request for extra funding, according to documents released by the Opposition Leader’s Office yesterday.
These documents include a Minute signed by Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare last Wednesday (25th August 2021).
Titled, Additional PRC Funded National Development Fund (NDF) For Constituency Projects in Respect of 2022 Fiscal Year, the Minute said that PRC CDF assistance in respect of the 2020 fiscal year be paid out as additional NDF to support Constituencies COVID-19 economic recovery efforts.
The funds are held in an ESCROW Account jointly operated by the Government and the Chinese Embassy in Honiara.
“Attached herewith is a schedule outlining the constituencies that will benefit from the Additional NDF at a level of $200, 000 per Constituency,” the Minute addressed to the Financial Controller, PMO, said.
Thirty-nine [39] Constituencies whose MPs are in the ruling DCGA coalition have been given $200, 000 each.
“The PRC Embassy (has) been consulted on this additional support and have consented to the release of this assistance to support the government’s effort to actively involve our people to revitalise the economy under the National Stimulus Package,” the Minute said.
What Mr Sogavare did not tell the Embassy is the fact that the National Development Fund (NDF) is a discretionary budget line controlled by none other than the Prime Minister, according to several officials contacted yesterday.
Opposition Leader Matthew Wale has described the continuing use of NDF funding in support of Prime Minister Sogavare as ”shameful,” saying this funding by a foreign power undermines Solomon Islands sovereignty and national interest.
“It is shameful. This Prime Minister has built his reputation as the champion of sovereignty when he fought hard to resist RAMSI in its early days, but it seems he has no problem at all receiving direct foreign power funding to secure his political interests without the slightest thought of the impact on the sovereignty he often pretends to protect,” Mr. Wale said.
Mr. Wale said he “is extremely disappointed in the PRC Embassy in continuing the NDF in this way,” given an undertaking he was given in 2020 that the NDF funding would discontinue.
No Opposition MPs benefit from the NDF funding.
By ALFRED SASAKO
Newsroom, Honiara