THE new Minister of the Ministry of Forestry and Research, Makario Tagini has pledged to ensure satisfactory improvements in the ministry during his tenure as Minister.
He made this sentiment in a short induction and welcome gathering with the staff of the ministry recently.
Minister Tagini said amongst the many improvements needed are the taking of the Forestry Bill to Parliament and it is the biggest challenge that lies ahead of the ruling Government for National Unity and Transformation (GNUT).
He said there were several occasions in the past when the forestry bill was taken to Parliament or has died a natural death along the processes because of outside influence.
But Minister Tagini said one thing that should be made clear is that any such bill that goes before Parliament should serve the very interest of indigenous Solomon Islanders.
“All laws passed in Parliament must serve the interest of our people. Our resources must be protected and our people must benefit from our resources.” Minister Tagini added.
He said it is sad seeing one of the main government revenue collectors, the Ministry of Forestry and Research has not been fully equipped as expected to effectively carry out its mandated duty.
Minister Tagini cited the issue of lack of digital data system for all relevant available information as a real setback to effective service delivery for the forestry sector.
He said such work environment is not conducive as there are unfilled gaps, for instance the lack of proper monitoring, which leaves revenues from the forestry sector unaccounted for.
“These are real challenges and I would like to see this reflected in an increased ministerial budget. I will make sure that the government recognizes the need to increase the ministry’s budget as the more money we pour here, the more revenue we get in return,” Minister Tagini said.
The Forestry and Research Minister then further reiterated the importance of digitizing all available information ‘withheld’ by the ministry with the ease of accessibility as this is important for many purposes, including key stakeholders such as the courts.
“As Minister, I will stand tall and stand firm to ensure that all the processes of the ministry are clear and transparent and is accessible. Those information are public information and should be accessible to anyone,” he stated.
(MoFR/SOLSTAR)
