THE member of Parliament for Central Honiara Constituency Gordon Darcy Lilo has urged the Government for National Unity and Transformation (GNUT) to start governing the country without delay and prioritize building the local economy and forget about geopolitics.
MP Lilo, an economist by profession and a former Prime Minister, was contributing to the Special Adjournment Motion moved by Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele in Parliament last Friday when the 12th Parliament convened for the 1st session of their first meeting.
This session saw members of the 12th Parliament take their oaths of allegiance to their duties as Parliamentarians and the Elections of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of Parliament.
Mr Lilo said that it has been almost six months since the country have been ungoverned properly and if GNUT was to be given 100 days to put together and translate its policy document, then it it will take right up to the end of this year before it governs.
The six months referred to by MP Lilo is the Caretaker Government mode period which started in December 2023 when the 11th Parliament was dissolved.
“Why are we delaying? Delaying governance means denying governance to the people.
“I want to say to the Prime Minister and members of his team that it is almost six months now and we have never been properly governed and then if we give another 100 more days, it will take us right up to the end of the year. So, this year 2024 just seems like a year to prepare the Government for the 12th session of Parliament.
MP Lilo said GNUT is not a new government but the same government that ruled during the 11th Parliament and therefore deems it should show some seriousness in addressing pressing issues facing the country such as the precarious economic situation.
He said the government should forget about geopolitics when the economy of the country is going down and focus instead on addressing issues that will rekindle the national economy and that is what the people are waiting to see.
“We cannot continue to delay this country to be ungoverned properly. We are now in the sixth month and if we continue on like that for another three months, it will be nine months and this year will fade away. When are we going to be ready to govern?
“Just think about that six months we have never been well governed when we were busy on the elections and then we’ll wait for another three months, 2024 is wasted. Problem of survival, economic problem that our people are facing, issues of cost of living and inflation will still remain and if we say to the people wait until 2025 until we fix these problems, it is not good. These are real issues because the people are facing these problems.
MP Lilo also took the opportunity to congratulate the MP for Kia-Hograno-Havulei, Jeremiah Manele for his re-election and also election as prime minister, which he said demonstrated the confidence of his people in his leadership and the 12th Parliament in his ability to lead the government.
“I understand that this 12th parliament has a lot of qualified members on board and some very young and energetic members coming in, so I want to congratulate all the 50 members,” he added.
MP Lilo also congratulated the re-elected Member of Parliament for Aoke-Langalanga Matthew Wale for his reappointment as the Leader of Opposition, adding that this appointment brings a very exciting position in terms of the positioning of the constitutional leadership in Parliament.
He then urged Members of the 12th Parliament to create a scenario for the country to move forward as people are looking forward for a well governed nation.
MP Lilo said this is why he thinks the Prime Minister was asking for extra days that his government can come up with a better program to govern the nation.
“I have no problem with what the Prime Minister is asking for but I am just simply contributing a little to those few points that he has made and I hope that the government will come on the 10th of June with the better pattern to project the way we will go to the end of 2024,” he added.
Understandably, 100 days is the period which GNUT requires to put together its joint Policy Statement and Translation Document, which will guide it in its governance of the country for the duration of the 12th Parliament.
GNUT comprises the Ownership, Unity and Responsibility (OUR) Party, Solomon Islands People’s First Party, Kadere and a group of individual MPs who contested the 2024v National General Election as independent candidates.
By IAN LADDS OSO
Solomon Star, Honiara
