Dear Editor – If the current national government is concern about the socio economic development of the nation, the best thing to do is to amend the usage of the current available government fund CDF to serve its intended purpose.
It is irresponsible and bad for the country, for the government to continue with the current system the CDF has been used in which all the development funds come under the discretion of the MPs.
In spite of billions of dollars of CDF dispersed through MPs, lack of changes in socio-economic development is happening in our nation.
This was revealed and made known nationwide by the field assessment report done by the Transparency Solomon International, the leading NGO in the country during last year 2017.
The TSI report on the usage of CDF from year 2010 to 2017, a period of seven years,stated clearly how poorly most of our MPs used the fund although billions of dollars were dispersed during the period with no changes within infrastructures and supporting services to improve and strength the financial earning of the people in our rural constituencies.
There is no-transparency and accountability, the key pillars of good governance and management within the usage of the CDF fund, which created the environment for the corrupted abuse and mismanagement of the fund.
While TSI field assessment financial report has exposed truth about the usage of CDF fund, why are the MPs are so silent about the respondents towards the report?
What’s wrong? Does the report created threat towards the use of the CDF that only benefits the MPs and their cronies?
If our government is for the people it should do the right thing by taking on board the recommendations stated in the TSI report on CDF for better usage of the fund.
It is not right in leadership for the government to turn a blind eye on that important report that provides the impetus for the improvement and handling of public funds.
Because leaders must always do the right thing and that is to make the constructive decision on the national issues that doesn’t help the country.
The roles and obligation of the national government, through its funding such as CDF, is to create favourable environment for the resource owners nationwide to engage them with income-earning activities that promote financial self-sufficiency, improve livelihood and so help improve national export for the future prosperity of our economy that gears towards betterment of our future generations.
And so it is important for the government of the day to securitize and reconsider how CDF fund has been handled and used for maximum benefits for this nation.
Although it is painful or become a huge threat towards how currently the CDF has been channelled and used through our MPs,the rightful thing to do is for the current national governments led by Prime Minister Ricky Hou, to take a tough step with the removal of CDF fund from the hands of the MPs.
Instead the fund should be given to the main line government ministries or other authorities who have relevant expertise in the administration of the fund.
Our MP leaders represented in the highest legislative body in the land should be free and well respected from public pressure; criticisms and conflict of interest that badly affect the integrity and the quality of leadership expected from them by the people.
Also how the CDF fund currently being used should be reviewed for amendments since it promotes too much spoon feeding projects and mentalities that doesn’t help the nation in the longer term.
It is time all government funding should be well scrutinized to promote maximum benefits for the future betterment of our nation.
May God’s blessing continue to fall upon this young struggling nation,Solomon Islands, the happy isles!
Jacob Ofasia
Talise Market
