Honiara City Councillor, Reginald Ngati has called for wider consultation in the review of the Honiara City Council (HCC) Act 1999, which is currently believed to be reviewed by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
Speaking to the Solomon Star on Thursday, Cr Ngati calls on the government through the MHA to do a wider community consultation because the HCC Act 1999 focuses mainly on the administration and governance of the council and not about the communities within the wards in Honiara.
“The current Act is based on the authoritative idea of governing Honiara City. This is an idea that comes out from the formation of what is happening within the structure of the council itself.
“But, I would like to see wider consultations in the communities of Honiara, where the contribution of stakeholders like Churches, Community Chiefs/leaders, schools, women representatives, youth representatives, business owners, etc, must have their say in the review of the Act,” Cr Ngati said.
He added, HCC is a public entity which a lot of social interaction should happen in its operation, therefore meeting people and listen to their views to form a new Act that is inclusive based on collective views must be paramount.
“I want to see an Act that connects the authority to the people, so a wider consultation is important in the review of the Act.
“That can also bring forth the idea of ownership. When we reach out to hear people’s views and concerns, they will feel that they are also proud owners of the city,” said Ngati.
Meanwhile, he suggests that the government through MHA call for a one week of wider public consultation, where stakeholders from each community are invited to contribute on areas they feel that the Act must address.
By FOLLET JOHN
Newsroom, Honiara
