IN a significant step towards the adoption of the Federal State Government by the Western Province, a team from the Draft Federal Constitution Eminent Persons Group met with all 26 members of the Western Provincial Assembly (WPA) during a special session.
The special session was held at the margins of the Western Assembly Meeting on Imagination Island on Wednesday.
The dialogue was viewed as one of the key sessions in ongoing efforts by the Western Province to transition to the Federal State Government system.
The dialogue was expected to play a crucial role in shaping the future political landscape of the Western Province.
Amongst those from the Eminent Persons Group at the special session were former Premiers of Western Province, Thornley Hite and George Solingi Lilo, a former Special Advisor to the Prime Minister, Warren Paia and other distinguished individuals involved in the constitutional review process.
The dialogue lasted more than two hours.
The primary purpose of the meeting was to engage the MPs, remind them of the importance of adopting the Federal State Government system and the importance of building Western Province’s capacity to sustain statehood after its adoption.
The session provided an opportunity to retrace the historical context, challenges and significance of this political shift.
All members of the WPA, including Premier Billy Veo, expressed strong support for the Federal State Government system and the importance of moving forward with its adoption.
Premier Veo said the Western Provincial Government (WPG) remains steadfast in its commitment to the statehood agenda and the broader goal of achieving self-autonomy for provincial governments.
“I was invited, along with other Provincial Premiers and our appointed representative Mr Nelson Boso, to attend the Constituent Assembly meeting at the end of December 2024. Unfortunately, events did not unfold as planned.
“During the one-day session, the Chairman of the Constituent Assembly, who is also the Speaker of the National Parliament, highlighted several critical issues, including the failure to pass the Draft Constitution Review/Constituent Assembly Sitting Bill, the inability of the Constituent Assembly to convene due to the absence of rules and procedures to govern its proceedings and the lack of necessary preparatory work and other requirements to facilitate the Assembly’s deliberations.
“The Chairman further stated that under these circumstances, the Constituent Assembly is unable to fulfill its mandate to consider debate, amend and ultimately vote on the draft constitution.”
Premier Veo said the Chairman recommended that the Prime Minister take necessary steps to report the matter to Parliament and to implement the required legislative measures to ensure the Assembly can carry out its responsibilities.
Premier Veo further added it appears that the National Government is pursuing two parallel strategies: Federal Statehood and the reformation of the Provincial Government system.
“As a government, we are closely monitoring these developments. Regardless of the approach taken, our priority remains achieving some level of autonomy and securing a fair share of resources through the revenue-sharing policy,” he said.
Meanwhile, the full Western Province Assembly comprising 26 MPAs passed a motion for Western Province to proceed with the adoption of Federal State Government on 10 October 2027.
By ULUTAH GINA
Solomon Star Gizo
