Member of Parliament for west New Georgia and Vonavona, Silas Vaqara Tausinga, promised there is more on RCDF assistance to come in 2022, for the four Wards in his Constituency, as a way in advancing development of west New Georgia and Vonavona.
Mr. Silas Vanagara made this sentiment during signing of a Memorandum of Understanding MOU in Munda on Tuesday for an initial transfer of RCDF money from the People’s Republic of China to be paid into WDCs accounts of the four Wards and be directly administered by them.
The four Ward Committees are to receive a sum of $ 300,000 SBD each, of PRC support to Constituency Development for project implementation this year.
The sum has already been appropriated by the Western Provincial Government (WPG) in the 2021/2022 budget.
The four Chairpersons also signed the new MOU along with the four MPAs on Tuesday at Munda.
A sum of Five hundred thousand dollars has also been initialed to cover materials procured from the RCDF for projects in each of the four Wards and is funds drawn from the SIG support for Constituency Development.
Work to implement projects has got underway with direct help from project Specialists making visits to brief and given full explanation on the details of the new MOU.
The signing ceremony was witnessed by representatives of the four Ward Committees and community elders who described the event a major break-through for West NEW Georgia and hoped that other Constituency to follow using Ward Committees to implement development on behalf of their Constituency.
The Minister for Provincial Government and Institutional Strengthening, Rolland Seleso, had accompanied a high level Government officials and advisors from Honiara to witness the signing ceremony.
Premier David Gina was present as well.
In a keynote address delivered at the ceremony the Minister for Provincial Government had hailed the Member for west New Georgia for taking a lead using his Ward Committees to carry out projects on behalf of the Constituency.
He said that history was made where the foundation of fruitful collaboration between ‘’constituencies and provincial institutions are being laid for the prosperity of our people’’.
The MOU was jointly signed. This includes the Chairman in each Ward Committee, the four MPAs. The Ministers for MPGIS and MRD also signed the document.
In his official remarks at the ceremony the Minister for MPGIS, Rolland Seleso described the occasion a historic moment of Constituency and Provincial Government collaboration in service delivery, a moment where the foundation of fruitful collaboration between constituencies ‘’and our provincial institutions are being laid for prosperity of our people’’.
‘’For the first time in history of western province the communities are being formally recognized, integrated into development management decision making on issues that affect their own beings’’ Seleso said.
The Minister went on to described the historic ceremony a strategic alliance between the Constituency of west New Georgia and Vonvona, the four WDCs, the Ministry of Rural Development and Provincial Government of Western Province,
‘The result of which would positively impact on the lives of the communities.
The Minister pointed that for the first time in the history of Western Province the communities are being formally recognized, integrated into development planning process, ad given the opportunity to genuinely participate in local development management decision making on issues that affect their own beings.
He said that that the MOU has designed to cover the following service delivery objectives.
- Promote coordinated approach to deliver services to the people and communities of west New Georgia and Vonavona Constituency of Western Province.
- Promote coordination between the Constituency and Provincial Government of Western Province to deliver services in the Constituency using established Ward Development Committees of the Province and use the enhanced human capacity of Western Province to support the service delivery of the people of West New Georgia Constituency in te areas of engineering, planning and other aspects of project implementation and oversight role at a lessor cost.
“I wish to thank the Hon. Member for West New Georgia /Vonavona Constituency for taking the lead to implement such an initiative that is worth emulating.
‘’Being a legislated institution with well defined constitution and accountability framework, the Ward Development Committees s are well positioned to support the service delivery responses of our Constituencies,’’ he said.
“While Hon. Tausinga, is putting trust in his WDCs through this working partnership he is at the same time strategically relieving himself of projects management responsibilities that might be taking most of his time.
He will now have more time for his family, constituency issues and legislative responsibilities in Parliament’’ he added.
