Dear Editor – Front page publications on Wednesday this week by two leading papers (Islands Sun Issue: 2351 and Star No: 6343) on above are interesting.
Interesting? I have seen same type of bold but almost meaningless statement before for over a decade.
Note Dr Transform Aqorau’s argument “Aqurau: ADB missed the point” in the same Solomon Star.
A few points said there of ADB reports are of particular relevance.
Truly fitting Island Sun front page alongside SI TOPs.., showed Honiara city shame with rubbish lying around, not reflecting any useful reforms that goes down to serve people.
Perhaps the reforms referred to are for those leaders at top, the elites, and already well to do or just on papers by well paid ADB consultants.
To be TOP NOTCH a country whose majority of people live in poverty, lacks basic medical and laboratory supplies, especially to rural clinics, lacks adequate educational materials especially to rural areas, lacks basic service infrastructure, or with dilapidated infrastructure, etc..etc… ever long, long before is in my view almost illogical to us grassroots.
An international consultant once said, “Consultant Reports must be sweetly palatable to the subjects (country) of study, and pleasing to the employer of consultant. The report however, must leave some gaps to justify a final recommendation to engage further consultant!”
How right he has been as at the end of the day that is what will be done, consultant after consultant to dish out further glossy reports.
In this instance it will not do us any injustice to just ignore that SI is Top Notch in reform.
I suggest we simple Solomon Islanders just ignore as after several of ADB reports and SI government announcement we are still at lowest economic index.
Other neighbours have reformed a long time ago and are now reaping the fruits of their reforms, Fiji, Vanuatu, Samoa just to mention a few – far ahead of Solomon Islands.
They are already at higher level and need little reform to maintain progress.
Solomon Islands has little, and is still bedridden on real economic stagnation, having a small change from nothing proportionately speaking is highly significant to desk consultants.
I recall some years back, by same organization, we were also said to have the Highest Economic Growth in the Pacific that the PM then proudly echoed nonstop.
Of course when growth is from 0.1% to 0.3% that is 33% or to 1% that is 100%.
But we are still poor and seeing what happens on the ground, to us citizens is the best indicator of how a country grows socially and economically out of any reform.
Despite small gains in few areas we are largely far from at least achieving the UN Development Goals.
N. Vada
Honiara
