Member for Northwest Choiseul and a former Prime Minister, Manasseh Sogavare has side stepped the political integrity Bill terming it as partial and not fulfilling the whole intension of addressing real political stability.
Urging the government to withdraw the Bill, do it properly and bring it back before parliament.
Whilst the Bill is important, it requires more to ensure there is real stability.
“Strengthening political integrity issue comes in a package,” said Sogavare.
He said this requires structural, constitutional, institutional and legal reforms together to achieve and that political will with genuine intention.
Institutions such the Leadership Code Commission needs strengthening, setting up of a corruption office along with a corruption Act is amongst the many, he added.
The government is understood doing this step by step but is unfortunate that does not consider the timing for now and is not having that genuine intention to do so, said Sogavare.
“If political stability is of priority, why the government is so afraid to amend the constitution yet keeps it to help few self-serving agendas than what is good for this country.
“This reform had been well talked about in international forums but when it comes to action there is nothing with no intention of political stability at all for the country.
“This reform instead had overflown many minds thinking it as reform to address oneself than the nation.
“Enough of taking advantage on such weaknesses that degrades the integrity of parliament as a member.
“This human weakness in Parliament does nothing good for this country except making development funds openly corruptive.
“Even milking funds on behalf of constituency developments and yet not a thing is reported off misuse.
“The accountability system is a crap.
“These are those narrow minded, selfish attitude and self-serving politicians.”
Sogavare said people to go jail for misusing money and that is for very little sum of it.
“Do not think you will get away with far bigger money that belongs to the people; it’s a public outcry and this does not reflect integrity to that degree of being a member of parliament.
“Return someone worthy to be called Honourable.”
He added political parties are not even protected; no restrictions to supports of sorts to any political parties from sources with different agendas.
The Bill simple does not collectively consider the integrity of Members of Parliament, discipline and political stability at all.
What the government is doing, is trying to window dress the whole problem, he said.
By Bradford Theonomi
