Aggressive Reform government offers hope to S.I

PM. Hon Danny Philip in front S.I National Parliament (Pic. Andrew Fanasia Jr.)

By Andrew Fanasia Jr.

Prime Minister led coalition government has finally launched their policy framework which will aggressively pursue new direction and leadership approaches that offers hope for new Solomon Islands.

Mr. Danny Philip addressing the nation outside the National Parliament after his election on August 25th this year said, “Fundamental reform is one of the priorities my government will address in the next four years.”

At last, now we have the National Coalition for Reform and Advancement (NCRA) Government which comprises members of seven political parties.

As stated in their policy introduction, this policy framework is an undertaking by NCRA to pursue a major shift in policy direction for the next four years.

The policy statement highlights the urgency for a comprehensive reform program focusing on the Constitution and the Economic.

Meanwhile, the main drivers of the current focus of reform can be divided into three category; Fundamental Reforms which include the constitutional reform, Social Reform which encompass the much talk about land reform and the Economic reform.

The new coalition government believed that the shift in policy direction for the next four years would bring about social and economic advancement, which ensures fair distribution, equal access to and opportunities for all.

Addressing the nation during the policy launching yesterday, Mr. Philip said his government will take a leading role in driving its policy forward through the Bureau of Social and Economic reforms (BSER) within the Office of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

However, the questions raised at the back of the minds of the ordinary citizens of this country is, will the government four years terms is sufficient to fulfill these reforms.

And to fully implement its reforms, the government must have its source of funds rather than using public funds to implement their policy intentions.

In one of the previous MASI media conference with Mr. Philip prior to his election, the Transparency Solomon Islands (TSI) Board Chairman Bob Pollard told Mr. Philip that constitutional reform takes more than four years and it is very expensive.

However, it is believed that the NCRA Government acknowledges the cost involved, for this reason they will work in partnership with both bilateral and multilateral donors.