BY BARNABAS MANEBONA
YESTERDAY’S peaceful march to the Prime Minister’s Office is a sign of a nation weary of corruption.
Civil groups mobilised bringing their petition to the nation’s leader demanding the return of the Anti-Corruption Bill to parliament, which Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare had withdrawn on August 28’s sitting.
He had explained withdrawing the Bill to improve and strengthen it with recommendations by the bills and legislations committee (BLC), labelling the old version as weak and lacking integrity.
Civil society organisations anti-corruption chairman Dr Huddie Namo said their peaceful protest against the Anti-corruption Bill withdrawal demonstrates people of Solomon Islands being fed up with corruption.
He told this to Deputy Prime Minister Manasseh Maelanga during their petition presentation in front of the Prime Minister’s Office yesterday.
“We are demonstrating to the government and world that we are fed up with the disease called corruption and we want something to be done about it.
“One of the effective tools to address corruption is the Anti-corruption Bill, sadly it was withdrawn from Parliament last month.
“It is the desire of the people for the DCC Government to bring it back next month, October.”
Hon Maelanga after accepting and receiving the petition on behalf of the DCC Government assured the civil society organisations that the bill is now ready to be returned to Parliament, adding that it is also what the DCCG wants.
Maelanga steps in as acting Prime Minister for Sogavare who is attending the 72nd session of the United Nations general assembly in New York.
