BY LORETTA BRIGIDIA MANELE
MEMBER of Parliament for Auki/Langalanga, Hon Mathew Wale during Monday’s parliament debate encouraged MPs to do their homework and seek scientific data from their ministries and utilise them in policy making.
Addressing the Minister for Agriculture and Livestock and Member of Parliament for Lau/Mbaelelea, Hon Augustine Auga, he stressed that there are three reports in the ministry which include information about soil structure and soil composition in all our provinces.
Wale explained that these reports also exhibit that the type of crops most favorable and commercially viable to each island.
In this regard, he said that according to that data, it shows that in West Are’are, the soil in Waisisi is not favourable to grow oil palm, “but because we choose to ignore that and under politically convenient circumstances, we still pursue such projects”.
“Go back to the scientific data which is already in the ministries. Don’t be ignorant of these things. Do your homework and find about these things,” Wale said.
He strongly voiced how essential these reports are in policy making and encouraged them to make policies from scientific data.
“Make policy on scientific information so that this country can move forward. So that we are not spending more money in places, soil types that are not suitable,” Wale said.
He said that this should also be carried out in the Mines ministry, in which the date which was compiled by the colonial government is extensive.
Wale expressed that there is extensive geological work there, thus they should look at that data and then formulate policy on it.
“Try and find what is already there and make very good use of it so that the 2018 budget, even given it’s limited resources can be a very good focused strategic budget,” he said.
