Why we split

PM candidate Hou reveals reasons for switching camp, hints SI is in financial trouble

BY BEN BILUA

THE seven members of parliament (MPs) who moved from the opposition camp to the Government side this week have given three reasons for divorcing alliance with their former group.

MP for Small Malaita, Hon Rick Hou, who is also the government’s choice candidate for prime-ministership, tells Island Sun the original Opposition group defected simply for three reasons.

Firstly, is ‘to stabilise the government as the government continues to face political instability over the past years’.

Hou explains that the government has been very unstable though it had numerical strength because it had been filled with leaders who ‘cause the instability’.

“From our Party perspective, we want to stabilise the government because there have been two occasions where the government faced no-confidence motion.

“We decided and believe that our move will instil some stability to the government,” he said.

Secondly, Hou says his group was not confident on how the proposed allocation of portfolios was made by the Honiara Hotel Camp.

He said the parties that he and his fellow defectors represent fear that the proposed allocation of portfolios will achieve nothing in the next 12 months.

“When we sit down and tried to discuss the portfolio allocations we realise something is wrong.

“We did not know how the portfolios are going to be distributed but before we knew, it appears to us that our colleagues already came with a package and our parties are not in that package.

“We were not consulted and our colleagues were very strong with their position.

“They proposed to take the PM position, Deputy Prime Minister Position, Minister of Finance and Ministry of Development Planning.

“This proposed allocation of portfolios demonstrated to us that we are ineffective so there is no point for us joining a government that has such line-up,” Hou said.

Finally, Hou says they believe that their support is crucial to revamping and stabilising the financial situation Solomon Islands is currently facing.

They believe that their new coalition with the DCC government is timely to save the country’s financial woes from worsening.

Hou clarified that their decision to join the government was made in consultation with their political parties, adding, party executives support the decision for the Original Opposition group to team up with the government.

“Some of us come from DAP and we stand by our policies and integrity so we went back to our executive and our executives are totally behind us,” Hou said.

He concludes that the move was decided based on matters their parties think best to stabilise the government and the welfare of the country.

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