By Loretta B Manele
On the broad global canvas, the 2025 budget aims to advance our status as an independent nation-state and fortifies our engagement with the region and the world.
Minister for Finance and Treasury, Manasseh Sogavare stressed the sentiment in parliament on Wed, 4th when he presented the 2025 Appropriation Bill 2024.
He said the machine of government oiled by the 2025 national budget will touch the lives of all citizens they as leaders serve in so many ways.
Sogavare expressed that the 2025 budget will touch people’s lives at the clinic or at the hospital or at a school, whether it is by the positive conduct of a nurse, a police officer or a public officer, whether it is the birth certificate or a passport, whether it is the salary or pension and whether it is a new street, drain or highway.
He voiced that the country has been sorely tested by a series of shocks over the last five years and never has our nation suffered like this.
Sogavare pointed out that some of these shocks are self-inflicted ones.
“We hope we have learnt a lesson and will not repeat the same self-inflicted mistakes again. The journey to economic recovery and transformation that we have embarked on requires us to unlock the potential of our country and build resilience through inclusiveness and partnership. This, calls for hard work, perseverance and discipline to achieve our shared vision”
Sogavare added that the country has made strides in restructuring our external debt and in restoring fiscal discipline.
“We have increased the allocation to infrastructure development and we have provided incentives for the private sector”
He went on to stress that despite the onslaught of COVID-19, self-inflicted pains of the riots and global trickle effects of the Russian-Ukraine war, the government remained firm and had continued to do the right thing by focusing on rebuilding the economy, taking painful but corrective and fiscal measures to ensure vital services continue during the years.
Sogavare told parliament that the budget he presented is a clear demonstration of GNUT’s commitment to unlocking the economy, uplifting the livelihoods of people and providing a conducive environment for private sector participation.
He highlighted that the journey to a better Solomon Islands is a collective one.
“It requires the active participation of all citizens. Together, we can overcome the challenges we face today”
He stated that together we shall benefit from our wealth and prosperity and together, we will march towards our common vision of becoming a prosperous middle-income nation by 2035.
