BY BARNABAS MANEBONA
TOTAL localisation of business ownership in the forestry and fishing sectors is crucial for the economic empowerment of Solomon Islands citizens said Member of Parliament Hon Jeremiah Manele.
Speaking during the Democratic Alliance Party’s (DAP) fundraising over the weekend, DAP’s Parliamentary Leader said this is one of the policies that he would like to highlight which from his view is very important.
“While I must admit it’s an ambitious policy to achieve in a short term. DAP believes that full and unreserved participation of our people in commerce and economic activities must go beyond the current participation rate,” said Manele.
“It must be the ultimate goal to ensure our people are not seen as mere bystanders but as active participants in a magnitude beyond what we are currently experiencing.”
As a party in the current SICC Government, DAP has infused some of their party policies into the current government policies as can be seen in the government policy statement.
According to Manele, there is need to strengthen the political parties of the country in order to achieve such ambitious goals and other important party policies.
“It is widely known that the current legislative framework the political parties are operating under is coming under pressure and necessitates the need for a thorough review of the framework,” said Manele.
“I understand there is work going on in this and we look forward for participating in the passage of any amendments to the current PPI act.
“As an immersing democracy, we still have the opportunity to conduct experimentation on what would work for us.
“And I must admit that this is not an easy task because we are dealing with the behaviour of our people who have different perceptions about our system of government.”
