We need the political will

THE national government is faced with a dilemma especially with antagonism coming from all directions including from its own provincial government from the proposed budget cuts. And it couldn’t get any worse.

Now our country’s only financial institution, Central Bank of Solomon Islands (CBSI) has narrowly escaped being in the blacklist by the Reserve Bank of New York, but not for long.

The talk for Solomon Islands to phase out from timber export is not a new one.

Of course timber export is the most important course of government revenue but current turbulence in the world economy is now pressurising Solomon Islands to cut down on logging activities.

Indirectly, the marching order by the Reserve Bank of New York is a signal that Solomon Islands needs to find alternatives or increase its support to other economic activities other than logging.

However, timber export continues to be the number one income earner for the country.

From previous years, talks were for the government to focus on other industries plus other sectors to fill in the gap which will be felt once export of timber declines.

To this date, nothing much has been achieved. With that, it is no secret that the government and our leaders knows what and where our problems really are.

But something much more than the welfare and wellbeing of the people they represent is preventing them from doing what is right.

Please, for our children and grandchildren and our future generations, it is time we put our own interests aside and move Solomon Islands and its people as a country forward.

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