By Loretta B Manele
The Special Economic Zone bill is vital for the private sector and a bill that has been in the making for more than 10 years now.
Harry Kuma, Minister for Industry, Commerce, Immigration and Labour (MICIL) echoed this in parliament during the motion of special adjournment of parliament for Nov 15th.
He said a lot of extensive consultations have already taken place, penned on, done and a lot of money has also been spent in the process.
Kuma said it is important that reports from consultations done extensively under concerned stakeholders are revisited for the bill.
He pointed out that they have always said the private sector is the engine of growth so this bill stands as one of the bills that will allow the private sector to go to the rural areas if a special economic zone is declared there.
Kuma said the chairman of the Legislative Bills Committee (BLC) will have time to do consultations on the bill and can even start today because the bill is already here.
He noted that his ministry will not be able to support the bill in terms of finance for the committee to do country wide consultations because they have already done that and spent a lot of money in doing so.
Kuma said he understands that the budget is the government’s priority at the moment hence the bill may be deferred for next year.
In closing remarks, Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele said we all know it has taken years for the Special Economic Zone bill to get here and it is an important piece of legislation in terms of growing the Solomon Islands economy and attracting investors.
However, he said because of the tight schedule of their meeting they will look into the bill in the first quarter of 2025 when parliament resumes.
