LEADER of Opposition Hon Matthew Wale said corruption remains an extremely seriously corrosive influence that has so far shown itself to be resilient against efforts to fight it.
Hon Wale highlighted this during his response to the Speech from the Throne in Parliament today.
He said corruption has been so resilient in government because it is tolerated by government.
The Opposition Leader said corruption represents the greatest threat to the governance of Solomon Islands.
“It also is dead weight on the throat of the economy, accounting for inefficiencies that affect productivity. Government cannot ignore it, side step it, or postpone the fight against it,” he said.
Hon Wale said it is not enough to only have billboards about corruption in the city. He said the fight against corruption requires serious resource investments to have any meaningful impact.
The Opposition Leader said on Friday the House will consider the National Anti-corruption strategy to further delve into the details of this important fight.
“If the government is serious in taking a zero-tolerance approach in the fight against corruption, all the legislations that have a role in the fight would need to be amended urgently to make them fit for purpose and penalties increased for effective deterrence,” he said.
Hon Wale said unexplained wealth needs to be addressed in the SIICAC legislation.
He said there are just too many cases of ministers and public officers that have assets that are clearly way beyond their earning capacity.
Hon Wale said such individuals are or were responsible for important offices exercising important powers, and the period of their illicit gains can be traced to the period they occupied those
offices.
“The jury is out on this. Further, the resourcing of integrity institutions has been a severe constraint in the fight. Let’s watch what government will do on this in the 2025 budget – that will be the
proof of government’s sincerity in its commitment to the fight against corruption,” Hon Wale said.