LEADER of OppositionMatthew Wale says Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation (SIBC) should be reinstated under the State Owned Enterprises (SOE) Act.
Speaking during the Public Accounts Hearing (PAC) Hearing, Wale questioned the Office of the Prime Minister & Cabinet (OPMC) on the government’s policy on SIBC and if there has been any thought of reinstating it as an SOE.
Secretary to Prime Minister Dr Melchior Mataki replied stating that the current decision on SIBC remains.
Wale said SIBC should have never been removed from the SOE schedule.
He said whatever financial obligations the government had with SIBC should never been used as an excuse.
The government on June 27, 2022 omitted SIBC as a State Owned Enterprise under the SOE Act and the national broadcaster now operates under the Broadcasting Act— under the Office of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.
“It didn’t make sense to remove it in the first place and it was clearly more political than governance related,” Wale said.
OPMC attempted to make some justifications before the PAC but was interrupted by Wale, stating that it was inexcusable.
“In terms of governance, SIBC is a public broadcaster and it would be good to have arms length relationship with the OPMC,” he said.
The Opposition Leader said SIBC is the only national outreach broadcaster.
“If we are advocating for good governance then this should be the right thing to do,” Mr Wale said.
