Wale concerned with status of gov’t’s cashflow management

The Leader of Opposition has expressed great concern at the way the government is managing its dwindling cashflows.

Hon. Wale said, “By looking at the list of stimulus payments issued to constituencies, it is clear that constituencies with MPs in government received more than those with MPs not in government. Some have received three times as much.

“These are funds for constituencies and there are no justifiable policy reasons for such discrimination, based solely on politics. This is a continuation of very poor decision making by the Prime Minister.

“The country has high expectations of the Prime Minister to provide leadership in decision making to ensure equity and fairness to all constituencies in Solomon Islands. This is even more important in the current health pandemic situation.

“The Prime Minister is again allowing his self-preservation instincts to determine resource allocations. His calls for national unity are hypocritical, as they are not matched with fairness in resource allocation. Empty insincere words,” says Hon. Wale.

Further, Hon. Wale said the complaints by front-liners for two months unpaid allowances, claims by nurses for claims for allowances, and now SINU students complaints regarding unpaid allowances indicate that government is not disciplined in ensuring they keep to budgeted expenditures and manage cashflows to meet obligations in a timely manner.

He said the government must inform the country of the current state of public finances, and ensure that political expenditures do not add extra-budgetary pressures on a dwindling revenue base.

“The Prime Minister needs to impose and ensure discipline at the political level to ensure basic services are being provided beyond covid-19 related expenditures,” Hon. Wale stressed.

The Opposition Leader said he is very disappointed in the lack of discipline exercised by the Prime Minister.

“In situations of national crisis, the least expected of the government is that political expenditures are kept to a bare minimum. This is clearly not the approach by the Prime Minister.

“The country has every reason to be very concerned by his decision making and poor judgment,” the Opposition Leader added.

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