THE provincial Premiers from the eight respective provinces have convened for this year’s Premiers Forum at Honiara’s Heritage Park Hotel from 22nd – 24th September under the theme “Harnessing National and Provincial Governments Relationships for Positive Political and Economic Development”.
On day one of the Forum, Sunday Isles, Reporter, John Houanihau managed to ask the Premiers on what are their expectations out of the Forum.
Honorable Premier of Guadalcanal Province, Francis Sade.
- The Forum is important for us Premiers to fully understand the Policy stand of the National Government with regards to the current situation of COVID-19 and especially on the government’s Redirection Policy which aims to achieve, a zero community/country Covid transmission and also to find alternatives to ensure the economy is afloat.
Honorable Premier of Rennell and Bellona Province, Willie Tuhagenga.
- I think the last Premiers Conference was in 2017….and I have seen a lot of issues since I came into office, issues that need to be solved. Not only that but, even some issues raised during the previous Auki Communique conference haven’t yet been fulfilled and this year’s forum is an opportunity for us Premiers to meet with our National leaders to raise and discuss issues or plans of our provinces.
Honorable Premier of Choiseul Province, Watson Qoloni.
- The premier’s Forum is very important because for us at the provincial level we did not have much access to media outlets/newspapers to be informed on the current state of the national government. Therefore organizing and attending such a program will refresh our minds on how the government is operating and what we need to do as agents of the national government. These are the reason why the conference is vital for premiers to attend.
Honorable Premier of Isabel Province, Leslie Kikolo
- I like to thank the mother Ministry and various stakeholders and line ministries of the National government for organizing the five-days Forum. I think it is now a very long time since the last previous Premiers Conference in 2017 and since that we had never had such a meeting. Coming to attend this Forum is a lot for us Isabel province and also at this challenging moment, the provincial governments need to be fully updated on the redirection policy the government wants to do for our country in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. So I believe we premiers need to be updated so we can work vividly at the provincial level with our people.
Honorable Premier of Makira and Ulawa Province, Premier Julian Maka’a
- The importance of the Forum is that it gives us updates, allowing the provinces of the happenings at the national level. As agents of the national government, we cannot work in isolation from each other. At the provincial level, you cannot get what is happening here, thus, when we set such a forum we can identify where the government is, for example, the reasons for the redirection policies and what would be its outcomes. The Forum aims to enlighten us on what the government is up to and also to raise the interest of the provincial levels. In that sense, we will be enlightened on how to work with the government from the provincial level.
Honorable, Premier Temotu Province, Clay Forau.
- The Forum is very important for premiers because it provides an opportunity for us to hear directives from different government ministries as to where they have reached in terms of implementing the project under different sectors where they earmarked for the provinces. On to that, the forum is important for the national government to updates us, for instance on their stand on redirection policy. It is quite an important forum for premiers especially to be briefed by different government ministries and of course in terms of any reviews from the government that might affect the provinces.
Honorable Premier of Central Province, Stanley Manetiva.
- Attending this Premiers Forum is important for me as the Premier of the People of Central Islands province. The Forum is very significant for me to raise some of the issues my province is facing. It is the delivery of services for my people that is very important to me. I need to come so that I can be fully aware and trust what the current DCGA government is trying to do, especially with the purpose of this Forum which is on the government’s Policy Redirection.
Honorable Acting Premier of Malaita Province, Nelson Lenty.
- Actually, the Forum is an annual plan of the national government and with good thinking and even polite way, we have to respect the national government, respect its program, whatever Political issues we might facing needs to put aside. Whatever the program of the national government, we have to be involved, participate, because at the end of the day we are just a government, we serve the same people. The Forum is very important because most of its agendas are about governance and some of the priorities or plans of the ministries for the provinces.
