BY ALEX DADAMU
OPPOSITION Leader Hon. Matthew Wale in his contribution to the Special adjournment debate in parliament this week has expressed his concern about the increased hardship in families and households to make ends meet due to the COVID pandemic.
Hon. Wale stated that he is concerned to know the impact of the Economic Stimulus Programme on the economy.
“I note that there is increased hardship in families and households to make ends meet, and even simply to put food on the table on a daily basis, let alone meet other basic needs such as clothing, water, electricity, education, health, and transportation.
“This situation is particularly hard in urban centers,” Hon. Wale said.
The Opposition Leader suggested that there is a need for another Economic Stimulus Package (ESP). However, he pointed out that this one must be better targeted and focused and funded to around SBD2 Billion, or 20% of our pre-covid GDP.
“The government must seek donor grants support for such an ESP. We shouldn’t have to borrow for it.
“But we need it desperately. The government announced that it is being prudent and responsible in its fiscal policy and management of public finances,” Hon. Wale said.
He later questioned the government, what lessons have been learned from the ESP?
“A successful ESP must be inclusive in the benefits that flow on from it in the broader economy.
“The majority of Solomon Islanders live at the bottom end of the economy in a hand-to-mouth situation.
“A successful ESP must aim to ensure its flow-on benefits reach those especially at the lowest margins,” Hon. Wale said.
He said that he contends that the greater duty of care is to the majority of the Solomon Islands population who have been driven further into poverty and economic hardship by COVID.
“Government’s responsibility to them must trump all else. It is not an argument to be fiscally irresponsible, but to be proactive and assertive with donors,” Hon. Matthew Wale said.
Meanwhile, according to a statement by the ESP Oversight Committee last week, the National Government’s Economic Stimulus Package implementation has reached its Monitoring and Evaluation stages.
According to the committee, officials who have been recently recruited to undertake the task and will go through intensive training this week before they are mobilized to the field to collect data for the evaluation exercise.
The committee also approved that the processing of approved receipts will cease on 16th July 2021.
Honiara and Guadalcanal Provinces are the first two places for the Monitoring and Evaluation stages.
