SPEECH FROM THE THRONE

HIS EXCELLENCY REVEREND DAVID TIVA KAPU, GOVERNOR GENERAL OF SOLOMON ISLANDS

12 AUGUST 2024

 

OPENING REMARKS

The Hon. Speaker of the National Parliament of Solomon Islands;

Your Lordship the Chief Justice;

The Hon. Prime Minister;

Hon. Deputy Prime Minister;

Hon. Cabinet Ministers;

Hon. Leader of the Official Opposition;

Hon. Leader of Independent Members of Parliament;

Hon. Deputy Speaker;

Hon. Members of Parliament;

Hon. Timothy Masiu, the Papua New Guinea Minister for Communication and Information,

 

Your Excellency Head of Missions;

Reverend Church Leaders;

Constitutional Post Holders and Permanent Secretaries;

Traditional Chiefs and Leaders;

Distinguished Guest; Ladies and Gentlemen

 

As the Constitutional Representative of His Majesty, The King, the Head of State of the Independent Democratic Sovereign State of Solomon Islands, and the Head of the Executive, it is my humble duty and special privilege, as the Governor General of Solomon Islands, to deliver this “Traditional Speech from the Throne.”

It is with great humility that I convey on behalf of our Head of State, His Majesty King Charles III to the National Parliament of Solomon Islands warm greetings and special well wishes.

I thank the Hon. Prime Minister for inviting me to deliver this Address to Parliament, otherwise known as the Traditional Speech from the Throne to mark the opening of the 2^nd Meeting of the 12^th Parliament. This is my first Address to Parliament, and I am indeed humbled and honoured.

As is customary in our Melanesia culture, I take this opportunity to acknowledge our guest, the Hon. Timothy Masiu, the Papua New Guinea Minister for Communication and Information, who is seated in the Speaker’s Gallery. Welcome to the Solomon Islands.

I wish to congratulate the Hon. Prime Minister on your election and the Ministers on your appointment as members of the Cabinet.

I also wish to thank the Ministers of the Crown for accepting your appointment and assignment of responsibilities. You will provide the much-needed political direction and strategies that will be needed to drive the implementation of Government policies and legislative program.

This is an overwhelming responsibility. Our people throughout the country are keenly waiting to be part of the united and transformative change that the Government for United and Transformation promises.

The Government, which is the Government for National Unity and Transformation, is a coalition of OUR Party, Solomon Islands People First Party and Kadere Party, and it has the legal mandate to govern the sovereign affairs of our people and country.

I wish to congratulate the Hon. Leader of the Official Opposition on your appointment. Your role is of great significance in holding the Government to account. I trust that you will exercise your duties in keeping His Majesty’s Government accountable, transparent and attentive in discharging its constitutional mandate, and in leading and governing our people.

By the same token, I congratulate the Leader of the Independent Group on your timely appointment. I wish you well as you provide support to the Official Opposition or the Government as and when necessary.

To all Members of the National Parliament, congratulations on your successful election. Your people have mandated you to represent them for the next four years. This uncompromising duty needs sound character and clear vision. I trust that you will discharge your duties with due diligence and integrity.

I extend my congratulation to provincial Premiers, Honiara City Mayor and their Executive and the Speaker and all Members of Provincial Assemblies on your election. I acknowledge the great work that all Provincial Government are doing in uniting our people and country. As agents of the National Government, I encourage you all to play an active role in transforming our socio-economic landscape for the betterment of our people and country.

I would also like to remind us all of our national motto, as we commence our 2^nd meeting of the 12^th Parliament, that is – “To Lead is to Serve”. May you lead by serving our people with God’s guidance and wisdom.

May I also remind ourselves of our individual and collective duty of nation building. We are all Solomon Islanders, and on behalf of the Government, I pledge our loyalty to the Flag, Anthem and Constitution of our beloved nation, Solomon Islands.

We are fortunate to be blessed with a wealth of diverse cultures, natural resources and a youth population, which is an asset to this country. We must be vigilant as custodians of our natural resources and be upstanding mentors to our children and youths. It is of paramount significance that we mould and shape our young generation with the right values and virtues. They are the cornerstone of our future.

The Government believes that the way forward, is to implement good policies that can empower our people to participate actively in our economy. The policies of the Government for National Unity and Transformation are designed to achieve that. The Government’s vision is one of unity, transformative economic development, and prosperity for Solomon Islands.

The Government’s mission is to strategically govern and collaborate to nurture sustainable growth, cultivate national solidarity, develop infrastructure, empowering our people, safeguard our marine resources and develop our agriculture for the betterment of all Solomon Islanders.

We must till the soil and toil to earn a living. Genesis 3:19 also states that, “By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken for dust you are and to dust you will return.” Our people should not be overly reliant on Members of Parliament to provide cash handouts for their daily needs

The prevailing reliance on handout continues to perpetuate a sense of entitlement within our society. Presently, individuals often expect their Members of Parliament to fulfil their requests, shaping their perception of government performance based on personal benefits rather than the delivery of public services. This dependency mentality poses significant challenges. It is crucial that we address this attitude promptly.

100 Days Program

Hon. Speaker, the Government has launched its 100 Days Program on 12 June 2024 and has since delivered on some of its programs. Some of these are: –

1. Signed Memorandum of Understanding with Peoples Republic of China on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Protocols for certain products.
2. Holding the first National Economic Summit.
3. Signing of Labour Mobility Memorandum of Understanding with Niue for our Nurses.
4. Handover of Seghe Airport
5. Formalization of the Electricity Advisory Committee.
6. Submission of our second voluntary national report on sustainable development goals.

These are but just some of the achievements. I humbly request each Minister in their speech in reply to update this House and the country on the progress of the 100 Days program under their respective ministries.

Policy Statement

Hon. Speaker, the Consolidated Policy Statement and Policy Translation Matrix sets out the policy direction for the Government in the next four years. Nevertheless, Government Policies are not set in stone, they are subjected to review, as and when the need arises. In short, it is a living and breathing document.

As such, the Government is open to hear views from all stakeholders on its policies. The recent National Economic Summit, the up-coming Energy Summit, Ocean 12 Summit, Donor Round Table Dialogue and National Business Summit will add value to government policies and flesh out the broad policy statements into more focused and targeted programmes and projects.

These polices are built upon four fundamental pillars. These are-

1. Economic Transformation

The Government is committed to revitalizing our economy through innovative and sustainable practices. This will be done by enhancing connectivity infrastructure and building on our natural advantages for growth in agriculture, tourism, fisheries and mining, with the aim of creating a resilient and diversified economy that benefits all citizens. We will focus on trade with other countries through agriculture so that our rural farmers can access these overseas markets for their products and also implement targeted import substitution programme. The recent in roads made by the Government in their recent trip to the Peoples Republic of China is a testament of our determination to revitalise the agriculture and aquaculture sector by gaining access to the Chinese market to trade.

2. Unity and Stability

National unity and stability are essential for progress. The Government encourages an inclusive society where diversity is celebrated, and every citizen feels valued and heard. Stability will be ensured through transparent governance, rule of law, and respect for human rights. Political stability is a prerequisite for development. A classic example is the former government that served its full term. Despite the global pandemic and November 2021 Riots the Democratic Coalition Government for Advancement  still manage to deliver, which is a testament to political stability.

3. Infrastructure Development

Modern reliable infrastructure is the backbone of our development agenda. This Government will continue to invest in building and upgrading infrastructure to support economic activities, enhance connectivity throughout the country, and improve the quality of life for our people. The Government will aggressively pursue reducing our infrastructure deficit and strengthen our capacity for infrastructure maintenance.

4. Human Capital Development

Our people are our greatest asset. The Government for National Unity and Transformation will prioritize education, healthcare, and skills development to empower our citizens, enabling them to contribute meaningfully to the nation’s growth and to compete in the global arena. The Government will enhance support to the Solomon Islands National University, upgrade existing and build new schools and health centres.

Strategic Investments and Special Economic Zones

Hon. Speaker, the Government will work with stakeholders to implement the National Investment Policy and Promotion Strategy that the DCGA Cabinet had approved in late 2023. The Government will focus on investments that promotes industrialisation and add value to our natural resources. Preferential treatment and incentives will be accorded to investments in identified zones that will embrace technological transfer, job creation, increase exports and foreign reserves.

The Government will prioritize reforms that will enhance in-ward flow of foreign direct investments targeting Greenfield investments. Where proven viable, the Government will directly promote anchor investments in strategic economic sectors to pump prime export production, manufacturing and industrialization aiming to diversify the economy.

The Government policy framework also emphasizes strategic investments in these key productive sectors, which are:

Fisheries: Promoting sustainable practices and enhancing the economic potential of our marine resources including bringing to fruition the Bina Harbour Tuna Processing Project.

Agriculture: Developing the sector to meet the growing demand for food and harnessing our workforce’s potential.

Tourism: Capitalise and develop our historical, natural and cultural assets and draw on a proximity to large tourism markets.

Commerce: Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs), encouraging entrepreneurship and innovation through industrialisation to drive economic growth and create employment opportunities. SME Financial Schemes including Credit line facility with DBSI, Small Business Loan Guarantee Scheme with CBSI, Export Finance Facility with DBSI. Government will support CEMA to provide market access to the smallholder farmers.

Integrated Policy Approach

Hon. Speaker, the Government will take an integrated approach on cross cutting issues. The challenge with cross-cutting issues is that Ministries may work in isolation rather than in collaboration. The Government realizes that working in silos is counter-productive.

This Government is cognizant of cross-cutting issues across all ministries. The Government will ensure that cross cutting issues must be addressed with cross cutting commitment to ensure the successful implementation of government policies and initiatives. This includes corporate services, policy planning and budget, legislative reforms, ministerial infrastructure projects, and human capital development initiatives. By aligning goals and working together towards common objectives, ministries can avoid duplication of efforts and streamline resources.

This coordinated approach promotes efficiency and effectiveness in achieving the overall mission of the government, thus promoting unity and ushering in transformation.

Policy Sectors

The Policies are under each ministries and each ministries are separated into sectoral clusters.

These sectors are;-

1. Fundamental Sector
2. Productive Sector
3. Resource Sector
4. Social Sector

I will only speak on certain policies under these sectors. I will leave it to the respective Ministers to elaborate more on these policies under their respective ministries when they deliver their speech in reply.

Fundamental Sector

Hon. Speaker, this Government is committed to the process towards State Government. This issue has been advanced by the last government by amending section 61 of the Constitution. The Government will ensure that the requirements set out under the Constitutional (Amendment) (Constituent Assembly) Act 2023 are satisfied and that the Constituent Assembly must convene this year.

The Government will maintain its foreign policy position of “Friends to all enemy to none.” Our country’s foreign policy objectives shall be pursued through a collaborative approach that fosters mutual understanding and cooperation on key global issues. This Government will continue to strengthen international trading partnerships to promote investment cooperation and external trade by facilitating the exchange of goods and services between nations. It is envisaged that this will benefit our local economy and transform our people’s lives.

This Government under the Ministry of Finance and Treasury will review taxation legislation to addresses disparities and promote robust and efficient tax system. We will continue to progress reform to enhance private sector development through improving ease of access to capital and reduce cost of doing business, and accelerate ongoing flagship projects, and identify potential areas to be prioritised to enhance growth.

Ministry of National Planning and Development Coordination will ensure our development budget adheres to our medium-term development plan. Donor assisted development programmes and projects will be coordinated to ensure tangible and meaningful alignment with our National Development Strategy (NDS) and GNUT Policy priorities. This Government will progress work on a smooth transition strategy towards our Least Developed Country (LDC) graduation including implementing targeted capacity-building programmes, addressing the impacts of graduation on key sectors, and focusing attention on critical economic development projects. The Government also plans to conduct a donor dialogue to establish a shared vision and close cooperation and partnership with our development partners.

This Government also pledges to support initiatives towards an autonomous Judiciary, Resident Court of Appeal and adequate resourcing to the courts, and strengthen community justice systems through provision of legal information to ensure access to justice for all.

Under the Ministry of Traditional Governance, Peace and Ecclesiastical Affairs, this Government will support services to deliver its mandate of peace, reconciliation and national unity programs. This Government will facilitate peace building as a multi-stakeholder endeavor between the government and the relevant actors within the society through a new peacebuilding policy. Other related positive state-society relations reforms will be done through the support of redrafting of bills that will empower and strengthen traditional structures and systems to properly connect and hold state-society relations intact, thus ensuring peace and progressive development of our rural populace. This Government will continue to recognize and support the roles of Ecclesiastical institutions through a new and inclusive Strategic Partnership Framework.

The culture in our Public Service needs to change. We are very complacent in terms of serving the public. Therefore, the Ministry of Public Service intends to strengthen the application of professional standards, investigation, disciplinary due processes to ensure effective and fair actions are taken to build and maintain professional, well-disciplined and productive workforce. The Government also commits to support the Provincial Government with human resource needs by deploying qualified and competent individuals, facilitate short-term specialized training to update and enhance capacity. This is to ensure that our provinces can deliver on their functions.

As part of the Government ongoing commitment to enhancing the quality and efficiency of our public service, the government is also doing a comprehensive review of the terms and conditions of service for all public servants. This review will focus on aligning our policies with current best practices, ensuring that our workforce is both fairly compensated and equipped with the necessary resources to deliver exceptional service to the nation. We recognize the invaluable contributions of our public servants, and this initiative underscores our dedication to supporting their professional growth, well-being, and ability to meet the evolving needs of our citizen.

Productive Sector

Hon. Speaker, I now move on to the Productive sector.

Agriculture must never be seen as food production only but must be dealt with as a holistic platform for development in Solomon Islands. This Government is determined more than ever to resuscitate this important sector. This sector has been neglected, overlooked and forgotten for so long. This Government has ambitious policies in place to revive Agriculture in our country.

The Government will develop the sector to become the economic backbone of Solomon Islands by making agriculture attractive to all levels of society and making it everyone’s business for long term sustenance of our economic development. We will restructure our extension services, boost commercial agriculture, advance import substitution, strengthen research and development and support implementation of climate change adaptation program on food security.

The Ministry of Commerce, Industry, Labour and Immigration is a huge and important ministry. This Government will promote and support industrial development in the country to enhance trade, maximize exports, and improve economic growth through investing in infrastructure, providing incentives, and streamlining regulations. We propose to establish Special Economic Zones to attract foreign investments, create job opportunities, and enhance the economy’s resilience. Special Economic Zones will create enabling environment to attract Foreign Direct Investment in the country. This will be supported by sound investment promotion strategies, incentive packages, and monitoring mechanisms to create employment, expand the economy and to promote Solomon Islands as a conducive investment destination.

This Government will hold a National Business Forum towards the end of 3^rd quarter. We encourage tripartite consultations because it helps foster social dialogue between government, employers and workers and has assisted in the design of some of the most effective employment legislations in the country.

Work is progressing on a comprehensive building code. This code will ensure that all constructions meet rigorous safety and quality standards. Such a framework will safeguard the lives of our citizens, protect our investments, and enhance the resilience of our infrastructure against natural disasters. I urge all members of Parliament to recognize the critical need for this legislation and to support its swift passage. A robust building code is not just about regulations; it is about creating a legacy of safety, efficiency, and sustainability.

Equally important is the development and enactment of legislation concerning our roads and drainage systems. Our roads are the arteries of commerce and mobility, and our drainage systems are essential for public health and environmental protection. We must ensure that these systems are designed, built, and maintained to the highest standards. I urge the Government to bring this bill to Parliament as soon as practicable. This legislation should address the planning, construction, and maintenance of roads and drainage systems, ensuring that they meet the needs of our growing population, businesses and changing climate conditions.

During 2023, Cabinet approved a “Practical Policy Framework on Land Reform”. This policy is generally aimed at securing land ownership by traditional landholding groups while at the same time allowing these groups to unlock their land for investment and development. The customary land recording process is a key starting point, and we have seen several land areas throughout the country officially recorded during the last few years, under the guidance of the National Recorder. Through this process, landholding groups can voluntarily come forward to ask for their land to be officially recorded, meaning the government recognises them as the true and only landowners of specified land areas, and boundaries are also identified.

After recording, the landholding group can apply to have their land registered. The new land reform policy calls for a new type of Perpetual Estate to be created, called a “Customary Land Perpetual Estate”. These new types of Perpetual Estates will work exactly the same as standard Perpetual Estates, but with two important differences: they must be in the name of the landholding group, not trustees, and they can never, ever be transferred. By requiring land to be registered in the name of the overall group, no individual person can assume the power of dealing with the land title, and the problem of owners becoming deceased and not being replaced on the land title is also avoided.

The landholding group will remain throughout the generations.

This policy also prevents the sale of any of these Customary Land Perpetual Estates; this ensures the land will remain always with the group, thus protecting our customary land. The landholding group is, however, free to subdivide the land, lease it out or lease out part of the subdivided land, grant easements or grant profits over the land, seek bank loans which can be registered against the land title as charges, seek land rent from lessees, and so on. This will ensure security of land while at the same time instilling investors’ confidence.

To enhance land management, we will develop a comprehensive framework that balances social and economic needs, ensuring efficient and sustainable land use. Prioritizing local planning schemes is essential to ensure access to basic services like water, electricity, and healthcare. Additionally, managing urbanization is crucial to control the spread of informal settlements and prevent social instability. Therefore, the government will promote the rollout of the national urbanisation policy to promote employment and economic growth in provincial centres. Commencing with the Greater Honiara and Greater Auki urban development strategy.

The Government will finalize the National Housing policy, aimed at encouraging citizens to own homes. To support this, the government will assist in the creation of land subdivisions, with plots available through tender process and collaborate with private sector developers to construct affordable housing units. This joint initiative will also involve creating a sustainable rental-housing program tailored for public servants working in Honiara and other provincial centres.

In the fisheries sector, the Government will continue to pursue the development of Bina Harbour Processing Plant to provide greater employment opportunities to our people and effective contribution to our national economic growth.  We will continue to ensure our fisheries and marine resources are ecologically sustainable so our people can receive optimised economic and social benefits from the exploitation of their fisheries and marine resources.  This government will also ensure our rights over our fisheries and marine resources are safeguarded, protected and secured.

The economy and the livelihoods of our people is dependent on a healthy natural environment. This government will continue to prioritise the protection, conservation and management of the environment by ensuring sustainable resource utilisation and the management and protection of our biodiversity.

Climate Change remains the single greatest threat to sustainable development. Our people live with the impacts of climate change on a daily basis.

The government places significant and urgent attention to climate change adaptation and mitigation in order to reduce risk and vulnerability and build community resilience.

This Government will continue to strengthen mechanisms for early warning systems in connection to weather and disasters, and in that regard, continue crucial work on climate and weather information that supports and informs decisions and actions in other development sectors.

This Government remains committed to building a safe and disaster resilient nation through an interconnected disaster risk management system, that contributes to and protects critical infrastructure, communities and their properties and livelihoods.

The Government will also continue to support increased access to and the effective use of climate and disaster risk finance because financing is a critical enabler and means to support implementation.

Social Sector

Hon. Speaker, the Government is determined to improve and strengthen quality health service delivery and access through legislative reforms, policy changes and implementable strategies. This is to enable good governance and leadership, realistic health financing and budgeting, improved health workforce performance, improved supply chain on essential medical products and technologies and ultimately improved health service coverage.

This Government will increase investment in infrastructure, greater IT connectivity and resources to support Early Childhood, Primary and Secondary School sectors for quality education outcomes. We will also support greater enrolment in Tertiary Education and TVET to increase the pool of skilled and job-ready workforce. Furthermore, the Government will review national education curriculum content to reflect development needs, life-long skills and cultural values that embrace national consciousness and unity to stimulate critical thinking and creativity.

Resource Sector

Hon. Speaker, the Government will prioritize strengthening institutional capacity and ensure a responsible and sustainable mining sector. We will enhance the capacity of government institutions, particularly the Ministry of Mines, Energy and Rural Electrification, to effectively regulate and manage the mining sector. This includes improving the legal, regulatory and policy frameworks to ensure sustainable mining practices. We will review the legal framework to promote fair benefit sharing arrangement whilst embracing environmental stewardship, facilitating community engagement, genuine investment, balancing productivity with a commitment to optimize benefits of mineral resource exploitation, while safe-guarding future generations.

On the energy sector, the Government focus is on achieving sustainable, reliable and accessible energy for all citizens, which is crucial for the country’s economic development, social well –being and environmental sustainability. The Government will diversify energy sources with a focus on renewable energy to support environmentally friendly, socially responsible, and economically sustainable development infrastructures towards an affordable, resilient, and autonomous energy future. This Government will hold a National Energy Summit next month where the primary focus of the dialogue will be on charting an energy pathway that should enhance energy security by reducing reliance on imported fuels and increase the resilience of energy infrastructure.

The Government will enhance forestry management by developing and implementing policies on forest plantation development and reforestation and strengthen deforestation initiatives such as carbon markets and REDD+. This Government is also currently reviewing the logging regulatory framework with a view to strengthen enforcement and compliance. A stronger enforcement and compliance system will ensure that we earn more revenue and address areas of leakages. Furthermore, this Government will continue to promote and encourage downstream processing programs by implementing Sustainable Logging Policy (SLP) recommendations and enhance timber production initiatives.

Legislative Program

There are a number of Bills that are with the Legal Drafting Division in the Attorney General Chambers. These Bills are;

1. State Owned Enterprises (Amended) Bill 2024
2. Special Economic Zone Bill
3. Value Added Tax Bill 2024
4. Mineral Resources Bill 2024
5. National Building Standard Bill 2024
6. Citizenship by Investment Bill 2024
7. Micro, Small, Medium Enterprises Bill 2024
8. Public Service Bill 2024
9. Civil Registration Bill 2024
10. . Forest and Timber Utilization (Amendment) Bill 2024
11. . Provincial Government (Amendment) Bill 2024
12. . Immigration Bill 2024

Closing Remarks

Hon. Speaker, in concluding, may I take this opportunity to remind all Ministers of the Crown that these are our policies. We must take full ownership of these policies because the beneficiaries of these policies are our people. I also urge all Permanent Secretaries to ensure that these polices are implemented in a timely manner.

Today I have outlined not all but only some of the most pressing policy initiative that this Government hope to achieve in the immediate future. I believe that we can all deliver these aspirations if we work together. Each Minister will elaborate more on their respective policy later. That will be an opportunity for Ministers to clearly articulate these polices and how they are going to be implemented.

At this juncture, I would like to thank all our development donor partners for their continuous support.

To our people in the provinces listening in today I wish to convey my thanks to you as well for supporting our Government.

Thank you, Honourable Speaker of the National Parliament of Solomon Islands, may God guide and bless you as you lead the 12^th Parliament.

Thank you, Honourable Prime Minister and may God shower you with his blessings as he guides and directs you in leading this country forward.

Thank you, Ministers of the Crown. May God grant you wisdom as you support the Prime Minister in leading our country.

Thank you, Hon. Chief Justice. May God bless you and your fellow brother and sister judges and the judiciary as you continue to protect and uphold the rule of law.

Thank, you Hon. Members of Parliament. God’s blessings upon you as you represent our people in Parliament.

God Save our Gracious King.

God Bless Our Beloved Solomon Islands from shore to shore.