20 Apr 2009

TI Solomon Islands praises government's process on reform

8:02 pm on 20 April 2009

The anti-corruption organisation, Transparency International Solomon Islands, is praising the government for allowing public consultations on political reforms.

The prime minister, Derek Sikua, has submitted a paper to parliament with proposed policies to tackle political instability that are now open for discussion.

The reforms include electoral changes, strengthening political parties and making sure that MPs can't cross the floor of parliament without support from their electorate to avoid party hopping.

The organisation's chair, Bob Pollard, says it supports the initiative, but there are issues of concern that need to be talked through.

"If you strenghten political parties, that's an important agenda, if at the same time you bring in the act that locks parties, locks PM's, I wonder whether they are moving too quickly on that. The risk is while its intention is to give stability to the PM you may well be in a situation where it locks you with a bad PM and there's no way to get rid of him."

Bob Pollard says they favour the proposed change towards a preferential voting system.