Community leaders of the Northwest Guadalcanal Constituency (NWGC) have applauded the new Constituency Development Funds Act 2023.
And they said that it is time to move on from business as usual to start participating meaningfully in rural development.
The NWGC community leaders uttered these sentiments during a one-day CDF Act 2023 awareness conducted by the Ministry of Rural Development (MRD) in collaboration with the constituency office at Aruligo on November 19, 2024.
The awareness was attended by community leaders, church leaders, women and youth representatives and chiefs from Burns Creek to Maravovo.
The awareness covered various provisions of the act including appointment and role of constituency officers, constituency development plan, signatories to constituency bank accounts, constituency assets and reporting, offences and penalties, and other important provisions of the law.
The awareness was part of the MRD’s ongoing activity to raise awareness and educate people on the new CDF legislation.
MRD believes that such an awareness program not only provides the right information about the new Act to our people and communities but it creates a better understanding of the constituents’ roles and responsibilities under the new legislation.
It was an informative and interactive session as participants were given the opportunity to ask questions and discuss openly with MRD the areas in which they wished to have clarifications on.
Participants were very appreciative of the information and knowledge about the new CDF Act and described the new legislation as the foundation we can build on to turn the tide from business as usual in terms of rural development.
“The new act itself paved the way for us to realise that development can be achieved through meaningful participation between our people and our leaders.
“It also gives us the fine line to distinguish between the role of our Member of Parliament and the people who are part of the development aspirations in our constituency.
“Today, we now know that our Member of Parliament is not a project manager but a legislator who makes laws that are directly impacting our development in the rural areas. We should move from the handout mentality and start thinking of how we can help our MP to develop our constituency.
“Not only that, but the new CDF Act 2023 paved the way for accountability and transparency on how our leaders, constituents and other development stakeholders manage the fund,” the NWGC leaders emphasized after the presentation.
Meanwhile, Member of Parliament for NWGC and Deputy Speaker of the National Parliament, Honourable Francis Sade praised the MRD team for the informative presentation on the new Act for his community leaders and constituents.
“This information is very important as it sets the new direction for my constituency like I said, under my leadership, we will do away with the handout mentality and start afresh with our new development aspiration.”
“The new Act is very clear, that I as your leader will not be a signatory to the constituency bank account/funds, I call on all the chiefs, community leaders, women, youths, voters and non-voters to work together with our constituency officers and map our development plan as we move together now and into the future,” MP Sade said.
He also acknowledged MRD and the last government for this piece of legislation and said, “at least we start somewhere and move forward.”
The purposes of the new CDF Act 2023 are; to strengthen good governance; to ensure improved and effective delivery mechanisms of the Constituency Development Funds and to promote equal and inclusive participation of all Solomon Islanders in development.
MRD will continue to undertake similar awareness talks in other constituencies and communities across the country.
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-MRD Press
