COUNTRY NEEDS TO FOCUS ON SUPPLY SIDE OF ECONOMY: PM

Prime Minister Manasseh Damukana Sogavare has said the country needs to focus more on the supply side of the economy in order to advance.

In his opening remarks during a radio talk-back show on SIBC yesterday, Prime Minister Sogavare said the country needs to focus more on the supply side of the economy with specific and serious emphasis on the natural strength of the country.

“We need to focus more on the supply side of the economy with specific and serious emphasis on the natural strength of the country, in the fisheries, agriculture, tourism, sustainable forestry development, foreign investments and the list goes on. We must think nationally and develop an attitude of desiring to see this country develop sustainably. We cannot afford to live in our little world, advancing our narrow parochial interest and expect the country to pull out of its current status as a Least Developing Country in the world.”

He adds, the joint policies of the government certainly need inputs from important sectors of the country.

“That brings me back to the joint policies of the Government. We certainly need inputs from important sectors, a long-term development plan is a must to replace or improve on the current medium term development strategy to set the much-needed direction for the country.”

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister said he has no problem with the country having a woman as the next Speaker of Parliament.

Mr Sogavare was responding to a question from the National Council of Women during a talk-back show over the National Broadcaster yesterday, regarding recent media reports that a woman is tipped to be the next Parliament Speaker.

He said his Government will be seriously discussing the issue, but he has no problem with having a female as Speaker of Parliament.

“That’s a matter that the group will seriously discuss when the nomination of the Speaker, of course, opens today, but we will sit and look at it and I don’t actually have any problem whatsoever with that. In fact, I’ll be pushing the group to see that maybe it’s time we recognize women as head of one arm of the government in this country. Already there’s this sense of general feeling that, why not?”

The Prime Minister also added the low participation of women in public offices is something Solomon Islands should be ashamed of internationally.