The Solomon Island Government's Working Committee on Political Party Integrity Reform will convene a two day conference on political stability from Wednesday 24th to Thursday 25th this week.
The conference is being organized by the Government in cooperation with the Australia-based Lowy Institute for International Policy and with the assistance of the Australian Government.A statement from the Prime Minister's Office says the conference will provide a forum for focused discussions on viable solutions to political instability in Solomon Islands.
The conference will aim to help identify the principal causes of instability and consider systems and models from the Pacific region and elsewhere that have relevance and applicability to Solomon Islands, according to the statement.
It adds that the aim of the conference is to canvas solutions to address the negative impacts of political instability that have plagued Solomon Islands for much of its existence since independence.
Participants will recommend practical measures that could be taken by the Government and parliament of Solomon Islands to improve the current system and increase adherence to principles of good governance.
The statement says the conference will seek to find new means of dealing with issues such as executive instability, weak political parties, the prevalence of 'no confidence' challenges, electoral reforms, personal and electoral responsibilities, as well as the costs of frequent changes of government.
Approximately thirty (30) participants drawn from political parties and civil society will participate in the conference, according to the PMO press statement.
The participants will include a number of foreign politicians, academic and legal experts from Australia, Kiribati and Papua New Guinea with expertise in political and electoral reform in other Pacific Island countries will share their experience with the Committee, Solomon Islands political leaders and other participants.
The statement says the conference forms part of the consultative process being conducted by Solomon Islands Government Working Committee on political party integrity, which is investigating the most appropriate direction for reform to underpin stability in the political arena in Solomon Islands. It builds on the outcomes of the workshop organised by the Committee last month on 26 and 27 August.
National Express