The Solomon Islands Democratic Party (SIDP) executive has called on the Government to clean up the beche-de-mer issue before lifting the ban on its harvest.
Last week the Attorney General had announced plans to lift the ban on beche-de-mer, prompting a revelation by the Opposition that some government MPs are behind the beche-de-mer scandal who are looking to personally benefit from the decision.SIDP President Dr Alice Pollard says while the ban has indeed affected the people of Malaita outer island and other communities that once relied on beche-de-mer as a source of income, there should be no room for vested political interests to manipulate the issue.
Dr Alice Pollard said if what the leader of Opposition is saying is true, then any action to lift the ban on Beche-de-mer by the government is a gross misuse of power and simply aids corrupt practices by a manifestation of a well crafted agenda.
She calls on the government to refrain from under the table corrupt dealings and supports the call from the Leader of Opposition for the Solomon Islands Police and the Ministry of Fisheries to act independently and professionally in order to clamp down those involved in this scandal and clean up the mess.
Meanwhile, the Solomon Islands Democratic Party acknowledges some of the positive actions taken by the Lilo NCRA government since coming into power such as the reorganization of the Bureau, and calls on the government to focus on doing well for our nation.