Solomon Islands will need to have a highly modified federal system.

The analysis was made in a presentation by the Federal Constitutional Unit Technical Advisor, Mr. Tom Woods, to the Federal Constitutional Review Panel last week.

Mr. Woods argues that any federal system adopted by the country must be a unique system modified to fit the context of the Solomon Islands.

He said that at the time of independence, the Westminster system adopted by Solomon Islands was a highly modified version of the original version in Britain.

"There are inherent factors unique to Solomon Islands that have to be taken into consideration when we discuss the issue of federalism," said Mr. Woods.

Mr. Woods identifies lack of free movement as one of the factors that the federal system will have to address.

The committee is currently looking at ways to work out how revenue under the federal system can be shared and they are calling in experts to provide presentation on the subject to help enlighten members of the country on the subject.

Woods said that any political decentralization will also require a fiscal decentralization process. However, he said that fiscal decentralization requires an authorizing environment to work such as Functional democracy, programmatic style of government, Complimentary political institutions, state autonomy and free mobility. He said that in the case of Solomon Islands, there is lack of compliance in most of the environment.


National Express