New Public Service Building Opens

New Public Service Building Opens

A new home for the Ministry of Public Service has been opened by Prime Minister Gordon Darcy Lilo and the Minister of Public Service Stanley Festus Sofu in Honiara today.

The State of the Art Building had cost the Solomon Islands Government SB$40 million to complete within a timeframe of 18 months.

Prior to the completion of the new office building, the Government has to spend a total of SB$3.3 million every year on office rental to house the Ministry of Public Service operations.

“The opening of the new building today means the government will now be able to save that money to meet other services,” said Minister Sofu in his address today.

Besides reducing costs, Minister Sofu also highlighted that the opening of the building is a launch pad for reforms that will come into the Public Service in 2014.

This will include performance assessment, implementation of a new in-service training policy, promotions and increments, an absenteeism policy and discipline.

“Under the reforms, public officers who do not perform will be made to leave early while those who propagated corruption will not be tolerated and those who deserve to be rewarded will be rewarded fairly,” Minister Sofu said.

Minister Sofu also used the occasion to tell the gathering about the important role of the Public Service Ministry.

“It has a stake in all the institutions of governance. The values of Public Service cut across all institutions of Government and that is why Public Service is not the Ministry of Public Service nor the people working here, it is all of us,” Minister Sofu said.

The new building will house both the Ministry of Public Service and the Public Service Commission.

ENDS

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