MRD Refutes Any Political Agenda In The RSDP Implementation

The Ministry of Rural Development (MRD) is apolitical despite its designed proximity to political leadership as it continues the successful implementation of the Rural Sustainable Development Program (RSDP).

Despite hearsay, fake news and coconut wireless allegations, many communities across SI continue to receive support from its (RSDP) first round of funding.

The MRD has requested the PRC Embassy for the release of the remaining balance for the outstanding approved projects from the 2023 cohort. These will roll out in the remaining months of 2024.

At this juncture of the SI 46th Independence anniversary, the Ministry of Rural Development conveys its appreciation on behalf of the people and Government of SI to the Government and people of the PRC for the gift and the close technical support of the Embassy of the PRC to ensure successful implementation that can translate to practical and sustainable rural development.

The RSDP is directly implemented by the MRD outside of the CDF funds. The project is a new initiative hence some hiccups and misunderstanding during the first round was logical. The MRD takes account of these and will continue to improve the process, beneficiary criteria, strategic approach and transparency to improve theprojects responsiveness, targeting, beneficiary participation, scope and leverage for national development.

Naturally the implementation and benefit of the project further strengthens and augments the Solomon Islands-PRC diplomatic relations. This is natural logic and normalcy as is with all other donor funded projects.

The MRD confirms and affirms that the RSDP is not allocated by constituency and political affiliation. Communities and entities applied directly to the MRD for RSDP support during its call for proposals in April 2023.

It further clarifies that the $1.5m constituency allocation is a ceiling guideline. It does not necessarily mean and imply that projects from any constituencies are limited by that ceiling. Projects can cost less or more. It is a guide and some projects will cost more and assessed and approved on their own merit.

The MRD will continue to consult with the PRC, SIG and stakeholders to improve the strategic approach, process, awareness and participation guidelines as the RSDP continues its implementation. This will create better traction for leverage and complementarity and assure the developmental purposes of the CDF Act, 2023 beyond the CDF, are accelerated. This defines an ongoing progressive attitude and posture to add value to its regulations and the Constituency Development policy in cohort, harmony and alignment with respective government arms and policies including the Ministry of Provincial Government & Institutional Strengthening, respective provincial governments, line ministries, sectors and stakeholders to give opportunity for maximum leverage.

Recently international and local media reports have proposed an ulterior political motive for the RSDP. The MRD refutes this misleading information. The misunderstanding arises from a political assumption and motives that has nothing to do with the RSDP and the MRD.

If there is any political connotation at all then there is only one; The RSDP is the fruit and result of the political relationship, people friendship and bilateral partnership between the beautiful people of SI and the beautiful people of the PRC. It’s targeting, objectiveness and process will continue to be improved in order that progressively the reality of the Chinese proverb; “give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime”, becomes SI own possession, reality and heritage.

The SI presently exists in a scarce resource and cashflow context and reality. And the demand context is over the horizon. In this context the RSDP cannot and does not pretend to be the ultimate. The MRD and RSDP recognizes the partnership with all SI international friends and stakeholders and national authorities and stakeholders. This is the picture of a win-win approach and is reflected in the GNUT’s 100-day policy priority to identify RSDP partners for leveraging a better and stronger rural development.

Since the MRD is not a political entity it will not respond to political assertions or make political statements. The MRD response is based solely on its facts and operations. However, if there are facts that it is not privy to and illegal then SI law has sufficient mechanism at many levels to deal with such infringements. Outside of this, however, MRD sees these criticisms as political manoeuvring and supposed to be normal also.

However, it is sad that such normal activities by renowned professionals are blind to not tasking legal and professional standards to explain these assumptions and misunderstanding face-to-face or prove them in a court of law so that the SI public is not misinformed and misled.

And the saddest part is entities run by professionals and well-meaning national and local leaders’ resort to implication by news content rather than by fact. It makes the perpetrator and the victim to be both victims without realizing it. A complaining spirit is one that resorts to the largest and loudest microphone to disseminate misinformation (information outside its context). A noble intention to build a nation is a real relationship build step by step and accepting each other’s significance and contribution and weaving it into a partnership reality.

The RSDP partnership is to improve the socio-economic opportunities and lifestyles of Solomon Islands focussing on socio-economic infrastructure and improved incomes to achieve an integrated and sustainable development. The program focuses on the majority in the rural areas to strengthen effective participation and increase socio-economic initiatives.

The project has been successful since it commenced on December 6, 2023. In addition to projects already handed over. Some soon for handover include;

• Two floors eight classroom block including ablution block and library/offices for Tawanaora Community High School in East Are’are Constituency,
• Two community water supply projects for Waisisi and Rohinari communities and four sanitation projects for Kiu communities in West Are’are constituency.
• Community rest house for Manakwai village in North Malaita Constituency,
• Four sanitation projects in Maoa community in West Kwaio constituency,
• Two Water and Sanitation projects for Raeavu and Veramogho villages in South Guadalcanal Constituency,
• Two water supply projects for Lady Lever communities, Kena and Hunda communities in Gizo-Kolombangara Constituency,
• Funding support of about $4 million toward the purchase of Temotu Province new ship (soon to be arrive in Honiara from Indonesia).

A Water Supply project for Momolu Community in North Guadalcanal Constituency was handed over on July 6, 2024 to the community.

MRD works with the political leadership of SI and since most projects satisfy national policy outcomes, it is natural therefore for constituency members of parliament to be requested to represent their people during the handover, whether of inputs in Honiara or completed projects in the respective villages.

Project identification by constituency are for location purposes only and does not imply that the constituency office applied for support.

Finally, the MRD and RSDP refute claims made by both the leader of the Independent Group and Member of Parliament for East Are’are Constituency, and theChair of Transparency Solomon Islands in various media including Radio New Zealand online. Their assertions are politically motivated hence MRD cannot respond to such inclinations. If any MP was duped to move camp, it was out of own ignorance and own motivations. Any promises made will not be supported by the RSDP because that is not how the RSDP is managed and implemented.

The MRD is a ministry that deals with all members of Parliament so for better or for worse it has been treated and associated with the same characterization that SI or the media savvy perceive political leadership.

MRD therefore, would like to clarify, rectify and confirm that the RSDP is strictly proposal based and project proposals were submitted by communities, entities and constituency offices in response to a MRD call for proposals in April 2023. MRD assessed and approved proposals for RSDP funding. RSDP is also responsible for implementation, monitoring and evaluation in partnership with beneficiary entities.

Furthermore, MRD clarifies that pictures referenced from the CDF Billboard at the Honiara City Council roundabout were historical. They were of PRC’s support to the Constituency Development Funds (CDF) program of the national government from 2020 to 2023. The projects referenced were from 2020 through 2022 and handed over to the communities in 2023.

The PRC was the only donor that continued to provide direct support to MRD including the CDF programme since 2019 until 2022 when its CDF support ceased. The RSDP platform is the present rural development support in SI from the PRC through MRD and is not associated in anyway with the CDF

However, on the beneficiaries’ side, SI, MRD and SI people it is foolish not to have any association, complementarity, alignment and harmonization of development objectives. That is the reality of development planning and cross-sectoral strategies. Even more in a scarce resource environment.

All the RSDP beneficiaries expressed profound gratitude to PRC and for taking the lead in rural development across the country.

Having established diplomatic relations with 181 countries worldwide, PRC not only fosters robust relationships with influential countries like Europe and the United States but also strengthens ties with Small Island Developing States (SIDS) like Solomon Islands and other Pacific Island nations.

The partnership recently witnessed a notable increase in official reciprocal visits between Solomon Islands and China, significantly impacting and fostering the bilateral cooperation between both countries.

The development of bilateral relations with China ranks among the Solomon Islands foremost foreign policy priorities. Since the establishment of diplomatic ties in September, 2019, cooperation between the two countries has rapidly progressed to a strategic level. In just 5 years, the relationship between the two countries has achieved new heights with the RSDP. A genuine testimony of a win-win friendship.

Solomon Islands has continued to benefit from a number of PRC development programs and projects in health, education, sport, agriculture, transportation, telecommunication to name a few.

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