Opposition Leader Manasseh Sogavare urges GREAT to answer concerns over governance, spending and the No Confidence Motion.
The Office of the Leader of Opposition says the GREAT Coalition Government should stop using its three months in office as a shield from legitimate scrutiny and answer the substantive concerns behind the Motion of No Confidence.
Opposition Leader Manasseh Sogavare MP said GREAT cannot argue that three months is too short to judge its decisions while at the same time asking Solomon Islanders to believe that it will transform longstanding economic, governance and social problems before the current parliamentary term ends in 2028.
“If three months is too short to judge GREAT, then GREAT must also be honest with the people about what it can realistically achieve in less than two years,” Sogavare said.
“Good leadership is not about making bigger promises. It is about making realistic commitments that the country can afford and deliver.”
The Opposition said Solomon Islands is facing serious fiscal pressures, and this is precisely why every new commitment and every additional dollar of public expenditure must withstand scrutiny.
The latest IMF assessment warns that government cash balances are depleted, fiscal deficits remain a serious concern and realistic, fully financed budgets are necessary to avoid disruptive budget freezes.
Against that background, GREAT cannot preach fiscal responsibility and good governance while questions continue to surround costly appointments, remuneration packages and consultancies.
The Attorney-General has confirmed a gross salary of $35,000 per fortnight under his negotiated contract. The Opposition has already called on the Government to disclose the legal and administrative basis for that arrangement.
Questions have also been raised over the SBD354,500 Ministry of Health consultancy awarded to Walebarasialia Tobata.
“These are legitimate questions about priorities and public money. GREAT cannot simply wave the banner of good governance while refusing to accept scrutiny of its own decisions,” Sogavare said.
“If the country is struggling for money, then every dollar matters. Government cannot tell ordinary Solomon Islanders that times are difficult while finding money for expensive appointments, consultancies and new promises.”
The Opposition also rejected GREAT’s attempt to portray the present Motion of No Confidence as an extraordinary act of political destabilisation.
Political instability did not begin with this motion, nor did it begin with this Parliament. Motions of no confidence, coalition breakdowns, defections and changes of government have been features of Solomon Islands politics since the early years after Independence.
More importantly, GREAT itself came to power through a Motion of No Confidence against the Government for National Unity and Transformation only months ago.
“The same constitutional process that GREAT regarded as legitimate when it brought down the Manele Government cannot suddenly become political opportunism simply because it is now being used to question GREAT’s leadership,” Sogavare said.
The Opposition said the former GNUT administration was also pursuing economic reforms, infrastructure development, investment and measures intended to strengthen the country’s long-term economic foundations.
The economy grew by an estimated 3.5 percent in 2025, supported by gold production, agriculture and infrastructure investment. Those gains did not mean that every problem had been solved. Serious fiscal and structural weaknesses remained.
GNUT itself faced three Motions of No Confidence during its two years in office, including two before the motion that eventually removed the Manele Government in May.
Those challenges were dealt with through the parliamentary process. A government does not become immune from parliamentary scrutiny simply because it has been in office for a short period.
Instead, the then Opposition exercised its constitutional right to challenge the Government and convinced enough Members of Parliament that change was necessary.
“That is democracy. GREAT cannot support that principle when it sits on one side of Parliament and condemn it when it sits on the other,” Sogavare said.
The Opposition said good leadership also requires recognising progress made by previous governments instead of creating the impression that every solution began when GREAT entered office.
No government can solve decades of structural economic, governance and development problems in a matter of months or even within a single parliamentary term.
Each administration inherits unfinished work, builds on previous achievements, corrects weaknesses and leaves unfinished work for the next.
“Good leadership is not believing that you are the only government capable of fixing Solomon Islands,” Sogavare said.
“Good leadership acknowledges what has already been achieved, identifies the gaps and works realistically within the resources and time available.”
The Opposition said Solomon Islanders deserve more than ambitious announcements designed to raise expectations when the Government’s own fiscal position is under severe pressure.
“Do not promise people everything when the country cannot afford everything,” Sogavare said.
“That is not responsible government. That is politics built on people’s expectations.”
The Opposition said GREAT should therefore answer the reasons behind the motion on their merits rather than dismissing its critics as opportunists.
“The question is not whether GREAT has been in office for three months. The question is whether the Prime Minister continues to command the confidence of Parliament and whether his Government’s decisions demonstrate the consultation, accountability and responsible management of public money that GREAT itself promised.”
“That question will ultimately be determined where the Constitution says it should be determined, on the floor of Parliament.”
SOURCE// OPPOSITION PRESS RELEASE
