Transparency Solomon Islands (TSI) notes with concern and is flabbergasted with how the so-called Reform of the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) through the new CDF Bill goes to all lengths to hide the fact that Members of Parliament through the CDF Bill will have full control of the CDF funds. The public is informed and misled to believe that the Member of Parliament will no longer sign the CDF Cheque. This claim is based on Part 3 of the Bill dealings with Source of funds and Administration of the Constituency Establishment, where s8(2) says, and TSI quotes “For the avoidance of doubt all Constituency Development Funds intended for constituency development shall be administered by the respective line Ministries”. However, the provisions following s8(2) contradicts this provision entirely. Transparency Solomon Islands says so on its examination of the CDF Bill 2023 provisions.
The most powerful structure established by the new CDF Bill is the Constituency Development Committee (s13(1)(2)(3)(4). The members of this committee will be appointed by the Permanent Secretary in consultation with the Constituency Member of Parliament. The committee will be made up of not less than five members (so could be more), two members must be female. This committee will assist with the disbursement of the CDF funds. Furthermore s13(4(c)) says TSI quotes “The general management of the Constituency Development Funds is under the direct supervision of the Ministry of Rural Development in Consultation with the Constituency Member of Parliament”. The Constituency Member of Parliament is also the Chairman of the Constituency Development Committee (s15(2)). The constituency cheque book under (s22(3) shall be in the physical possession of the Constituency Member of Parliament. Aren’t these provisions controlling, managing, administrating, decision making in the hands of the Member of Parliament.
These are but just some of the important provisions in the CDF Bill 2023 going through its second reading in the parliament, that certainly legalise the full control of the CDF Funding Scheme and much more in the hands of the Members of Parliament. There are Members of Parliament that are delivering but alas they are not in the majority. The CDF Bill 2023 has given them much more power now than the one passed in 2013. MPs will still be in the driving seat of managing, administering, and controlling the CDF. The Ministry of Rural Development and Members of Parliament must believe the people whose entrusted power they exercise are uneducated and can be lied to. TSI listens with keen interest to the debate in parliament and not surprisingly TSI being mentioned under the protection and privileges of parliament.
Of concern to Transparency Solomon Islands too with some important provisions in the Bill is the part that United Nations Development Program (UNDP) plays in this reform. UNDP TSI is not a donor organisation and as such what was shared publicly about its involvement in this reform should be of concern to citizens and development partners alike and questioned. As an Inter-governmental Agency of the United Nations, it should know better and advise accordingly sharing the right information than for its own agenda. Here we take a look at Part 3 of the Bill Sources of Funds and Administration of the Constituency Establishment. Of particular interest and concern is the involvement of UNDP in this Bill is s8(3). TSI’s concern is based on what was shared in public by the Ministry of Rural Development in their presentations, previously and that of Friday 15th December 2023. On Friday 15th of December 2023, at the marking of the International Anti-Corruption Day, during the panel discussion of the CDF Reform, the UNDP for the second time was greatly praised and announced in public of it being a major partner, and supporter of the Bill. In the first public hearing about the Bill that TSI attended at Solomon Islands National University (SINU), the Ministry of Rural Development informed that with this Bill passed into an Act, donors will channel their funding support through CDF. The first they said is the UN agency UNDP who is committed to channelling funds through the CDF. On the 15th of December 2025 at the panel discussion of the Bill, the Ministry of Rural Development again reiterated the involvement of UNDP in this journey, (technical advice, and other assistance) and thanked them for it. This is good for UNDP and for donors. The question that Transparency Solomon Islands asks is” Is UNDP now a donor or funding organisation? Is it through UNDP’s influence for its own agenda that in Part 3 of the CDF Bill s8(1) and TSI quotes “The Constituency Development Funds to be delivered by the Constituency Development Office for the purpose of achieving the development objectives set out in the constituency development plan section 21 shall comprise of:
- The Constituency Development Funds appropriated by Parliament from the Consolidated Fund to the Ministry under the Appropriation Act; and
- The grants received from development partners and paid through the Ministry intended for constituency development.
Furthermore s8(3) further states TSI quotes” A bilateral partner, international intergovernmental agency, non-governmental organisation, or a foreign independent nation which intends to support activities towards the development of constituency, must provide in writing to the Constituency Development Committee, information on the nature and type of activities it intends to support”. People are missing.
The information that these partners must provide (s8(4(a)(b)(c)) are; nature of the activities being supported; and whether the activities align with policy priorities of the Government of the day; and how the support avoids duplication of duties, responsibilities, and activities to prevent wastage of funds in the name of development. People are missing, their aspiration is ignored, when we have a set up that dictate, with Members of Parliament sitting at the top. The Development Committee has the power to recommend to the Constituency Member of Parliament to set up “special sub-committee or task forces. The Chairman of the Meetings of the Constituency Development Committee the Constituency Member of Parliament. UNDP should know better being an International Agency and advise the Ministry of Rural Development that Solomon Islands has a written codified Constitutional and is a Constitutional Government (Constitutional Government – is a system of government that operates within a set of legal and institutional constraints that both limits its power and protects the individual liberty).
More importantly how can a UN Agency in this case UNDP support such a highly political set up, a setup that is dictatorship in nature. Does it know or recognise Chapter II of the Constitution of Solomon Islands. Does UNDP agree with denying people who own their resources the development help they need for their own aspirations.
Currently communities can apply directly to donors to get small funds to build their community halls, ablution blocks for their schools, their clinic completed, their classrooms, their water supply, footpaths, footbridges, and list goes on. Why deny people their right to map out their future in their constituencies. Why is UNDP involving itself in a highly political Bill and encouraging a highly politicised set up, which in effect will be buying votes at the end of the day. Is it to be on the right side of the political leadership of Solomon Islands to perpetuate your existence, justify the millions channel through you (UNDP) in the name of good governance, promoting transparency and accountability.
Transparency Solomon Islands has watched and observed that since RAMSI left UNDP has behaved as a second parallel government in Solomon Islands. RAMSI’s existence in Solomon Islands was legislated not yours. UNDP in the name of Government institutions such as Solomon Islands Independent Commission Against Corruption and Institution of Integrity for example, UNDP receives millions in the name of Solomon Islands for the fight against Corruption and work in other areas. Money is channeled through UNDP for government institutions and Civil Society Organisations because there is no trust in the government and CSOs in financial management. But prior to the ethnic tension a number of institutions of the government and CSOs access funds directly from the donors and manage and account for these funds without a go-between. For example, the Department of Agriculture Research Institution handled more than $4 million of donor funding for agriculture research, cocoa development, downstream processing such as (Ngali nut oil, Chilli Taiyo, vanilla etc.) prior to the ethnic tension. These funds were in Project Bank Accounts properly managed at the Ministerial level by the accounts division. The question with regard to CDF is, “is UNDP yet again locking the government into their game play where money will be channeled through them in the name of supporting the Ministry of Rural Development at the cost of people’s democratic rights and their development aspirations? UNDP and MRD being the bridge between the donors, development partners etc. and the government? These provisions in the Bill should be a concern to all of us, including development partners and Ministries responsible in the government system.
On 15th December 2023 at the occasion to mark the International Anti-Corruption Day, UNDP told us about the number of programmes they are doing to fight corruption. But is UNDP doing this with us or for us? If you (UNDP) are not doing it with the people of Solomon Islands, the Constitutionally established Institutions, deciding on our behalf what is good for us, planning for what is good for us, making decision for us on what you think is good for us, and not doing these with us, we will not make any progress with the millions given to you in the fight against corruption, or any other aspect of our development and welfare. There is enough publication out there to tell you that this approach does not work or stick.
Transparency Solomon Islands, urges the government, the regional United Nations Development Office in Fiji and New York, to examine what UNDP is doing in Solomon Islands. Its involvement in encouraging, giving confidence, and assurance to MRD to come up with these provisions in the CDF Bill is a big injustice to the people of Solomon Islands and the country. Instead of running a parallel government within the independent sovereign democratic state of Solomon Islands, you must understand that you are a guest.
Transparency Solomon Islands is in no doubt at all that all Members of Parliament regardless of what side of the house they sit in, party they represent they will support this Bill to go through. They do so because it will put them in control legally now than before. If there is anything that Members of Parliament do not disagree about, it is the CDF Funding Scheme and the Parliamentary Entitlement Regulations. For CDF they say “It is the only funds that reach the people, meaning -those who vote for you” but how much of it does not reach them, or anyone. NAFU NAO.
