Opposition urges PM Matthew Wale to disclose political appointee numbers and their total cost to Solomon Islands taxpayers
Honiara, Solomon Islands – The Official Opposition is calling on Prime Minister Matthew Wale to immediately disclose the true number of political appointees currently engaged by the GREAT Coalition Government and the total cost to taxpayers, the very transparency Mr Wale himself once demanded of others, but now refuses to deliver.
Political appointees are funded through public resources and are appointed to provide specialist advice, policy support and strategic leadership to Government. Given the significant salaries, allowances and benefits attached to these positions, Solomon Islanders have a right to know how many political appointees are being paid by taxpayers and whether this growing list of appointments is delivering any value for money at all.
Prime Minister Wale understood this principle perfectly well when he was in Opposition and he demanded it loudly, repeatedly and publicly.
As Leader of the Opposition, Mr Wale did not merely question previous governments, he relentlessly attacked them over the number and cost of political appointments, branding such appointments a drain on the public purse and demanding justification for every single one.
On one occasion, his questions revealed that a previous government had 51 political appointees costing taxpayers more than SBD $19 million annually. Following a reduction to 36 political appointees, the Government of the day reported savings of more than SBD $6 million.
The Official Opposition understands that the number of political appointees under the GREAT Coalition Government has surged past 70 political personnel nearly double the level Mr Wale himself once condemned as excessive, unjustifiable and unaffordable for Solomon Islands taxpayers.
“Prime Minister Wale built his political career attacking exactly this kind of excess. Now that he is the one presiding over a record number of political appointees, he has gone silent. Solomon Islanders deserve better than a Prime Minister who demands transparency from others but hides from it himself,” Opposition Leader Hon. Manasseh Sogavare said.
“The issue is not about whether a Government needs advisers or specialist support. It is about whether Prime Minister Wale is prepared to be held to the same standard he once imposed on everyone else. Right now, his silence is answering that question for him,” he said.
Prime Minister Wale has repeatedly condemned political patronage and appointments driven by favouritism rather than merit. The Official Opposition now puts those very words to the test: will he release the full appointment list, or will he confirm that his own Government has become exactly what he once condemned?
The Official Opposition maintains that these principles must apply consistently, regardless of which party holds power and Prime Minister Wale cannot be permitted to abandon them simply because he now sits on the Government benches.
Political appointments and appointments to important public institutions, including statutory boards, must never become a reward system for political supporters, coalition partners or individuals rewarded for loyalty rather than merit. Every such position must be filled through transparent, merit-based processes that protect public confidence in Solomon Islands institutions.
Prime Minister Wale came into office promising change, stronger transparency, better governance and real accountability. On political appointments, that promise remains unfulfilled.
The Official Opposition is calling on Prime Minister Wale to publicly release, without further delay, the full list of political appointees, their designations and the total cost to taxpayers. Anything less will confirm that his Government has abandoned the very standard he once demanded of others.
“The standard Prime Minister Wale demanded from previous governments is the same standard the people of Solomon Islands now expect from his Government. He cannot dodge it, delay it or hide from it any longer,” Hon. Sogavare said.
PRESS RELEASE
