In the Solomon Star this week there was yet another article citing the alleged corruption act of a former Solomon Islands MP when he held office and a matter which will be decided by a court of law.
There also featured a letter to the Editor of a local newspaper from a reported citizen in Western Australia claiming the payment of large sums of money to existing MP’s by a diplomatic partner of the Solomon Islands Government, the writer of the letter said the payments had been uncovered and publically made known by the Australian TV programme ‘Four Corners.’
Such allegations should be investigated, particularly, the latter allegations, as full confidence in the SIG cannot be wholly restored until the air is cleared and the necessary public confidence at home is restored and the ‘Four Corners’ allegations credibly discounted.
At the start of last month the ICAC in Hong Kong appointed a new Chief Commissioner to the reputable organisation that I have known since its inception in 1974 and an organisation I was once offered an investigative appointment.
Mr. WOO Ying ming on assuming his office made a statement in which he said, and I quote
"The ICAC combats corruption in Hong Kong through a time-tested, three-pronged approach which combines enforcement, prevention and education. The holistic strategy has proved to be effective and has become an anti-graft model for many countries and regions.
"In an era of rapid advancement of technology, corruption is a crime which knows no boundaries. The ICAC has long recognised the importance of international cooperation in the fight against corruption.
"In recent years, the Commission has strived to strengthen liaison with its overseas counterparts, sharing with them Hong Kong's unique anti-corruption experience. We also provide tailored capacity building programmes and services to overseas anti-corruption agencies, demonstrating the ICAC’s increasingly important role in the global arena.”
It would be a suggestion of mine that the Solomon Islands Government take up Mr WOO’s assistance offer to ensure the local ICAC receives ‘tailored capacity building programmes and services’’ and to ensure the SIICAC gets down to the early business of tackling corruption allegations tending to damage the reputation of the SIG and appointed government officials.
Yours sincerely
Frank Short
