PRIME Minister Manasseh Sogavare expressed much appreciation in the progress of the parliament’s debate session.

Speaking in parliament last week, during the debate on the question that parliament resolves into a committee of the whole house to consider the Solomon Islands national anti-corruption strategy, the prime minister was very pleased in how members of parliament presented their contributions.

He referred to the debate as “lively” and thanked all members on both sides of the houses who took the time to express their views on the strategy.

“This is the first time that a good number of people participated in the debate of an important policy that we want to introduce.

“I must admit that all who spoke made very useful observations and suggestions on how to advance this policy forward which I’m very thankful,” he said.

He also emphasised on the uniqueness of presentations given during the debate, adding that the style and content of the presentations range from historical to narrative, using different approaches to support and emphasise the points made in the debate.

The prime minister applauded the members for their contributions.

In relation to this, he also said that there is a wide support of the argument that corruption is bad for the country’s progress as it undermines the country’s ability to function to full potential.

The honourable prime minister stated that in the case of corruption in Solomon Islands, we do not need to be convinced by statistics that corruption exists because there are hard evidences to prove that corruption is a serious issue.

In addition, he mentioned that every member in parliament admitted this and referred to this affirmation as “encouraging”.

“It’s a healthy sign of democracy and willingness by elected leaders to participate in an important decision making process and a subject matter that is considered extremely important for the development of our country.

“I’m particularly encouraged to hear the calls by members of parliament encouraging all of us to fight against corruption and to agree to get the various bills processed through parliament as soon as possible.

“I find the debate to be very useful to guide the government in the process of formulating the specific strategies to deal with corruption,” he said.