Thursday 12 July 2007

The job of helping government be more transparent and accountable has been made easier and more secure today with the handover of Records Management Policy Guidelines and SBD156,000 worth of new shelving to the National Archives.

The Permanent Secretary of the Department of Tourism and Culture, Luke Eta, said at the handover ceremony  that good records management is essential to Government accountability, transparency and efficiency  The Solomon Islands Government is committed to keeping accurate records of all of its decisions and actions”, Mr Eta said.

“This important Records Management Policy applies to all Solomon Islands Government bodies, including all ministries, departments, boards, committees and institutes.”

The records management project has occurred in partnership with the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands which has provided funding and advice in the lead up to the appointment of a Solomon Islander as Government Archivist for the National Archives of Solomon Islands. This position had been vacant since 1999.
 
This is another important milestone in the rebuilding of the machinery of government, as the Records Management Policy Guidelines will now be implemented by newly appointed Government Archivist Julian Chonigolo.

The Auditor-General, Floyd Fatai said he was a great supporter of this project to improve records management within Solomon Islands Government.

“The growth of transparent and accountable government is a good thing for the Solomon Islands”, Mr Fatai said.

He emphasised that this is one of the most critical areas in the accountability process within the Government. 

“In almost all our audit reports so far, we have highlighted that there are no adequate records maintained in line with the prevailing legislation, regulations and financial instructions which form the basis of the accountability process within the public sector.”

RAMSI Acting Development Coordinator Stuart Schaefer said he was very happy to see the progress in capacity development occurring through the partnership with Solomon Islands Government and RAMSI's Machinery of Government Program.

“Records are like the memory of an organisation. They help us to decide what we need to do today and tomorrow” Mr Schaefer said.

“The guidelines, the shelving and a Solomon Islander responsible for leading the implementation of National Archives are all important steps forward.”

Mr Schaefer said that in addition to helping the government make informed decisions, a proper records management system helps to ensure that steps already taken can be accounted for.

“Records can provide this transparency for us”, he said.

Mr Eta said he was very grateful to Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands for its assistance with the development of the Records Management Policy Guidelines and the provision additional funding for much needed shelving to house important archive records.

“We see this assistance as further tangible evidence of our strong and enduring partnership”, he said.

Mr Eta said that an endorsed copy of the new Records Management Policy Guidelines will be sent to the heads of all government ministries and agencies.