OPPOSITION Leader Mathew Wale has urged the government to take urgent action to address the high cost of living in the country.
Wale said areas requiring government intervention include the high cost of electricity, transportation, housing rentals, food, fuel, education and telecommunications.
Speaking on the Insight Podcast aired on the Office of the Leader of Opposition’s social media page, Wale said these are issues the government must prioritise.
He argued that it is possible to make Solomon Islands the cheapest place to live in the Pacific if the right policies are implemented.
Wale said telecommunication costs are unnecessarily high and among the most expensive in the Pacific region.
He said the telecommunications regulator has been delinquent in addressing the issue, but stressed that responsibility ultimately rests with the government to introduce policies that encourage competition and improve service quality.
Wale said despite the availability of the undersea cable, Solomon Islands is using less than one per cent of its data capacity because prices remain too high.
“They need to make data very cheap, even if it means making losses,” he said.
“Now we are talking about a second cable. It is good for redundancy, but it will not bring any real economic change.”
Wale said high utility and service costs add up to make Solomon Islands an expensive place to do business.
He said it is the government’s responsibility to address these issues in order to make the country a more affordable and attractive destination for business and investment.