President thanks Nauruan people on International anti-corruption day
In acknowledgement of the United
Nations sponsored 'International anti-corruption day', President
Baron Waqa has thanked the people of Nauru for their hard work and
unity since the election of the government in June 2013.
His Excellency said it has been a challenging but successful time
as the Government worked to move the nation past the instability,
cronyism and corruption of past administrations.
"We were elected with a firm mandate to be an honest and reformist
government, and this is what we have been," he said.
"We give credit to all Nauruans who have played their part and who
want to create a better future for generations to come."
President Waqa said one of the greatest steps forward was
reforming the legal system.
"Since our election, we have expanded the number of justices that
oversee our courts and made Nauru a shining light for the rule of
law in the Pacific region. We made tough decisions in order to
reform a broken system but this is what Nauruans wanted and
expected."
However he said the nation had also improved economically.
"We have repaid national debts, worked to deal with the mistakes
of past governments - as seen recently in the NSW Supreme Court,
repaid outstanding public service wages, set up a fund for Nauru's
economic future and restored pride in our nation."
Despite the progress, the President said he was disappointed that
not all MPs were working for the good of the nation, but pledged
not to allow that to stifle the Government's agenda.
"Sadly, a few Opposition MPs have been trying to harm Nauru's
international reputation by making false claims about democracy and
the rule of law on Nauru. They are more focused on trying to regain
political power.
"On this day when the world stands against corruption, it is
timely to say to those few troublemaker MPs that Nauruans exercised
their democratic right at the last election and said they wanted a
nation that didn't fall into the temptation of corruption."
The President acknowledged that there was still much work to
do.
"The Government is committed to the process of reform until we
have restored real prosperity to our nation.
"I am honoured to lead Nauru at this time, and while I am thankful
to our people, I also call upon all MPs and all of our citizens to
continue to focus on nation-building.
"Please also continue to pray for all who have been elected, that
we lead according to our motto - God's will first."