A community advocacy group ACT NOW! is calling for a thorough investigation into the Special Agriculture and Business Leases (SABL).
In a statement, Program Manager, Effrey Dademo said someone must be held accountable for the failure to cancel unlawful SABL leases.
“Prime Minister Peter O’Neill has publicly blamed the Department of Lands for failing to cancel the leases, but unless people are made accountable, nothing is going to change” says Dademo.
The NEC decision cancelling the leases was made in June 2014, but since then not one lease has been revoked by the Department of Lands.
“O’Neill has stated very clearly the leases are illegal, and says he and the NEC have done everything they can to cancel the leases, but that is simply not the case,” said Dademo.
“If the Lands Minister Benny Allan is failing to implement government decisions, he should be suspended or sacked. If he is blaming officers within his department then they must be disciplined and removed”.
“If there is no accountability, then nothing is ever going to change, the leases will not be cancelled and the suffering and misery for rural communities will continue”.
She said the next move has to come from the Prime Minister because all the buck stops with him.