The Opposition Group was responding to revelations, at the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC), on the number of political appointees employed by the Coalition for National Unity and Rural Advancement Government.

The Secretary to Cabinet, Mrs. Ruth Liloqula, at yesterday's sitting of the PAC, revealed that the government has increased the number of political appointees from 11, as it initially announced, to 20.

The Opposition Group said that the government had the privilege of deciding the number of its political appointees, but the fact that it had announced to the nation that it would reduce the number of political appointees, from the last government's number of 24 to 11, was a bad reflection on itself.

The Opposition Group said that for the sake of transparency and accountability the government should give the names of their political appointees, along with their salary and entitlements, to the print media for publication.

It said the names, salary packages and entitlements of political appointees of the former Grand Coalition for Change Government had been publicized the Solomon Star last year and so it saw no reason why the political appointees of the current government should not be subjected to the same level of accountability and transparency.