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Pol It Ical Reviews • Melanesia pol i t ical reviews • melanesia 597 to them (NC, 6–7 Oct, 12 Oct, 24 Oct that it could get only short-term con- 2006). tracts overseas (NC, 19 Dec 2006). After a month-long blockade, the david chappell police liberated Doniambo, but only two of its four ore sources upcoun- try were functioning. The rpcr and References ae traded barbs over alleged politi- Frogier, Pierre. 2006 Speech at rpcr cal plotting behind the strike, while Congress. 20 May. the cstnc adopted ustke’s tactic IHT, International Herald Tribune. Daily. of on-again, off-again picketing and Paris. http://www.iht.com blockages (NC, 14 Dec, 17 Oct, 20 Oct 2006). The cstnc even shut down the kol, Kanaky Online. http:// fr.groups local newspaper temporarily for what .yahoo.com / group / kanaky it considered unfair reporting (pir, 7 NC, Les Nouvelles-Calédoniennes. Daily. Nov 2006), while repeated negotia- Noumea. http://www.info.lnc.nc / tions stalled. Nea went to court for pir, Pacific Islands Report. his appeal of a conviction from the http://pidp.eastwestcenter.org / pireport previous year of blockades that had rnzi, Radio New Zealand International. condemned him to three months in http://www.rnzi.com prison. The judge upheld the convic- tion and sentence, but told Nea that TPM, Tahiti-Pacifique Magazine. Monthly. he could appeal to a higher court, and Papeete. that there would likely be a “more or less generous” amnesty granted after the 2007 presidential elections Solomon Islands for union-related offenses. By mid- November, Nea was softening his For Solomon Islands, 2006 brought general strike demands, was arrested a lot of expectations for positive for diverting sln funds and, with two change, especially with regard to associates, was fi ned us$20,000, and political leadership at the national soon was offering to resign from the level. Many Solomon Islanders hoped sln (but not his union) if the company that the national elections, scheduled did not fi re nine of his union mem- for April, would bring about a change bers. After three months of striking of government. The government that and often-paralyzing rush hour traffi c had ruled since 2001 under Sir Allan jams, the Filipinos were still working Kemakeza was perceived by many as for Goro, the ae was still in power, incompetent and had failed miser- and nearly every organization in New ably on the credibility scale. There Caledonia was fed up with Nea, even was hope, therefore, that the election if it supported aspects of his concerns would usher in a new government. (NC, 23 Nov, 20 Dec 2006). The sln, These expectations were backed by which actually had little to do with his the fact that the 2006 election was the specifi c strike demands, claimed that fi rst truly free and fair election. It was it had lost us$110 million from work the fi rst election since the deployment interruptions and so much credibility of the Regional Assistance Mission 598 the contemporary pacifi c • 19:2 (2007) to Solomon Islands (ramsi), which New Year. But as most people enjoyed disarmed most of those involved in the holidays, those intending to stand the years of civil unrest from late 1998 for offi ce were busy preparing for the to mid-2003. Although the previous elections. By the time registrations national election (in 2001) had been closed, a record number of 453 candi- declared free and fair by international dates were signed up to contest in the and domestic observers, many Solo- fi fty constituencies. This was an aver- mon Islanders knew that because of age of 9.1 candidates per constituency, the widespread presence of guns in the up from 6.6 in 2001. The election, communities at that time, voters had held on 5 April, was declared a success not really been free to choose. There by international and local observers. had been evidence of intimidation of By the time the votes had all been voters in some places. Much of this counted, half the sitting members occurred before and after the election, of Parliament had lost their seats. and thus was never seen by observers Among them were Joses Tuhanuku, who were present mainly on the day the leader of the Labour Party, and of the election. Alfred Sasako, the outspoken member The 2006 election, however, for East Kwaio on Malaita. Some of brought drama that dominated most the prominent fi gures in the previous of the year. Much of it emanated from Kemakeza-led government, however, dissatisfaction over the outcome of the retained their seats. These included Sir election of the prime minister. Further, Allan Kemakeza himself; Snyder Rini, the newly elected Solomon Islands his deputy in the previous govern- government engaged in a protracted ment; Laurie Chan; and Peter Boyes. diplomatic row with its Australian The other Big-men of Solomon Islands counterpart. This was largely a result politics who were also reelected of what Honiara saw as Canberra’s were Job Dudley Tausinga (who ran interference in Solomon Islands unopposed in his North New Geor- domestic affairs. There were also gia constituency), Francis Billy Hilly, debates about the regional assistance Bartholomew Ulufa‘alu, Manasseh mission and Australia’s dominant role Sogavare, and Patterson Oti. in it. In the days following the national These events and debates high- election, members of Parliament light the vulnerability of post-confl ict gathered in Honiara to prepare for societies and the challenges of rebuild- the “second election”—the election of ing societies and states that have been the prime minister, which would also traumatized by confl icts. They also determine who formed the govern- demonstrate the challenges for inter- ment. This period, as usual, was char- national intervention and the role of acterized by intense lobbying, both foreign governments in post-confl ict among the members of Parliament and reconstruction. from lobbyists outside. This is also The year kicked off on an upbeat a period during which, in the past, note as many people joined families there were allegations that powerful and friends in villages around the individuals with big money would country to celebrate Christmas and often bribe members of Parliament to pol i t ical reviews • melanesia 599 ensure that any government that was The Chinese — or waku, as they formed would favor them. Members are known locally—were targeted of Parliament usually form coalitions because of a widespread perception or “camps” and try to lure enough that it had been Asian businesses who other members to make up suffi cient bankrolled Rini’s group and infl uenced numbers to form a government. the result of the election. Francis Billy The election of the prime minis- Hilly, for example, alleged that large ter was held on 18 April, with three sums of money changed hands to win candidates up for the post: Tausinga, over the support of certain members Rini, and Sogavare. Rini eventually of Parliament. He claimed that as emerged as winner, bringing back into much as si$30,000 to si$50,000 had power the old Kemakeza-led govern- been offered to individual members to ment. This was a coalition between vote for Rini (Solomon Star, 18 April the People’s Alliance Party, Lafari, 2006). This assertion, like similar and the Association of Independent allegations in the past, has never been Members. Also with the group were substantiated. Sogavare and four of his followers In the days that followed, pro- who had defected from the other side testors continued to demand Rini’s only days before. resignation. The newly elected prime The hundreds of people who minister, however, refused to give gathered outside Parliament that day in, arguing that he had been elected found the result unacceptable. They through a constitutional process and jeered at the newly elected prime could only be ousted through that minister, demanding that he step down process. But despite his persistence, on and allow Tausinga to take over the 26 April — only eight days after being reigns of power. Some demanded that elected into offi ce — Rini was forced the members of Parliament go back to resign on the fl oor of Parliament. into the chamber and vote again. The This became necessary after Sogavare crowd soon became rowdy and their and his followers crossed the fl oor and actions quickly deteriorated into vio- joined the Opposition. In announc- lent confrontations with the police. ing his resignation, Rini said that he When the police deployed tear gas, did so “because I did not have the the protestors moved into the main numbers this morning in parliament, streets of Honiara, destroying and I had no option but to resign to give looting Asian (mostly Chinese) busi- way for the election of a new Prime nesses. By the end of that day, most Minister. I did not resign as a result of of the shops in Chinatown had been calls by the protestors. I did not yield looted and burned. The destruction to the calls of the protestors because went on into the next day, prompting I did not want to set a bad precedent hundreds of Chinese families to fl ee. for future Prime Ministers of this Australia sent in troops from Towns- country” (Government Information ville, Queensland, to help local and Service, 26 April 2006). ramsi police stop the violence. It was Rini’s resignation made way for the worst public destruction ever seen another election. Manasseh Soga- in Honiara. vare and Fred Fono, the member for 600 the contemporary pacifi c • 19:2 (2007) Central Kwara‘ae, contested, and accusing the Australian government Sogavare was elected as prime minis- of interfering in Solomon Islands ter.
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