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History and Government
History: The modern nation of the Solomon Islands is an amalgamation of two archipelagos, instigated by the British in the last years of the 19th century, and marking the high point of imperial rivalry in the Pacific between the major European powers. The northern group had originally been claimed by the Spanish in the 16th century, was then annexed by the Germans and finally ceded to the British in exchange for part of the Samoan island group. The British already controlled the southern Solomon group, and administered the pair together as the British Solomon Islands Protectorate. Apart from a brief period of Japanese occupation during World War II, the Solomon Islands remained under British rule until the 1970s. Self-government was granted in 1976 and full independence was achieved two years later.
The main political debate since then has been over decentralisation. Advocates support the division of the archipelago into separate administrative regions while opponents maintain that the process would give an excessive advantage in the future to those islands which are most commercially developed, such as those closer to Papua New Guinea and Australia. Many of the roots of the debate lie in the issue of land ownership and the long-running disputes between ‘indigenous’ islanders and ‘immigrants’ (the distinction is often far from clear). These disputes began to boil over during the 1990s in a process triggered by the election of the government of Solomon Mamalomi in February 1989.
The first Mamalomi government was notable for an extraordinary decision (never fully explained) that the Government would no longer accept foreign aid: the country was deprived of one fifth of its GDP at a stroke. Although the decision has since been reversed, it triggered a serious economic decline (unaddressed to this day). The pressing questions over intercommunal and land disputes and devolution were ignored. There was some cause of optimism in 1997, when the general election for the newly-expanded legislature voted the Alliance for Change into office under the premiership of Bartholomew Ulufa’alu. The new Government appeared to take a more realistic approach to its priorities (although, in truth, pressures both at home and abroad allowed it limited options). An economic reform programme opened the door once again to foreign aid; equally important, the government announced long overdue plans to reform the timber industry, including a moratorium on new logging licences – the previous Government, desperate for cash, had allowed indiscriminate logging across the islands.
Unfortunately, the historic failure to address the islanders’ assorted grievances caught up with the Government as fighting broke out between the self-styled Guadalcanal Liberation Army (named after their base on the Solomons’ main island) and those they regarded as interlopers. Calm returned after a state of emergency was declared but, once again, nothing was done to tackle the causes. In June 2000, a militia based on the Solomons’ second island, Malaita, launched a coup against the Ulufa’alu government. The so-called Malaita Eagle Force immediately came under attack from a second Malaita based group, called the Isatabu Freedom Movement, but the Eagle Force achieved its main objective by forcing Ulufa’alu’s resignation. A new Government backed by the Malaita Eagles took office under the premiership of Manasseh Sogavare.
The conflict between the Eagles and the Isatabu militias was, once again, rooted in land ownership. Over the following 18 months, both Australia and New Zealand were heavily involved in attempts to broker a settlement and a return to normal civilian government. In December 2001, they appeared to have achieved their objective when new elections were held. These were won by the social democratic People’s Action Party under the leadership of Allan Kamakeza. Despite the backing of the two major South Pacific powers, the future for the new government remains uncertain, especially given the volatile law and order situation. The militias still control large areas of the archipelago while the government is hamstrung by chronic economic problems and a massive foreign debt which far outstrips the country’s ability to service it.
Government: The British monarch, represented by a Governor General, is the head of state, but real power is held by the Prime Minister, who presides over a cabinet of 14 other ministers. The legislature is unicameral and elected every four years. The number of seats in the assembly is 47.
Copyright © 2003 Columbus Publishing Ltd.
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