Inducting Parliamentarians

UNDP's new Parliamentary strengthening project in the Solomons is having its first big trot out this week. An induction course is being carried out, using regional resources persons - big names from politics, law and various academies.

PNG's Dame Carol Kidu has already thrown a welcome curve ball into what might otherwise be predictable pontification on good governance and the institutions to ensure it. She has pointed out the role of high expectations and misplaced expectations, on the part of electors, in escalating already heavy pressures on MPs. The good Dame pointed out that constituents expect MPS to be "responsible for delivering services" and that "Voters expect cash... ...they want you to solve all their personal difficulties". She also called for a "people's code" setting out expectations of people, of their MPs. This would enable MPs to get on with being legislators.

While this is welcome news for overburdened MPs, it de-emphasises a rather important reality: 2 months ago, almost all Solomon new MPs were campaigning, not as legislators, not even as leaders, but as the best development worker/service deliverer/personal difficulty-solver in the race. Indeed, the candidacy trail for many often starts as a scheme to leverage something out of a would-be candidate (see "Candidacy Solomon Style" at honiara-life). Constituents expect this of MPs, firstly because there are no other accessible sources for this sort of help, and secondly, because MPs leverage their entire campaigns on outlandish promises of this sort of assistance.

The MPs sitting in the induction course know this. In fact, servicing the debt on their leveraged wins is likely what they are thinking of, not making new laws. Around goes the cycle....see you in the 2010 general elections!

RAMSI criticism - building accountability or assisting terrorism?

The specifics of domestic Australian anti-terror legislation are not usually a cause for direct concern in the Solomons.

This in spite of the fervent belief of many Australian commentators that failed Melanesian states are at risk of becoming hives of Islamist terror. And have therefore become the subject of military interventions to prop them up as a first line of defence against the international terror.

But a recent interview on abc's "The World Today" with the President of the Australian Law Reform Commission, Professor David Weisbrot, highlighted the slipperiness of the slope:

SIMON LAUDER: The Federal Government passed the Anti Terrorism Act late last year, making it an offence to urge people to "assist" an enemy at war with Australia.

But the President of the Australian Law Reform Commission, Professor David Weisbrot, says the definition of "assistance" under the legislation is too vague.

DAVID WEISBROT: So many people put to us the idea that if I criticise, for example, Australia's intervention in Afghanistan or in Iraq, or even in the Solomon Islands for example, that that may be giving aid and comfort to the opponents of Australian intervention and therefore constitute assisting.

Weisbrot goes on to point out that mere criticism is unlikely to meet the standards of "assistance" envisioned in the legislation.

Nonetheless, it remains jarring to see RAMSI criticism juxtaposed with say, planning a chemical attack on the ARL final. Particularly since there is an important role for public criticism in the performance appraisal of massively expensive security-development interventions such as RAMSI.

A culture of accountability is a key feature in Australian government rhetoric both on aid and the war on terror:

We cannot – indeed, must not – shirk our shared responsibility to openness, transparency and accountability in the Asia Pacific region - in government, in business, and in the wider community. (Foreign Minister Downer's speech to ASEAN in 2002 on "Terrorism and Stability in the Region")

Improved political accountability can only be achieved through demand for reform from within a country. (AusAID's strategy on fragile states)

At the most basic level, "fair comment" criticism in the Australian media, of multibillion dollar Pacific regional interventions is no different from criticism of any other publicly funded policy. Does robust criticism of health, labour or superannuation schemes attract a potential charge of sedition?

At another level, critical analysis from within an intervened country is good (some would say the best) guidance to policymakers and the Australian public that ultimately funds them. Finally, healthy, even pointed criticism may be the most convincing first fruits of a blossoming culture of public accountability in the intervened countries.

Or perhaps not, according to the current Australian Anti Terrorism Act.

Cuban help for the Solomons

Cuba has just this week invited the Solomons to talks on the use of its doctors in the Solomons. As connecting with Cuba and the USSR was once a PI ploy to wring more attention from Canberra and Washington, it will be interesting to see how this plays out. Certainly there is a desperate need for good doctors in the Solomons. Even the National Referral Hospital is short of anaesathetists and surgeons.

Logging - the real firestorm

While corruption in high places and Chinatown burning captured international media attention, the real story was somewhere else, in the dark green mountains of the Solomons.

The corruption associated with commercial logging is legion in Solomon Islands, but it works ceaselessly in the background, not itself erupting into internationally visible luridity, yet all the while underwriting violence such as last month's Black Tuesday and the 1998-2003 'Tensions'.

It does so in rural communities by opening rifts between and within kin groups, undercutting the basics of life (agriculture, reefs and water), damaging social harmony. The money which both flows from logging, and precedes it, oils the wheels of bribery and deception in the public service. And the multi-million dollar profits anchor logging interests in every parliament (and government) elected.

It is the one constant battle in recent SI policymaking, and one this government seems to be willing to take on.

technorati tags: logging, solomons, chinatown, corruption, solomon, islands, honiara

testing flock

technorati tags: flock

RAMSI Tuesday?

The sack of Chinatown and other parts of Honiara in April went by a variety of names, mostly descriptive. The terrible events and the pall of smoke, hence 'Black'. The seeming madness that descended in the form of the looting crowds - hence 'Karange'.

In this story, Mike Wheatley, formerly of the Australian Army and the SI Police, is naming the day by who he thinks should shoulder the blame for the policing failure - RAMSI.

‘RAMSI Tuesday’ Wasn’t Due To Intelligence Failure
By: Mike Wheatley
Wednesday 24 May 2006

‘The stranger’s eyes are wide open, but he does not see anything’
- Supyire Proverb

On Tuesday, 18 April 2006, the democratically elected Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands was stoned by an angry mob on the steps of Parliament, tear gas was tossed around, a large chunk of the national capital, Honiara, was burnt to the ground, livelihoods were lost and lives seriously threatened.

How can such a thing happen on RAMSI’s watch — with the region’s pocket superpower, Australia, in charge? Where’s the stench of burning reputations to match the stench of burning Chinese stores?

Read more >>

To screen or not to screen?

An interesting debate has surfaced around women candidates in the upcoming general election. Caroline Mariu of East Guadalcanal has made a call for the National Council of Women to screen all women candidates. The reasoning being that a) people should be aware of the backgrounds and qualities of candidates, and b) that the NCW should do so since it has been associated with the emergence of many women candidates (indeed its president is a candidate, and the only one to have been an MP in the past)

The NCW however, has ruled itself out of any vetting process, saying that while it trained many candidates, "it did not mean that they have a fair knowledge of every female candidate". While the point is valid, it will be hard to dissociate the backing, training and publicity that NCW has provided for women candidacy in general, from the candidates themselves. It will be particularly hard if candidates campaign on a "women's platform" or use the NCW activities in supporting women leadership, in their campaign trail.

But its even harder to shake the feeling that a chance for women to break with politics as usual, has been missed. Defences for inaction on issues of rigour and critical assessment in have been too common in SI (male) politics so far. Is this an early indicator that women are going down the same road?

E Kwara'ae gets a new market

Solomon Star Newspaper reports that Fausasa in East Kwara'ae will get a new market building built under Japanese aid funding.

At least one permanent market building at the biggest market in each constituency would do wonders to stimulate local trading - and maybe even lead to the development of the "rural growth centres" commonly called for in national development plans.

ending with a bang, starting with a whimper - a shaky start for RAMSI' in 05

RAMSI's first death came at the end of 2004 - Adam Dunning was shot dead at Green Valley in Honiara.

The next day, 100 RAMSI troops arrived, and within two weeks, first one suspect then another, had been arrested.

The military return seems to have involved some rough treatment of Solomon Islanders. One man, John Makasi, alleges being held alone in a container, and forced to urinate in front of AFP officers when picked up for questioning. Other stories abound in Honiara, and come on top of a previously quiet stream of concern about how SI's legal (some would say human rights) corners are being cut by the imported lawmen. The fact that these have not been covered by the mainstream media until now may be changing - Makasi's complaint, if pressed, may end up uncovering some unwelcome details. For instance, his lawyer is arguing that his humiliation was a breach of his constitutional rights - the 2003 law granting RAMSI personnel immunity from SI prosecution is subject to the national constitution, and RAMSI might prove to be open to SI court action after all.

This case is bringing to the fore a whole host of other hitherto unvoiced reservations - the most notable being Bishop Terry Brown's criticism published in Solomon Star last week. (pdf here) Titled "RAMSI, the Police and the Future", he spells out a number of areas of RAMSI operations, in which not enough seems to be happening in the strategically crucial areas of rural employment and social engagement by the [primarily Australian] troops and bureaucrats.

Although one of his criticisms has already been dismissed by RAMSI, the pressure will continue through January.

Next week, SI's Parliament reconvenes, to consider business unfinished when they adjourned mid December. Top of the agenda: RAMSI's future. Whatever happens, one thing is clear. RAMSI's future is tied up with the government's future. Exactly how will depend on exactly who wins the day in parliament.

Stay tuned.

News, comment and background from Solomon Islands

Halo everiwan, I've started this blog to provide a reference point for all sorts of news and information regarding the Solomons, and especially to give me (and others) a chance to connect these together. If a conversation gets going, all the better.

I will try to link this to a forum if conversations start breaking out all over the place.

This idea is part of the Lukluk Blong Iumi project (website to be announced as soon as it is up).

Hapi reading, hapi thinking, hapi commenting.

From the Hapi Isles.