Bogosity

Another update from Bp Terry.

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Dear Friends,
I write simply a short update on the Solomons situation. I have returned to Auki after four days in Honiara. Auki is returning to normal, with most of the Chinese stores re-opened and the town full of people. Still shipping between Auki and Honiara is somewhat limited, as police try to prevent the flow of suspects and stolen property from Honiara back to Malaita. During my absence, we had a visit from a New Zealand patrol boat but it has gone back. There are a lot of RAMSI personnel about and the town is quiet.

In Honiara, as the Archbishop is away in England, I represented the Church of Melanesia in an initiative of the Governor General for the SICA (Solomon Islands Christian Association) church heads to meet with the Prime Minister and Opposition. So on Tuesday afternoon, led by Bishop Philemon Riti (new General Secretary of SICA and former Moderator of the United Church of the SI) and Archbishop Adrian Smith (RC Archbishop of Honiara), we met alone with the Prime Minister in the Cabinet chambers for an hour, then with the Opposition leader and the full Opposition Caucus at the Iron Bottom Sound Motel. I think we were fairly frank with both parties. On Wednesday morning we met with the Commissioner of Prisons (a RAMSI appointment), the Deputy Coordinator of RAMSI and the Australian High Commissioner. As we were meeting with the latter two, the horns began blaring around Honiara, indicating that the Prime Minister had resigned. As has been reported, Manasseh Sogavare and his Guadalcanal bloc (including some Ministers in new Government) crossed over to the Opposition. When the Prime Minister realized he no longer had the numbers to win the upcoming vote of no confidence, he resigned. This crossover and the PM’s resignation probably prevented another round of Honiara violence, although RAMSI security was very high, with Parliament cordoned off, helicopters all over the place and companies of armed RAMSI military personnel placed in strategic places around town. With the PM’s resignation, Honiara broke out in celebration (even a parade with a float) and a few stores re-opened. The price the Opposition had to pay was to sacrifice their leader, Joel Tausinga, and offer the Opposition leadership to Sogavare.

Out of the police investigation of the riots, two Opposition Members of Parliament have been arrested. The Opposition claimed RAMSI interference in the Parliamentary process, in effect, favouring the Rini Government by depriving the Opposition of two votes on the floor of Parliament, especially as up until now RAMSI has gone rather easy with Kemakeza and Rini despite all the criminal allegations against them. However, the allegations are very serious, with witnesses, and one of the two already has a criminal record (not to mention a major reputation for corruption rivaling that of those the Opposition are opposing) and if the Opposition has any sense, should expel him. In the end, the decision whether to release or bail out the two to enable them to take part in the Parliamentary process over the next few days has not been a RAMSI one but been left to the High Court, which as of today, is refusing bail (a decision I agree with). However, the Opposition managed to bring down the government without those two votes.

The rumours are that Sogavare has been promised the nomination as Prime Minister by the Opposition. If this is true, it is highly problematic. Sogavare took over as Prime Minister after the Malaita Eagle Force coup in 2000 and there are many indications that he knew the coup was coming and even encouraged it. (It has hard to imagine him and Bart Ulufa’alu, the PM deposed in the coup as bedfellows, but as they say, ….) Sogavare has told people that he has been guided in his political activities by communicating with the spirit of the deceased former PM, Solomon Mamaloni, who has told him that at all costs he must stay in power. As leader of the Social Credit Party, he has some strange economic ideas. I cannot imagine that the international community would be happy with him and that he was the first to be eliminated in the election for PM last week suggests that in a secret ballot he would lose. This coming weekend will be spent in another round of negotiations to produce the list of PM candidates for the election of a new PM by Parliament early next week. If the outgoing government can produce a candidate untainted by corruption, they may still have a chance. It is sad that the old generation simply will not step down to let new people take over.

Of course, there is much soul searching, especially by the churches (by even by the general public, as almost all of Honiara’s stores remain closed). Many simply stood and watched, but there were cases of whole families, students in school uniforms, children, the elderly, etc., participating in the looting. The destruction, as I mentioned, was especially directed at the “new” Chinese and most of the “older” Chinese stores in Chinatown were not targeted. This suggests some planning. There was no loss of life, and there were tales of heroism of ordinary Solomon Islanders’ assisting Chinese to swim across the Mataniko River away from the burning buildings. There have been many volunteer Red Cross workers and much food and clothing have been brought to the Rove Police Club. Numbers there are going down as Chinese families are flown out or return to their homes, as the security situation has improved dramatically with the removal of the PM. It is hoped that those Chinese who opt to stay will begin re-opening their shops. (Many of their local staff have remained loyal and are guarding the premises.) One big question is whether insurance will cover the losses.

However, emblematic of the problem are some statistics that reliable banking friends have shared with me. On the Friday after the riots, when the banks reopened, the ANZ Bank in downtown Honiara at Point Cruz had SI$24 million (US$ 3 million) in cash deposits, while the NBSI had SI$10 million in cash deposits, mostly from Chinese. If one adds the unknown figure deposited at Westpac, one might be looking at SI$50 million (US$6 million) from the Chinese community suddenly coming out of hiding. (One depositor alone is said to have made a SI$6 million deposit.) On a smaller scale this phenomenon was true even in Auki. My impression is that the Chinese have never entirely trusted the banks (not wanting their wealth to be known, perhaps evading the tax man, making it easier to deal in overseas currency transactions ad hoc, etc.). Of course, many Chinese hope to remit these funds to Australia and other places overseas but the Central Bank and commercial banks have put strict controls on how much money can be sent out of the country at this time. (The economy has been steadily improving and the country presently has good overseas reserves.) At the same time, it has been pointed out that Patrick Leong, naturalised Chinese owner of the Pacific Casino Hotel complex, though he has lost millions, never ever paid a cent of tax to the Solomon Islands government. While RAMSI advisors have come into the Ministry of Finance, forcing compliance in tax payments by local businesses (and churches), their arm has not reached to the Chinese business interests protected by the previous government, where the real money is.

Much more can be said. There seem to be good supplies of rice, other foodstuffs and fresh produce. Some Chinese wholesalers have reopened in (new) Chinatown. It is the retail sector that has taken the hit. But if things stabilize, I think Honiara will recover. But many consciences and programmes (or lack of them) need to be examined, including those of the churches, the government, foreign governments and NGOs, in their failure to make much of a dent on the large population of unemployed or underemployed male youths in Honiara. They have finally, unfortunately violently, stood up and said “we are important too”.

Thank you for all your messages of support and encouragement. Bishop Terry Brown