I thought about the issue of "corruption in Melanesia" for quite sometimes. I realized that this is a severe social disorder in our little world known as "Melanesia". No one would doubt that corruption is part of our world and many are quite reluctant talk about it. Why debating it anyway when we know nothing will change? Maybe I'm wasting my time talking about this, or perhaps its time that we scream about this so that the words get to the net for the rest of the world to read. Some may never heard about our region, let alone the name "Melanesia".
Let me start with my own country, the Solomon Islands. From the get-go, this country wasn't sure what kind of political system it should adopt besides the Parliamentary system of the United Kingdom. Some suggested Federal system, others wanted an experimental government that would serve as a transition toward a fully independent Federalism. In all, they didn't know what the heck they wanted. This may have been the beginning of political uncertainties, and the birth all the instabilities felt today in Solomon Islands.
The government established then was a highly centralized government, sitting its ass in Honiara, the capital city, with its tentacles on every provincial government near and far. This highly centralized government became extremely powerful that a bunch of elites dominated the Political arena, even if these men never won a national election. Somehow, their influences still linger in the capital city, in the private and public sectors. The feeling of being the "big men" drove some of these people into complete political insanity, ruling as if they were untouchable.
This brings us to another country, Papua New Guinea. He smiles like an honest man, spoke like a very intelligent man, but no one seemed to understand the shrewdness of this short, grey-hair-bearded Papua New Guinean. Sometimes I wonder how many men and women in PNG sacrificed their lives day by day to keep this man in power for the passed 40 years. In a Parliamentary system, a government is formed by a coalition of various parties, which has its vulnerability as a coalition of government is prone to disintegrated over socio-economic issues. Thus, the lifespan of a Prime Minister is not always long compares to a Monarchical leader such as the king of Tonga. In a real democratic country, it is impossible for a single man to remain in power for many many years, unless that leader is a crook. I think this is the case with PNG Prime Minister, Sir. Michael Somare.
This Sepik Politician has been PNG's leader, toppling the Queen's head on the PNG currency by printing his own image on the PNG dollar, and often time clashed with Australia on economic and sovereignty issues. But the most amazing single event in this man's political career was when he became a co-conspirator in the illegal smuggling of the Child Sex Offender (SI's Attorney General wanted by Australia) out of PNG into the Solomons in the middle of the night. Indeed, the inability of the PNG's judiciary to bring this man to justice owes, once again, to his (Somare) shrewd character and the number of idiots that watched his back everyday, and his puppets in important offices in the country. The funny thing, however, is how he approached the situation once being questioned of the plight of the Sex Offender who was in his custody on the request of the Australian government. First of all, he ordered the arrest of Julian Moti, Secondly, he flew him off to SI before being extradited to Australia. Then when asked where this Sex Offender was, he said he didn't know and later declared that he had escaped PNG to SI aboard a PNG Defense Force plane. A bold-face lie, and one that could have ended the career of a national leader in a more civilized nation, but not in PNG.
In fact, Melanesian region is synonymous to many African nations in terms of corruption and using of Military force for the survival of a bunch of idiots. Fiji is another good example. This most successful Melanesian nation is also the most corrupt little military ruled nation in the world. There is no explanation as to why Fiji is ruled by the Military other than that indigenous Fijians don't want to be alienated in their own lands. The Fijians are known to be more lay-back than any other people in the Melanesian islands. They are comfortable with their life, but the fear of being ruled by an Indian had created a new political and military culture instigated by Military leaders themselves. The inseparability of the Military and the indigenous people of Fiji makes this tropical paradise a horrible place to live. There is, indeed, no difference between the regime of the leader of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, and the current government of Bainimarama. The chilling fact is that indigenous Fijians used the Military and local police to acquire political status. In the late 80s, military leader, Sitiveni Rambuka returned to Fiji and overthrew the Fijian democratically elected government in the name of indigenous people. What he established then was a very bad precedent to future leaders as we've seen today. A few years later, George Speight, a self promoted nationalist, seized the Parliament and forced Mahandra Chaldry, the first Fijian Indian Prime Minister, to resign and declared Martial law. Where was Bainimarama? he was away. How coincident was that? but the irony is that Speight was arrested, locked up and plan-B kicked in, the commander of the Fiji armed forces declared military rule and him as the caretaker leader. Why arrested and locked up the coup leader when his plans were carried out thereafter by the military regime? what is the difference between Speight and Bainimarama? Is Bainimarama and the Chiefs Council hatched the Speight coup of 2000 and used Speight as the scapegoat? Something doesn't add-up here! they locked the coup leader but refused to restore democracy in Fiji. Recently, the Bainimarama and the government of Qarase tabled a bill that, if passed, would have freed Speight. A sign that Speight was not acting along when he took over the government.
Just a couple of weeks ago, a judge in Fiji ruled that the government of Bainimarama is illegal, sparking a national state of emergency, declared by this dictator to save his own ass. The following week, the Pacific Islands Forum suspended Fiji as a member of this regional body. But more is needed to punish this military regime and it seems that the world is taking notice. The Fiji dollar has dropped 20 points as a direct result of Bainimarama's undemocratic, illegal, unconstitutional taking over of the once prosperous rich Melanesian island state. What should follow is direct condemnation by the United Nation and sanction by all countries such as US, UK, Australia, and NZ. Why is everyone treating Fiji issue lightly? What is the difference between the government of Mugabe and that of Bainimarama? or Cuba and Fiji?
Melanesia was a name given to the inhabitants of our Islands by ill-informed foreign European explorers who visited this region some hundreds of years ago. Since Europeans encountered darkskin people when they arrived in this part of the world, they named these Islands Melanesian, or the Islands of dark-skin people. This name remained the identity of this group of islands (Vanuatu, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and Solomon Islands) to this very day. Today, as dark as the meaning of this Melanesian name is, the politics of these island nations is one that is characterizes by corruption, deceit, and hatred. To fully understand this assertion, we need to look at the various governments in the Melanesian region and examine their tactics and why they got away with crimes that are punishable by death in the civilized world.
Let me start with my own country, the Solomon Islands. From the get-go, this country wasn't sure what kind of political system it should adopt besides the Parliamentary system of the United Kingdom. Some suggested Federal system, others wanted an experimental government that would serve as a transition toward a fully independent Federalism. In all, they didn't know what the heck they wanted. This may have been the beginning of political uncertainties, and the birth all the instabilities felt today in Solomon Islands.The government established then was a highly centralized government, sitting its ass in Honiara, the capital city, with its tentacles on every provincial government near and far. This highly centralized government became extremely powerful that a bunch of elites dominated the Political arena, even if these men never won a national election. Somehow, their influences still linger in the capital city, in the private and public sectors. The feeling of being the "big men" drove some of these people into complete political insanity, ruling as if they were untouchable.
A man comes to my mind when I reached this point; Mr. Solomon Mamaloni. He was one of the most corrupt and the long serving Prime Minister and politician Solomon Islands ever produced. He was a byproduct of the Colonial system and a man heavily involved in the transitional government up to his death in the 90s. He had the gift of politicking, but all for his own political survival. At one point, he fired almost all his Ministers and bribed the Opposition MPs to his side in the middle of the night. At dawn, the Solomon Islands woke up to a brand new government made up of new Ministers. But that was not the end of his scheme, under him logging operation had doubled, triple, and quadrupled between 1980s to mid 1990s with him as one of the beneficiaries as he was operating a big logging company. But his predecessors weren't so different.
I can go on naming people, but lets get to the worst of current political idiots; the former Prime Minister, Manasseh Sogavare, now acting as the Leader of Opposition. Some people called him a very "intelligent" person, but I disagree. Sogavare is a shrewd Politician, paranoid of being assassinated by the Australian government, and never hesitated to challenge the norms to satisfy his own ambitions, not the nation. Be became the Prime Minister of Solomon Islands in 2000 after he and the Malaita Eagle Force leadership conspired to overthrow the government of late and former Prime Minister, Bart. Ulufa'alu.
Some may say, well, this is just mere allegation; an all out-right speculation. I don't think so. The night before the coup of June 5, 2000 (Monday morning), my (used to be) brother-in-law left the Hells Point on his way back to White River and saw a car pulling out of Charles Daosabea's residence (by the Henderson airport). He followed this G car (government car) until that car came to a screeching stop. The man who got out of the car and approached him was Mr. Sogavare himself and asked why he was being followed, my in-law told him that he was following him for security purpose as he himself was a Police Force Officer. I know this allegation would never hold up in court if Sogavare was implicated in any conspiracy, but something wasn't right with Sogavare's trip out of Daosabea's residence a night prior to the coup. There is no other explanation to that event, unless otherwise, he was having an affair with Daosabea, which to me wasn't not the case!!
Some may say, well, this is just mere allegation; an all out-right speculation. I don't think so. The night before the coup of June 5, 2000 (Monday morning), my (used to be) brother-in-law left the Hells Point on his way back to White River and saw a car pulling out of Charles Daosabea's residence (by the Henderson airport). He followed this G car (government car) until that car came to a screeching stop. The man who got out of the car and approached him was Mr. Sogavare himself and asked why he was being followed, my in-law told him that he was following him for security purpose as he himself was a Police Force Officer. I know this allegation would never hold up in court if Sogavare was implicated in any conspiracy, but something wasn't right with Sogavare's trip out of Daosabea's residence a night prior to the coup. There is no other explanation to that event, unless otherwise, he was having an affair with Daosabea, which to me wasn't not the case!!
But all the allegations of conspiracy and the 2000 coup aside, lets fast-forward to his government in 2006. When he as the shadow Minister in the Opposition camp, Sogavare launched a series of attack on the Australian led mission, RAMSI. The election of 2006 which culminated in the looting and burning of Asian shops, was a more sophisticated planned riot than a mere co-incidence. The leaders behind this attrocity against Asians were bunch of Politicians, primarily Malaitans. I just can't find the link between Sogavare and the rioters, but he appeared to have exposed this vulnerable situation for his own gain. For instance, he was a part of the government of Snyder Rini, a government ousted by a carefully crafted uprising that targeted the Chinese community in Honiara whom the riot organizers claimed have financially supported Rini camp. Hours after the government collapsed, Sogavare walked the aisle and join the Opposition block and became the Opposition's nominee and eventually won the election and became the PM. One may ask, why was it possible for Sogavare to abandon his gang and won the election of the PM? it is simple, corruption at best!
One of the most amazing aspect of his leadership thereafter, if anyone could recall, was his fight with the Australian government. His mighty ambition only gotten worse with the expulsion of the Australian High Commissioner, his persistence in the creation of the Riot Commission, and his appointment of a former Sex Offender as the Attorney General of Solomon Islands. The defining attitude of his administration was "we don't give as shit what Solomon Islanders want!" But taking on Australia was not an easy task.
One of the most amazing aspect of his leadership thereafter, if anyone could recall, was his fight with the Australian government. His mighty ambition only gotten worse with the expulsion of the Australian High Commissioner, his persistence in the creation of the Riot Commission, and his appointment of a former Sex Offender as the Attorney General of Solomon Islands. The defining attitude of his administration was "we don't give as shit what Solomon Islanders want!" But taking on Australia was not an easy task.
This brings us to another country, Papua New Guinea. He smiles like an honest man, spoke like a very intelligent man, but no one seemed to understand the shrewdness of this short, grey-hair-bearded Papua New Guinean. Sometimes I wonder how many men and women in PNG sacrificed their lives day by day to keep this man in power for the passed 40 years. In a Parliamentary system, a government is formed by a coalition of various parties, which has its vulnerability as a coalition of government is prone to disintegrated over socio-economic issues. Thus, the lifespan of a Prime Minister is not always long compares to a Monarchical leader such as the king of Tonga. In a real democratic country, it is impossible for a single man to remain in power for many many years, unless that leader is a crook. I think this is the case with PNG Prime Minister, Sir. Michael Somare.This Sepik Politician has been PNG's leader, toppling the Queen's head on the PNG currency by printing his own image on the PNG dollar, and often time clashed with Australia on economic and sovereignty issues. But the most amazing single event in this man's political career was when he became a co-conspirator in the illegal smuggling of the Child Sex Offender (SI's Attorney General wanted by Australia) out of PNG into the Solomons in the middle of the night. Indeed, the inability of the PNG's judiciary to bring this man to justice owes, once again, to his (Somare) shrewd character and the number of idiots that watched his back everyday, and his puppets in important offices in the country. The funny thing, however, is how he approached the situation once being questioned of the plight of the Sex Offender who was in his custody on the request of the Australian government. First of all, he ordered the arrest of Julian Moti, Secondly, he flew him off to SI before being extradited to Australia. Then when asked where this Sex Offender was, he said he didn't know and later declared that he had escaped PNG to SI aboard a PNG Defense Force plane. A bold-face lie, and one that could have ended the career of a national leader in a more civilized nation, but not in PNG.
As ironic and stupid as his explanations of the Sex Offender's escape, he formed a commission to investigate it. Investigate it? thats so stupid! I love listening to Reggae music because the messages in Reggae songs are, in fact, applicable in everyday life. Bob Marley expressed something profoundly true, in one of his songs, "Whosoever dig at the pit, shall fall in". In fact, the Commission established by Somare, uncovered some chilling facts into the flight that smuggled Mr. Moti out of PNG. The commission concluded that flight came by way of "executive order" and no one, besides the PM, had the authority to do so. In other words, the chain-of-command acted on the order of the PM, who was Somare himself. Somare was falling in his own pit, but he had one more weapon to use, the power to dissolve the Commission. He ordered the Commission dissolved and filed for a court order to quash the Commission's finding, which I believe is currently under the authority of the courts. Recently, Somare filed unsuccessfully in hight court to remove the Commission's findings in a final attempt to erased any single evidence against Mr. Somare. Amazingly, he won PM's election again and became the PM of PNG. One may ask "Why is Somare still in power even when he was implicated of this conspiracy?' the answer is simple, cronyism and corruption are deeply embedded in PNG politics; those who helped Somare for decades had the blessing of Somare. It doesn't take a scientist to figure out why Somare rose above all odds. Somare still believe he is innocent even when everything points to him as the culprit, co-conspirator, and corrupt leader of a nation infested with white-collar criminals and grassroots thuggery.
In a recent meeting with the Prime Minister of Australia, Kevin Rudd, Somare sat their listening to Kevin Rudd outlining what he believed to be the reason why Australian $200 million annual aid to PNG didn't impact PNG in terms of development. I wonder what went through Somare's head. Isn't this the money that he and his cronies have used over the years on programs and schemes that enabled his reign for many decades? But guilt never been a Somare's problem, its just a blush of the moment, just like any other time in his political career! take for instance his swearing in ceremony not long after he lied about the smuggling of Moti out of PNG. This arrogant PM placed his hand on the bible and sworn in as the PM. No wonder corruption never left our shores!
In fact, Melanesian region is synonymous to many African nations in terms of corruption and using of Military force for the survival of a bunch of idiots. Fiji is another good example. This most successful Melanesian nation is also the most corrupt little military ruled nation in the world. There is no explanation as to why Fiji is ruled by the Military other than that indigenous Fijians don't want to be alienated in their own lands. The Fijians are known to be more lay-back than any other people in the Melanesian islands. They are comfortable with their life, but the fear of being ruled by an Indian had created a new political and military culture instigated by Military leaders themselves. The inseparability of the Military and the indigenous people of Fiji makes this tropical paradise a horrible place to live. There is, indeed, no difference between the regime of the leader of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, and the current government of Bainimarama. The chilling fact is that indigenous Fijians used the Military and local police to acquire political status. In the late 80s, military leader, Sitiveni Rambuka returned to Fiji and overthrew the Fijian democratically elected government in the name of indigenous people. What he established then was a very bad precedent to future leaders as we've seen today. A few years later, George Speight, a self promoted nationalist, seized the Parliament and forced Mahandra Chaldry, the first Fijian Indian Prime Minister, to resign and declared Martial law. Where was Bainimarama? he was away. How coincident was that? but the irony is that Speight was arrested, locked up and plan-B kicked in, the commander of the Fiji armed forces declared military rule and him as the caretaker leader. Why arrested and locked up the coup leader when his plans were carried out thereafter by the military regime? what is the difference between Speight and Bainimarama? Is Bainimarama and the Chiefs Council hatched the Speight coup of 2000 and used Speight as the scapegoat? Something doesn't add-up here! they locked the coup leader but refused to restore democracy in Fiji. Recently, the Bainimarama and the government of Qarase tabled a bill that, if passed, would have freed Speight. A sign that Speight was not acting along when he took over the government.
How about Vanuatu? Vanuatu remains fairly peaceful after years of civil instability which lead to the arrest of the leader of the so-called "rebels" by the PNG army. But the same Melanesian mindset has imprisoned this country for years.
After you read in the news about the corruption of the nations in Melanesian, you would be forced to ask why have these leaders got away with their illegal activities? in the world democracy, various branches of government do serve as checks-and-balances of the governing body. The Judicial, executive, and legislative branches, for instance, are meant to be independent of each other, but in Melanesia, they form a network of trustees. They look out for each other, making justice impossible to achieve for the ordinary people. This networking has kept corrupt nut-headed idiots in executive power for decades, making them immune to the prosecutable procedures designed to keep democratic nations' leaders in check. There is a name for this kinds of behavior in the Melanesian lingua franca, Pidgin; it is called "wantokism," which means in English "it is who you know, not what you know". This is a universal system, but Island nations in Melanesia has given extra attributes to this system, making it more acceptable despite being incompatible with every Melanesian constitution and law. I guess, there will be a time when these nation will hit the floor as Mugabe does in the once prosperous Rhodesia he had turned into a nation of thieves and literally a desert, where y goods in the shops are sold in thousands and millions of dollars. Maybe these Melanesian island nations will open their eyes to see the reality that corrupt people don't always escape justice!
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