Kemakeza: From Prime Minister to Jail and Jail to Speaker of Parliament!!

There is a general feeling of unfortunate mistrust between political leaders and ordinary people of Solomon Islands. Ask any civilian in Solomon Islands whether he would want to be a politician in the future and the answer you would get is "no". This general feeling precipitates from the notion that politicians are bunch of corrupt puppets who do not serve the interests, or at least address the needs of the people they represent but their own and that of their cronies. Allan Kemakeza is the living proof of this whole mess.

Well, let me give the man some credits. Asking Australia to come to Solomon Islands was not an easy task, but one that worked for him and the entire nation in different ways. The Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands, known as RAMSI, had made significant contributions to the restoration of the rule of law and sovereignty of the Solomon Islands. It had also brought back businesses and investors to Solomon Islands and quelled all conflicts within Honiara and through out Guadalcanal. Without Kemakeza, Solomon Islands would have reached a complete state of anarchy from 2003 onward.

On the other hand, the man is corrupt. He is, in my view, the most corrupt politician ever walked the floor of the parliament of Solomon Islands. He was incapable of leading Solomon Islands at a time when thugs ruled the streets, however, the punishments he got after being convicted of a host of crimes, were extremely mild and inadequate. His exploitation of the situation for his own benefits demonstrated his inability to make rational judgment and further demonstrated his lack of leadership at a time when Solomon Islands' future was at stake. His only interest at that time was his job as the Prime Minister and his safety in a nation roamed by lawless thugs. His refusal to do what was right back then, like standing up for the rule of law, should have given all MPs a simple question, "is he capable of making the right judgments and fit enough for the job of the Speak of Parliament?". Obviously, that question never crossed the hearts and minds of those who nominated and voted him in as the Speaker of Parliament for the Solomon Islands' parliament.

When all the fighting ceased and the people settled back into their offices and homes, the truth about Kemakeza revealed. The revelation of the dirty underground dealings of the head of the government; the man who took the oath to defend the constitution of the country and protect its sovereignty as their Prime Minister (Kemakeza), came from none other than the former Commander of the Malaita Eagle Force (MEF) Jimmy Rasta and Su'u, one of the leaders of MEF who claimed he received orders from the PM to commit serious crimes, or to be precise; to act contrary to the law of the nation.

Three serious charges, amongst many, were brought against Kemakeza: 1. He advised MEF soldiers to hold on to their weapons despite the TVA which called for both factions to return their arms. 2. He ordered the ransacking of a law firm in Solomon Islands (read the story). 3. Stealing Solomon Islands money, almost a million Solomon Islands dollars, to enrich himself (read it here).

These charges and many others are extremely serious. These charges would land a man in jail for decades if its a developed country, but not in Solomon Islands. You see, Solomon Islands' political leaders are the most corrupt in the region, in my opinion, and I can't go any further to find an example of this statement, because their stories and photos are all over the Solomon Islands media, and now the internet. In all, he is a crook and a corrupt, self-serving politician.
Sadly, he is the man been elected to succeed the outgoing Speaker of Parliament, Sir. Peter Kenilorea. The saddest thing about this whole saga is that our legal system is designed, in my humble assessment, in a way that once you are a prominent political figure or a business man, you are more likely to escape the justice system through manipulation, cronyism, and bribery. Those who nominated Kemakeza and enthroned him obviously don't have any problem with the meaning of the word "corruption", but it doesn't matter at all because they are just like him in many respects. Our laws were created in a manner that the weak, ordinary people are susceptible to be punished severely in courts, but not the high-ups.

Prior to the handing down of the judgment against Kemakeza, politicians, leaders, and his cronies rallied around him. They mitigated on his behalf; pleading for a reduction of his judgment. The number of good things he did for Solomon Islands' were thrown out in the open and his cronies sung in unison the plea to let their so-called "good man" go. However, in the eyes of ordinary people, Kemakeza needed to be put away for a while to compensate for all the mess he brought to the country. Not surprising though, he received only a slap on the wrist; he saved a short time in jail and zoomed back to his volcanic island of Savo. Then on, he fought the law to re-enter government and failed miserably, but he had his cronies in Parliament waiting to drag him back in. They were those he had spoon fed as rookies in Parliament when he was the captain of the sinking boat. Today, he is now the Speaker of Parliament.

This is my message to the criminals out there: If you are a criminal serving time in jails somewhere in the world for corruption, embezzlement, attempt murder, accessory to a crime, ordering the destruction of a private company using illegal weapons and organization, stealing money from a bank, and for bribery, I urge you when your time is up to relocate to Solomon Islands. Here, in our democratic nation, criminals like you, not only walked free, but holding higher offices.

+++God have mercy on our souls+++