Freedom in the World 2001 - Solomon Islands

2001 Scores

Status: Partly Free
Freedom Rating: 4.0
Civil Liberties: 4
Political Rights: 4

Ratings Change

The Solomon Islands' political rights rating changed from 1 to 4, its civil liberties rating from 2 to 4, and its status from Free to Partly Free, as a result of ethnic violence in the past 18 months which brought about a complete collapse of all government institutions.

Overview

Ethnic violence between the Malaita Eagle Force (MEF) and the Istambu Freedom Movement (IFM) in the last 18 months brought about a practical collapse of all government institutions, killed more than 70 people, and ousted Prime Minister Bartholomew Ulufa'alu. New elections on June 28 elected Manassah Sogavare as the new prime minister.

In early August, Temotu, Western, and Choiseul provinces all declared themselves semiautonomous states in order to collect revenue to continue government services. A ceasefire agreement was reached later that month and signed on October 14. The conflict also crippled the island's economy and affected international commerce for other countries in the region. Guadacanal island has the country's only international airport and its two international seaports, which are region's transport hubs.

The Solomon Islands, a twin chain of islands stretching nearly 900 miles in the western Pacific, became a British protectorate in the late 1800s and an independent member of the Commonwealth in 1978.

Politics in this parliamentary system is characterized by frequently shifting partisan loyalties. In August 1997, Bartholomew Ulufa'alu, a former labor leader who headed the Alliance for Change and its dominant Solomon Islands Liberal Party, was elected the prime minister. Ulufa'alu pledged to implement public service and finance reforms to end government corruption and mismanagement. The restructuring program, which includes cutting more than 500 jobs from the oversized civil service, won his government critical support from foreign banks and aid donors. However, Ulufa'alu's government was shaken in mid-1998 by the defection of six parliamentarians. Ulufa'alu narrowly survived a vote of no-confidence in a special legislative session in September that year when the opposition was weakened by defection within its ranks.

Ethnic tensions between the Gwale people, who are natives of the island of Guadacanal, and those from the island of Malaita (60 miles away) worsened in January 1999, when Ezekiel Alebua, premier of Guadacanal, asked the government to pay his province for hosting the capital, Honiara, and suggested that people from outside the province should not be allowed to own land there. The Gwale majority has long complained that migrants from elsewhere in the Solomon Islands are taking local jobs and land. Fighting broke out in June 1999 when the IFM's lightly armed militants of the Gwale majority struck in the countryside and then moved to Honiara. The conflict caused at least six deaths and forced an estimated 25,000 Malaitans to flee from their homes or to return to Malaita. The government invited Commonwealth special envoy Sitiveni Rabuka, a former prime minister of Fiji, to mediate the conflict.

Business declined as much as 50 percent as a result of the violence. Tourism, a key source of revenue, was especially hard hit. The government declared state of emergency, and Alebua called for a media ban on statements about the ethnic unrest in his province. In July 1999, the conflict ended with the signing of the Honiara peace accord. Under the agreement, the militants agreed to disarm in return for an official review to ensure "even development" throughout the islands. On October 23, the Solomon Islands, Fiji, and New Zealand signed a peace agreement on the deployment of a multinational peacekeeping force. However, the peace process failed, and violence continued in the year 2000.

In June 2000, a coup led by MFF took over the capital, Honiara, and captured Ulufa'alu. Lawlessness ruled in the streets and militias shot at innocent people. To bring the MFF to the negotiation table, the new government of Sogavare paid $1.6 million in compensation for lost land and damaged property suffered by the Malaitans. The peace agreement includes provisions for laying down arms and establishing a cease fire-monitoring group. Following this, a peace agreement was signed in Australia on October 14. Peace remains tenuous and the police are still unable to bring peace and order back to Honiara. To consolidate the peace process, a new Ministry of Rehabilitation, Reconstruction and Redirection will be created and premiers of the various provinces met to consider implementing a federal system.

Political instability has greatly reduced government revenue. Only $252 million in normal revenue is expected against a $471 million budget. Desperate for new funds, Sogavare sought additional assistance from Taiwan, even threatening to switch official diplomatic recognition to China. He also skipped the annual summit for South Pacific Island leaders in October and to go instead on a fund-raising trip to East Asia.

Political Rights and Civil Liberties

Citizens of the Solomon Islands can change their government democratically. Under the 1977 constitution, the 50-member unicameral parliament is directly elected for a four-year term. Executive power is vested in a prime minister and cabinet, and a governor-general serves as head of state. Traditional chiefs wield formal authority in local government. In July 1999, the Ulufa'alu government announced plans to amend the constitution to be more reflective of island traditions. Party affiliations are weak and based largely on personal loyalties.

The country's three private newspapers vigorously criticize government policies, but have limited circulation outside the towns. There is a private FM radio station; the radio service of the state-owned Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation is the most important source of information and generally offers diverse viewpoints. The government appointed a prominent local journalist to head the SIBC in 1998. In mid-1998, an Australian television channel began broadcasting to the Solomon Islands. Curbs on the media were imposed during the state of emergency in Guadacanal in 1999, and the government was slow in lifting them even after ending the emergency.

Religious freedom is respected in this predominantly Christian country. Freedom of assembly is also respected in practice. Although public assembly requires a government permit, none has been denied for political reasons. The law recognizes the right of workers to form and join unions and to strike. Approximately 10 to 15 percent of the population are employed in the wage economy, and about 60 to 70 percent of those are organized in trade unions. Disputes are usually referred to the independent Trade Disputes Panel for arbitration. Unions frequently exercise their right to bargain collectively. In July 1998, the Public Employees Union initiated a strike following the government's refusal to negotiate plans for downsizing the country's large public sector.

The judiciary is independent, and procedural safeguards are adequate, with a right of ultimate appeal in certain circumstances to the Privy Council in London. The constitution provides for an ombudsman's office to investigate claims of unfair treatment by the authorities, but its effectiveness is limited in practice by a lack of resources. There have been occasional reports of police abusing suspects. The government replaced the Police Field Force, a paramilitary unit, with regular police. In 1999, the Ulufa'alu government appointed a Maori from New Zealand as the new police commissioner to "delocalize" several senior government positions.

Citizens are free to travel domestically and overseas. Women face discrimination in education and employment opportunities. Critics have demanded greater government efforts to address domestic violence. Concerns about AIDS has increased although the country has only one HIV-positive case reported and no AIDS cases.