Freedom in the World 1999 - Solomon Islands

1999 Scores

Status: Free
Freedom Rating: 1.5
Civil Liberties: 2
Political Rights: 1

Overview

Ethnic tensions between the Gwale people, 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 when lightly armed militants of the Gwale majority, calling themselves the Istambu freedom fighters, 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 and/or 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 government revenue, was especially hard hit. The government declared a state of emergency, and Alebua called for a media ban on statements about the ethnic unrest in his province. In July, 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, it is unclear whether a lasting peace will prevail. The government said there is evidence of the formation of a Malaitan military group.

The government replaced the Police Field Force, a paramilitary unit, with regular police. Muturangi Hika, a Maori from New Zealand, was chosen as the new police commissioner. Hika's appointment was made possible by the government's decision to "delocalize" several senior government positions, including commissioners of land, forest, and police. In July, the government announced plans to amend the constitution to be more reflective of island traditions. A constitutional review committee will be formed, and people are invited to comment.

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 British Commonwealth in 1978.

Politics in this parliamentary is characterized by frequently shifting partisan loyalties. In 1990, Solomon Mamaloni, who was then serving his second term, quit his ruling party and formed a "national unity" government that included opposition politicians. Mamaloni later formalized this as the Group for National Unity and Reconciliation (GNUR), which took 21 of 47 seats in the May 1993 elections. In June, an opposition alliance formed in parliament to elect as prime minister Francis Billy Hilly, a businessman who ran as an independent.

In October 1994, Governor General Moses Pitakaka removed Hilly after the prime minister lost his majority support in parliament over his declaration of a moratorium on the profitable logging industry and his handling of relations with neighboring Papua New Guinea. In November, parliament elected Mamaloni as prime minister, who immediately ended the logging ban, partially in response to a financial crisis that, by 1995, had the economy near bankruptcy.

In the August 6, 1997 elections, Bartholomew Ulufa'alu, a former labor leader who headed the Alliance for Change and its dominant Solomon Islands Liberal Party, 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, attracted critical support from foreign banks and aid donors. The GNUR won 25 seats in an expanded 50-seat parliament, and the Alliance won 24, with 1 seat vacant. Mamaloni unexpectedly decided not to seek a fourth term. On August 27, parliament elected Ulufa'alu prime minister.

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 on September 18. The opposition was weakened by defection within its ranks. On October 8, former prime minister Solomon Mamaloni was sworn in as leader of the opposition to replace the ailing Job Duddley Tausinga.

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 the British monarchy is represented by a governor-general. Traditional chiefs wield formal authority in local government. 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, and the state-owned Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation's (SIBC) radio service 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. Although public assembly requires a government permit, none is known to have 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.

Citizens are free to travel domestically and overseas. Women face discrimination in education and employment opportunities, and authorities have not sufficiently addressed the problem of domestic violence.