Achi news desk-
Former Foreign Minister Jeremiah Manela has been elected as the next Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands, defeating opposition leader Matthew Weil in a parliamentary vote.
The result is a mixed bag for the Ownership, Unity and Responsibility (OUR) party of former Prime Minister Menashe Sogbara. The party won only 15 out of 50 seats in the elections held last month. But although Sugawara declined to chair the prime minister this week, his party still had the upper hand in the vote after wooing independent MPs.
So, what kind of leader will Manela be? Will he bring about major changes in the country or its relations with China, Australia and the United States?
Quality of life issues remain a priority
One of the writers here (Claudina) voted in the Solomon Islands general election in November 2014. At that time, political campaigns were low-key and largely localized to certain regions of the country.
Ten years later, we’ve noticed a huge change in the way we run campaigns. This year, the live coverage of campaign events was everywhere on social media, amplifying and sensationalizing the candidates’ messages like never before. Crazy parades that included floats and legions of supporters were common.
Despite all the hustle and bustle leading up to polling day, the main concern of ordinary Solomon Islanders was not political strife, but the dire state of services in the country. The health system is in shambles, the road conditions and infrastructure are bad and there are regular power outages.
The increased cost of living and the lack of educational and employment opportunities only made everyday life more difficult for the residents.
For example, one Isabel County voter told us as part of our research that he doesn’t care which political party his preferred candidate aligns with. His main concern was that his parliament would continue to provide financial support through the Constituency Development Fund (CDF). The fund pays for iron roofing for houses, school fees, outboard engines for transportation, chain saws and other material needs.
Many voters similarly wanted their MPs to join the majority coalition so they could access more benefits through the government. This was the reason that nine of the independent members of parliament who ousted incumbents from the ruling coalition returned to join the same coalition that entered the prime ministerial elections this week.
Manela received 31 votes from lawmakers, which included 15 from his OUR party, three from the Solomon Islands First People’s Party, one from the Cadre Party, nine independents and three other MPs who switched allegiance from Wale’s camp.
It was a smart move for Sugbara and his coalition to choose Manala as their candidate.
Sogavare’s popularity has waxed and waned over the past two decades. He was forced to resign as Prime Minister after votes of no confidence in both 2007 and 2017. He survived another vote of no confidence in 2021, which led to violent protests in the streets of Honiara and the destruction of Chinatown.
Although Sugawara managed to hold on to his seat in last month’s election, he won by just 259 votes. It was his smallest margin of victory since he was first elected to parliament in 1997.
To avoid a similar backlash from voters who did not want to see Sugbara return as prime minister, the logical thing for his coalition was to choose another candidate.
The 55-year-old Manala is from the same village (Samasodu) in Isabel District as the Governor-General, Sir David Wonaghy, which means the two men in the country’s highest offices are closely related.
Menela will probably be an inclusive leader. He has a friendly and humble personality, as reflected in his inaugural speech where he thanked his opponent, Weil, and his coalition members.
Foreign policy is more matter-of-fact
One of the main reasons Sugbara courted controversy was the increasingly cozy relationship with Beijing since his government transferred the Solomon Islands’ diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to China in 2019.
He signed a secret bilateral security agreement with China in 2022 that set off alarm bells in Australia. Another deal came last year to increase cooperation with China on law enforcement and other security matters.
With Manala now at the helm, the country should return to a more business-as-usual approach to diplomatic relations with China. His experience as a career diplomat, civil servant, opposition leader and foreign minister will help him navigate the country’s complex relationships without the fiery rhetoric his predecessor was known for.
Plus, we might finally get to see what the 2022 security deal includes now that a former secretary of state is in charge.
Asked by the ABC if his government would uphold the agreement, Manala said “yes”, then added:
If there is a need to examine it, it will be a matter for China and the Solomon Islands to discuss.
However, he may face pressure from the opposition. Peter Canillora Jr., leader of the political wing of the Solomon Islands United Party (SIUP), has publicly expressed a desire to cancel the security agreement with China.
Manala should also maintain a cordial and perhaps more engaged relationship with Australia. When he announced his candidacy for Prime Minister this week, he reiterated that he would continue the Solomon Islands’ long-standing foreign policy position of “friends to all and enemies to none.”
What is most important to Solomon Islands residents
The wider region must continue to see the plight of ordinary Solomon Islanders as separate from the decisions of its leaders, which sometimes do not necessarily reflect the wishes of the people.
Ask any Solomon Islander in a rural area what he or she thinks about the security agreement with China and the implications for traditional partners like the US, Australia and New Zealand. Chances are he or she might just shrug it off without commenting.
This is because Solomon Islanders have other pressing issues to worry about, such as how to pay school fees, how to feed their families, how to get their children to school when the river is flooding and how to get gas to take an expecting mother to school. The nearest health center. This is what matters most to people’s lives, not diplomatic spats between global powers.
This article was first published in Conversation.
