Abstract

Manasseh Sogavare was Prime Minister of Solomon Islands from 4 May 2006 until 20 December 2007. Several times since independence, Solomon Islands has been at cross-roads where its leaders have made deliberate choices that altered the direction of the nation. This occurred again under the leadership of Sogavare. The national political process has always revolved around strong leadership from prime ministers who combine traditional Melanesian bigman styles with control of a modern parliamentary system in which many members are Independents. Even MPs in political parties have few ideological allegiances and tend to focus on undisciplined self-promotion. Nonetheless, the nation has always been guided by its national Constitution, the rudder of the ship of state. Solomon Islands underwent ‘crisis years’, 1998–2003, when militia from two neighbouring islands were involved in conflict based on unequal economic development. Then in mid-2003 the Pacific Islands Forum sent a Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands to restore order and restructure and strengthen governance. The article surveys the earlier changes of direction and then concentrates on the Second Sogavare Government. Under Sogavare, there were signs that the Constitution was being flouted more frequently and that the nation was moving into uncharted waters. A comparison is drawn with Fiji, where four coups d’état since 1987 have irrevocably altered the post-independence status quo, and there is analysis of the increasingly poor relations between Australia and Solomon Islands under Sogavare. It appears that a creeping coup took place in Solomon Islands, as an increasingly strong leader slowly altered the political system.

DOI: 10.1111/j.1478-0542.2008.00511.x