Politics
No Need To Fear, Kemakeza Tells Solomon Islanders
'They are coming to help us, not harm us'
The explanatory words of Prime Minister Sir Allan Kemakeza were meant to soothe the 450,000 people of the Solomon Islands. "It will be strange at first to see so many foreigners wearing uniforms, driving army or police vehicles around town or flying overhead in their helicopters," he said in a July 15 message to them. "But the majority of Solomon Islanders, who live peaceful, law-abiding lives, have no need to fear."
 |
|
|
Ten days later the Solomon Islands partially lost the independence it got from Britain in 1978. The loss began with the arrival at Honiara by air on July 24 of the first of about 1300 Australian troops to secure ground for cleaning up the mess that many Solomon Islands politicians and armed thugs some of them colluded with, have dumped their country in while dropping into their pocket every dollar of public money remaining to be squeezed from a wrecked economy.
- ADVERTISEMENT -
The Australians jumped into the Solomons firstly in their national interest and, less so, for the rescue of the significant business stake they've long had in the country. Australia's Prime Minister, John Howard, in one pronouncement on the intervention, insisted that it was no selfish act of neo-colonialism, just merely a response to a cry for help from a friend. But in other remarks, he said, the Solomon Islands was in danger of becoming a "failed state".
 |
|
|
If Australia did not lead the charge to the rescue, then it would be confronted with future challenges by the potential exploitation of a climate of unrest and instability by drug runners, money launderers and terrorists, he claimed. To avoid being perceived as being big, bad, overbearing Australia anxious to emulate America's new "pre-emptive", meaning attack first policy, the Australians in July convened in Sydney an emergency meeting of Pacific Islands foreign ministers of the Forum country group. It got their blessing for the intervention, which Kemakeza's government had already asked for.
The Australian presence in the Solomons, for a period and in numbers no one is yet quite sure of, is being watered down by New Zealanders and small numbers of Fijians, Papua New Guineans, possibly some Samoan policemen, and maybe a few Cook Islanders. France offered help but got a cold and suspicious shoulder from Canberra, which on the other hand is begging Japan to help with costs. What will those costs be? Initial Australian remarks mentioned about A$85 million a year for up to 10 years.
Later, in July, Howard spoke of a bill of A$200-A$300 million a year. The Australians hope their troops, only 200 of which are actual fighting men, with the rest present for support functions, will be present in the Solomons for perhaps no more than three months. That will be sufficient, they hope, to settle the hash of wild armed goons who for months have intimidated Honiara and some other localities. The goons are the remnants, now bandits and politically-backed intimidators, of the raggle-taggle forces that fought each other in higgle-piggle fashion during a two-year small civil war in which Guadalcanal landowners tried to drive settlers from the neighbouring large island of Malaita back to their home island.
The first Australian objective is to disarm these people, killing some of them if need be, and also to kill or capture a renegade Guadalcanal bush fighter, Harold Keke, who with a small band of followers is said to be holed up in a small locality on the remote "Weathercoast" (west coast) of Guadalcanal. He's alleged to have murdered up to 50 people, including a government cabinet minister, and to be holding a number of people hostage.
New Zealand is supplying 35 policemen including 10 currently in the Solomons, for up to two years, plus 105 army men with four helicopters, support staff, logistics, communications, an engineering unit and a small medical group. An infantry company is on stand-by New Zealand aid for the Solomons will be increased by NZ$6 million this year to NZ$14 million and perhaps more in the following years.
Fiji has supplied 123 troops mainly paid for by the Australians. Before dispatching their men, the Australian asked for and got an invitation to intervene from the Solomon Islands Governor-General, acting on the advice of the Solomon Islands Government, and the enactment by the Solomons' Parliament of the International Assistance Bill. This describes the invading peace force as the Visiting Contingent (VC).
The Solomon Islands may at any time, in writing request the withdrawal of the VC within three months. The VC's head will be named by Australia in consultation with the government. The head of the "participating police force" of about 300 Australian federal police, and some others, will be an Australian who will also be deputy police commissioner. VC troops are authorised to carry and use guns as necessary and use such force as is reasonably necessary to prevent locals from wicked doings. They have police powers of arrest and can detain and disarm any illegally armed people and seize illegal weapons The Solomon Islands police commissioner, Bill Morrell, recruited from Britain several months ago, remains head of the police.
The legislations allow for the declaration of "controlled weapons areas" in which the possession of illegal weapons will fetch a fine of up to S$25,000, or up 10 years jail, or both.
Kemakeza, in his soothing message to the nation a few days before the invasion began, said: "In a very short time we will be welcoming hundreds of our regional neighbours. They are coming to help us, not harm us. They are not coming here to take our jobs or take over our country. They are not coming here to cause trouble or increase our problems. They will be here for a short time to help us break the cycle of crime, greed and corruption that has plagued our country for many years. By being here and helping us, they will give us the space and time and assistance we all need to return law and order, recover the economy and restore lasting peace."
The war, which drove at least 20,000 people back to Malaita, caused the death in action of about 100 men and displaced many thousands more, also wrecked the Solomon Islands economy by chopping all the industries it stood on. Palm oil plantations lie abandoned and ruined, probably far beyond the point of being worthy of reinvestment. A gold mine was wrecked, tuna fishing reduced to a shadow of its former value, tourism eliminated, although this is now slightly recovering and logging reduced. Logging has been resumed but ruthless loggers have cut most valuable trees down.
In some areas they are reported to be out of control in ignoring all rules and exporting clandestinely, beyond the sight of forestry officials and customs men. Forests don't have many more years of exploitable trees left. Even before fighting broke out in 1998/1999 the state of government was abysmal; years of corrupt and ineffective government had seen to that.
During and since the fighting, standards of government have slid down even more alarmingly. Civil servants suffer for months without pay; their offices have been looted of equipment and vehicles by thugs wielding guns; records have been destroyed; most government departments are barely operating. Armed thugs frequently make demands for money the Treasury is unable to resist. In Honiara, residents name government ministers they accuse of deep, consistent corruption and of collusion with gangster gunmen. The Australian and New Zealand foreign ministers have intimated that intervention won't be limited to cleansing Solomon Islands society of the gunmen. Corrupt politicians and police are also targetted, they said.
While Visiting Contingent troops may have come and gone in a few months, apart from a few remaining as logistical support, Australian sources suggest the job of rebuilding the Solomon Islands public service and economy could take 10 years at least. Australia is reported to wish to saturate the public service with up to 100 Australian public servants in key finance, prisons and justice jobs and to require unrestricted access to finance and payroll records. It wants the government to reappoint as Reserve Bank governor the highly regard Rick Hou, who in June said he would not be asked for an extension of his present expiring contract.
On the eve of the peace invasion, the outlaw Keke, reported by Radio Australia, said he was the general of the Guadalcanal Liberation Front and he was happy troops were on their way to help. He was being unfairly blamed for lawlessness; corrupt politicians were the real trouble, he complained. "The government blames me for everything but I am only fighting for my people.
"Foreign troops were welcomed as long as the first priority is to disarm the militants in Honiara and get rid of corrupt politicians. "Ever since the ethnic tensions began I have been waiting for an honest and neutral police commissioner that I can deal with to straighten out these matters. I believe William Morrell is honest." Keke promised he'd soon release hostages, including several members of the Anglican Melanesian Brotherhood who had entered his territory hoping to broker peace.
