Confidence Game

Vohor, who won office in July, is planning to move three amendments in the October session of parliament, which would radically alter the rules of Vanuatu politics.

The first amendment will seek to remove the current requirement for a national referendum on any proposed constitutional amendment involving electoral or parliamentary matters. This would mean that such amendments could then be made with the support of two-thirds of the parliament.

If successful, this change will pave the way for easy passage of the other two planned amendments.

One of these seeks to prohibit votes of no confidence in the first two years and final fourth year of a parliament's life.

The other would make it impossible for members of the government to cross the floor without losing their seat.

Vanuatu Foreign Minister, Barak Sope meets Australian Federal Police and Vanuatu police officers deployed to Solomon Islands as part of RAMSI. Photo: Courtesy of RAMSI

The moves to entrench the government follows a rocky few months for the Vohor-Sope Coalition which clashed with Australia in September as well as its own judiciary after both the prime minister and his foreign minister, Barak Sope were charged with different civil offenses.

An attempt to arrest Vohor on contempt of court charges led to a move to sack the country's police commissioner, Robert Diniro who was finally suspended along with his deputy and the commander of the Vanuatu Mobile Forces.

A major crisis in Vanuatu-Australian relations was only narrowly averted after Foreign Minster Barak Sope ordered the deportation of two Australian Federal Police officers.

Working in Vanuatu as liaison officers, the two were told to go after it was claimed permission for their presence in the country had not been properly sought by Canberra.

In fact agreement was reached with the previous government of Edward Natapei and the two AFP agents were tasked with working with Vanuatu's own law-enforcement agencies on issues of mutual concern; the growing transnational crimes of drug trafficking, money laundering and people smuggling.

The crisis with Canberra was eventually averted when Prime Minister Vohor intervened saying the two AFP officers could resume their duties while new terms of references are negotiated.

In an interview with Pacific Magazine soon after the incident, Sope conceded that the impact of such international police work did not sit well with Vanuatu's status as a tax haven.

In 2002 Sope himself was convicted of fraud for his role in signing government bank guarantees issued against what was fraudulently alleged at the time to be the world's largest ruby.

A master political survivor, he was eventually able to use his connections and political clout to secure a presidential pardon on the grounds of illness. He recovered sufficiently to contest the general elections forced upon the nation earlier this year after a deadlock in parliament largely brought about by his supporters.

However Sope is now facing fresh charges in relation to the 2002 fraud conviction under the country's leadership code, with the case listed to be heard in the Vanuatu Supreme Court.

Former ombudsman and chair of the Vanuatu Chapter of Transparency International Marie Noelle Ferrieux-Patterson, believes there is a clear link between how the Vohor-Sope Government wants to do business and the move against foreign officers and advisors.

Ferrieux-Patterson believes neither Sope or Vohor is comfortable with the success Australian and other aid donors have had in strengthening Vanuatu's young and relatively weak legal system.

"I don't hate Australians, I have a lot of friends in Australia but I am also a nationalist who fought for independence, what I don't want to see is Australia use aid to dominate, to be a bully in the Pacific, says Sope.

"It is already happening, now if you even disagree with their policy they threatened you with their aid," he said in a reference to the Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer's comment that throwing out AFP officers and accusing Australian advisors of spying, did nothing to build Australia and other aid donors' confidence in Vanuatu's new government.