Sad about the Solomons
It’s a real shame that the situation in the Solomons has deteriorated so markedly since the election, as the feeling immediately after the vote was so positive. Metiria and the other international observers left feeling positive about the process and likely outcome, but it seems that while the vote itself may have run smoothly, picking a Prime Minister from the elected candidates has proved highly problematic.
The new PM has now been sworn in, but it remains to be seen whether the unrest will now be quelled. This Guardian article provides some useful background, and Morning Report this morning featured a very interesting interview about the role and attitudes of the Australian and New Zealand forces in the Solomons. Audio isn’t up yet, but hopefully later today.
April 21st, 2006 at 1:39 pm
I also think it’s a sad that we are sending 50 police officers rather than 50 more soldiers.
April 21st, 2006 at 2:17 pm
Graham reid’s got an interesting backgrounder up on PublicAddress:
http://www.publicaddress.net/default,3091.sm#post3091
The way he paints it, it’d be pretty difficult to be optimistic about the future there.
April 23rd, 2006 at 12:51 pm
Not a lot left to say after reading that piece by Reid.
First the USA pick “good darkies” while they build airstrips, then the chinese go all alt-capitalist in the region, and no-one has the guts to say the foreigners are exploiting the locals, because the Australians want to keep their hands out of the fire (until they send the army in….)
*sigh* well, at least that’s 50 less police fronting up to courts and lying in NZ…
April 23rd, 2006 at 5:06 pm
Which police are those? You love Helen THAT much?
April 24th, 2006 at 1:49 pm
Solomons seem like it’s one step away from completely falling apart at the seams.
I wonder if it isn’t time for NZ/Aust to step back in and run the country - they currently provide military and police personal.
How much more will it take before they become the administrators?
April 24th, 2006 at 3:31 pm
Oh, yes because running a country doesn’t cost valuable resources and money, does it?
April 24th, 2006 at 4:14 pm
Oh, what a shame. Another failure for imposed-democracy. Who’d could predict elected politicians would ignore the country’s interests and instead start squabbling over power? (It’s only happened several gazillion times before).
Just when it looked like the natives were going to settle down under the guns of Aussi/Kiwi policen and troops and behave themselves, perhaps elect a few more corrupt leaders (using our enlightened western system we’ve generously inflicted on them) and let them and some foreign businesspeople control the country and everyone would live happily ever after.
Obviously what they need is some more enlightened foreigners to step in and run things for the peoples own benefit. And who better than the New Zealand political elite? After all, they’d neve line their own pockets at other people’s expenses. You never see them queuing up for directors fees or getting jobs from their mates. They’d never let foreign business take control of a country’s resources. And most certainly they’d never let the land and property of one ethnic group be usurped by another.
Such a pity, but you get that when all you can offer is neo-colonialism, so you’d better get used to it.