‘Tyranny’: Sogavare extends rule in Solomon Islands

Solomon Islands’ PM Manasseh Sogavare has extended his government’s term, passing a controversial amendment delaying next year’s election amid opposition claims of ‘tyranny’.

Solomon Islands Opposition Leader Matthew Wale. Picture: Facebook

Solomon Islands’ Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare has extended his government’s term, passing a controversial amendment delaying next year’s election amid opposition claims of “tyranny”.

The constitutional change passed the nation’s parliament 37-10 on Thursday after Mr Soga­vare attacked Australia’s offer of election funding so the poll could go ahead on schedule in 2023.

He said he would take the money to stage the poll after January 2024 – at least eight months after it was due.

In the local Tok Pijin language, Mr Sogavare declared: “They’ve offered now, so you get ready, brother, to fund the costs.

“It’s a big cost. The Electoral Commission needs a lot of money. So you offer, you must prepare to give us the money that you said you want to offer us.”

The passage of the bill comes five months after the Prime Minister signed a security pact with China, giving him access to Chinese paramilitary personnel to suppress civil unrest.

Opposition Leader Matthew Wale accused Mr Sogavare of “autocratic tendencies”, declaring it a “terribly sad day for Solomon Islands”.

“The government’s majority has been turned to tyranny to ­stifle due parliamentary process, to trifle with the people’s right to vote four years from when they last exercised it.

“This is not an isolated issue but the latest symptom of a dying democracy and flirtations with autocracy.”

Just weeks out from his state visit to Australia when he will be hosted by Anthony Albanese at The Lodge, Mr Sogavare piled criticism on Australia’s election funding, accusing Foreign Minister Penny Wong of seeking to “directly interfere in our domestic affairs … when this is a matter that is before this very house”.

Mr Sogavare had argued the country, which will host the ­Pacific Games next year, could not proceed with the election on its normal timeline because of a clash with the regional sporting event, and could not afford to do both in the same year.

Mr Wale said the country could afford to run the election and host the games in 2023 “with the support of our donor partners, who have said as much”.

“As to whether Solomon Islands can afford to host both events in the same year, I have only this to say, ‘Yes, we can’.”

He said the constitutional amendment to delay the election reflected the government’s “total disregard for an electoral mandate, (its) total disrespect to the people’s franchise”.

Mr Sogavare survived a vote of no confidence in his leadership in December with the help of cash payments to his supporters from a Chinese slush fund, but opposition MPs said it was unclear finding promises had been made to pass the constitutional amendment on Thursday.

Senator Wong pledged Australian funding to allow the country to proceed with the election, after a public call by Solomon Islands’ opposition MP Peter Keni­lorea Jr. She said there was nothing unusual about the offer.

“It reflects our longstanding and historical commitment to supporting democracy and democratic processes in Solomon Islands, and we’ve previously offered support and we are offering support again,” she said earlier this week.