HONIARA: Prime Minister of the beleaguered Solomon Islands Manasseh Sogaware Accusing “Taiwanese agents” of perpetrating the recent political violence escaped a no-confidence vote on Monday that toppled the country. pacific island Nation in crisis.
The pro-Beijing leader comfortably watched the opposition attempt to oust him, winning by 15 votes to 32 after a day-long debate.
Fierce scenes in parliament in which lawmakers trade claims of corruption, coups and shady foreign support echoed recent anger in the streets that prompted the arrival of hundreds of international peacekeepers.
Three days of riots late last month left the Chinatown area of the capital Honiara in ruins and killed at least three people, with dozens of buildings destroyed.
Armed soldiers and police from neighboring Australia, ahead of Monday’s vote, fiji, Papua New Guinea And New Zealand helped operate checkpoints in the rain-soaked city of Honiara to prevent further unrest.
They used shipping containers to seal off areas of the capital strewn with rubble, closed the port to ferries from neighboring islands, and banned alcohol throughout the city.
The officials also warned people against making provocative statements on social media. The prospect of further violence prompted the US consulate in Honiara to restrict operations.
The crisis began late last month when protests about Sogaware’s policies turned violent, fueled by poverty, unemployment and inter-island rivalry in a country of 800,000.
The prime minister on Monday denied the protesters’ demands, telling parliament that leaving office under such circumstances would mean surrendering to “the dictates of hooligans and anarchy”.
“We cannot accept the violence being used to topple a democratically elected government,” he said.
Ahead of the no-confidence motion on Sunday, a large number of people were seen leaving the capital for the provinces by chartered ferry, raising fears of further trouble.
Many of Sogaware’s critics come from Malaita. The residents there believe that the country’s most populous island does not receive its fair share of resource revenue and is neglected by the central government.
An underlying complaint against Sogaware is his 2019 decision to switch Honiara’s diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to China, which had close ties with Malaita.
– ‘foreign partners’ – China and Taiwan have competed for influence in the Pacific for decades, with both sides using development aid as bait, as Beijing attempts to isolate a rival it has been a rival. Rogue sees it as the province that opposes integration.
Sogaware said the opposition conspired with Taiwan to foment unrest in a “coup attempt” in 2019, although he did not provide any concrete evidence.
“If I have to be removed, it must be by legal process, by members of parliament, not by Taiwan agents to resign,” the 66-year-old often said during a two-hour parliamentary address.
At one point the veteran got to his feet and slammed his chair up and down, shouting at Matthew Vale, the opposition leader who moved the motion.
Welle accused Sogaware of using Chinese money to support his government, saying “foreign allies” were being allowed to take away the country’s natural wealth.
The opposition leader condemned last month’s riots, but said, “It pales in comparison to the loot at the top at the cost of the general. Solomon Islanders,
Welle claimed Beijing and Sogaware were funding the payments to gain support ahead of the no-confidence vote.
The central bank has put the damage from the riots at US$67 million, saying 63 buildings were burned and looted in the capital.
It said the unrest would cost around 1,000 jobs and hamper economic growth, with the country experiencing “reverse growth”.
The pro-Beijing leader comfortably watched the opposition attempt to oust him, winning by 15 votes to 32 after a day-long debate.
Fierce scenes in parliament in which lawmakers trade claims of corruption, coups and shady foreign support echoed recent anger in the streets that prompted the arrival of hundreds of international peacekeepers.
Three days of riots late last month left the Chinatown area of the capital Honiara in ruins and killed at least three people, with dozens of buildings destroyed.
Armed soldiers and police from neighboring Australia, ahead of Monday’s vote, fiji, Papua New Guinea And New Zealand helped operate checkpoints in the rain-soaked city of Honiara to prevent further unrest.
They used shipping containers to seal off areas of the capital strewn with rubble, closed the port to ferries from neighboring islands, and banned alcohol throughout the city.
The officials also warned people against making provocative statements on social media. The prospect of further violence prompted the US consulate in Honiara to restrict operations.
The crisis began late last month when protests about Sogaware’s policies turned violent, fueled by poverty, unemployment and inter-island rivalry in a country of 800,000.
The prime minister on Monday denied the protesters’ demands, telling parliament that leaving office under such circumstances would mean surrendering to “the dictates of hooligans and anarchy”.
“We cannot accept the violence being used to topple a democratically elected government,” he said.
Ahead of the no-confidence motion on Sunday, a large number of people were seen leaving the capital for the provinces by chartered ferry, raising fears of further trouble.
Many of Sogaware’s critics come from Malaita. The residents there believe that the country’s most populous island does not receive its fair share of resource revenue and is neglected by the central government.
An underlying complaint against Sogaware is his 2019 decision to switch Honiara’s diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to China, which had close ties with Malaita.
– ‘foreign partners’ – China and Taiwan have competed for influence in the Pacific for decades, with both sides using development aid as bait, as Beijing attempts to isolate a rival it has been a rival. Rogue sees it as the province that opposes integration.
Sogaware said the opposition conspired with Taiwan to foment unrest in a “coup attempt” in 2019, although he did not provide any concrete evidence.
“If I have to be removed, it must be by legal process, by members of parliament, not by Taiwan agents to resign,” the 66-year-old often said during a two-hour parliamentary address.
At one point the veteran got to his feet and slammed his chair up and down, shouting at Matthew Vale, the opposition leader who moved the motion.
Welle accused Sogaware of using Chinese money to support his government, saying “foreign allies” were being allowed to take away the country’s natural wealth.
The opposition leader condemned last month’s riots, but said, “It pales in comparison to the loot at the top at the cost of the general. Solomon Islanders,
Welle claimed Beijing and Sogaware were funding the payments to gain support ahead of the no-confidence vote.
The central bank has put the damage from the riots at US$67 million, saying 63 buildings were burned and looted in the capital.
It said the unrest would cost around 1,000 jobs and hamper economic growth, with the country experiencing “reverse growth”.
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