Judgment of Solomon: Council lacking

Solomon: Council lacking

From a Honiara correspondent Elected member for Makira, Solomon Mamaloni, at 2 8-years old the youngest politician in the

Solomons, and regarded by

many as the enfant terrible of the House, has returned from his first visit to Britain with his wits, to say nothing of his knives, newly sharpened, to do battle at

Governing Council’s meeting in

August.

Ever vociferous, since he gained his seat, in his criticism of the new con stitution, which brought in 1969 an elected majority and the committee system, he is, after his recent talks with British politicians and a repre sentative from the Seychelles (the latter abandoned the committee sys tem several years ago), even more convinced that his country is develop ing along the wrong lines politically.

The constitution is not right, he says firmly, but though he is quick to point out what is wrong, it is not easy to discover exactly what he wants.

His main complaint is that plans are formulated in semi-secrecy at committee level, and it then befalls the unfortunate members not on that committee to explain away to their constituents decisions and policies which, he claims, are often both un popular and incomprehensible to them. Carrying the can in this way, he affirms, can cause members to lose both face and confidence in their districts.

He quotes as an example the re cently negotiated fishing survey of Solomon s waters by a Japanese com pany, which he condemns as set up without consultation outside the Natu ral Resources Committee. He claims that many members are having enough trouble reconciling their con stituents to the presence of the Japanese already in their midst.

Mamaloni shrugs off any suggestion that some shortcomings could be laid at the door of unpractised members,

and might not be the fault of the system. He is convinced that even with more experienced politicians, the committee system would not work.

Conversely, he does not feel that the move toward independence is too fast for members or their electors and wants no slowing down, particularly over localisation of government posts.

He admits that his very tight sche dule in Britain, meeting politicians, trades union officials, educationists and other Commonwealth Parliament ary Association delegates like himself, gave him insufficient time to assimi late everything. But, he has, nonethe less, returned with some very clear impressions of the British way of life which, on the whole, he finds to his taste.

He regards the Westminster system of government as the most democratic there is, and this, one feels, is what he really hankers after for his own country.

Seeing the British on their own ground for the first time, he thinks the British in the Solomons are not typical. He claims he found their counterparts in Britain, both in and outside the civil service, more open and sympathetic, and friendly to a degree he had not experienced before.

He noted particularly that Britons walking the streets seemed preoccu pied with problems and worries, and one feels strongly that he wishes a little more of this awareness of the reality of life was evident among his own countrymen. He praises the orderliness and discipline of British drivers, and confesses he felt much safer in a car in London’s traffic than he now does back in Mendana Ave nue.

At the May meeting of Governing Council, members voted to raise their salaries to $3,500, with $5,472 for committee chairmen, and there has been a great deal of criticism of this move at the present crucial stage of the protectorate’s economic de velopment.

Mamaloni feels strongly that better salaries will attract better men, but asserts that he is definitely worse off financially with his $3,500. Previ ously. when his tax-free salary was low, he had all his expenses paid.

Now, with his travelling, living ex penses and income tax to pay, plus the fact, he says, that he works far harder than he ever did as a civil servant, Mamaloni feels that an elec ted member’s lot is not a happy one.

It had been suggested to him, he

said, that he would have a better career if he returned to the civil ser vice, but he made no comment on how he felt about his political future.

The next election, due in 1973, could make his mind up for him.

The final proof of the Solomons’ pudding will be in the eating, still sometime in the future. While the in gredients are still being mixed. Mama loni is determined to try and give it his own particular flavour.

• Leading West German film producer Dicker Seelman recently visited Nauru to make a 45-min. colour television film which will be shown on leading European networks.

Mr. Seelman, who is head of Monitor Films, one of Europe’s largest film production units, spent a week on Nauru. Interviews with the Acting President, Mr. Austin Bernicke, and the Minister for Finance, Mr. James Bop, were filmed.