the Solomons'

What made the Solomons' 'Solo' Go?

From a Honiara correspondent

A kingsize question mark hangs over the resignation from the Solomon Islands Legislative As sembly on December 31, of Mr Solomon Mamaloni, the first Chief Minister of the Solomons and one of the country’s most experienced politicians.

Neither Mr Mamaloni nor Government House, which an nounced the resignation, has given the slightest hint as to the reason for it.

His resignation from his West Makira seat, and the death of Mr Francis Aqorau, member for Vona Vona, Rendova and Tetpari, gave rise to two by-elections which were due to be held on February 18.

Given the present climate of Solomon Islands politics, they were expected to be keenly contested.

Mr Mamaloni was appointed the country’s first Chief Minister in late 1974 when the Governing Council became the Legislative Assembly with an unchanged membership, and a ministerial system each govern ment ministry having a Cabinet Minister at its head was introduc ed.

His period in office was marked by extensive planning for the econ omic, political and social develop ment of the Solomons based on what Mr Mamaloni called “the three Ds” equal distribution of the coun try’s wealth, decentralisation and decolonisation.

Perhaps his major achievement was the introduction of self-govern ment in January 1976, in the face of union opposition. He also handled negotiations with the British Government on outline steps to in

dependence.

He began to put the Solomons on the international map with an over seas tour which took in Papua New Guinea, Japan and New Zealand.

In November, 1975, he resigned as Chief Minister following the Letcher Mint Affair of which he said in a nation-wide broadcast; “Today I resigned from my post because I have caused much embar rassment to my Ministers and the

people of the Solomons as a whole by not informing my Ministers of the minting of coins by the Letcher Mint of California to commemorate in ternal self-government,”

But a month later he bounced back, his colleagues electing him as Chief Minister once again.

He remained in office until the general election in June 1976. In a post-election ballot for the Chief Minister’s job he lost to Mr Peter Kenilorea.

In the weeks preceding Mr Mamaloni’s resignation as Chief Minister rumours were rife in Honiara about an alleged “Mafia” operating in the Solomons which was out to “get” a number of leading politicians, including Mr Mamaloni. One rumour even sug gested an attempt to murder him by poisoning his food.

But well-informed Honiara sources tend to discount such sto ries. A police spokesman is reported by the official newspaper, Solomon Islands News Drum, as saying that the stories were “without support”, and pointed out: “No official com plaint has been made to police, nor have any politicians asked for police protection.”