Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands: Where to now?
Waku is the pijin English name for the increasingly diverse local Asian community of the Solomon Islands. They have played a large role in the economy for several decades and more recently some have become involved in politics. Some Asians have participated in corruption which helped destabilise the Government in the decades leading up 1998 when the ‘crisis years’ began. During the crisis years (1998-2003) some Waku elements prospered through duty remissions and special deals. The fishery and forestry Audit Reports presented to Parliament in October 2005 show clearly that Japanese, South Korean and Malaysian companies took advantage of the disturbed situation to increase their plunder of the nation’s natural resources. The Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI) which arrived in mid-2003, is intent on exposing corruption and enforcing accountability, but so far the emphasis is on seeking out corrupt indigenous officials. RAMSI has not tackled the illegal operations of the largely Asian-controlled foreign companies. The April 2006 devastation that occurred in Honiara, the capital city of the Solomon Islands, after the election of Snyder Rini as Prime Minister, was targeted at the Chinese. But the underlying dynamic tensions are much wider, and include large-scale corrupt business practices by Japanese, Korean, Taiwanese, Malaysian and Philippines companies as well as by the diverse local Chinese community.
Politicians have blamed the Republic of China for its dollar diplomacy and the media has made much of the Taiwanese connection to the Solomon Islands. However, it would be a mistake to suggest that there is a large Taiwanese element in the local Waku community or that the Waku have benefited from this corrupt diplomacy. A Waku rogue element certainly exists, but it stretches across the several Asian communities. Although there are long-term smouldering resentments against the economic hold of the
Waku is the pijin English name for the increasingly diverse local Asian community of the Solomon Islands. They have played a large role in the economy for several decades and more recently some have become involved in politics. Some Asians have participated in corruption which helped destabilise the Government in the decades leading up 1998 when the ‘crisis years’ began. During the crisis years (1998-2003) some Waku elements prospered through duty remissions and special deals. The fishery and forestry Audit Reports presented to Parliament in October 2005 show clearly that Japanese, South Korean and Malaysian companies took advantage of the disturbed situation to increase their plunder of the nation’s natural resources. The Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI) which arrived in mid-2003, is intent on exposing corruption and enforcing accountability, but so far the emphasis is on seeking out corrupt indigenous officials. RAMSI has not tackled the illegal operations of the largely Asian-controlled foreign companies. The April 2006 devastation that occurred in Honiara, the capital city of the Solomon Islands, after the election of Snyder Rini as Prime Minister, was targeted at the Chinese. But the underlying dynamic tensions are much wider, and include large-scale corrupt business practices by Japanese, Korean, Taiwanese, Malaysian and Philippines companies as well as by the diverse local Chinese community.
Politicians have blamed the Republic of China for its dollar diplomacy and the media has made much of the Taiwanese connection to the Solomon Islands. However, it would be a mistake to suggest that there is a large Taiwanese element in the local Waku community or that the Waku have benefited from this corrupt diplomacy. A Waku rogue element certainly exists, but it stretches across the several Asian communities. Although there are long-term smouldering resentments against the economic hold of the