Is Manasseh Sogovare Ungrateful, Greedy, or Just Playing Us All?
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11:31 am, July 17th, 2023 - 27 comments
Categories: australian politics, China, International, Pacific -
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So recently the Solomon Islands signed an agreement with China on “law enforcement and security matters”. It’s also right on the 20th anniversary of Australia and New Zealand bailing the Solomons out of a massive civil war.
From 1998 to 2003 the Solomon Islands were a cot case of violent civil conflict with over 200 fatalities.
In one typical example of mass murder, warlord Harold Keke admitted to taking hostage and then murdering six Anglican religious brothers.
So the Solomon Islands reached out for help and Australia and New Zealand got together a 2,000-strong regional law and order intervention force.
About 20 of the deaths were from fighting between militants from Guadalcanal and Malaita, and this was all set down in the Solomon Islands Truth and Reconciliation Report.
The Australian and New Zealand policing force then went about removing 3,700 weapons, arrested 773 people, laid over 1,000 charges against militants, and went on to collect a further 1,755 weapons with an international peace monitoring team and with churches.
Granted the RAMSI force wasn’t a comprehensive nation-building initiative, but it did a strong and effective job that stabilise what was a bloody mess.
In November 2021 rioters tore through Honiara and yup Australian forces were brought in to stabilise the situation again.
So now what we have from the leadership in the Solomons is signing with the Chinese government in a “comprehensive strategic partnership” that will “enhance cooperation on law enforcement and security matters. The Chinese side will continue to provide support and help to Solomon Islands as needed in strengthening Solomon Islands police law enforcement capacity.”
Now, sure should neocolonial all you like and be grateful or not for the service of Australian and New Zealand officers as is your right, but what the hell is going on?
We probably don’t need reminding that the nearby island nation of Kiribati also switched official relations to Beijing in 2019. Sogovare is just playing everyone and putting his price up each time, and it’s pathetic.
It was also in September last year that United States President Biden convened a summit of Pacific Island leaders to unveil a strategy that included climate change cooperation, maritime security, and preventing overfishing, and of course a whole bunch of funding.
It’s beset by poor governance, a highly inefficient public sector, very little capital for development, and high reliance on aid agencies, remoteness, and multi-year crises.
Sure, the Solomon Islands is a weak, mostly subsistence, high corruption state barely recovering from the ravages of COVID, and needs lots of help all the time and likely always will. It will take help and cash wherever it can get it.
But there is no reason to keep bailing the Solomons out when they can’t recognise an ally when it’s been working with them for decades.
And that’s the message Australia and New Zealand need to start delivering nice and straight.
27 comments on “Is Manasseh Sogovare Ungrateful, Greedy, or Just Playing Us All? ”
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What's wrong with the Solomon's having good relations and agreements with many countries at the same time, if it sees this to its advantage?
After all, New Zealand is attempting good relations with China, at the same time as nurturing historic links with the Americans?
Should NZ not have signed the FTA with China, because America helped NZ out in WW2?
Pacific Island countries have every right to sign agreements with whoever they please. And if NZ reaction is to simply cut the links, then China will be more than pleased to pick up the slack.
According to the writer’s line of thinking NZ must also be ‘ungrateful, greedy’ for benefitting from China trade while sucking up to the US. Or the other way round benefitting from US help during WW2 but cultivating strong economic and cultural links with China
I’m sure if Australia and NZ in a fit of pique cut ties and aid to the Solomons, Sogavare (and Beijing) will simply respond “go ahead, make my day”
"What's wrong with the Solomon's having good relations and agreements with many countries at the same time, if it sees this to its advantage?"
There is a lot wrong with asking a foreign power that ruthlessly suppresses dissent and surveils and censors everyone in its own country, to help you control your own country's citizens.
Probably a lot less wrong than aligning with the US, which will either assassinate leaders they don't like, or outright invade with scant regard for civilian casualties resulting in a hecatomb of corpses of innocent men, women, and children.
China's actions in the Pacific are benign compared with the West. Afterall, they have never tested their nuclear weapons down these parts and have not carried out acts of war in the Pacific – such as the French terrorist attack on the Rainbow Warrior.
Rather than so many words – you could summarise with one
"Whatabout…"
I don't like the faults of the USA, France etc in the Pacific and around the world. Doesn't make another power doing bad things OK.
"We probably don’t need reminding that the nearby island nation of Kiribati also switched official relations to Beijing in 2019."
Sorry, that's arrogant neocolonial thinking. So there is something untoward about Kiribati switching official relations to Beijing, when New Zealand did this in 1972, and the US in 1978, and the UK in 1950????
Exposing neocolonial defaults is indeed helpful. China's recycling of patronage is just as valid as ours. However there's little evident comprehension of how to use autonomy with that, in the case of Tibet. Given that centuries of China doing so in an apparent win/win foreign policy is a feasible basis for doing so, it's a puzzle.
I presume a cynic would point to resource extraction as being the difference (heavy metals). If the island leader is aware of the history, he ought to be watching for the repeat pattern. Those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it.
https://americanart.si.edu/artwork/those-who-cannot-remember-past-are-condemned-repeat-it-george-santayana-life-reason-1905
Would a message delivered "nice and straight" have the desired effect? Diplomacy eh?
That nice US opened embassies in Honiara & Nuku'alofa earlier this year. Vanuatu next.
Now, sure should neocolonial all you like and be grateful or not for the service of Australian and New Zealand officers as is your right, but what the hell is going on?
Any chance of editing this so it makes sense? If you're just trying to do postmodernism, then yes, it does work on that basis…
A cringe worthy column. Small Pacific nations have long been dictated to by macro economic and military decisions made far away. French, UK and US Nuclear testing that smashed and ruined atolls, and spread radioactive waste. Marshall Islands and many others are still seeking adequate compensation. US Military bases and surveillance facilities sited on what should sovereign territories all around the region.
And now the Solomons should be grateful because there are US officials and security people galore roaming around the Pacific like they own the place?
Pacific nations need to use all the bargaining power they have in this time of sea level rise and inter imperialist rivalry. The Chinese will build needed infrastructure and mutually beneficial relations rather than the one way street approach typical of the USA.
Big trouble is coming for the Solomons. If Sogovare thinks he can just hand over the place to China for (presumably) wads of cash he will be in for an unpleasant surprise. The US and Australia will not let it happen. Having a potential enemy base astride your sea communications is as unacceptable now as it was in 1942 when it led to the protracted Guadalcanal campaign.
So what should Australia /US do about the ungrateful wretch?
Invade?
Offer larger wads of cash.?Isn't it the Solomon's right to align with whoever they want?
Its not as if they're anywhere near US boundaries, and they're 4,000 kms from Australia.How can their arrangement harm those countries?
Or is the Pacific an American lake now?
Of course they'll invade, except they won't have on account of being invited to intervene on account of instability.
As the OP points out, the Solomons is a highly corrupt, subsistence country tettering on the edge of failed state status. If some corrupt dude is going to run the place, he might as well be our corrupt dude.
Big trouble is coming to Ukraine.
If Zelensky thinks he can just hand over the place to the US for presumably wads of cash he will be in for an unpleasant surprise
Russia will not let it happen
Having a potential enemy base on your boundaries (and threatening your warm water naval base )is as unacceptable now as it was in 1942 when it led to a protracted campaign
You have succinctly nailed the hypocrisy of the war party.
"Big trouble is coming to Ukraine."
The Ukrainian's will be amazed to hear of this brand new behaviour from russia….
Very clever. I bet you got your history degree from an ad on a weetbix box.
Short answer: they are a sovereign nation…
And can deal with who they choose..
It is none of our business/influence..
FDR is reported to have said about Rafael Trujillo, dictator of the Dominican Republic: "He may be a bastard, but he's our bastard."
Which is all the Australians and Americans want in the Solomons.
There you go
The good old rules based order in a nutshell
Just stop pretending there's a moral ethical basis behind foreign policy
These things are not abstract water cooler whatabboutisms.
The latest generation of Chinese MRBMs (Medium Range Ballistic Missiles (the DF-26) have a range of around 3-4000km, depending on the payload. They are based on mobile, wheeled TELs (Transporter/Erector/Launcher) vehicles and can carry a nuclear or powerful conventional warhead (probably 600kg to 1000kg) and are accurate to within 100m.
That puts Auckland well within the range of these weapons.
It makes the use of a nuclear weapon against us possible, since China's strategic weapons (SLBMs and ICBMs) are too valuable to expend on a secondary target like NZ but we would be "suitable" for such a medium ranged weapon.
If we want our ramparts to remain the sea, we need to think about what it takes to keep our potential enemies as far away as possible.
It is hard to turn down the obvious cash handouts and benefits that always come when China wants to establish a base on some neglected Pacific atoll. But perhaps they will come to regret their decision after their fishing grounds are wiped out by Chinese fishing fleets.
The old goose and dander scenario but well as we know US hegemony is a winner takeall no matter the cost
Time we grew up the pacific aint your bitch no more uncle Sam
You the French the English have polluted the place with your nukes yet have we heard of China doing it yet but your territory of Japan is quite happy to dump nuclear waste in the pacific ocean
I think we are looking at this a bit skewed chippy
It's the settling down period after the end of recognition of Taiwan as a nation independent of China, thus establishing relations with Beijing.
China tends to offer favours to such nations to "establish hegemony/encourage dependency" – as of course the West does with foreign aid, but "we do it" because of "our altruism".
The favour this time includes, policing assistance – as one of the former rulers of one of the islands, a Christian, opposed any connection with atheist China and some of his supporters cause problems in the capital. The person concerned was removed from office earlier in the year, but is challenging this in the courts.
Basically the Solomon Islands is a very third world nation, dependent on others to progress. And it's only bargaining chip is leveraging the confrontation over Taiwan's future for advantage.
Just in case anyone missed the raw greed of Sogovare, we have him in his own words straight after he stepped off the plane from China, saying the decision of its "traditional donors" to pull funding support had pushed Solomon Islands to lean on China, who agreed to "fill the gap".
"Some of our donor partners who have committed to providing budget support to us this year have since changed their position and delayed their assistance for us and we are struggling to finance the 2023 budget," he said.
"This has left this country and people in a predicament. But I am delighted to announce, the People's Republic of China has really stepped up to provide this budget support needed for 2023."
https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/493931/nz-govt-says-it-honoured-commitments-to-solomon-islands-rejects-sogavare-s-claims
This is of course straight lies from Sogovare.
In a statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) denied the Australian government had backtracked on any formal commitments.
"Australia has delivered on our budget support commitments to Solomon Islands this year," a DFAT spokesperson said.
"This support has been provided across numerous sectors in Solomon Islands including health, education and elections," they said.
"We continue to discuss development and budget support needs with the Solomon Islands government."
Australia has announced several tranches of direct support in the past two years, including $25 million for running elections in 2024, and almost $17 million for the Pacific Games.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-07-17/solomon-islands-pm-says-china-filled-gap-left-by-aus-nz/102609050
New Zealand did the same.
Sogovare just wants to play us.
Clearly the Solomon Islands want to be recolonised.
Govt of Aotearoa ought to be in liaison with the political opposition there & aussies also, & keep in touch with public opinion there. China will be assessed for the quality or lack in regard to their contribution…
Really, should foreign governments be liasing with NACT here? Reporting on the local situation is best left to politically neutral diplomats.
Playing the jealous ex/aid donor is not smart diplomacy.