Fools never learn from their mistakes - the MP's case

In the “culture” of Rennell and Bellona islands, there are certain social behavioural attitudes that considered as humiliating, belittling and disgraceful to the name, image and pride of a person, his or her family and tribe. These unacceptable social behavioural attitudes are - (a) telling lies, (b) stealing and (c) dishonesty. Historically, any person who is known to engage in such behaviour is not only a disgrace to him or herself, but a reflection of his traditional roots. In our modern community descendants of offenders, whose grandparents and parents were known for such practices, are  known and continueing to perpetuate these unacceptable practices big time in recent years.

But these issues are often magnified when the offender is a traditional leader or an elder in the community. In Rennell and Bellona community, our people are living in the shadow of our “Tupuna” (grandparents) achievements, social status and expectations. We are a reflection of our parental roots and we owe them heaps for passing on a proud legacy of leadership tradition that imbedded in it pride, achievements, integrity, ethical standards and expectations for our contemporary political, church and community leaders, chiefs and elders.

 Seth mocked our political struggle was out of ignorance

For decades, the political struggle by the ethnic minority group of Rennell and Bellona Islands, in the Solomons, has been an open secret to every one of our two islands until Seth Gukuna entered national politics in 2006 as the sixth elected leader to represent our two islands since the colonial era until now. Seth’s election was greeted with fanfare and high expectations by voters. His strength is he is a self-made modern leader in a community where leadership is culturally hereditary.

Disappointingly, Seth’s naivety of our leadership expectations was fully exposed in his first year of leadership. He treated people of Rennell and Bellona as second class citizens with an attitude of personally attacking  them and bragging about his educational and professional background in the Solomon Islands media. This unprecedented behaviour by our elected leader became a huge embarrassment, not worthy of associating it with chiefs, elders and people of Rennell and Bellona. Seth also made a mockery of himself in some of his speeches in parliament and media articles, where he belittling journalists, the media, concerned  citizens and critics, who had dared to question his attitude and some of his silly statements in parliament that reflected very badly, not only on himself as a leader, but also on the people he is representing in parliament.

The values that make us what we are today

Unlike Melanesian communities in the Solomons, where anybody can become a chief or leader provided that he or she can steal, dishonest and tell lies big time (to contextualise this issue, please read the book: From Pig Thief to Parliament and the background of Jimmy Rasta, former MP), leadership in Rennell and Bellona Islands is hereditary, regardless of whether a person is educated, rich or poor. Our leaders are groomed to take up leadership positions and they are expected to conform to certain traditional, social and cultural values, virtues and norms in upholding their reputation. For decades, these unwritten rules have been the guiding principles of how traditional leaders turned politicians were chosen and elected to parliament.

Briefly, before Western missionaries arrived on our shores and introduced Christianity in 1938 to the people of Bellona, leadership of the two islands was in the hands of traditional chiefs. Over the past 70 odd years of our integration with Melanesians and Western society, our cultural and social values, virtues and norms have been hybridised – a mixture of Western, Melanesian and Polynesian. But interestingly, people are still maintaining the “core” essence of our culture – respect for our chiefs and elders, who are also principal land owners and custodians of peace and stability in our two islands (to provide detail, please read the following books – (a) South of Guadalcanal, The Romance of Rennell Island, and (b) The Forbidden Island, The Broken Sticks – this book is about Bellona).

As briefly discussed above, our culture does not compromise on these issues and any person who is known for engaging in such practices is not worthy of being respected as a leader. Incredibly, Seth has a history that demonstrated the opposite of the above cultural and social values and norms of our society and he did not hesitant to tell lies, dishonest and steals, to either buy the favour of our people (voters and staunched supporters) or cover-up for his ongoing unacceptable corrupt practices.

The most disappointing thing about  the ongoing and recent allegations of corruption against him is – this is not the first time that Seth has been accused of stealing, telling lies and dishonest. Obviously he hasn’t learnt a lesson or two about his past. To put into context his history of fraud and con, one needs to analyse his past. In mid-1990s, Seth was sacked as a senior manager of the South Pacific Shell (Solomon Islands) for fraud (stealing money from the company). In 2005, he was sacked as Solomon Islands Head of Trade Mission to Taiwan, only to repeat the same mistake of stealing $2m from his own people (Renbel Province) while working as a Policy Advisor under his brother in-law and former Premier Mathew Taupongi Giusang. In 2010, he also lied to the people of Bellona that the solar panels he was distributing in the island to his supporters were from his own pocket. For the record the project was a national government project, which was funded by the Taiwanes government to the tune of $180,000 plus per year. Seth and few of his former MP colleagues were recipients of the solar panel project.

Seth lies over $2m  scam and company shareholding

Additionally; following the revelation of the $2m scam after a number of our people challenged him in the media in 2009, Seth tried to justify his action by admitting that he had taken the grant on the basis that he wrote the project proposal that led to the former Alan Kemakeza-led government releasing the fund. He even added that Kemakeza also told him that the grant could never be released if Tuhanuku remained as a MP for the two islands. To add insult, Seth conned the community leaders and chiefs of Rennell and Bellona via the media and provincial executive by publically claiming that he had allocated shares for our chiefs and the province in the company.

Sadly, during the entire five years of Renbel shipping company operation, Seth did not pay a single cent to the chiefs and province of Rennell and Bellona. Since the election of Seth as the MP for Rennell and Bellona in 2006, his leadership has been dogged by allegations of corruption, telling lies and elaborate cover-ups over fraud and using government grants, fund, projects and CDF as personal gifts to his voters, friends and immediate family members. Sadly, Seth is the sole manager of the $4m government annual grants to the constituency of Rennell and Bellona. How could anybody, including Seth’s educated voters, trust him to sorely manage government grants and funds on the basis of his background?


But the situation could have been even worse for our people if Seth was allowed to do it his way. Again, during his tenure as an advisor to his in-law and former Premier, he also tried to convince him (Giusanga) and his entire provincial executive to import "nuclear toxic wastes" from Taiwan and dump it on Rennell and Bellona. Seth also tried to sell the idea to other provinces, including Makira. Unknown to the people of Rennell and Bellona that Seth was acted as a middle man for the Taiwanese company, which was prepared to pay him a multi-million dollars deal if he had successful in importing the "nuclear toxic wastes" to the Solomon Islands. The deal could have been a disaster to our two islands, which only reflects Seth leadership quality and genuineness to serve our people. Obviously this guy is a jerk. We can only hope that Seth is not going to sell our souls.


Parliamentary speech that humiliates Rennell and Bellona people

Besides his known background as a fraudster, Seth has also made some very bad decisions that are humiliating to the people of Rennell and Bellona. The biggest test of his leadership and vision for the people of Rennell and Bellona occurred in early 2010 following a debate in parliament over the “Political Integrity Bill”. This Bill was initially brought to parliament by the then government of former Prime Minister, Dr Derek Sikua, which Seth was Minister of Tourism. The Bill contained a request by the people of Rennell and Bellona for an additional constituent for the province.

Remarkably, many Melanesian leaders, including the former Prime Minister, were supportive and measured in their speeches and views of the issue, but Seth decided to ridicule the chiefs and people of the two islands in a speech designed not only to mock his political opponents, but show-case his ignorance about the history and struggles of our people. Unfortunately for Seth, who has never involved in the initial planing and negotiation of establishing Rennell and Bellona Province, he made sarcastic remarks about our struggles. The speech also exposed Seth's narrow mindedness, lack of vision, uninspiring attitude and non-appreciation the contributions by our former leaders that shaped and earned our place in modern Solomon Islands. It was a blessing in disguised that the speech simply defined Seth's ordinary status amongst proud  leaders of our two islands.

In a way, the speech did not surprise many of us because Seth background does not match the elementary prerequisites that legitimate leadership in the two islands. As the 24 generations of Rennell and Bellona people, the unwritten rule that governed the democratically election of modern leaders in our two islands is founded on a requirement that leaders have to come from chiefly roots and tribal lineages. Unfortunately, Seth is not in this league. Leadership to him is very new and not in his DNA. Yes, there have been few and far-in-between ordinary citizens, who had taken up leadership in our community at church, community and governmental levels over the years, but some of them have proven to be worthy of their positions. This case has partly explained why Seth has been known in parliament and amongst his political colleagues for making naive  commentaries in cabinet and rude comments in parliament. Sadly it was a clear reflection of his lack of understanding about our cultural protocols and his role as a leader amongst leaders.

History of Leadership in Rennell and Bellona

The above observation is based on the following history. Since the early 1970s, during the colonial days, the community of Rennell and Bellona has been represented by proud traditional chiefs, turned politicians, at national level. Only in recent years that the processes of selecting our leaders at both national and provincial levels has been determined by money - thanks to our new MP Seth. But our history will remain our guiding light.

Our first politically elected leader to represent the people of Rennell and Bellona at national level was George Pugeva, a traditional leader of East Bellona. He was amongst our first educated people of his time. He represented Rennell-Bellona and South Guadalcanal constituent during the early 1970s. Back then, Pugeva provided the path way for modern day politics in Rennell and Bellona. Pugeva has a background in building, construction and management. He became the first indigenous Solomon Islander to be the General Manager of Concrete Industry Company, during the post-colonial era. He left his job and operated his own construction company, the first Rennell and Bellona man to operate a business in Honiara. In later years and early 1990s, he re-entered politics at provincial level, where he became the Provincial Assembly Member for Ward 7, Matangi, East Bellona. During his earlier and later life in politics, Pugeva conducted himself with pride and dignity.

The second person to join the line of duty was late John Tipaika, a traditional chief of the Lugu /Lavagu region of Mid-East Rennell Island. He joined national politics in the late 1970s and in the 1980s and later became a provincial member of our assembly in the 1990s.  The late Tipaika was the first Rennell and Bellona person to obtain education overseas at one of the former British colonial schools in Fiji, where only the children of chiefs and nobles were educated. He was also the only Rennell and Bellona person and Solomon Islander, during his time, to obtain a “Master Pacific” and “Met Foreign Going” tickets as a captain. In his political career, he served as a former minister in several governments and a member of the delegation that also went to London and successfully negotiated the seceding of Solomon Islands from Britain in 1978.

The late Paul John joined the list of our traditional leaders turned politicians. He was educated at Betikama Seven-Day Adventist School and later joined the medical profession and served in various parts of the Solomons before entering politics in the mid-1980s. The late Paul John was a traditional leader of Ghongau Clan, Central Bellona. He remained active in national and provincial politics until his death in recent years.

In the early 1990s, Joses Tuhanuku, entered national politics with a wealth of experience as one of the founding members of the trade union in Solomon Islands. He was also one of the two Rennell and Bellona people to obtain education in Europe in the 1970s. A time when no one from our two islands was even venture out to New Zealand and Australia, let alone America. Tuhanuku has an MA in Public Administration from the Australian National University (ANU). He was also the first person from our two islands and province to obtain such a qualification. Tuhanuku’s contribution to our people’s political aspirations include spearheading the group of traditional chiefs and elected provincial leaders, who had successfully negotiated the seceding of Rennell and Bellona Islands from Central Province in 1993.  To Tuhanuku’s credit, Rennell and Bellona Islands are the only Polynesian islands in the Solomons to have been given a political status. There are over five Polynesian islands in the country, which are still under the political administration of Melanesian provinces.

Tuhanuku is the only former Member of Parliament for Rennell and Bellona to have been elected by the predominantly Melanesian parliamentary opposition to be the Leader of the Opposition in the early 1990s. He had also served as a minister in several former governments and also as shadow minister in opposition. In his impressive career before entering politics, he served as President of the Solomon Islands Labour Party, Leader of the  SI Labour Party parliamentary wing, General Secretary and President of the Solomon Islands Council of Trade Union, former executive member of the Pacific Islands Council of Trade Union.

Additionally, Tuhanuku also played a vital role in supporting the former Prime Minister, Alan Kemakeza-led government attempt to pass the Facilitating Act that enable RAMSI to intervene in the five years ethnic conflict that brought the country to her knees between 1998 and 2003. Despite Tuhanuku being shadow minister in the then Opposition group, he ignored his own political interest by crossing the floor of Parliament and voted in support of the Bill, which was strongly opposed by his political group and most ethnic Malaitan politicians in parliament. Tuhanuku’s decision simply put his colleagues in an awkward position and forced them in the end to finally support the Bill. Subsequently, Kemakeza personally asked Tuhanuku to head a Solomon Islands delegation to a meeting in Sydney in early 2003, where he helped to successfully negotiate and convince regional countries, especially leaders of the Polynesian region with Australia and New Zealand, to intervene in the ethnic conflict. Tuhanuku is a traditional chief of the Ghongau clan of Central Bellona.

Tuhanuku’s brief successor in the late 1997 – 2001 was Joses Tahua, a traditional elder of the Tuhunui tribe of East Rennell. Tahua is one of the remaining elders of a tribal group that had ruled East Rennell and pockets of settlements throughout West Rennell Island, where they ruled with iron fist for decades and only ended in 1934 following the arrival of Christianity. Tahua has a primary teaching background. Despite his modest education and inviting mainstream Melanesian leaders to co-sponsor his election campaign in 1997, Tahua made up for his short comings in modern politics by maintaining self-respect and conducting himself with dignity in his public and private life.

 Joining the above list is current MP, Seth Gukuna. Seth entered politics with a very impressive education, but with a doggy background. He is from Hutuna Village, East Rennell and a self-made modern leader, who has an MBA from the University of the South Pacific, Fiji. He was a former Public Servant Policy Advisor and Head of the Solomons Trade Mission to Taiwan, where he was sacked for drink and drive offences. Like any other candidates before him, he contested and won the election and subsequently re-sealing the road on Bellona Island at the tune of $600,000 to $800,000. Following his first term it was alleged that Seth’s election campaign victory and gravel sealing of the road on Bellona in 2007 was bankrolled by the then government of former Prime Minister, Alan Kemakeza, and the Taiwanese government, who were determined to oust Tuhanuku from politics.

In a span of six years (2006 – 2012 or one and half term), Seth has become a millionaire.  From his humble beginning; living with his in-laws at Laundry Valley, White River and simply catching public transportation, to now owning a fleet of vehicles, building a motel/hotel and privately sponsoring relatives, mistresses and a daughter to study overseas. Just do the maths and tell me how much Seth earns a year? So far, he has served as a minister in two successive governments of different political groups. He joined them, not on the basis of policy conviction, but as a way of accessing funding whenever it is convenient. Since joining the current government, Seth is the custodian of various government multi-million dollars developmental grants, projects, funding plus Constituency Developing Fund (CDF) to our constituency. The question now is – will Seth change his history?