The cause of "blatant" corruption in the Solomons

Prime Minister Gordon D Lilo

In recent weeks, Prime Minister Gordon Darcy Lilo and few of his cabinet ministers have been accused of corrupting the government and creating a rogue state, where corruption is no longer considered as shameful and illegal, but an act of defiance against critics. Despite mounting pressures from the media and the public for the Prime Minister to take decisive action against corruption within his executive government, Lilo appears to be undeterred over the past weeks.

Instead, Lilo boldly announced yesterday that he was taking a 16 member delegation to the United Nations Assembly in the States, despite criticisms to the affect that the trip was a big waste of tax payers’ money. And an excuse to reward loyal politicians and lobbyists, which also clearly demonstrated a new culture of “blatant” corruption of rewarding crooks.

In the context of the Solomon Islands government, this phenomenon has risen to prominence recently through the actions of the current Prime Minister Lilo, the Minister of Finance, Ricky Hou, and the Minister of Infrastructure Development, Seth Gukuna.

Lilo and his colleagues are the architects of this new culture of “blatant corruption” in government, where the perpetrators and their actions remain unscathed by the law, and unashamedly arrogant in the face of opposition. They’ve also shared a common response of: “yes but what is your problem”. In Bellona and Rennell community, we term it as: “O’ kaea?” Or in Pijin: “yes bata hem hao”).

In the history of Solomon Islands political development, there is only one type of corruption that is known to the media and the people:  “Discreet Corruption” (Doim haed nomoa).

Corruption is considered as the most harmful and damaging act of self-serving that impacts negatively on nation building. It can clog, deny, damage and prevent leaders and governments from acting and taking decisions in the best interests of a country. Additionally, it also prevents countries and leaders from acting accountably, transparently and responsibly in providing and delivering effective services, benefits and opportunities to their people regardless. The opposite is true if corruption is the mainstay of a government.

In recent years, the act of “blatant" corrupt has reached a new height in the governance of Solomon Islands. Prime Minister Lilo and two of his ministers, Ricky Hou, and Seth Gukuna have been accused of arrogant and “blatant” corrupt practices. This is occurred as a result of the Prime Minister and his ministers' rewarding of overseas trips and grants to loyal colleagues, in the case of Lilo, and prioritising funding and grants to their relatives, families and friends; including a wife and a daughter, in the cases of Hou and Gukuna.  Now the situation is out of control in a government where majority of the politicians are the most educated in the country.

Lilo is an MA graduate in Public Policy from the Australian National University (ANU) and former Finance Minister; Hou is a former Governor of the Central Bank of the Solomon Islands (CBSI) and former World Bank Senior Advisor, based in the USA, and Gukuna is also an MBA graduate from the University of the South Pacific (USP) and former Solomon Islands Head of Trade Mission to Taiwan.

Today, the above cases have worsened the situation, which was created by post-coup successive governments (1998-2012), where politicians and bureaucrats were allowed to get away with “blatant” corrupt practices. Since then, we’ve seen our national agenda being hijacked and taken over by politicians, who act in their best interests and those of the Asian logging companies. This has resulted in an untenable political climate of uncertainty and a race to the bottom of immorality.

In the past, discreet corruption was the norm. During those years, politicians who were involved in corrupt practices were easily blamed for their educational deficiencies (no sukul gud). Now the situation has changed, with most senior politicians graduating from universities in Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Papua New Guinea. But the case has brought with it an arrogant sophistication and know-how of dealing with modern political demands. Over the past ten years, our country has seen the worse of our educated leaders.

No one could overlook the role, which was played by educated leaders and individuals from Malaita and Guale, especially those people who had planned and executed the coup of June 5, 2000. It was a tragedy, which also put fuel to the fire of “blatant” corruption. In more ways than one, blatant corruption is a bi-product of politicians using money (provided by loggers and Asians) to bribe (indirectly or directly) community leaders and people to vote for them during national elections.

These transactions are often carried out by third parties on behalf of intending candidates in a discreet manner during weeks and days leading up to elections at community level under the pretext of “kastom”: The act of distributing money and material goods as gifts to people and in turn obligated them to vote for the giver during elections. But it also reproduces other major problems, including negligence by leaders of their primary obligations to their constituents.

In the end, when these individuals become government ministers, backbenchers and even Prime Ministers, they only act in the best interests of their financiers and a few selected individuals, without any feeling of guilt over their negligence of their people. In essence, vote buying has given politicians the justification to maximise any opportunity in recouping money spent during elections by prioritising their own interests in awarding themselves and their families and supporters government funds and grants.

This situation has recently highlighted by the Leader of the Opposition, Dr Derek Sikua, who accused Prime Minister Lilo and many of his colleagues of being co-workers in exploiting the country’s small resources to aid the business interests of foreigners. The other interesting twist to this new culture is the fact that political leaders are becoming bolder in their corrupt practices. Investigations are no longer needed, as they brag of their misdeeds in the media. They (MPs) have demonstrated a clear act of contempt against the processes of democracy, knowing that government institutions are highly compromised and too weak to prosecute and charge them.

In recent years, Lilo, a logger himself was accused of using money to pay $500,000.00 each to the 29 members of parliament, who voted for him, during the motion that ousted former Prime Minister Danny Philip. In the Melanesian culture, Lilo’s method of vote-buying, has secured his position until the end of his tenure, regardless of the illegalities and massive injustices associated with his actions, both previous and ongoing.

The recent allegation against Lilo, emerges in the face of already existing ones including: (a) misappropriation of a government multi-million dollars computer project for schools, under his custodianship as Minister in 2007; (b) misappropriation of funds for the Gizo Hospital and tsunami rehabilitation program under his tenure as Minister in 2007; (c) releasing an Asian tug-boat (belonging to Earth Movers Logging), which was under a High Court order and Police custody without paying the $2m fine in 2009; (d) allowing marine resources under a moratorium to be exported by an Asian businessman, who was caught twice for breached of his licence in 2009 and 2011; (e) appointing a Malaysian Director of the Earth Movers logging company to be in the Board of Directors of the Solomon Islands National Provident Fund (NPF) in 2007/8 and (f) allowing the reappointment of a CEO of the government subsidised, Solomon Airlines, whom he had earlier accused of exploiting the company for his own business interests in 2012.

Now it is very difficult to think that Lilo and his colleagues will ever change their attitude. The sad thing is; the long term consequences of “blatant corruption” will continue to undermine any attempt by donor partners and the public service to rebuild public trust on politicians, government institutions and the ailing economy of the country.

I guess the best option that the international donor community should take is to stop providing grants and funds for so-called national projects and programs, which will end up in the hands of government ministers, backbenchers and their families.