Speaker
1: |
[singing].
This is a story of how The Happy Isles were wrecked on the rocks of civil
war, corruption, and bankruptcy. You won't see the faces of many militia men
or politicians who are responsible. They don't like to answer questions. Ordinary
people have little say and are often afraid to speak. Australia is
bankrolling the peace process here with a naval ship off the coast at a
quarter of a million dollars a day, observers ashore and then a aid budget of
20 million dollars, but the process 10 months old now, is bogged down by
vested interests. |
Ezekiel
Alebua: |
Dearest
Modesta and children. Hope you're all well at this
time. And I must thank you for your understanding and patience during this
hard and trying times. |
Speaker
1: |
Ezekiel
Alebua is an important man. Premier of Guadalcanal,
the largest island in the Solomons. We caught up
with him in Sydney recovering from a machine gun attack on him [inaudible] by
two nephews who lead militia forces on the island. |
Ezekiel
Alebua: |
Maybe
this is the sign of the time. Biblically what the Bible says is that the
people will be rising up against each other, brother against brother and
father against son and all these things. Surely our faith in God has seen us
through many hardships. Thank you for your prayers and love. I'm finding
Sydney very cold at this time. |
Speaker
1: |
Outside
the capital Honiara, stand the remains of the Alebua
home. Not quite complete when it was destroyed in last year's ethnic violence
between the islanders. His wife Modesta is most
heartbroken for her eight children, and the two grandchildren she dotes on. |
Modesta: |
Me
as a mother me find it very hard for me and for [foreign language]. And also
very hard to find money to afford [foreign language]. |
Speaker
1: |
Three
Alebua houses were destroyed in the village of Kakambona in the fighting between Guadalcanal people and
settlers from nearby Malaita Island. On the surface it's tranquil now, but
the tensions remain. Modesta wants her husband to
get out of politics while he's still alive. |
Modesta: |
So
far him being [foreign language]. I mean government and him not getting time
for come together with the [inaudible] family. [foreign language] for time
him come back, me tell him for taking risk. |
Speaker
1: |
Tell
him to get out of the politics and stay with the family. |
Modesta: |
At
the same time he must get out from politics too. |
Speaker
1: |
What
is your financial situation now, yours and your wife and your eight children? |
Ezekiel
Alebua: |
Actually
having eight children is not a easy task, to
maintain them. And financially I can simply say that maybe I'm broke. |
Speaker
1: |
You
are broke? |
Ezekiel
Alebua: |
Yes,
I am. |
Speaker
1: |
Few
would deny the family has suffered, but as we'll find out Modesta's
husband, the Premier of Guadalcanal, now faces mounting questions about his
role in events that shook the nation. |
|
So
when he says he had nothing to do with the violence- |
Nollen Leni: |
Do
you believe that? |
Speaker
1: |
...
Do you believe that? |
Nollen Leni: |
I
don't believe that. And I have good reasons for not believing that. |
Speaker
1: |
He
says he's broke. |
Matthew
Wale: |
I
don't believe it. If he's broke, then he's put it elsewhere or it's been
taken off him. |
Speaker
1: |
[singing].
Until three years ago, The Solomon seem pretty much to be as it boasted, The
Happy Isles. It was the poorest Pacific nation, but its people seemed easy
going making do with what they had. The unique pipe bands seem to reflect the
adaptability of Ireland culture. Old thongs to tease the music out of
traditional bamboo pipes, with their modern variant water and electrical
conduit often fetched from building sites. A thousand islands make up the Solomons. Few than half a million inhabitants speaking
eighty separate languages. A nation really only through colonial expedience
as the nation's first prime minister and elder statesman admits. |
Sir
Peter K.: |
Our
nation is such is made up of so much diverse culture and that sort of thing.
And the island feeling and the feelings of I come from this particular island
and you come from that particular one has been throughout the history. And I
think basically it is these differences that has caused us to arrive at the
kind of ethnic situations that as erupted in recent years. |
Speaker
1: |
Tradition
still rules the lives of tribal and family groups called one talks. Literally
one talk, people united by their own particular language. Change, economic or
social, comes slowly. |
|
It
always seems to a visitor that the women seem to be busy working and the men
seem to be busy sitting around talking. Is that the truth? |
Pastor
Malcolm: |
Yeah.
That's really true. Women are busy cooking, cleaning up the homes, taking
care of the children, even carrying firewood, carrying drinking water. All
these. And men are ... Their job is just to clear up the bush and cultivate
the land for plant. Very easy job. A woman always do very heavy duties in the
home. |
Speaker
1: |
The
recent tide of violence has started to change the traditional norms in ways
that confuse and frighten the vast majority of islanders who live in
villages. |
Nollen Leni: |
This
young people are very much aggressive than usual. And they tend not to listen
too much on this community leaders and elder people. So it makes it hard for
this community leaders to control the young people. |
Speaker
1: |
So
that has undermined the leaders in some ways. |
Nollen Leni: |
I
think so, yes. |
Speaker
1: |
And
Nollen Leni adds the power of the churches which
wield enormous moral authority has been suddenly diminished. |
Nollen Leni: |
The
role of churches has been undermined. It is easy for churches to control the
people than politicians. |
Speaker
1: |
So
you would say they failed in their role of leadership of- |
Nollen Leni: |
They
have failed, miserably failed. |
Speaker
1: |
Into
this climate of uncertainty come the peace monitors. Local people travelling
through villages to persuade them the troubles are over and every weapon
should be handed in. Unarmed foreign observers mainly from Australia and New Zealand
provide logistics and backup. The process began with enthusiasm, but it's now
eight months behind schedule and running out of steam. Elders often say they
no longer have the authority to order young men to hand in guns. In this
village, the young men are notable for their absence. |
Pastor
Malcolm: |
It's
very hard for them because if they do then [inaudible] will just shoot them
or ask them money because they go against their plans and orders. |
Speaker
1: |
Do
you think that will change back again or has this situation changed forever? |
Pastor
Malcolm: |
Respect
and all these will not be so respected like [inaudible] people. |
Speaker
1: |
Does
this make you sad? |
Pastor
Malcolm: |
Yeah. |
Speaker
1: |
Homemade
guns using ancient ammunition left by the Americans after the Second World
War are trickling in, but there are hundreds of high powered weapons still
hidden in villages and jungle. As a result, the process has reached a
critical stage as the leader of the Indigenous Peace Monitoring Council, Sir
Peter Kenilorea admits. |
Sir
Peter K.: |
We
feel that the original and the former enthusiasm that was once there by
certain members of the parties to the agreement are no longer there. |
Speaker
1: |
Have
you reached a critical stage, do you think? |
Sir
Peter K.: |
Yeah.
I think we do have that kind of situation now because a lot of demands or
obligations under the agreements have not been achieved. And by that fact
alone, it's a critical situation. |
Nigel: |
Good
morning. My name is Nigel. I come from Australia and I'm here as a team
leader for the IPM team. The IPM team members are sitting around you. And we
come from Australia and New Zealand and ran the Pacific islands. Our role is
to- |
Speaker
1: |
The
peace accord is struggling because the Solomon's government is weak,
factionalized, self-serving and corrupt. Without signs of real determination
to reform at the centre, militants will not give up their high powered guns,
nor will villagers feel safe to surrender their only means of defence. And
there are worrying reports of a growing trade in high powered arms from
Bougainville. |
|
So
how much money do you spend on those guns? |
Speaker
9: |
14,000.
7,000 each, Solomon dollars. |
Speaker
1: |
And
these are for high powered weapons? |
Speaker
9: |
Yeah. |
Speaker
1: |
7,000
dollars? |
Speaker
9: |
Yeah. |
Speaker
1: |
And
you paid your money for it? |
Speaker
9: |
Yeah. |
Speaker
1: |
Did
you think that the government would give you back that money? |
Speaker
9: |
That
is just a big question. |
Speaker
1: |
But
you gave 7000- |
Speaker
9: |
7000. |
Speaker
1: |
...
dollars for each of those guns. |
Speaker
9: |
14,000
for two. |
Speaker
1: |
And
who did you give that money to? |
Speaker
9: |
In
Bougainville. |
Speaker
1: |
This
was once the multi-million dollar Australian gold mine, Gold Ridge. It had
hardly begun operations before the violence closed it down. Today it's home
to a few squatters scrabbling for gold in the slag. Economically the islands
have shot themselves in the foot. If it wasn't for international aid, 20
million dollars a year from Australia alone, the nation would be broke.
Virtually every major industry has closed down. Plant and equipment wrecked.
Rebuilding in the current climate is impossible. |
Rick
Hou: |
When
law and order is not under control then no investor will come here. No
investor, even those who are already in the country will not want to do
anything. Unless everybody is confident that the police is on top of law and
order. |
Speaker
1: |
Which
there's little doubt that it is not at the moment. |
Rick
Hou: |
Any
investor here ... and I'm talking about both foreign and local investors.
They will have the same answer to it, and that is they don't have any
confidence. |
Speaker
1: |
As
the nation's central banker, Rick Hou is scathing of the politicians and
bureaucrats he's witnessed feeding at the trough of the nation's dwindling
finances. This year, they'd been exposed granting themselves and their
friends millions of dollars in customs and tax exemptions. |
Rick
Hou: |
Those
who are receiving these remissions are those that are very close to the
government and other individuals. And even former combatants, militants and
friends of those who perhaps in government. It's a corrupt and an evil thing
to do in government. |
Speaker
1: |
While
the nation's leaders line their pockets, Honiara's hospital is so poor,
relatives have to feed the patients. It can't pay for a full staff of doctors
and there aren't enough drugs to go around. |
Speaker
11: |
I
think we have to accept that sometimes you can't win. There's not enough
resources to adequately manage this hospital. And the most place, the human
resources we don't have enough staffing to look after most of the patient. |
Speaker
1: |
Yet
the government has showered its cronies with exemptions and fraudulent
compensation payments worth about 30 million Australian dollars, amounting to
more than the nation's annual health budget, and more than Australia gives in
annual aid. |
Dr. Lester Ross: |
You
have money going to different places. It does sort of affect us. And we just
hope that the government understands the seriousness of the problem. We keep
reminding the government through the normal channels. |
Speaker
1: |
Money
that should be ... is desperately needed, I suppose- |
Dr. Lester Ross: |
Money.
Yeah- |
Speaker
1: |
...
In the health system. |
Dr. Lester Ross: |
...
That's right. We desperately need that amount of money. Yeah. |
Rick
Hou: |
On
one hand we are giving away millions of dollars, and then on the other hand
we go to the donors and asking for money. I think this is nonsense. |
Speaker
1: |
And
it is squandering of the resources, isn't it? It is squandering of aid money. |
Rick
Hou: |
I
mean, it's just plain nonsense. I mean, anyone in their right mind shouldn't
be doing that. |
Speaker
1: |
The
men who run the country from the increasingly decrepit streets of Honiara,
don't want to explain themselves and dodge requests for interviews. They've
also been trying to delay elections due at the end of the year for which
Australia has already donated the funds. Under strict orders from the prime
minister not to discuss policy, the parliament's only woman, a junior
minister was left to defend the indefensible. |
Hilda
Kari: |
That
bill actually is a standby bill. It's a bill to ensure that all the relevant
aspects of the electoral law are met, are put in place properly. Everybody
who wants to vote are registered properly, that we are not just racing
through because we want an election done. As you know we have just come
through rough waters. The environment is still not really to a position that
we would like it to be for an election. |
Rick
Hou: |
I
think it's very clear and very obvious to all and some islanders that there
is no two way about it. We have to have a general election this year. This
will only be the first step, and it's a very, very important step. |
Speaker
1: |
And
the lights go out. Rick Hou hardly notices. It's such a regular part of
Honiara life today. Australia spends about 90 million dollars a year keeping
the flag waving off shore, but the frigate has little enough to do since
military intervention has been ruled out. For sure Australia is pressing hard
for the elections to be held. But many believe Canberra has squandered its
influence. By helping to legitimise the government installed by a coup last
year, they believe Australia's commitment to democracy and the restoration of
law and order has been undermined. |
Matthew
Wale: |
Australia
would be quite happy with a minimum form of democracy in the Solomons, so long as it does not threaten why the
Melanesian security? Which would be a security problem to Australia. And I
think there has been part of that influence on how Australia has conducted
its foreign policy here. |
Speaker
1: |
It
was on Guadalcanal that the Americans, and their allies changed the tide of
the Second World War against the Japanese in the Pacific. And at the same
time, unwittingly lit the slow fuse that ignited ethnic tension more than a
half century later. Unmentioned at the war memorial are the thousands of Malaitans brought to Guadalcanal to work for the war
effort. They proved willing workers. And when the war ended they stayed and
prospered, and local resentment against them grew. |
Sir
Peter K.: |
The
other people from various parts of Solomon Islands, including Malaita come to
Guadalcanal for employment purposes. And so because they're here for
employment, they take employment and work seriously. And as such the rate of
success amongst the immigrants, if we can call them, people who come from
different islands, is understandably higher than people who are here who may
be taking things for granted. |
Speaker
14: |
I
think enough is enough. [foreign language]. |
Speaker
1: |
So
who fanned the flames of resentment? A rising grassroots movement known as
The Civil Societies, believes that as in South Africa, that there can be no
reconciliation until the truth comes out. |
Matthew
Wale: |
I'm
an optimist. I am a Solomon Islander. I want to build this nation, and I feel
time will catch up. And people will demand the truth be known. |
Sir
Peter K.: |
People
do not want to come out to say that I believe this person is involved, I
believe this person might be responsible. |
Speaker
1: |
So
in the end the bank is swept under the carpet. |
Sir
Peter K.: |
Maybe
very difficult to get the truth out. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. |
Speaker
1: |
But
some are prepared to break the Island's notorious code of silence alleging
that amongst the leaders who helped arm the militant civil war was the man we
met in Sydney, Guadalcanal Premier, Ezekiel Alebua. |
Nollen Leni: |
We
don't know what he was up to, but he spend most of his time roaming around
these roads. |
Speaker
1: |
Looking
for what? |
Nollen Leni: |
I
think he was chasing up the boys to look for all these old time war bombs and
prepare for the war. |
Speaker
1: |
So
all this time you believe he was actually helping to arm these Guadalcanal
boys. |
Nollen Leni: |
Exactly. |
Speaker
1: |
Do
you have evidence of this? Do other people know that this is absolutely true? |
Nollen Leni: |
Well,
there are people who witness that he was driving up this way, trying to find
these old time bombs and find what we can do. |
Speaker
1: |
This
is the ammunition dumps left behind by the Americans in World War- |
Nollen Leni: |
Oh,
yes. |
Speaker
1: |
...
Two? Nollen Leni says there has to be a full
investigation into Mr. Alebua's actions and into
accusations that he like other politicians has dipped into a swill of
questionable compensation payments. |
Nollen Leni: |
I
think it would be best for him to come out and tell the truth. And if he has
done injustice or anybody else for that matter, they should be put to justice
and see that things are done that satisfies everybody. |
Ezekiel
Alebua: |
I
simply say that since it happened, and the people of Guadalcanal started, I
happened to be ... unfortunate that I was ... Well, I'm the premier, and it
happened during my time I accept responsibility. |
Speaker
1: |
You
accept responsibility. Do you think you did anything, which exacerbated the
situation? |
Ezekiel
Alebua: |
I
have not. That I will bluntly deny. I have not. And I've been trying to
recall all my actions and what I've said, I can't remember having contributed
to that. |
Speaker
1: |
Did
you encourage people to arm themselves? |
Ezekiel
Alebua: |
I
never at any stage encouraged people to arm themselves. |
Matthew
Wale: |
I
think there are questions of: one, his involvement right from the beginning
going as far as him planning a lot of the violent evictions of Malaitans, two, the activities that were conducted. It
was obvious that there was a level of complicity on the part of the
Guadalcanal provincial government and the militants, and three, what benefits
did he derive out of it? It is becoming obvious that he did derive benefits. |
Speaker
1: |
Whoever
was responsible, the nation's future has been jeopardised, especially amongst
those who should have most to hope for, the young. |
Speaker
15: |
[foreign
language]. |
Speaker
16: |
[foreign
language]. |
Speaker
1: |
There
are not enough schools. There are no jobs. Many former militants are
unwilling or unable to return to their villages. The crime rate in Honiara is
soaring. The sense of dislocation is absolute and so is the sense of loss. |
Speaker
16: |
[foreign
language]. |
Speaker
1: |
Throughout
the islands, the police force has been totally discredited by ethnic
divisions and by the fact that many militants had been welcomed into it's ranks. |
Paul
Kini: |
There's
a big problem with the police. The first problem I saw is ... since the
recruitment taking enough people. I mean, they just- |
Speaker
1: |
These
are former militants. |
Paul
Kini: |
Yeah.
They just recruit unnecessary. And there are officers in there, they don't
really understand what the law is. |
Speaker
1: |
So
do you think that since the coup people have started to lose respect for the
police? |
Paul
Kini: |
Yeah.
Since they themselves didn't stick to their oath. Yeah. They are making oath
to serve the nation, but since they break the oath, the democracy of this country
is not ... I mean, what should I say? Working on [inaudible]. [singing]. |
Speaker
1: |
A
very few youth leaders are trying to rebuild from the ashes. These are The
Youth Ambassadors for Peace. Many of them former militants now jobless,
homeless, and passing their days in a haze of marijuana. Nevertheless,
they've convinced [inaudible] to donate gardening equipment so they can start
cleaning up the decrepit capital. |
Paul
Kini: |
[foreign
language]. |
Speaker
1: |
In
a country where the politicians are doing little enough to progress the cause
of peace, some may genuinely start trying to turn their swords into
ploughshares. But it is beyond Honiara, in villages isolated by the nation's
disintegrating infrastructure that the most solid foundation for peace maybe
found. [singing]. The indigenous and international peace monitors are
witnessing a growing sense of unity amongst one section of islanders who
shown more determination than any other group. This is a women's peace
meeting. Some have walked for hours through jungle to get here. When the
ethnic violence broke out, women acted where tribal chiefs and church leaders
failed. |
Hilda
Kii: |
[foreign
language]. No more fighting between Malaitans and
Guadalcanal. [foreign language]. No more road block. No more bunker. No more
holding of gun openly. Although inside [foreign language] inside. |
Speaker
1: |
During
the troubles, women proved to be a formidable force for peace. |
Hilda
Kii: |
In
fact, they have already done a lot to get us to where we are today. They have
gone through bunkers and roadblocks and boy standing there with guns. And
then they cry with them and talk with them. And I think by doing that, it
melt the heart of the boys and some positive result. |
Speaker
1: |
Hilda
Kii and others like her want the Island women to
flex their newfound power by standing for parliament. They hope that where
men have failed women can succeed. |
Hilda
Kii: |
We
are more powerful than the men. Because we are the mothers of the boys or the
men of the children. And we can use our motherliness to change the heart of
this boys or this men. So I think they have more power to change the
situation. |
Pastor
Malcolm: |
There
are times that they do not have the right to speak in the council of chiefs
in all this. They cannot come to express their rights in all this. But the
problem nowadays, when people are looking at it and we begin to see the
importance that they have, important roles. And from now we begin to allow
them. [singing]. |
Ezekiel
Alebua: |
Upon
such tentative foundations, hopes have to be built in the Solomons
today. Much though most people would like things to go back to the way they
were, it'll never be that way again. |
Nollen Leni: |
It
used to be The Happy Isles, but now it's no longer The Happy Isles. I don't
know when we will get back to Happy Isles again. Maybe it will or will not. |
Ezekiel
Alebua: |
The
longed for elections may mark a new beginning, but recovery if it comes will
come in a island time. That is very slow indeed. |