What role for Canadians?

In July 2003, Solomon Islanders watched as close to 2,500 troops, members of an international police and military force, spilled from planes and ships into their capital city of Honiara. The intervention, entitled Operation Helpem Fren, led by Australia and supported by New Zealand and several Pacific nations, represented the first phase in what many believe will be a decade-long intervention to address the breakdown of democratic institutions and the crisis of development that has unfolded in the Solomon Islands over many years.

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For many Solomon Islanders, the intervention has provided a welcome respite from years of internecine violence that has threatened their security and undermined economic gains made over the past 20 years. But for others, the military action is akin to re-colonization, to the roots, some say, of the poverty and conflict themselves. From whatever vantage point one takes, however, the vista is unforgivingly clear: Solomon Islanders are becomingly steadily poorer and prospects for future development appear nowhere in sight.

Ranking 123 out of 175 on the U.N.'s Human Development Index, and with a GDP growth rate of negative 10 per cent annually, the Solomon Islands is among the poorest nations of the world. Its population of just under half a million people live primarily in rural areas, speak collectively more than 120 indigenous languages and dialects, and are scattered over about 350 of the nation's 992 islands. Almost half the population is under the age of 15, and youth alienation and disaffection are among the most urgent challenges confronting the nation today. While the Solomons is rich in several natural resources, including timber, gold, lead and bauxite, many of these resources remain untapped, and indeed efforts to exploit them have led to protracted ethnic violence and environmental devastation. Many argue that the source of today's problems lies in the Islands' entangled history of tribal conflict, colonial rule, embrace of modernism and development itself.

Indeed, few would disagree that this history is complex. Religious divisions superimposed by rival missionary groups exacerbated long-standing ethnic divisions that the archipelago's geography only seemed to heighten. These tensions deepened further under the colonial administration that encouraged migration across traditional tribal boundaries, and tended to favour one tribal group over another. At the same time, efforts to thrust the Solomon Islands into the vast global economy--through the development of export commodities such as tuna and copra--pit this tiny island nation against a sea of savvy giants. Exposing the economy to the fierce competition and erratic forces of the global market place has only served to increase the country's economic vulnerability.

Moreover, the clash of ancient and modern traditions in both the political and economic realm, has also determined the course and speed of the nation's development. The long-standing Big-man patron-client wealth distribution system was clearly at odds with modern market principles being introduced. And centuries-old social and political traditions challenged the practices upon which the success of new democratic institutions was predicated. To make matters worse, the colonial administration invested little to train and develop the cadre of bureaucrats necessary to ensure the efficacy of the modern governance system. Corruption flourished, the economy stagnated, struggles over land access and title were ubiquitous. And when independence from Britain came suddenly in July 1978, Solomon Islanders found themselves ill prepared and equipped. In the end, as former Prime Minister Solomon Mamaloni once said of his country, the Solomon Islands was a nation "conceived but never born".

The past five years have been particularly challenging as armed militants have opposed or protected entrenched political and economic interests. When the current prime minister finally sought Australia's military assistance, there was little semblance of law and order, at least on the main island of Guadalcanal. More than 200 people had been killed during the conflict, though no official count has been conducted, and corruption in government has bankrupted the national treasury.

Today, the international troops continue to keep the peace, having decommissioned what was essentially a corrupt and ineffective police force, implemented what appears to be an effective plan for disarmament, and created an interim governing body that is trying to stabilize the budget and implement economic reforms. But what does the future hold for the majority of Solomon Islanders?

After extensive community-based consultations, the Solomon Islands Christian Association, a newly formed and increasingly influential coalition of civil society organizations, is seeking parliamentary approval for a Truth and Reconciliation Commission, modeled after those created in South Africa and East Timor, to deal with the immediate racially divisive and traumatic impacts of the conflict, and to seek ways to rebuild trust within and between communities. Other smaller, but significant efforts are being made by local women's groups, youth associations, churches and community-based organizations to rebuild schools, markets, and the bonds of community life. Aid, which continues to arrive from Australia, New Zealand, and other Pacific nations, is focused on enhancing the judiciary, strengthening the educational and health sectors and rebuilding the foundations of the nation's democratic institutions.

What role should Canada play in this challenging new era? PPP and our Canadian partners believe that small, strategically allocated contributions of technical, financial, and institutional support--support focused on our strengths in peace-building, conflict resolution and post-conflict reconstruction--can have a significant and meaningful impact on long-term development prospects in the Solomon Islands.

Over the next year, Pacific Peoples' Partnership, along with the Anglican and United Churches of Canada, will be working with groups in the Solomon Islands to develop a uniquely collaborative programme focused on rebuilding local organizations and their capacity to reunite communities and build a national consensus towards a new development vision for the nation.

(As this issue goes to press, PPP's executive director is meeting with a host of community organizations and leaders in the Solomon Islands, implementing the first phase of a new long-term programme of development, solidarity and support between Canadian organizations and counterparts in the Solomons.)