High Court judge removed in Kiribati
The Parliament in Kiribati has voted to remove David Lambourne as a judge of the High Court. This is the latest twist in a long-running saga that has drawn the concern of the UN Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers. The Parliament voted after the tabling of a report from an independent Tribunal which recommended Lambourne’s removal for “misbehaviour”.
Further to his being removed from office, Lambourne has been issued with a Deportation Liability Notice. He has been given three weeks to leave Kiribati after which he will be deported. This is despite his being a long-term resident of the country and married to an i-Kiribati citizen. Lambourne’s wife, Tessie, is currently the Leader of the Opposition in the Kiribati Parliament.
This development is the latest in what has been a sustained attack on the independence of the judiciary and the rule of law in Kiribati.
Government formation negotiations underway in Solomon Islands
Now that the voting and counting is over, the work of forming government is underway in Solomon Islands. Rival groups have established camps at hotels in Honiara. These are the sites of intense negotiation and horse-trading ahead of the election of the Prime Minister in Parliament on Thursday May 2nd.
A significant development came on Saturday with an announcement that the Solomon Islands United Party (SIUP) led by Peter Kenilorea Junior has joined CARE, bringing the total number of seats they control to 20. However, the big surprise was on Monday when Manasseh Sogavare announced that he would not be nominated as the candidate for PM by the OUR-based Coalition for National Unity and Transformation (CNUT). Instead, CNUT is nominating former Foreign Minister, Jeremiah Manele. CNUT is claiming that they have secured 28 MPs which would give them a majority when Parliament sits.
Other Pacific News
In Papua New Guinea, Prime Minister James Marape joined his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese to walk part of the Kokoda Trail. The leaders reflected on their countries’ shared past and saw it as an opportunity to deepen their personal and political relationships.
There has been more political drama in Fiji with the coalition government continuing to teeter. Most recently, we have seen newly elected leader of the SODELPA party, Aseri Radrodo, reinstated as Minister for Education after being sacked three months ago by the PM.
Health authorities in Samoa are working to contain and address a recent outbreak of dengue fever. Since November of last year there have been 250 cases of dengue recorded, prompting clean-up campaigns and other preventative measures.
Issues associated with labour are continuing to gain in prominence at the regional level. Recently, leaders of Pacific governments called for the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat to convene a meeting of the region’s Labour Ministers ahead of the Leaders’ meeting in August.
In Abu Dhabi the women’s cricket team from Vanuatu took the ICC T20 World Cup qualifier by storm by beating Zimbabwe on the opening day. They were defeated by the Netherlands in the next game and will go on to play Ireland in their next fixture.
Dr Tess Newton Cain is a Senior Research Fellow at the Griffith Asia Institute and project lead for the Griffith Pacific Hub.
