National Parliament of Solomon Islands
The National Parliament of the Solomon Islands is the legislature of the Solomon Islands. Its 50 members are elected for a four-year term in 50 single-seat constituencies.
– 14 October 2019)"Solomon Islands' Charles Dausabea dies at 59"
Radio New Zealand International
RNZ Pacific or Radio New Zealand Pacific, sometimes abbreviated to RNZP, is a division of Radio New Zealand and the official international broadcasting station of New Zealand. It broadcasts a variety of news, current affairs and sports programme ...
, 14 October 2019 was a
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands, also known simply as the Solomons,John Prados, ''Islands of Destiny'', Dutton Caliber, 2012, p,20 and passim is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 1000 smaller islands in Melanesia, part of Oceania, t ...
politician.
Early life
After studying at the Honiara Technical Institute in the late 1970s, he attended the Police Training School, and then a police academy in
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
. In the 1980s, while he was serving in the police, he was "convicted of
forgery
Forgery is a white-collar crime that generally consists of the false making or material alteration of a legal instrument with the specific mens rea, intent to wikt:defraud#English, defraud. Tampering with a certain legal instrument may be fo ...
and
receiving stolen goods
Possession of stolen goods is a crime in which an individual has bought, been given, or acquired stolen goods.
In many jurisdictions, if an individual has accepted possession of goods (or property) and knew they were stolen, then the individua ...
", and gaoled."'Solomons' most dangerous' loses menace in dock" ''The Age'', 26 April 2006
Political career
Early career
Entering politics, he sat on the Honiara Town Council in 1990, then entered the
National Parliament
In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
as MP for
East Honiara
East Honiara is a parliamentary constituency electing one representative to the National Parliament of Solomon Islands. With an electorate of 30,049 in 2006, it is by far the most heavily populated constituency in the country, being the only one ...
in a by-election on 19 December 1990, following the resignation of sitting MP
Bartholomew Ulufa'alu
Bartholomew (Bart) Ulufa'alu Order of St Michael and St George, CMG (25 December 1950 – 25 May 2007) was the prime minister of Solomon Islands from 27 August 1997 to 30 June 2000.Solomon Mamaloni
Solomon Sunaone Mamaloni (23 January 1943 – 11 January 2000) was a Solomon Islands politician. He was the first chief minister of the islands, and later served as the prime minister for three spells in the 1980s and 1990s.
Biography
Mamaloni ...
subsequently appointed him
Chief Whip
The Chief Whip is a political leader whose task is to enforce the whipping system, which aims to ensure that legislators who are members of a political party attend and vote on legislation as the party leadership prescribes.
United Kingdom
I ...
Malaita Eagle Force
The Malaita Eagle Force was a militant organisation, originating in the island of Malaita, in the Solomon Islands. It was formed in the early 2000s and soon crossed over to Honiara, the capital of Solomon Islands.
It was set up during 'The Ten ...
during the inter-ethnic violence in which the country descended into chaos from 1999 to 2003. As such, he "played a key role in the 2000 coup", in which the Eagle Force kidnapped and overthrew Prime Minister
Bartholomew Ulufa'alu
Bartholomew (Bart) Ulufa'alu Order of St Michael and St George, CMG (25 December 1950 – 25 May 2007) was the prime minister of Solomon Islands from 27 August 1997 to 30 June 2000.Malaita
Malaita is the primary island of Malaita Province in Solomon Islands. Malaita is the most populous island of the Solomon Islands, with a population of 161,832 as of 2021, or more than a third of the entire national population. It is also the se ...
n community on
Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal (; indigenous name: ''Isatabu'') is the principal island in Guadalcanal Province of Solomon Islands, located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, northeast of Australia. It is the largest island in the Solomons by area and the second- ...
.
On 5 May 2006, following
riots
A riot or mob violence is a form of civil disorder commonly characterized by a group lashing out in a violent public disturbance against authority, property, or people.
Riots typically involve destruction of property, public or private. The p ...
Manasseh Sogavare
Manasseh Damukana Sogavare (born 17 January 1955) is a Solomon Islander politician serving as Minister of Finance since 2024. He served as the prime minister of Solomon Islands for a total of nine years from 2000–2001, 2006–2007, 2014–2017 ...
appointed Dausabea as Minister for Police and National Security. At the time of his appointment, Dausabea had just been arrested, by "Australian and local police" acting within the
Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands
The Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI), also known as Operation Helpem Fren, Operation Anode and Operation Rata (by New Zealand), began in 2003 in response to a request for international aid by the Governor-General of Solom ...
(RAMSI), whereby Australia and other Pacific countries provided essential services to the country after the 1999-to-2003 violence. Described by an Australian official as "the most dangerous man in the Solomons", he was charged with having participated in the riots which had led to the fall of the Rini government. On 9 June, Sogavare "was forced to replace imafter a backlash from local church and community leaders, as well as foreign aid donors". Dausabea remained in gaol during the entirety of his hypothetical time as government minister. The charges were eventually dropped, for lack of evidence amid claims of secret witness payments by the Australian Federal Police to secure their conviction. A Cabinet leak, however, alleged that Sogavare had exerted influence to have the charges against him called off.
On 5 December 2007, Sogavare appointed Dausabea as Minister for Public Service. The appointment was short-lived; the Sogavare government was brought down by a
motion of no confidence
A motion or vote of no confidence (or the inverse, a motion or vote of confidence) is a motion and corresponding vote thereon in a deliberative assembly (usually a legislative body) as to whether an officer (typically an executive) is deemed fi ...
on 20 December.
Dausabea lost his seat again in 2008 after being convicted of
fraud
In law, fraud is intent (law), intentional deception to deprive a victim of a legal right or to gain from a victim unlawfully or unfairly. Fraud can violate Civil law (common law), civil law (e.g., a fraud victim may sue the fraud perpetrato ...
and gaoled for eighteen months.
In 2012 he became the leader of the Malaita Ma’asina Forum, a movement which campaigns for
Malaita Province
Malaita Province is the most populous of the nine provinces of Solomon Islands. The population of the province is 122,620 (1999). The area of the province is .
It is named after its largest island, Malaita (also known as "Big Malaita" or " ...