Harry Iaris Iauko (died 10 December 2012"State funeral in Vanuatu for Minister of Infrastructure and Public Utilities"
Radio New Zealand International, 11 December 2012) was a

Ni-Vanuatu Ni-Vanuatu (informally abbreviated Ni-Van) is a large group of closely related Melanesians, Melanesian ethnic groups native to the island country of Vanuatu. As such, ''ni-Vanuatu'' are a mixed ethnolinguistic group with a shared ethnogenesis tha ...

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

. He was a Member of Parliament for Tanna, representing the

Vanua'aku Pati The Vanua'aku Pati () is a democratic socialist political party in Vanuatu. History The party was founded on 17 August 1971 by Walter Lini as the New Hebridean Cultural Association, renamed later that same year as the New Hebrides National Part ...

, from 2008 until his death.

Political career

Secretary-General of the Vanua'aku Pati

In 2005, he was appointed Secretary-General of the

. He had been described as "the architect of the re-election of (Edward) Natapei" to the party's leadership. ''

The Contemporary Pacific ''The Contemporary Pacific: A Journal of Island Affairs'' is an academic journal covering a wide range of disciplines with the aim of providing comprehensive coverage of contemporary developments in the entire Pacific Islands region, including Mel ...

'' alleged that Iauko had "made a number of promises to various people in return for votes". In 2008, Vanuatu's

Ombudsman An ombudsman ( , also ) is a government employee who investigates and tries to resolve complaints, usually through recommendations (binding or not) or mediation. They are usually appointed by the government or by parliament (often with a sign ...

recommended that criminal charges be brought against him concerning the sale of

public land In all modern states, a portion of land is held by central or local governments. This is called public land, state land, or Crown land (Commonwealth realms). The system of tenure of public land, and the terminology used, varies between countries. ...

at Fatumaru Bay. The Ombudsman stated that Iauko might have been

bribed Bribery is the corrupt solicitation, payment, or acceptance of a private favor (a bribe) in exchange for official action. The purpose of a bribe is to influence the actions of the recipient, a person in charge of an official duty, to act contrary ...

Member of Parliament

Following the 2008 general election, he was a Member of Parliament for Tanna, representing the Vanua'aku Pati."Vanuatu government under political pressure to resign"
, Radio Vanuatu, 10 June 2009"La municipalité de Port-Vila sous le contrôle des militants VAP"
''Vanuatu Independent'', 24 February 2009 In November 2008,

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Edward Natapei Edward Nipake Natapei Tuta Fanua`araki (17 July 1954 – 28 July 2015) was a Vanuatuan politician. He was the prime minister of Vanuatu on two occasions, and was previously the minister of Foreign Affairs briefly in 1991, the acting president of ...

suspended him from the Vanua'aku Pati for signing a failed

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 ...

against him. In June 2009, however, Iauko was appointed Minister for Lands in Natapei's

Cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filin ...

. A few days after his appointment, he unsuccessfully demanded the resignation of Opposition MP

Ralph Regenvanu Ralph John Regenvanu (born 20 September 1970 in Suva, Fiji''Laef Blong Mi'', Sethy Regenvanu, op.cit., p. 76) is a Ni-Vanuatu anthropologist, artist and politician. He has been a Member of Parliament since September 2008, was a member of Cabin ...

, who had accused him of being "

corrupt Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense that is undertaken by a person or an organization that is entrusted in a position of authority to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's gain. Corruption may involve activities ...

". In May 2010, claiming that he had been elected president of the

-a claim which Natapei contested-, he joined the opposition to Natapei's government, and was appointed deputy Opposition leader.

Minister for Infrastructure and Public Utilities

In December, when Natapei was ousted in a

vote 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 ...

and replaced as prime minister by

Sato Kilman Meltek Sato Kilman Livtuvanu (born 30 December 1957) is a Vanuatuan politician who served as the Prime Minister of Vanuatu on four previous occasions, most recently from 4 September to 6 October 2023. he was previously prime minister from Decembe ...

, Iauko was appointed Minister for Infrastructure and Public Utilities.

Alleged assault of journalists, corruption

On 4 March 2011, the ''

Vanuatu Daily Post The ''Vanuatu Daily Post'' is a newspaper published in Port Vila in Vanuatu. It is the only daily newspaper in Vanuatu. In 1993, British journalist Marc Neil-Jones acquired the rights to publish the periodical ''The Trading Post'' and used it ...

'' accused him of having led a group of "thugs" into the newspaper's offices, arriving in a government-registered vehicle. The ''Daily Post'' reported that Iauko threatened to "break heface" of editor Royson Willie, and stood by and watched while his "thugs" strangled and kicked publisher

Marc Neil-Jones Marc Neil-Jones (14 October 1957 – 10 March 2025) was an English-born Vanuatuan journalist. A campaigner for freedom of the press, he was assaulted several times, as well as briefly deported and imprisoned. Radio New Zealand has described him ...

. This followed a series of articles which the newspaper had published criticising several of Iauko's actions as minister. Neil-Jones said he would press charges against Iauko "on several counts including

aiding and abetting Aiding and abetting is a legal doctrine related to the guilt of someone who aids or abets (encourages, incites) another person in the commission of a crime (or in another's suicide). It exists in a number of different countries and generally al ...

assault In the terminology of law, an assault is the act of causing physical harm or consent, unwanted physical contact to another person, or, in some legal definitions, the threat or attempt to do so. It is both a crime and a tort and, therefore, may ...

". The ''Daily Post'' on 5 March headlined "Iauko brings disgrace to Kilman government", describing Iauko's actions, and also published again a list of several acts of "alleged corrupt land dealings" which the minister had been involved in. Iauko later gave his side of the story to ''The Independent'', saying he had indeed confronted Neil-Jones on the premises of the ''Daily Post'', because he had "had enough" of that newspaper's "unfair and unbalanced" reporting. "I said: 'Marc, I know you are all about making money, selling news, and all I want is my side of the events told.' ..Then, while I was talking, one of my boys just walked past me, grabbed his head and put it on the table, then the other grabbed his head and put it on the table and I said, 'Enough', and we walked out." Iauko denied that Neil-Jones had been strangled, kicked or pushed to the ground, and denied that he had brought more than three men with him into Neil-Jones' office - a claim which Neil-Jones said was contradicted by photographs taken by the ''Daily Post'' staff. Three weeks after the events, police arrested four suspects, whose names were not immediately revealed. Neil-Jones said the police had told him Iauko, who was "currently undergoing medical treatment in Australia", was "likely to be charged on his return". In early April, it was reported he would appear in court, on charges of "inciting and abetting assault and unlawful assembly", and that "the government of Sato Kilman continue to face criticism for not taking any action to discipline its Minister over the alleged assault which ha prompted outrage among regional media organisations and strong statements from various foreign diplomats". The government stated it would wait for the court's ruling before deciding on whether to expel Iauko from government. On 6 April, Iauko failed to appear in court for a first hearing. The issue of his potential suspension from government, however, soon became moot, as the Kilman government was narrowly ousted in a parliamentary

on 24 April, and Iauko lost his government position along with every other minister. The matter was revived three weeks later, on 13 May, when the

Court of Appeal An appellate court, commonly called a court of appeal(s), appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to Hearing (law), hear a Legal case, case upon appeal from a trial court or other ...

voided the election of

Serge Vohor Rialuth Serge Vohor (23 April 1955 – 22 November 2024) was a Vanuatuan politician. He hailed from the largest island of Vanuatu, Espiritu Santo, from Port Olry. Vohor was a member of the Union of Moderate Parties, a centrist political party, ...

's new government on constitutional grounds, and the Kilman government was restored. This lasted for only a month; on 16 June, the Kilman premiership was itself voided on constitutional grounds by the Supreme Court's Chief Justice Vincent Lunabek, and Iauko lost office once more. He regained it on 26 June when Kilman was restored as prime minister by Parliament, and reinstated his Cabinet.

Conviction

After an adjournment of the case at the request of the defence, it was reported that Iauko would appear in court on 10 June, on charges of

unlawful assembly Unlawful assembly is a legal term to describe a group of people with the mutual intent of deliberate disturbance of the peace. If the group is about to start an act of disturbance, it is termed a rout; if the disturbance is commenced, it is then t ...

trespass Trespass is an area of tort law broadly divided into three groups: trespass to the person (see below), trespass to chattels, and trespass to land. Trespass to the person historically involved six separate trespasses: threats, assault, battery ...

, intentional assault and

threatening A threat is a communication of intent to inflict harm or loss on another person. Intimidation is a tactic used between conflicting parties to make the other timid or psychologically insecure for coercion or control. The act of intimidation for ...

. On 30 June, having pled guilty to

damage to property and aiding and abetting intentional assault, he was fined Vt15,000. The other charges were withdrawn by the prosecution.

Reporters Without Borders Reporters Without Borders (RWB; ; RSF) is an international non-profit and non-governmental organisation, non-governmental organization headquartered in Paris, which focuses on safeguarding the right to freedom of information. It describes its a ...

denounced the fine as "risible", saying it was "not commensurate with the gravity of the crime", and that such a small fine for an assault on a journalist risked pushing other journalists to censor themselves rather than criticise politicians. In late 2011, Transparency International Vanuatu published an article "detailing corrupt practices in which Mr Iauko was allegedly involved". TIV president Marie-Noelle Ferrieux-Patterson told the press that Iauko had responded by coming to Transparency International's office "threatening to throw staff out the window and burn their building down".

2012 general election

As dissidents from the

, he and his supporters stood as candidates of the

Iauko Group The Iauko Group () or Eagle Group is a political party in Vanuatu. History The party was established by Harry Iauko after he left the Vanua'aku Pati prior to the 2012 general elections.Tom Lansford (2015) ''Political Handbook of the World 2015' ...

in the October 2012 general election. He retained his seat in Parliament ; the Iauko Group obtained three seats in all, and renewed its support for the Kilman coalition government. Iauko retained his position in government, as Minister for Infrastructure, Public Utilities and Public Service.

Other activities

Iauko was a former chairman of the board of management of

Air Vanuatu Air Vanuatu is an airline with its head office in Air Vanuatu House, Port Vila, Vanuatu. It is Vanuatu's national flag carrier, formerly operating to Australia, New Zealand, New Caledonia and points in the Oceania, South Pacific. Its main base is ...

. He was removed from the position by Minister of Public Utilities

in 2009. In April 2012, Prime Minister

gave Iauko ministerial responsibility for Air Vanuatu.

Death and legacy

On 10 December 2012, he was taken suddenly ill while in a hotel in

Luganville Luganville is the second largest city in Vanuatu after the capital Port Vila; it is located on the island of Espiritu Santo and has a population of 18,062 as of the 2020 census. Those on Vanuatu's northern islands who regard Luganville as their ...

, and was rushed to hospital, where he was pronounced dead a short while later. The cause of death was not immediately made public. His death led to a by-election for his Tanna seat in Parliament. The by-election was won comfortably by his son

Pascal Sebastien Iauko Harry Pascal Sebastien Iauko, born 16 May 1986, is a Vanuatuan politician. Career He entered politics at an unexpectedly young age, following the death of his father Harry Iauko, MP for Tanna (island), Tanna and Minister for Infrastructure, Public ...

, "a complete unknown in Vanuatu politics" at the age of 27, who stood as the candidate of the Iauko group and is thought to have benefited from his father's continued popularity in the constituency."IAUKO’S SON WINS TANNA SEAT"
''Vanuatu Daily Post'', 30 May 2013

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Iauko, Harry 2012 deaths Members of the Parliament of Vanuatu Government ministers of Vanuatu Vanua'aku Pati politicians Year of birth missing 21st-century Vanuatuan politicians