George Milner Tozaka

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

, better known as Milner Tozaka, (born 21 October 1951Biography
on the website of the Parliament of Solomon Islands) is 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 ...

diplomat and politician.

Education

After attending the Malanguna Technical College in

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean n ...

in 1968-1969, he briefly studied at the

University of Papua New Guinea The University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG) is a university located in Port Moresby, capital of Papua New Guinea. It was established by ordinance of the Australian administration in 1965. This followed the Currie Commission which had enquired ...

in 1970-1971. He later resumed his studies and obtained a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree from the

University of the South Pacific The University of the South Pacific (USP) is a public research university with locations spread throughout a dozen countries in Oceania. Established in 1968, the university is organised as an intergovernmental organisation and is owned by the gov ...

Fiji Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about ...

in 1992, followed by a Postgraduate Diploma in Management and Sociology from the same university the following year.

Career

He entered government administration in the 1980s, serving as the chairman of the National Disaster Council from 1984 to 1985. In 1988, he began work as a consultant, first for the Public Service Reform Programme, then at the Ministry of Provincial Government. He was appointed chairman of the Provincial Government Review Committee in 1999. In June 1996, he was appointed an Ordinary Officer of the Civil Division of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

, by the Queen of the Solomon Islands

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

, "for public service".Sixth Supplement
to the ''

London Gazette London is the capital and largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Western Europe, with a population of 14.9 million. London stands on the River Tha ...

'', 14 June 1996 In 2000, he was appointed High Commissioner for Solomon Islands to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, a position which he held until 2005. Upon his return to the Solomons, he entered politics, standing as an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

candidate in the

North Vella Lavella North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north'' is ...

constituency at the April 2006 general election. He was elected, and appointed Minister for Public Service in Prime Minister Snyder Rini's short-lived government from April to May. He then served in opposition, until

Derek Sikua David Derek Sikua (born 10 October 1959Sikua CV at Parliament website ...

became Prime Minister in December 2007, whereupon he regained his position as Minister for Public Service. As Minister, he oversaw the Public Service Improvement Programme in coordination with the Australian-led

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 ...

. The programme, he said, would "streamline government recruitment, develop a code of conduct for all government workers and provide public servants with the tools to improve public services". He was returned to Parliament in the August 2010 general election, this time representing the People's Alliance Party. (He saw off five candidates, obtaining 1,225 votes, and a 143-vote lead over his closest opponent.) He was appointed Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs and External Trade and Shadow Minister for Justice and Legal Affairs in

Opposition Leader The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...

Steve Abana's Shadow Cabinet. In November 2011, when Prime Minister

Danny Philip Danny Philip (born 5 August 1953) is a politician and diplomat from the Solomon Islands. He was the prime minister of Solomon Islands from 2010 to 2011. Previously he served as the minister of Foreign Affairs from 1995 to 1996 and from July 2000 ...

lost his parliamentary majority and resigned, Tozaka was the Opposition's candidate to replace him, standing against

Gordon Darcy Lilo Gordon Darcy Lilo (born 28 August 1965) is a Solomon Islander politician who served as the prime minister of Solomon Islands from 16 November 2011 to 9 December 2014. He was a member of the National Parliament of the Solomon Islands, representin ...

, a recently sacked government minister. He lost to Lilo, and remained on the Opposition benches. On 15 December 2014, following a general election, Tozaka was appointed Minister for Foreign Affairs and External Trade by new Prime Minister

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 ...

."PM Names Cabinet Line Up"
''Solomon Times'', 16 December 2014 Tozaka retained his appointment as Foreign Minister following the replacement of Sogavare by Rick Houenipwela on 15 November 2017 and a subsequent cabinet reshuffle.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tozaka, Milner 1951 births Living people Members of the National Parliament of the Solomon Islands High commissioners of the Solomon Islands to Australia People from the Western Province (Solomon Islands) Government ministers of the Solomon Islands Officers of the Order of the British Empire University of the South Pacific alumni Ministers of foreign affairs of the Solomon Islands

Education

Career

See also

References