John Patteson Oti, sometimes called Patterson Oti (born 17 January 1956), 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 ...
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 ...
Ownership, Unity and Responsibility Party
The Ownership, Unity and Responsibility Party (or OUR Party) is a political party in the Solomon Islands. It is headed by Jeremiah Manele and has competed in the 2010 and 2024 elections.
History 2010 establishment
The party was established ...
("Our Party"), which was launched in early 2010. Since March 2012, he has been his country's High Commissioner to
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 ...
.
Oti was a desk officer at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 1983 to 1990 and a Provincial Secretary for the Ministry of Provincial Government from 1991 to 1993. He was a political analyst for the government of Prime Minister Francis Billy Hilly in 1994, and from 1995 to 1997, he was special secretary to the Leader of the Opposition.CV for Oti at Parliament website
He was first elected to the National Parliament of the Solomon Islands for Temotu Nende Constituency in the August 1997 parliamentary election, and under Prime Minister Bartholomew Ulufa'alu he served as Minister for Foreign Affairs from August 1997 to June 2000. In the December 2001 election, he was re-elected to his seat, and he served as Leader of the Opposition Group in Parliament from December 2001 to May 2003. He was also a member of the Public Accounts Committee from 2000 to 2001 and was the Committee's Chairman in 2002.
Oti was subsequently Minister for Communication, Aviation & Meteorology from January 2004 to February 2005 and Deputy Speaker of the National Parliament from February 2005 to December 2005. He was re-elected to his seat in the April 2006 parliamentary election and was again a candidate for the post of Deputy Speaker late in the month, although the post was won by Allan Kemakeza. Under 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 ...
, Oti became Foreign Minister for a second time on May 5, 2006.
In mid-August 2006, Oti resigned from the National Party.
After Sogavare was defeated in a no-confidence vote in December 2007, Oti was the government's candidate to replace Sogavare as Prime Minister, but he was defeated by opposition candidate Derek Sikua in the vote held on December 20, receiving 15 votes against 32 for Sikua.
No longer in Parliament following the 2010 general election, Oti considered standing for the position of Speaker of Parliament (the Speaker being selected from outside the assembly) and obtained the support of both the government and the opposition, before unexpectedly withdrawing. He later served as the government's "special envoy" to the Melanesian Spearhead Group, then, in September 2011, was appointed High Commissioner (i.e., Ambassador) to
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 ...