Solomon Sunaone Mamaloni (23 January 1943 – 11 January 2000) 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. He was the first chief minister of the islands, and later served as the

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 ...

for three spells in the 1980s and 1990s.

Biography

Mamaloni was born in 1943 in the village of Rumahui, Arosi, in West

Makira The island of Makira (previously known as San Cristóbal) is the largest island of Makira-Ulawa Province in Solomon Islands. It is third most populous of the Solomon Islands after Malaita and Guadalcanal, with a population of 55,126 as of 2020 ...

. He was educated at Pawa School and King George VI Secondary School, before attending Te Aute College in New Zealand. He joined the civil service in 1966, initially working as an executive officer for the

Legislative Council A legislative council is the legislature, or one of the legislative chambers, of a nation, colony, or subnational division such as a province or state. It was commonly used to label unicameral or upper house legislative bodies in the Brit ...

, before becoming a clerk. He was elected to the Governing Council from the Makira constituency in the 1970 elections. After being re-elected in

1973 Events January * January 1 – The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 14 - The 16-0 19 ...

, he was involved in the establishment of the People's Progressive Party the following January. Later in 1974 the new post of Chief Minister was established, with Mamaloni being elected to the post after the sixth round of voting.Triumph for the Solomons' Solomon
''Pacific Islands Monthly'', October 1974, pp5–6 He served as Chief Minister of the Solomon Islands until July 1976. Although he resigned from the Legislative Assembly in December 1976, he returned to politics and represented West Makira constituency in 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 ...

. He was

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

from 1980 to 1981, from 1984 to 1988, and from 1993 to 1994. He was again chosen as Leader of the Opposition in late September 1998, replacing Job Dudley Tausinga. His role as architect of the Solomon Islands' independence from British rule in 1978 buoyed Mamaloni's support, and he served as opposition leader until his death. He remained Opposition Leader until his death from

kidney disease Kidney disease, or renal disease, technically referred to as nephropathy, is damage to or disease of a kidney. Nephritis is an Inflammation, inflammatory kidney disease and has several types according to the location of the inflammation. Infla ...

in a

Honiara Honiara () is the capital and largest city of Solomon Islands, situated on the northwestern coast of Guadalcanal. , it had a population of 92,344 people. The city is served by Honiara International Airport and the seaport of Point Cruz, and lies ...

hospital in January 2000."Solomon Islands' controversial former prime minister Mamaloni dies", Associated Press (nl.newsbank.com), January 12, 2000. His funeral was held on 13 January.List of small publications in the Archives of the Anglican Church of Melanesia (in the National Archives of Solomon Islands)
p. 25. (Accessed 25 August 2016)

Biography

References

External links

Further reading