SOLOMON ISLANDS - TOUGHER TIMES FOR AUSTRALIA AND RAMSI

C O N F I D E N T I A L PORT MORESBY 000203 SIPDIS SIPDIS FOR EAP/ANP E.O. 12958: DECL: 5/8/2016 TAGS: PGOV PREL BP SUBJECT: SOLOMON ISLANDS - TOUGHER TIMES FOR AUSTRALIA AND RAMSI REF: PORT MORESBY 200 CLASSIFIED BY: Robert Fitts, Ambassador, AMB, STATE. REASON: 1.4 (b),(d) CLASSIFIED BY: Robert Fitts, Ambassador, AMB, STATE. REASON: 1.4 (b),(d) 1.(C) SUMMARY: The new Prime Minister's statements, actions and newly-announced cabinet all auger for tougher times for Australia in its effort to rebuild a viable Solomon Islands through RAMSI. Though RAMSI remains overwhelmingly popular for restoring order, grievances and natural tensions are building up within the population. The new government leaders seem intent on grabbing the powers, perks, and spoils of office. As part of that effort, our initial read is that they hope to marginalize RAMSI's efforts at restoring governance. END SUMMARY. 2.(C) Prime Minister Sogavare announced his new cabinet over the weekend. Among the ten members, two stand out as they are currently in police custody, charged with fomenting public violence and denied bail (though they were allowed to help vote in Sogavare from their cells.) One, Charles Dausabea, is particularly worrisome. Named Minister of Police and National Security, he is permanently excluded from visiting the U.S. and Australia for his leadership role in the ethnic violence which brought down an earlier government. He has been a long-term opponent of the RAMSI mission and is thought to be one of the most powerful figures in the current coalition. To defend Dausabea, the government has retained Julian Moti, a seedy lawyer who has worked around the Pacific. We understand Moti has high hopes to become attorney general. 3.(C) Though Sogavare has mouthed reassuring words about RAMSI, a closer reading is disquieting. Though praising RAMSI's popular role in restoring order, he has directly questioned the centerpiece of its effort to rebuild government. RAMSI maintains line civil servants, usually Australians or New Zealanders, in most ministries who serve to keep bureaucrats and politicians from resuming their old corrupt ways. Sogavare has posed his formulation that, "if there are Solomon Islanders who can do their job, ~ then they should be used in those positions." The problem is that the past record is that current Solomon Island political culture has been unable to produce a class of bureaucrats or politicians with the integrity to work for national interests. Problems of government corruption were particularly evident during Sogavare's last stint as PM. 4.(C) The PM's actions are also worrisome, despite his talk of cooperation, we understand that he has thus far pointedly refused to meet with the head of RAMSI. Though a good part of this may be his desire to underline his independence, our worry is that it signals as well his intention to marginalize RAMSI despite the heavy public support the mission has thus far enjoyed. FITTS