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Former Solomon Islands prime minister Manasseh Sogavare says he fears Australia has been meddling in his nation’s internal politics after leaked text messages revealed details of a $1 billion treaty that includes money set aside for every Solomons politician’s local electorate.
A leaked message from Australia’s High Commissioner to Solomon Islands Jeffrey Roach to Solomons Deputy Prime Minister Francis Sade, seen by this masthead, shows that each Solomon Islands constituency would be granted an estimated $1.9 million over three years for community priorities.
“I very much hope both countries can hold steady to seize this opportunity, and lock this in ahead of the November budget session,” Roach wrote last week, as Solomons leader Matthew Wale faced a no-confidence motion from rebel cabinet ministers that could have ended his prime ministership.
A further $142 million would be provided over two years to help fund Wale’s signature free school education policy plus funding for visa improvements and security requests.
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A subsequent text message, believed to be from Sade to another Solomons MP, said members of the governing coalition needed to “stand together” to defeat the motion and maintain the momentum they had developed.
The no-confidence motion against Wale was withdrawn over the weekend, allowing him to remain in power.
The Solomons’ official opposition, led by Sogavare, said in a fiery statement that it was “deeply concerned by communications that appear to reveal an extraordinary attempt to use prospective Australian financial assistance and bilateral treaty negotiations to influence the outcome of Solomon Islands’ domestic political processes”.
“If authentic and accurately understood, these communications raise serious questions about the proper boundary between legitimate development co-operation and foreign involvement in the sovereign political affairs of Solomon Islands,” the opposition statement said.
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“A motion of no confidence is not a foreign-policy instrument. It is a constitutional and parliamentary mechanism belonging exclusively to the elected representatives of the people of Solomon Islands.
“Whether a government survives or falls must be determined by members of the national parliament exercising their constitutional responsibilities according to their conscience, the interests of their constituents and the laws of Solomon Islands.
“It must never be determined by the prospect of foreign funding.”
Saying that “substantial sums of money” appear to be involved in the treaty, the opposition demanded more clarity from the Australian and Solomons governments on what transpired as the no-confidence motion loomed.
“Development assistance in itself is neither improper nor unusual. What requires immediate explanation is the apparent political context in which these commitments are being discussed,” the statement said.
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The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade was approached for comment.
Sogavare was Solomon Islands prime minister for nine years between 2000 and 2024, switching diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China and signing a security pact with Beijing in a move that alarmed officials in Canberra.
The new Australia-Solomons treaty is also expected to provide guarantees from the Solomons they will not allow China to build a military base or engage China in certain critical infrastructure projects in a similar clause to that contained in recent treaties between Australia and other Pacific nations.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Wale are aiming to finalise the treaty by the end of the year, but it could be wrapped up within weeks.
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Matthew Knott is the foreign affairs and national security correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect via X, Facebook or email.AdvertisementAdvertisement