http://www.melbourne.anglican.com.au/...s&news_id=20678&s=157
by Rowan Callick
Archbishop Desmond Tutu has launched in Honiara a Truth and Reconciliation Commission for Solomon Islands – which is modelled closely on the body he chaired in South Africa after the apartheid regime fell.
Solomon Islands collapsed into chaos and violence from 1997-2003, chiefly as a result of conflict between gangs from the islands of Malaita and Guadalcanal, during which it was widely dubbed a “failed state.”
More than 100 people were killed – including seven members of the Anglican Melanesian Brothers order - and 20,000 were displaced in the fighting.
The Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI) led by Australia then intervened, at the invitation of the fraught Solomons government. Australia is paying $A 500,000 towards the cost of the new commission.
Nobel Peace Prize winner Archbishop Tutu flew in to Honiara in late April and launched the commission in front of an audience of thousands at the Lawson Tama stadium.
He said: “There are many places around the world where there is conflict, but after a while peace comes. We in South Africa just want to say to you, if it can happen in our country, it can and will happen here.”
The 77 year old Anglican bishop also spoke at a conference named Winds of Change that brought together former fighters from Malaita and Guadalcanal, the latter being the island of the capital, Honiara.
Speakers also came from neighbouring Bougainville , where a fierce civil war raged in Papua New Guinea in the decade to 1997, and from other countries.
Prime Minister Derek Sikua said: “Archbishop Tutu is an advocate for human dignity whose tireless efforts have helped millions of people around the world. His presence here this week will inspire Solomon Islanders to help to heal old wounds caused by the violence and civil unrest. It represents a turning point in our efforts to move away from bitterness and resentment, and to create a shared future as a unified nation.”
Sam Iduri, the Minister for National Reconciliation and Unity, said the presence of Archbishop Tutu “provides us confidence and hope. We know that we are not alone in confronting our past.”
The Anglican church has the largest number of followers in Solomon Islands , with one in three of the half million total population – reinforcing Archbishop Tutu’s fame and respect there.
There are five Truth and Reconciliation commissioners. Three are Solomon Islanders: Caroline Laore, a UNICEF worker and former senior public servant, and a graduate of Deakin University in Victoria, George Kejoa, a former Finance Minister and now church worker, a graduate of the University of PNG , and the Rev Sam Ata, dean of the Anglican cathedral in Honiara , and a doctor of the Melbourne College of Divinity.
Two commissioners are from overseas: Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi, a senior chief in Fiji , a former judge, and vice president of Fiji until deposed by the military after the most recent coup, and Sofia Macher, a human rights activist from Peru with extensive experience of such reconciliation processes.
Many gang members have been jailed since the intervention of RAMSI – led at first by Nick Warner, now Australia ’s Secretary for Defence – restored law and order. Former prime minister Sir Allan Kemakeza served five months in jail last year for ordering an attack on a Honiara law firm.
But David Tuhanuku, the deputy secretary of the commission, says that the nation now “needs a process to find out the underlying causes” of the conflict.
The commission, expected to interview thousands of witnesses, will begin its work in about two months. The government expects it to take one year – but is prepared to extend the term for a further year.
Rowan Callick is Asia-Pacific editor of The Australian |
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