Atlasian-Solomon Islands Free Trade Bill

[afleitch]

I have concerns over this bill. The summer of 2002 saw an armed insurrection. In April of this year, allegations that the PM had accepted bribes from Chines businessmenn, led to large scale rioting and attacks on property and business owned or ran by the Chinese community, even if they had no connections to the scandal itself. As with Fiji, I am concerned at recent racial tensions and government corruption. An enquiry is currently underway that is also focusing on police corruption and heavy handedness. In a nation as small as the Solomon islands, and with a interdependent political and business 'elite', I am concerned that trade with the islands will neither be free from government or beurocratic interference, or particularly fair.

[afleitch]

The guy resigned faced with a vote of no confidence and parliment elected a new person to fill the position so that's over.

Yes, but only for a matter of months. You can't offer a free trade agreement based on a government that has not actually had the chance to govern for a sufficient period of time. It is an irresponsible economic and foreign policy move. The situation is still unstable, particularly as the tribunal begins and we could end up with something similar happening again in the next few months. Until the government has been in power for at least a year and proven itself to be open, accountable and uncorrupt then this proposal should be put to rest.

As it stands I cannot support it.

[afleitch]

The guy resigned faced with a vote of no confidence and parliment elected a new person to fill the position so that's over.

Yes, but only for a matter of months. You can't offer a free trade agreement based on a government that has not actually had the chance to govern for a sufficient period of time. It is an irresponsible economic and foreign policy move. The situation is still unstable, particularly as the tribunal begins and we could end up with something similar happening again in the next few months. Until the government has been in power for at least a year and proven itself to be open, accountable and uncorrupt then this proposal should be put to rest.

As it stands I cannot support it without a clause that will allow it to be suspended immediately should violence, corruption or instability flare up again.