“They don’t really understand what politics is, so when they hear the words they think ‘oh, that’s a bunch of liars in there’,” says Philip Elijah Taisau, a 26-year-old Solomon Islands chef. He says that the government plays a big part in the development of the country, but most people – and especially young people – don’t really see that. What they see is corruption, lies, and injustice.
That keeps anti-corruption groups like Transparency International busy issuing statements on dodgy scholarship cuts, development funds used by MPs to aid their constituencies, and criminal syndicates within the logging industry. Earlier this month one of the country’s churches called corruption “paralysing”. Last year, civil society groups called for the Prime Minister to resign, saying he lied about who funded an overseas trip. The same group has also called for aid to the country to be frozen until corruption ends.
Ahead of the general election this year, there are even allegations that candidates have been buying vote cards to boost their chances. The country has just implemented a new system of voter registration, which should cut down on things like double voting, but it can’t help prevent vote buying or other corrupt practices. Local journos speak of “devil’s night”, when prospective candidates roam villages with wads of cash and trucks full of food and supplies.
Even me, I was educated overseas, I lived overseas for half my life, and yet, an adult comes into the room, and I shut up.
The way the political system treats the poorest people of the country is unjust, says Sandra Bartlett of Youth @ Work. The internship programme finds jobs for about 500 people a year, and does training and CV writing. It also now has a business strand, and next month will hold a three-day market for young entrepreneurs.
“Basically, if [the politicians] weren’t corrupt,” she says, “if they just recognised everyone else apart from themselves and their own voters, that would make the biggest difference.”
Sandra says most young Solomon Islanders aren’t that engaged in politics, and more should be done to get them involved. “There’s a culture of silence, but there’s also a culture of respect[ing] your elders,” she says. “Even me, I was educated overseas, I lived overseas for half my life, and yet an adult comes into the room, and I shut up.”
Youth @work held an exhibition of photos depicting youth unemployment in Honiara. "Because of no hope youth are then spun into a spiral of depression and substance abuse (this boy is 14 and this is a school day early afternoon and he is drunk). Photo: Supplied
Solomon Islands has been on the UN’s list of least developed countries since 1991. In May, young unemployed people rioted and looted part of the city. The riot was blamed on frustration that arose after floods that devastated part of the city and killed more than 20 people. (The Wireless will have more on the floods and their impact next month.)
LISTEN to Radio New Zealand International’s correspondent on the riots in Honiara, and the frustrated, angry young people that were involved.
There’s a view in Honiara that the riots were sparked by the floods, but the real problem was simmering tensions, racism, and frustration. Elijah Taisau says the government needs to start creating opportunities for young people. “They should go to the local communities and then give them hope…start creating something…Rather than standing there slipping money into pockets on election day, and get[ting] them into power.”
When I speak to Elijah and freelance graphic designer Joseph Ualari Manemaka, 24, they’re at band practice, preparing for Youth @ Work’s market. The organisation hires the equipment, because few young people have instruments of their own.
Joseph says to the average Solomon Islander, politics is about “a bunch of liars” in government, and young people feel detached from it. “They think they are not really part of society, and seeing how society treats them, that’s how it’s going to be.”
Josephj manemaka (L) and Elijah Taisau Photo: Unknown
He says politicians could try to bridge the gap between young Solomon Islanders and government, probably by making an effort to educate young people about the government and politics.
An estimated 20 per cent of young people in Solomon Islands are “idle”, which is to say not in work or any kind of education. But Joseph says young people are partly to blame for their own trouble. “Especially the street rats. They’re not really hopeless, they’re not really un-educated. And this is the Solomon Islands, you can do anything. If you are willing to break a little bit of sweat, you can have a living.”
Most young people won’t remember a time before the civil conflict that began in the 1990s, and many will have grown up in the presence of RAMSI – a regional mission to end the fighting. Joseph says RAMSI’s presence encourages people to think the Australian-led mission is calling the shots – which he thinks is partly true. Elijah says RAMSI has done a lot for the country, and it’s not time for it to withdraw yet. “They still should remain here. I don’t think they’ve done enough.”
He says the government needs to create opportunities for young people – something he says only the private sector is doing right now. “It really creates a lot of chances for youths to come – like the youth market. Which the government didn’t even do anything about.” And he asks why the politicians aren’t present at things like the youth market.
Joseph gestures back to band practice, and says politicians need to figure out the potential young people have. “Most Solomon Island youths play music. So they should really look into that, what can we do with this talent… How can we help them make something out of that? Just figuring out what the youth population is good at, and utilising that.”
start creating something…Rather than standing there slipping money into pockets on election day, and get[ting] them into power
It’s difficult to get information about youth voter turnout in the Pacific, but the region is currently having a “youth bulge”, in particular in Melanesia. That growing young population has difficult problems to tackle in the coming decades – poverty, climate change, urbanisation, and high youth unemployment.
A 2011 UNICEF report says the prolonged and frustrating efforts of many young people in the Pacific to overcome multiple, overlapping hurdles to achieving independent adult status will have long-lasting effects. “These include a general despondency about the future, a lack of resilience to cope with the unexpected and a general disillusionment with the role of government.” Those hurdles won’t be overcome while politicians ignore young people, and young people likewise turn their backs on the Government.
Listen to the full interview with Elijah and Joseph below.