NO ONE IS HELPING US IN OUR FIGHT AGAINST PRC: DANIEL SUIDANI

I believe that there are people in other countries who believe in democracy—who would stand with us, says Malaita’s ousted Premier Daniel Suidani.

Last week, China, in partnership with local proxies, successfully took out one of the CCP’s most effective and respected critics—Daniel Suidani of Malaita Province (exclusive interview below). In the process, Beijing executed regime change in Solomon Islands with no visible resistance from any of the countries or organizations who claim to support democracy.

The implications can’t be underestimated. The PRC now has a high profile solid example when it tells proto authoritarians around the world that it can help them get rid of pesky opposition with little geopolitical cost. And those willing to stand up to PRC aggression are realizing they might be doing it on their own—in spite of all those fine press releases and workshops from Canberra, Wellington, and Washington about the importance of democracy.

This was not a surprise outcome. The Sunday Guardian has been covering this case, as it developed, for years. Our Indo-Pacific: Behind the Headlines interview below with Premier Suidani goes into some of the details of what just happened and what it means. But for those hearing about the case for the first time now, here is some background.

BACKGROUND FROM 2019 

In September 2019, the recently elected Prime Minister of Solomon Islands, Manasseh Sogavare, unilaterally switched” Solomon’s political recognition from Taiwan to China.

Soon after, the government of Malaita Province, led by Daniel Suidani and the MARA party, and with the backing from traditional leaders, issued the Auki Communiqué that blocked PRC-linked companies from operating in the province. The Communiqué is a clear statement of why doing business with the PRC is bad morally, economically, politically, strategically and socially.