Solomon Islands Prime Minister Snyder Rini denied yesterday that his election was influenced by back-room bribes bankrolled by Taiwan or China.
Rumors that Taiwan or China helped fund bribes that secured Rini the prime minister's job last week in a secret ballot of the troubled South Pacific nation's 50 lawmakers have abounded in the capital, Honiara, and have been blamed in part for a rampage by looters and rioters in the city's Chinatown.
But in an interview, Rini challenged his opponents to take such claims to the police.
PHOTO: AP
"That's what they may think. That's why I say to them, `If you have evidence bring it up to the police.' We have a law to deal with all this," he said. "But it's just hot air in the street and [has] no base," he said.
Rini also said that his new administration -- a coalition of lawmakers cobbled together following April 5 parliamentary elections -- would maintain its diplomatic links with Taiwan, despite overtures last year from China to switch sides.
Taiwan pushes its claim for sovereignty by seeking diplomatic links with countries. The Solomons is one of only 25 countries that have formal links with Taiwan. In return, it receives millions of dollars in aid each year from Taipei.
Rini said that Taiwan had come to the Solomons' assistance during the worst period of its communal strife, providing cash to pay compensation to people who had lost their homes and land during an insurgency that peaked with a coup in 2000.
"That's why we treasure our relationship very much. It's more than just a political relationship, it really goes deeper -- into our hearts," he said.
"We are committed to this relationship with Taiwan," Rini said, "as without Taiwan this country would no longer be a country."
He said China had made an approach to the previous government last year, but "we just say to them we are with Taiwan. That was the end of the connection."
Rini also insisted that Taiwanese aid money was being properly spent, not squandered by senior lawmakers.
"All the Taiwanese assistance is in the aid and development budget," he said.
"Nothing comes to the prime minister's office. Even that last prime minister -- he didn't have that bag of money," he said.
Meanwhile, a leading opposition lawmaker was refused bail yesterday on charges of inciting last week's riots. His allies also boycotted a sitting of parliament a day ahead of a crucial confidence vote today.
Charles Dausabea, a senior member of the opposition alliance, was remanded in custody for two weeks after appearing in Honiara Magistrates' Court on charges of inciting a riot, threatening violence and intimidation.
The court was told Dausabea, 46, incited an angry crowd outside parliament on Tuesday last week when Rini was elected prime minister, telling a waiting crowd of 200 people: "We lost, you people go do what you like now."
The crowd started throwing rocks and five vehicles belonging to government and security forces were smashed and burned.
After the demonstration outside parliament, crowds set on the capital's Chinatown district, leaving more than 50 buildings in ruins after a burning and looting rampage.
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