Small Men, Big Trouble

One of the welcome consequences of the regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI)—three years on the ground and counting—is how the presence of foreigners has opened local eyes to the shameful inadequacy of Honiara's politicians. The nominal Big Men who hop on and off the capital's political merry-go-round cannot deliver for their own communities nor for the nation as a whole. Unlike, for instance, a judge from Suva, a Canberra auditor, a Nuka'alofa constable or a Wellington diplomat—all the quiet, efficient public servants from around the region who have volunteered to help a troubled neighbor. When local M.P.s moan that...