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Uniting the fragments: Solomon Islands constitutional reforms (pdf 50K)

This is an extract of Development Bulletin No. 60, Dec 2002, titled South Pacific Futures . The Development Bulletin is an international development journal with a special focus on Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Island countries and Southeast Asia, produced by the Development Studies Network of the Australian National University.

The once distinct and independent communities within the archipelago were amalgamated by colonial powers to forge a country. This was administratively convenient but as this 'imagined community' developed its political structures and attempted to govern the many distinct groups as one, problems began to emerge. This paper discusses that it may be the case that in order to stand as a united country, the Solomon Islands must acknowledge their distinct regional and traditional approaches to governance.

 

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