Gordon Darcy Lilo

Biography

Personal life

Lilo is originally from the village of Ghatere on Kolombangara island. He earned a master's degree in development and administration from the Crawford School of Economics and Government at Australian National University. Lilo's CV also includes a Postgraduate Diploma and Bachelor of Economics received from the University of Papua New Guinea.

Career

Lilo worked as a permanent secretary for the Ministries of Finance and of the Environment before entering politics. He was elected to the National Parliament of the Solomon Islands in 2001 as an independent.

In 2006, he formed the Solomon Islands Party for Rural Advancement being its leader since then.

In November 2011, Prime Minister Danny Philip fired Lilo, his Finance Minister, and Central Bank Governor Rick Hou, accusing both of undermining his government. Philip had been accused of misusing and misappropriating a $10 million national development fund, which had been allocated to Solomon Islands from the government of Taiwan. In response to his sacking, Lilo told reporters, "No one undermined the prime minister, but he undermined himself by abusing his powers and the highest office in the country. He sacked us to create a vacuum to lure MPs from the opposition." Lilo further criticized Philips, "What he (Mr Philip) did was unbelievable, unacceptable and sickening."

Prime Minister of Solomon Islands

Prime Minister Danny Philip resigned on 11 November 2011, ahead of a vote of no confidence stemming from the allegations of the misuse of Taiwanese funds.

On 16 November 2011, Lilo was elected Prime Minister of Solomon Islands, winning a majority of the 29 of the 49 eligible members of Parliament and defeating three other rivals for the office. Former Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare of East Choiseul received nine votes, MP for North Vella La Vella Milner Tozaka received nine votes, and MP for Gao/Bugotu Samuel Manetoali earned just two votes in parliament. Lilo was declared the winner by Governor General Sir Frank Kabui.

On 18 November, two days after his election, Lilo held his first official engagement with US ambassador to the Solomon Islands, Teddy Taylor regarding the Solomon Islands eligibility for US Millennium Challenge Account funding.

Lilo is a member of the National Coalition for Reform and Advancement (NCRA), the same party as his predecessor, Danny Philip. The only major change was Lilo's appointment of Rick Hou as the country's new finance minister.

Lilo is a key supporter of the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands. Prime Minister Lilo pledged to refocus on Solomon Islands' faltering coconut industry at the opening 48th Asian Pacific Coconut Committee (APCC) Ministerial meeting, which was held at the Mendana Hotel in Honiara on 28 November 2011.

Lilo's government (backed by the governments of Nauru, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and Timor-Leste) introduced the motion which led to the United Nations General Assembly re-inscribing French Polynesia on the United Nations list of non-self-governing territories in May 2013. Lilo stated that he wished to see French Polynesia obtain self-determination regarding its future status. The day before the vote in the General Assembly, the Assembly of French Polynesia formally protested against the prospect of the country being re-added to the list. France denounced Solomon Islands-introduced motion as "blatant interference [and] a complete absence of respect for the democratic choice of [French] Polynesians", who had just elected a government hostile to the prospect of independence.

After Premiership

Lilo lost his seat in the Parliament of the Solomon Islands in the 2014 Solomon Islands general election to his nephew. He stayed active in politics, leading his party and winning back his seat in the 2024 Solomon Islands general election.

References

References

1. (17 November 2011). "NCRA’s new captain". [[Solomon Star]].
2. "Hon. Gordon Darcy Lilo | National Parliament of Solomon Islands".
3. "Hon. Gordon Darcy Lilo | National Parliament of Solomon Islands".
4. Callick, Rowan. (17 November 2011). "Honiara elects ANU graduate Gordon Lilo". [[The Australian]].
5. "Hon. Gordon Darcy Lilo". National Parliament of Solomon Islands.
6. "Independent MPs, Political Party Legislation and Electoral Politics in Solomon Islands".
7. Desk, Editor's. (2024-02-28). "“Rising Together to Make Changes” Lilo, Advocates for Change".
8. Marau, Douglas. (17 November 2011). "Lilo takes the wheel". [[Solomon Star]].
9. Palmer, Ednal. (17 November 2011). "It’s now official". [[Solomon Star]].
10. "PM LILO MEETS US AMBASSADOR". Office of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.
11. Lilo reappointed [[Manasseh Maelanga]] as [[deputy prime minister]]. Maelanga was also appointed Home Affairs Minister.[http://www.solomonstarnews.com/news/national/12881-ten-more-ministers-sworn-in "Ten more ministers sworn in"] {{webarchive. link. (24 November 2011 , ''Solomon Star'', 23 November 2011)
12. Marau, Douglas. (29 November 2011). "PM: Let’s restore the coconut sector". [[Solomon Star]].
13. (29 November 2011). "PM Lilo Seeks to Revive Coconut Industry". [[Solomon Times]].
14. [http://www.islandsbusiness.com/news/solomon-islands/1276/solomon-islands-made-history-in-un/ "Solomon Islands made history in UN"], ''Solomon Star'', 21 May 2013
15. [http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=76104 "Tahiti assembly votes against UN decolonisation bid"], Radio New Zealand International, 17 May 2013
16. [http://www.lemonde.fr/politique/article/2013/05/17/la-france-ne-participera-pas-au-vote-a-l-onu-sur-la-decolonisation-de-la-polynesie_3280743_823448.html "Polynésie : la France dénonce une "ingérence flagrante" de l'ONU"], ''[[Le Monde]]'', 17 May 2013
17. (2014-11-23). "Solomons caretaker PM concedes he has lost seat". ABC News.
18. (2024-04-24). "'All sorts of corruption': Solomon Islands MPs head to hotels to pick the PM in 'extraordinary' process". ABC News.