Hon. John Moffat Fugui

Member of Parliament
Central Honiara, Honiara
Tenth Parliament

Constituency: Central Honiara

Contact Address:    

National Parliament of Solomon Islands
P.O. Box G19
Honiara
Solomon Islands.
Phone: +677 28520
Fax: +677 24272

Parliamentary Appointments

  • Elected as Deputy Speaker of Parliament on 17 December 2014 to 28th October 2015.
  • Re-elected to the National Parliament of Solomon Islands for Central Honiara Constituency on 19 November 2014.
  • Elected to the National Parliament of Solomon Islands for Central Honiara Constituency on 4 August 2010.

Party Affiliation

  • United Democratic Party

Parliamentary Committee Appointments

  • Member – Environment and Conservation Committee from 22nd December 2014 to 28th October 2015.
  • Member – Health and Medical Services Committee from 22nd December 2014 to 28th October 2015.
  • Member – Education and Human Resources Training Committee- 6th March 2013 to 8th September 2014
  • Chairman- Special Select Committee on the Short Bus Routes in Honiara -25th April to 8th August 2013

Ministerial Appointments

  • Minister for Public Service from 4th August 2017 to 28th October 2017.
  • Minister for Education and Human Resources Development from 28th October 2015 to 4th August 2017.
  • Minister for Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology from 21 November 2011 to 18 October 2012
  • Minister for Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology from 27 August 2010 to 11 November 2011

Qualification

  • Ph.D. (abd) Department of Political Science, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA.
  • M.A. Department of Political Science, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA, 1998.
  • M.A. Pacific Islands Studies, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA, 1994.
  • M.A. Department of Political Science, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand, 1988.
  • B.A. Department of Political Science, University of Canterbury, New Zealand, 1986.
  • PhD Dissertation “Rethinking State, Development, and Democratization in Solomon Islands.” Chair: Professor Deane Neubauer This dissertation interrogates the state project in Solomon Islands. It argues for a re-invention of the whole state project by opening up the public sphere vis-à-vis inviting members of the civil society and indigenizing the concepts of governance, development, and democratization. Short of this, Solomon Islands will continue to experience the conflation of political inspiration and political impasse that presently afflicts and is experienced in the country and in other South Pacific States.
  • Master’s Thesis “Politics and Political Parties in the Solomon Islands: An Assessment.” Adviser: Professor Keith Jackson. The main argumentation in this thesis posits that post-colonial states are bifurcated into two types: states from which colonial powers are forcibly ousted and those in which political independence is peacefully conferred. Consequently, the former usually develop political parties which, initially, have mass bases while the latter often develop elite-based parties. The case of the Solomon Islands falls neatly in the second category.
  • Master’s Plan B Paper “The Bougainville Crisis: A view from Solomon Islands.” Adviser: Professor Terence Wesley-Smith. This project contends that the Bougainville Crisis, especially its subsequent escalation which had resulted in a spill-over effect, overtook the adequacy, capability, and relevance of Solomon Islands foreign policy arrangements with other states particularly Papua New Guinea. This was largely accented by being members of the Melanesian Spearhead Group. During the Mamaloni government, the Billy Hilly government and latterly the Mamaloni government (circa 1988-1993), the Bougainville Crisis was regarded as an ‘internal problem’ of Papua New Guinea. But the human suffering, plight of border wantoks and relatives and the unforeseen ending of the civil war beg that new approaches to the crisis ought to be sought and persistently pursued. In the end, the Solomon Islands government was caught in the dilemma of pursuing and maintaining cordial Melanesian state relations with Papua New Guinea on one hand but, contemporaneously, it was competed not to overlook human suffering at the level of close wantoks – the Bougainvilleans. The Solomon Islands government then took a bipolar approach to the whole issue.

Awards and Grants

  • Fulbright Fellowship Scholarship, a 4-year award to continue with PhD studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Fall, 1996-2001.
  • Doctoral Degree Fellowship Award, one year doctoral studies from the Pacific Islands Development Program (PIDP), East-West Center, Honolulu, Hawaii, August 1995-August 1996.
  • Commonwealth Scholarship to pursue doctoral studies in Britain from 1996-1999. Did not take this up due to the ongoing PhD program in the Political Science Department, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii.
  • Master Degree Fellowship Award, a two-year support from Open Grant, East-West Center, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1992 – Spring 1994.
  • New Zealand Bilateral Scholarship to Pacific Islands students. The New Zealand government award was for undergraduate studies. Subsequently, it was extended for the duration of a Master’s program at the University of Canterbury, Christchurch, January 1982 – May 1988.
  • Solomon Island government scholarship to do Foundation Studies at the University of the South Pacific, Suva, Fiji, 1981.

Occupation before entering Parliament

  • Secretary to Government Caucus, Prime Minister’s Office,2008
  • Secretary to the Leader of Opposition, 2006 – 2007.
  • Political Advisor, Prime Minister’s Office, 2001 – 2006
  • Part-time Tutor, University of the South Pacific - Honiara Center, “Democracy and Democratization,” Summer 2001.
  • Member of the Hiring Committee and the Admission Committee in the Political Science Department, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1996-1997.
  • Teaching Assistant to Professor Geoffrey White and Tisha Hickson, East-West Center, Honolulu, Hawaii, summer, 1997.
  • Parliament Researcher. Carry out research and investigate the possibility of a Research Unit in the National Parliament of Solomon Islands, Honiara, 1995.
  • History/Political Tutor at the University of the South Pacific Center, Honiara, Solomon Islands, 1995.
  • Part-time Tutor for the Sixth and Seventh Form students at the King George Sixth School, Honiara, Solomon Islands, 1995.
  • Senior Policy Analyst and Political and Constitutional Adviser in the Policy Evaluation Unit, Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). Responsible for drawing up of the Program of Action (POA) of the government and evaluation of the performance of the different Ministries per POA. Also responsible for political and constitutional issues; setting up of Parliamentary Standing Committees; review of Parliamentary Standing Orders; repatriation of the National Constitution; Ministry of Police and Justice; Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development; reviewing of the Provincial Government system; negotiating Aid Assistance from various aid donors including the IMF and the Work Bank, 1989 – early 1992.
  • Advisor and Consultant to the Alliance Party Think Tank for purposes of drawing up policies, campaign strategies, directions and reviewing of the Alliance Party Constitution, 1988-1990.
  • Bank Teller, Commonwealth Bank of Solomon Islands, 1979.

Membership of Professional Committees

  • American Political Science Association; Association for Social Anthropology in Oceania; Pacific Islands Political Studies Association; Centre for Pacific Islands Studies Association; East-West Center Alumni Association

Papers and Publications

  • 2001 Fugui, “Solomon Islands 2000: A review,” Contemporary Pacific: A Journal of Island Affairs, Fall.
  • 1994 Fugui, “Solomon Islands: Francis Billy Hilly – the Prime Minister,” Leader of Nations, Current Publishing Company, Pennsylvania.
  • 1994 Fugui & Wate, “Solomon Islands 1993: A review, “ Contemporary Pacific: a Journal of Island Affairs (6) 2: 457-467. Honolulu, Hawaii.
  • 1992 Fugui, “Solomon Islands 1992: A review,” Contemporary Pacific: A Journal of Island Affairs, 4 (2): 400-03, Honolulu, Hawaii.

Academic Fieldwork

  • Conducted interviews in Parliament on the ethnic crisis, March to December, 2001.
  • Conducted research in Parliament with Members of Parliament vis-à-vis their views on politics and possible futures for Solomon Islands, January-August 1995.
  • Administered interviews with Politicians, Party Leaders and Officials in Solomon Islands, November-December, 1987.

Unpublished Presentations

  • 2008 Fugui, “Research in Solomon Islands,” Institute of Knowledge, Quality Motel, Honiara, November.
  • 2007 Fugui & Fono, “Pathology of Governamentality in Solomon Islands: The case of the present Sogavare regime, “Parliamentary Conference, Emalus Law Campus, November.
  • 2000 Fugui, “Fire over the islands – the 2000 Fijian coup and the Solomon Islands take-over: A comparison, “ Department of Political Science, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii, 24th November.
  • 2000 Fugui,” Politics in Solomon Islands,” invited presentation, Center of Pacific Islands Studies, 18th & 22nd October.
  • 2000 Fugui, “Implication of the Guadalcanal Crisis for Solomon Islands,” University of the South Pacific, Suva, Fiji, July 6th.
  • 1999 Fugui, “The importance of indigenization of research and scholarship for Solomon Islanders,” Pacific History Conference, University of the South Pacific Centre, Honiara, Solomon Islands, 19th – 23rd November.
  • 1998 Fugui, “To kill a people with alien knowledge: The Politics of research in Solomon Islands,” Pacific History Conference, Honiara, Solomon Islands, 22nd – 26th June.
  • 1997 Fugui, “Climbing the Solomon’s’ ladder: Solomon Islanders and knowledge creation for our common futures,” Solomon Island College of Higher Education (SICHE), Honiara, Solomon Islands, 22nd October
  • 1997 Fugui, “Contemporary issues from Pacific Island States and People: Teaching the New Pacific, East West Center, 12th September.
  • 1996 Fugui, “The discourse of education in an island state: The case of Solomon Islands,” University of Southern Queensland, Australia, 15th – 20th December.
  • 1995 Fugui, “Scholarship and education in the United States: An overview,” University of the South Pacific Center, Honiara, Solomon Islands, 17th July 1995.
  • 1994 Fugui, “Melanesian and Melanesians: An overview,” Manoa Hotel, Waikiki, Honolulu, 15th April.
  • 1994 Fugui, “Solomon Islands: A case study,” Monarch Hotel, Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii, 22nd April.
  • 1993 Fugui et al., “The Bougainville Crisis: A discussion,” East-West Center, Honolulu, Hawaii, 12th November 1993.
  • 1993 Fugui, “1993 Solomon Islands elections: Results and implications,” Center-wide talk, East-West Center, 31st October.
  • 1990 Fugui, “The Kolombangara Forestry Project: A case study of a government policy initiated project, Solomon Islands, “ Law of Trade and Negotiation conference,” Sigatoka Hotel, Fiji, April.
  • 1990 Fugui, Population Policy in Solomon Islands: A case study,” International Population Seminar, Jakarta, Indonesia, 15th – 29th August.

Personal

  • Date of birth: 9th September 1961
  • Village/ Home Island: Fourau, Malaita Province