By Ofani Eremae 

It’s an election result that has captured the imagination of the people of North Malaita Constituency and the wider Solomon Islands community. 

Daniel Waneoroa entered the race as an underdog. Few people knew who this person was. 

And fewer more had any hopes of him winning one of the highly contested seats in Malaita. 

This is why when Waneoroa emerged late Friday night the winner of North Malaita Constituency national elections, it got everyone talking. 

“Danny may not be known much, but he has connections on the ground,” says North Malaita constituent and voter Wilfred Iro. 

“It was those connections that got him the seat,” Iro added. 

A soft-spoken university graduate, Waneoroa worked as a planning specialist with the Ministry of Provincial Government and was based in Auki prior to the elections.  

He entered the race under the banner of U4C Party, led by former Malaita premier Daniel Suidani. 

Months away from the polls, he already knew that entering the contest means going up against what North Malaitan voters referred to as “the three giants”. 

When nominations closed, it became clear seven candidates will be vying for the seat. 

Among them are the three giants – outgoing MP Senley Filualea, former MP Jimmy Lusibaea and Patteson Saeni, a new-comer but someone who wields quite an influence in North Malaita. 

“We referred to the trio as giants because they are well-known, and that they have money to splash around,” Iro said. 

“For example, the outgoing MP arrived for his campaign with at least10 pick-up trucks. He came under the banner of Our Party candidate. 

“We’ve noticed he has no shortages when it comes to spending money. The other two giants don’t have as many vehicles, but they have money to hire trucks to move their supporters around. 

“Compare the trio to Danny, he is no match when it comes to spending on the election. But I’m sure he’s got the people who believe in his vision and qualities,” Iro said. 

This year’s elections brought in a new level of campaigning North Malaitan constituents had seen. 

“It was very tense; and hostile to some extent,” observes John Suifalu, who operates an accommodation business at Malu’u station. 

“You can sense it as the convoy of trucks drove past your house. It was unlike anything we’ve seen in this constituency previously,” Suifalu added. 

All seven candidates staged campaign launching events before they set out on the campaign trail. 

While most candidates fully funded their campaign launches, Waneoroa’s case was quite different. 

“For him, it was his voters who contributed money and food towards his campaign launch. They came together on the day of launch and simply presented their contributions to Waneoroa’s campaign team,” Iro said. 

While all the focus were on the three giants, polling day came and gone smoothly for Danny and his supporters. 

“There was no fanfare within our camp, but we know in our hearts that we have the numbers to get Waneoroa in,” a member of his camp who requested not to be named, said. 

Many North Malaita constituents spoken to said Waneoroa’s victory was exactly the result they’ve been waiting for. 

“Some candidates came with a lot of money. But we don’t want their money. What we want is a change in leadership,” says one constituent. 

James Kwaimani, a North Malaitan currently studying for his PhD in New Zealand, says Waneoroa established his network on the ground well before the elections. 

“Being in Auki, he is naturally close to the people and well connected to what happens on the ground and the Malaita/MARA politics,” Kwaimani observes. 

“I guess that was his winning card. Being a U4C candidate is an added spice, considering the high number of MARA followers in North Malaita,” he added. 

For Dr Transform Aqorau, Vice Chancellor of the Solomon Islands National University (SINU) who has been observing the elections closely, Waneoroa’s victory was a “surprising turn of events” in North Malaita Constituency. 

In a tweet, Aqorau said: 

“This is a major upset as the winner unseats well-funded contestants and former militants. 

“This signals a significant shift away from the traditional influence of the Malaita Eagle Force.”