Prime Minister Manele Drops Two Ministers, Reshuffles Cabinet Amid Growing Coalition Distrust

by Georgina Maka’a 

Solomon Islands Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele has dropped two of his ministers and reshuffled a third as signs of deep internal fractures within his four-party coalition surfaced.

Removed are:

1. John Tuhaika Jnr. – Minister for Traditional Governance, Peace and Ecclesiastical Affairs.

2. Polycarp Paea – Minister for Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology.

Reshuffled:

1. Wayne Ghemu – Minister for Provincial Government and Institutional Strengthening

This latest move will see three ministerial swearing-in at Government House tomorrow (Tuesday) morning, which Manele and other Cabinet ministers are expected to attend.

 The Deputy Secretary to Government House confirmed to In-Depth Solomons this afternoon they’ve received instructions from the Prime Minister’s Office to prepare for tomorrow’s swearing-in ceremony.

According to Government House, government-backbencher and MP for Temotu Nende, Stephen Kumi will replace Tuhaika as the new minister for Traditional Governance, Peace and Ecclesiastical Affairs.

Rollen Seleso, MP for South Guadalcanal and currently a government backbencher, has been appointed new Minister for Provincial Government.

Seleso will replace Ghemu, who will be moved to the Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology portfolio. That change effectively means Paea now loses his ministerial job.

Prime Minister Manele has not publicly commented on the reasons behind the latest terminations, and it remains unclear whether the changes are performance-related, politically motivated, or part of a broader strategy to tighten control within cabinet.

But well-placed sources told In-Depth Solomons this latest shake-up is understood to reflect deeper distrust within the ruling coalition — comprised of OUR Party, People First Party (PFP), Umi for Change (U4C), and the Kadere Party — raising questions about the stability of the government moving forward.

Sources familiar with the developments also said that further ministerial changes are likely before the end of the week, suggesting the reshuffle may be far from over.

Among those reportedly under consideration for termination are ministers overseeing the critical portfolios of Mines, Energy and Rural Electrification; Infrastructure Development; and Commerce, Industry, Immigration and Labour.

It was also noted the MPs affected so far are from the People First Party, fuelling speculation that GNUT is repositioning OUR Party members into strategic ministries ahead of key policy battles and national priorities.

This is the fifth political shake-up Solomon Islanders have seen since Prime Minister Manele came into power in April 2024.

Manele has also successfully ward-off three political attempts to remove him from the top job.