Do we like them?

Do we like Jeremiah Manele?

Our score: 6 out of 10. Clear on climate and no harmful words found, but a dodged question on LGBTQ+ laws and unresolved bribery allegations keep it in the middle.

Manele is a career public servant and diplomat, not a celebrity. He rose through the Solomon Islands civil service and served as foreign minister under Manasseh Sogavare, where he was a key figure in the 2019 switch of recognition from Taiwan to Beijing and in negotiating the 2022 security pact with China. Parliament elected him prime minister on 2 May 2024.

His downfall was a slow-motion coalition wreck. In March 2026 a block of MPs, including ministers, walked out of his government, leaving him short of a majority. He refused for weeks to call parliament, the Chief Justice ruled that refusal unlawful and the Court of Appeal dismissed his appeal. He called the order possible judicial overreach, said it “risks cementing instability into our constitutional arrangements”, and was voted out on 7 May.

Then there's the money talk. In April 2026 the opposition alleged that government lobbyists were offering MPs millions to cross the floor. RNZ Pacific saw screenshots of texts purportedly from Manele's staff offering up to S$300,000 but could not confirm them. The Prime Minister's Office said he “will not respond to the allegations”, so that one is unproven and unanswered.

On the harm check, the record is thin, not bad. We found no anti-LGBTQ+ campaigning, no attacks on women or migrants and no conspiracy talk from him. Asked in 2022 about his country's laws on same-sex activity, he called them “emerging issues that we will continue to face”. That is a dodge, not a defence, and it earns the asterisk.

On the planet he's solid. When Donald Trump dismissed climate change, Manele said, “We respect his view, but the science is clear.” He pointed to coastal erosion and king tides and said Solomon Islands would keep pushing climate action with other small island states. He also hosted and chaired the Pacific Islands Forum in 2025, a real role in a region where the water is rising.

So where do we land? He's a decent-looking, low-drama operator on people and climate, who lost his grip on a fractured coalition and left bribery allegations hanging. We can't say he did it, and the PM's office wouldn't engage. The record on LGBTQ+ issues is silence, not support. That's fine for a qualified yes, but not for a fan club.