Bartholomew Ulufa'alu

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Bartholomew Ulufa'alu (* December 25, 1950 - May 25, 2007 in Honiara , Solomon Islands ) was Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands from August 27, 1997 to June 30, 2000 .

Political career

He was one of the founding members of the Solomon Islands General Workers Union and chaired it in 1978 when the Solomon Islands became independent. He also founded the National Democratic Party (NADEPA) as early as 1975 , which was extremely successful in the 1976 elections and achieved eight seats in parliament. In the subsequent election in 1980, however, the NADEPA fell sharply and only achieved two seats. Although she had to go into opposition, Ulufa'alu was appointed finance minister because he had supported government policies. After leaving office in 1984, he went into the private sector and became chairman of various organizations. In 1988 he founded the Solomon Islands Liberal Party and was re-elected to parliament. However, he left it again in 1990 when Prime Minister Mamaloni offered him a well-paid job in the prime minister's office. A third time he was able to enter parliament in 1997 as a member of the Aoke / Langa Langa, when he was also appointed Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands. He was not to lose his seat in parliament until his death in 2007, although he only remained Prime Minister until June 30, 2000.

kidnapping

In early June 2000, he was kidnapped by members of the Malaita Eagle Force. Although Ulufa'alu was a Malaite himself , the kidnappers argued that he was not doing enough to advance their interests. Ultimately, Ulufa'alu gave up his post as prime minister in exchange for his release.

illness

Ulufa'alu suffered from diabetes, which is why his leg had to be amputated in 2004 and he was partially blind. Despite his illness, however, he was reappointed finance minister of the Solomon Islands.

In June 2006 he became seriously ill again and was therefore unable to exercise his official duties for weeks. In the fall of 2006, however, he recovered and went back to work. Nevertheless, the disease broke out again and he died on May 25, 2007 in Honiara.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Ulufa'alu, Bartholomew
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Solomon politician
DATE OF BIRTH December 25, 1950
DATE OF DEATH May 25, 2007
Place of death Honiara , Solomon Islands