Page 10 - IB AUG 2019

Politics

human rights trainer
for RRRT and treat all
people in Nauru in-
cluding refugees with
respect, humanity and
dignity. Time to end
offshore processing,”
added Schuetze.
Up until the August
elections, Aingimea
was assistant minister
to Adeang, the man he
beat for the position
of president when the
new parliament sat
in Yaren, capital of
Nauru, on 26 August.
He is a lawyer by
profession, and also
served under Adeang
as his secretary for
justice prior to resign-
ing as a government
employee in order to
contest the last elec-
tions in 2016.
His first foray into
politics was in the
2013 elections, when
he was unsuccessful
in gaining a seat.
As pointed out by
Schuetze in her tweet,
the Nauruan leader
has also worked for
the regional human
rights training pro-
gramme based at the
In: New President Lionel Aingimea Photo: Supplied Pacific Community in
Fiji, known as the Re-
gional Rights Resource
Hope on Nauru Team (RRRT).
In the August polls, Aingimea polled the highest number of
Human rights lawyer takes the helm votes in a line-up of nine candidates in the Meneng constituency.
Of the total valid 1121 ballot papers cast, he received 39 per
cent of the vote.
Any hopes that Adeang would become president now that
By Samisoni Pareti his mentor Waqa had lost his seat dissipated when the newly
elected members of parliament convened for their first session
HOPE it seems was what the voters of Nauru took with them to on 26 August.
the polls on 24 August and hope was what they got in return. The first sign that things would not go the way of the previous
Out went age and experience, as Nauru’s 7,000 voters opted government came when their nominee for the Speaker of Parlia-
for youth and change. ment was defeated, 7 votes to 12.
Baron Waqa, the man who has been president of this small Marcus Stephen, a former president of Nauru, got the job.
island republic in the central Pacific for the last six years is now The changing of the guard continued when the vote for Presi-
gone, and the man who he groomed to be his successor, David dent took place.
Adeang has been relegated to the opposition benches. After years of working under the long shadow of his minister as
Overwhelmingly, voters in Nauru voted for change during justice secretary in the civil service and later as his junior minister
the 24 August elections that saw Waqa lose his seat in the Boe in the Waqa Government, Aingimea’s win against Adeang for the
constituency, one of eight constituencies in the island republic. position of President of Nauru was a resounding one.
“Congratulations to Lionel, Nauru’s new President,” Austra- 12 members voted for him, as opposed to 6 for the former
lian-based Amnesty human rights campaigner Kate Schuetze finance and justice minister.
tweeted, as news spread of Lionel Aingimea’s ascension to the For a government that used to enjoy a huge degree of support—
Nauru presidency. “I hope you remember your days as a senior up to 15 members in the last parliament— the defeat reflects a

10 Islands Business, August 2019