Peter Shannel Agovaka

Peter Shannel Agovaka (born 1 November 1959 in Bemuta Village, Guadalcanal Province[1]) is a Solomon Islands politician.

The Right Honourable

Peter Shannel Agovaka

MP
Minister for Police, National Security and Correctional Services
Assumed office
23 December 2014
Prime MinisterManasseh Sogavare
Preceded byChris Laore
Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Relations
In office
27 August 2010 – 9 February 2012
Prime MinisterDanny Philip
Gordon Darcy Lilo
Succeeded byClay Forau Soalaoi
Minister for Commerce, Industries and Employment
In office
9 August 2006 – 21 December 2007
Prime MinisterManasseh Sogavare
Minister for Provincial Government and Constituency Development
In office
21 April 2006 – 4 May 2006
Prime MinisterSnyder Rini
Leader of the Independent Members
In office
January 2008 – 25 September 2008
Member of Parliament
for Central Guadalcanal
Assumed office
5 April 2006
Preceded byWalton Naezon
Personal details
Born (1959-11-01) 1 November 1959
Bemuta Village, Guadalcanal Province
Political partyAssociation of Independent Members,
then Ownership, Unity and Responsibility Party (until 2014),
then none

He studied at Telecom College in Papua New Guinea, then at the North Sydney Institute of Engineering in Australia, before working as a Community Affairs Officer for Gold Ridge Mining Limited in Solomon Islands.[1]

His career in national politics began when he was elected to Parliament as the member for Central Guadalcanal in the April 2006 general election. He was appointed Minister for Provincial Government and Constituency Development in Snyder Rini's government, but lost his Cabinet position when Rini resigned before a motion of no confidence in Parliament in May. In August, however, the new Prime Minister, Manasseh Sogavare, appointed him Minister for Commerce, Industries and Employment, a position he held until the Sogavare government was overthrown by a motion of no confidence in December 2007. Under Derek Sikua's ensuing premiership, Agovaka was, for a time, Leader of the Independent Members of Parliament, from January to September 2008.[1]

In 2008, he was convicted and gaoled for nine months for assault and possession of an illegal weapon, and lost his seat in Parliament.[2]

He resumed his seat in Parliament in the August 2010 general election, as a member of the newly formed Ownership, Unity and Responsibility Party, and was appointed Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Relations in Prime Minister Danny Philip's Cabinet.[1][3] When Gordon Darcy Lilo replaced Philip as Prime Minister in November 2011, Agovaka retained his position in government.[4] He was, however, sacked on 9 February 2012, after having, during a meeting with Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergei Lavrov in Fiji, "discussed the possibility of establishing diplomatic relations" between the two countries. Lilo wrote publicly to Shannel and told him he had breached "collective Cabinet responsibility": "As a developing country Solomon Islands should continue to strengthen our ties with traditional partners before pursuing new diplomatic groupings".[5]

On 23 December 2014, following a general election, Agovaka was appointed Minister for Police by new Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare.[2]

Agovaka has also served on a number of parliamentary committees, and chaired the Constitution Review Committee from July 2009.[1]

References
  1. Biography on the website of the Parliament of Solomon Islands
  2. "Solomon Islands ministers sworn in", Radio New Zealand International, 23 December 2014
  3. 2010 election data Archived 20 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine, Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation
  4. "Ten more ministers sworn in" Archived 24 November 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Solomon Star, 23 November 2011
  5. "PM Sacks Foreign Minister", Solomon Times, 10 February 2012
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