Willie Jimmy

Last updated

Willie Edward Jimmy Tapangararua, often just referred to as Willie Jimmy (born 4 March 1960), [1] is a Vanuatuan politician with the National United Party. [2]

Contents

Career

Jimmy has served as Vanuatu's Minister of Finance and/or trade on several occasions. [3] He was Minister of Finance from 1991-1992, 1993-1996, 1997, 2005-2008, 2013, and 2015-2016. [1]

In 2003, he was nominated to be the country's Deputy Prime Minister, but at the last minute was switched to the Minister of Trade position, so that the NUP president could be nominated in his place, as part of a coalition-building strategy. [4] He would go on to play a role in relations with China as his country's first ambassador to China, appointed in 2009. [3] [5]

On 23 March 2013, new Prime Minister Moana Carcasses Kalosil appointed him Minister of Finance. [6] On 10 May, Carcasses sacked him, "amid reports the veteran politician was in talks with the opposition about a possible defection", which Jimmy denied. Maki Simelum, who had been Minister for Justice, replaced him, while Silas Yatan (Greens, MP for Tanna) was given the Justice portfolio. [7] Jimmy joined the Opposition. On 26 February 2014, facing defections to the Opposition, Carcasses offered Cabinet positions to Opposition MPs, to shore up his parliamentary majority. Jimmy was one of those who defected to Carcasses' government for a Cabinet job; he was appointed Minister for Trade - replacing Daniel Toara, who was dismissed to make room for him. [8] Jimmy lost office when the Carcasses government was brought down by a motion of no confidence on 15 May 2014. [9]

On 11 June 2015, three government MPs crossed the floor, enabling the Opposition to oust Joe Natuman's government through a motion of no confidence. Sato Kilman formed the new government and re-appointed Jimmy to the position of Minister of Finance. [10] On 2 September, Jimmy pleaded guilty in court to charges of corruption for having taken bribes. [11] Jimmy admitted to receiving 1,000,000 vatu from Moana Carcasses in return for support in the motion of no-confidence that brought the Kilman government to power. The 15 other MPs accused of bribery pleaded not guilty, but all but one of them were subsequently convicted. [12]

Other

Jean Paul Virelala of the Ministry of Education filed a defamation suit against Jimmy, CEO Terry Kerr of Air Vanuatu, and the Vanuatu Daily Post over 2007 comments by the former two published in the latter organ; the newspaper quoted Jimmy as saying about Virelala's consultancy work for the airline that "I am concerned that Mr. Virelala will be wanting to get back at the current management for his dismissal and it will create problems." However, the suit was thrown out in October 2010. [13]

In November 2014, he stated publicly that like many indigenous Melanesians, he believes in witchcraft, and that the practice of witchcraft should be punished with the death penalty. [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edward Natapei</span> Former Prime Minister of Vanuatu

Edward Nipake Natapei Tuta Fanua`araki was a Vanuatuan politician. He was the prime minister of Vanuatu on two occasions, and was previously the minister of Foreign Affairs briefly in 1991, the acting president of Vanuatu from 2 March 1999 to 24 March 1999 and the deputy prime minister. He was the president of the Vanua'aku Pati, a socialist, Anglophone political party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Serge Vohor</span> Former Prime Minister of Vanuatu

Rialuth Serge Vohor is a Vanuatuan politician. He hails from the largest island of Vanuatu, Espiritu Santo, from Port Olry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moana Carcasses Kalosil</span> Prime Minister of Vanuatu from 2013 to 2014

Moana Carcasses Kalosil is a Vanuatuan politician. He was Prime Minister of Vanuatu from March 2013 to May 2014. He was the first naturalized citizen of Vanuatu to become the country's prime minister.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ham Lin̄i</span> Prime Minister of Vanuatu from 2004 to 2008

Ham Lin̄i Vanuaroroa is a ni-Vanuatu politician. He is a former MP from Pentecost Island in Penama Province. He was Prime Minister of Vanuatu from 11 December 2004 until 22 September 2008, and is the current Deputy Prime Minister since 16 May 2014. Lin̄i is the brother of Walter Lin̄i, one of the founders of the modern Republic of Vanuatu. Ham Lin̄i is the current leader of the National United Party (VNUP).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sato Kilman</span> Former Prime Minister of Vanuatu

Meltek Sato Kilman Livtuvanu is a Vanuatuan politician who served as the Prime Minister of Vanuatu on four previous occasions, most recently from 4 September to 6 October 2023. he was previously prime minister from December 2010 to April 2011, from May to June 2011 and June 2015 to February 2016, though his premiership was subsequently annulled by a court of law.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vanua'aku Pati</span> Political party in Vanuatu

The Vanua'aku Pati is a democratic socialist political party in Vanuatu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National United Party (Vanuatu)</span> Political party in Vanuatu

The National United Party is a political party in Vanuatu. It was founded by Vanuatu's independence leader Walter Lini when he broke away from the Vanua'aku Pati, alongside businessman Đinh Văn Thân. It is a social democratic party which traditionally received most of its support from English speakers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ralph Regenvanu</span>

Ralph John Regenvanu is a Ni-Vanuatu anthropologist, artist and politician. He has been a Member of Parliament since September 2008, was a member of Cabinet for most of the period from December 2010 to January 2012 and then from March 2013 to June 2015, and was the Director of the Vanuatu National Cultural Council from 1995 until December 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cabinet of Vanuatu</span> Executive branch of Vanuatu

The Cabinet of Vanuatu is the cabinet of the government of the Republic of Vanuatu.

Paul Barthelemy Telukluk is a Vanuatuan politician.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Esmon Saimon</span>

Esmon Esai Saimon, also referred to as Esmon Sae, is a Vanuatuan politician. Since 11 February 2016 he has been speaker of the Parliament of Vanuatu, and from 17 June 2017 to 6 July 2017 served as the acting president of Vanuatu upon the death of Baldwin Lonsdale.

Antoine ("Tony") Wright, born 4 March 1960, is a Vanuatuan politician.

Maki Stanley Simelum, born 16 May 1961, is a Vanuatuan politician.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Loughman</span> Prime Minister of Vanuatu from 2020 to 2022

Bob Loughman Weibur is a Vanuatuan politician who served as Prime Minister of the Republic of Vanuatu between April 2020 and November 2022.

A by-election was held in the Tanna constituency in Vanuatu on 27 May 2013. It followed the death of incumbent MP Harry Iauko, who was also the Minister for Infrastructure, Public Utilities and Public Service.

David Tosul Butulso is a Vanuatuan politician.

Thomas Laken, born 3 March 1972, is a Vanuatuan politician.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minister of Foreign Affairs (Vanuatu)</span>

This is a list of foreign ministers of Vanuatu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Vanuatuan general election</span>

General elections were held in Vanuatu on 22 January 2016. The previous elections occurred in October 2012. The president of Vanuatu, Baldwin Lonsdale, dissolved the Parliament of Vanuatu in November 2015. This occurred after the conviction of 14 parliamentarians for bribery. The convicted MPs include former Prime Ministers Serge Vohor and Moana Carcasses Kalosil. The president called for a snap election to form a new government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ministry of Finance and Economic Management (Vanuatu)</span> Cabinet ministry of the government of Vanuatu

The Ministry of Finance and Economic Management is a cabinet ministry of the government of Vanuatu responsible for overseeing the nation's public finances.

References

  1. 1 2 Hon. Tapangararua J. Willie
  2. ↑ "Jimmy's defeat loss to Vanuatu", Vanuatu Daily Post, 2008-09-06, retrieved 2010-11-29
  3. 1 2 "Minister confirms appointment", Vanuatu Daily Post, 2009-05-22, retrieved 2010-11-29
  4. ↑ "Willie Jimmy unhappy at failing to secure Vanuatu deputy premiership", Asia Africa Intelligence Wire, 2003-12-02, retrieved 2010-11-29
  5. ↑ "Chinese Club donate Vt1.4m supplies to landslide victims", Vanuatu Daily Post, 2009-06-23, retrieved 2010-11-29
  6. ↑ "Nation's interest first: Carcasses". Vanuatu Daily Post. 26 March 2013.
  7. ↑ "Sacked Vanuatu Finance Minister feels betrayed by PM", Radio New Zealand International, 10 May 2013
  8. ↑ "Chaos reigns in Vanuatu politics. Again", Radio Australia, 26 February 2014
  9. ↑ "Natuman names cabinet line-up", Vanuatu Digest, 16 May 2014
  10. ↑ "Vanuatu announces new cabinet after new prime minister Sato Kilman is elected", Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 12 June 2015
  11. ↑ "Vanuatu finance minister Willie Jimmy pleads guilty to charges of bribery in trial implicating 18 MPs", Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 3 September 2015
  12. ↑ "Public Prosecutor v Kalosil - Judgment as to verdict [2015] VUSC 135; Criminal Case 73 of 2015 (9 October 2015)".
  13. ↑ Neil-Jones, Marc (2010-10-09), "Virelala loses defamation case", Vanuatu Daily Post, retrieved 2010-11-29
  14. ↑ "Vanuatu MP wants death penalty for witchcraft", Radio Australia, 21 November 2014
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.