| During the 1940 s and 1950 s,under the leadership of Arisimae Aliji Nono’oohimae Nori Timothy George Maharatta and others,a political,economic,social and cultural movement arose on Malaita Island in Solomon Islands,which was called “Maasina Rule”or “Marching Rule” in history.This movement aims at improving agriculture,building bigger and cleaner villages,improving the life of islanders,compiling indigenous laws,not paying taxes to the colonial government,leaving British colonial rule and seeking independence.The Maasina Rule soon spread to the whole of Malaita island and nearby areas,especially parts of Makira Island and Guadalcanal Island.It dominated the politics of the central part of Solomon Islands for eight years,and almost brought the British Solomon Islands Protectorate government,which was still weak after World War II,to the brink of collapse,and had a far-reaching impact on Solomon Islands and even the entire Pacific island region.Like any political,economic,social and cultural movement in history,the rise of the Maasina Rule has a profound historical background and is the result of many factors,including the ineffective colonial management and oppression of colonial rule by the British colonial authorities for decades;The economic decline of Solomon Islands under the world economic crisis and the economic hardship of Solomon Islands people;Long-term lack of social services such as education and medical care;The influence of the Pacific War and wartime experience have catalyzed the growing resentment for a long time.In a word,this movement is the response of Solomon Islanders to the influence of western colonial invasion,and it is an early indigenous nationalist movement based on the desire for autonomy and self-determination. |
