Danny Philip (born 5 August 1953) is a politician and diplomat from

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its capit ...

. He was Prime Minister of Solomon Islands from 2010 to 2011. Previously he served as

Minister of Foreign Affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between co ...

from 1995 to 1996 and again from July 2000 to June 2001. He was the leader of the People's Progressive Party from 1997 to 2000, then founded the

Reform Democratic Party The Reform Democratic Party of Solomon Islands (RDPSI) is a political party in Solomon Islands. It was founded by MP Danny Philip Danny Philip (born 5 August 1953) is a politician and diplomat from Solomon Islands. He was Prime Minister of So ...

, of which he was the leader when elected Prime Minister."Party vows to reform constitution"
, ''Island Sun'', 12 July 2010

Personal life

Danny Philip was born on 5 August 1953. His mother, who suffered from

poliomyelitis Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe sym ...

, died just two days after his birth. Philip has been an English teacher and

linguist Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Lingu ...

by profession. He is from the town of Lokuru, which is located on

Rendova Island Rendova is an island in the Western Province of the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific, east of Papua New Guinea. Geography Rendova Island is a roughly rectangularly-shaped island, located in the South Pacific in the New Georgia Islands. The ...

, Western Province. Philip is married to his current wife, Margaret Philip. He has two former wives from previous marriages.

Political career

Philip previously served four terms in the National Parliament of Solomon Islands between 1984 and 2001. He represented the Vona Vona-Rendova-Tetepare constituency from 1984 until 1993. Philip was then elected as the MP from the South New Georgia-Rendova-Tetepare constuency from 1994 until 2001. Philip served as the Solomon Islands'

Foreign Minister A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between co ...

for two tenures, 1995 to 1996 and again from July 2000 to June 2001. Philip is currently the Member of Parliament representing South New Georgia-Rendova-Tetepare as of 2019.

Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands

Philip was narrowly elected the

Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands The prime minister of Solomon Islands is Solomon Islands' head of government, consequent on being the leader of the party or coalition with majority support in the National Parliament. Since April 2019, the prime minister has been Manasseh Sogava ...

on 24 August 2010, following the 2010 general election. Philip and his supporters, who constituted the so-called "Pacific Casino camp," narrowly defeated

Steve Abana Steve William Abana (born 1969 in Fourau, MalaitaBiography
on the website of the Parliament of Solomon Is ...

, the leader of the

Solomon Islands Democratic Party The Solomon Islands Democratic Party is a political party in Solomon Islands. In a country in which political parties tend to be small and transient, and to obtain very few seats in Parliament, the Democratic Party has played a comparatively ma ...

, by just three votes: Philip received 26 votes while Abana garnered 23. He replaced caretaker Prime Minister Derek Sikua. In a victory speech following the Prime Minister election, Philip stated that his first priority would be to form a new government. He said his government would actively support the country's Constitutional Reform process. This had been one of his central campaign pledges, and reason for creating the Reform Democratic Party. Upon naming his

Cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filin ...

, he appointed

Manasseh Maelanga Manasseh Maelanga (born March 25, 1970) is a member of the National Parliament of the Solomon Islands. He represents East Malaita constituency. In May 2009, he was named Minister for Provincial Government and Institutional Strengthening in Prim ...

as his

deputy Deputy or depute may refer to: * Steward (office) * Khalifa, an Arabic title that can signify "deputy" * Deputy (legislator), a legislator in many countries and regions, including: ** A member of a Chamber of Deputies, for example in Italy, Spain, ...

. On 11 November 2011, after the defection of five ministers and seven

backbencher In Westminster and other parliamentary systems, a backbencher is a member of parliament (MP) or a legislator who occupies no governmental office and is not a frontbench spokesperson in the Opposition, being instead simply a member of the ...

s to the Opposition, Philip resigned rather than face a motion of no confidence. He led an interim government until Parliament elected a new Prime Minister on 16 November."Solomons MPs to elect new prime minister on Wednesday"
Radio New Zealand International, 11 November 2011

Gordon Darcy Lilo Gordon Darcy Lilo (born 28 August 1965) is a Solomon Islander politician who served as Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands from 16 November 2011 to 9 December 2014. He was a member of the National Parliament of the Solomon Islands, representin ...

, a member of Philip's

National Coalition for Reform and Advancement The National Coalition for Reform and Advancement (NCRA) is a political coalition in the Solomon Islands, consisting of seven political parties and entities: the Direct Development Party (DDP), the Independent Democratic Party (IDP), the OUR Par ...

, was elected as his successor on 16 November. Philip elected to remain in parliament as a

after leaving the Prime Minister's office.

References

External links

Solomon Star: Philip lays bare policies on major issuesSolomon Islands Prime Ministerial contenders named
from RNZI
PM Philip Hails New Zealand's Assistance ProgramsSolomons PM Danny Philip resigns – report
{{DEFAULTSORT:Philip, Danny 1953 births Foreign Ministers of the Solomon Islands Living people People from the Western Province (Solomon Islands) People's Progressive Party (Solomon Islands) politicians Prime Ministers of the Solomon Islands Solomon Islands diplomats Solomon Islands educators Members of the National Parliament of the Solomon Islands Victoria University of Wellington alumni Forestry ministers of the Solomon Islands