James Tora (born 16 July 1956 in Hunuta Village, Ugi IslandsOfficial biography National Parliament of Solomon Islands) is a
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 capita ...
politician.
After studying at the Honiara Technical Institute, he worked as Supervising Manager for Student Welfare Services at the
Solomon Islands College of Higher Education
Honiara Solomon Islands College of Higher Education (SICHE) is a university in Honiara, Solomon Islands; apart from the University of the South Pacific, which has a satellite campus in the country. It is located in eastern Honiara, south of Ho ...
. He then began a career in national politics, when he stood successfully for
Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
constituency
An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger State (polity), state (a country, administrative region, ...
. (The by-election was prompted by MP Nathaniel Waena's elevation to the post of
Governor-General
Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...
.) He was re-elected in the
2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
Sir
Allan Kemakeza
Allan Kemakeza (born 11 September 1950) was the seventh Prime Minister of Solomon Islands from 2001 to 2006. He represented Savo/Russel Constituency in the National Parliament of Solomon Islands from 1989 to 2010severe ethnic conflict on Guadalcanal. He held the post until February 2006, when he was appointed Minister for Mines and Energy. Following the April 2006 general election, he became Minister for Infrastructure and Development in Prime Minister
motion of no confidence
A motion of no confidence, also variously called a vote of no confidence, no-confidence motion, motion of confidence, or vote of confidence, is a statement or vote about whether a person in a position of responsibility like in government or mana ...
, and Tora found himself on the Opposition benches, where he remained until Rini's successor,
Manasseh Sogavare
Manasseh Damukana Sogavare (born 17 January 1955) is the sixth and current Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands, serving since 24 April 2019. He previously held the office in 2000–2001, 2006—2007 and 2014–2017; in all he has served over ni ...
, was himself ousted in a vote of no confidence in December 2007. Tora supported new Prime Minister
, and was appointed Minister for Home Affairs. He held the post until May 2009, when he was transferred to the position of Minister for Police, National Security, and Correctional Services. He continued at that post after the August 2010 election, under newly elected Prime Minister
Danny Philip
Danny Philip (born 5 August 1953) is a politician and diplomat from Solomon Islands. He was Prime Minister of Solomon Islands from 2010 to 2011. Previously he served as Foreign minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1995 to 1996 and again fro ...
.
On 25 January 2011, he followed several other ministers in resigning from government and joining
Steve Abana
Steve William Abana (born 1969 in Fourau, MalaitaBiography on the website of the Parliament of Solomon Is ...
's Opposition. Tora's defection gave Abana the support of twenty-five MPs to Philip's twenty-three, prompting the Opposition to call for Philip's resignation. The following month, however, Tora and several other defectors returned to the government, providing Philip with a solid majority once more. Tora resumed his position as Minister for Police.
On 18 April, Philip removed him from Cabinet in a reshuffle to make way for five Opposition members who had just joined the government ranks. Sofu was succeeded by Clay Forau.
In early November, Tora, along with several other former ministers who had lost their positions in that reshuffle, switched over to the Opposition again, and this time succeeded in bringing down the Philip government."PM Resigns" , ''Solomon Star'', 11 November 2011