John Patteson Oti, sometimes called Patterson Oti (born 17 January 1956), 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
A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...
Ownership, Unity and Responsibility Party
The Ownership, Unity and Responsibility Party (or Our Party) is a political party in the Solomon Islands.
The party was established on 16 January 2010 (and officially launched a month later) by the leader of the Opposition (and former Prime Minis ...
("Our Party"), which was launched in early 2010. Since March 2012, he has been his country's High Commissioner to
Fiji
Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...
.
Oti was a desk officer at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 1983 to 1990 and a Provincial Secretary for the Ministry of Provincial Government from 1991 to 1993. He was a political analyst for the government of Prime Minister
CV for Oti at Parliament website
He was first elected to the
National Parliament of the Solomon Islands
The National Parliament of Solomon Islands has 50 members, elected for a four-year term in 50 single-seat constituencies.
It is presided by a Speaker, currently Patterson Oti.
Latest elections
Members
The official website of the National ...
for Temotu Nende Constituency in the August 1997 parliamentary election, and under Prime Minister
Bartholomew Ulufa'alu
Bartholomew (Bart) Ulufa'alu (25 December 1950 – 25 May 2007) was the fifth Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands from 27 August 1997 to 30 June 2000.Leader of the Opposition Group in Parliament from December 2001 to May 2003. He was also a member of the Public Accounts Committee from 2000 to 2001 and was the Committee's Chairman in 2002.
Oti was subsequently Minister for Communication, Aviation & Meteorology from January 2004 to February 2005 and Deputy Speaker of the National Parliament from February 2005 to December 2005. He was re-elected to his seat in the April 2006 parliamentary election and was again a candidate for the post of Deputy Speaker late in the month, although the post was won by
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 2010Manasseh 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 ...
, Oti became Foreign Minister for a second time on May 5, 2006.
In mid-August 2006, Oti resigned from the National Party.
After Sogavare was defeated in a no-confidence vote in December 2007, Oti was the government's candidate to replace Sogavare as Prime Minister, but he was defeated by opposition candidate
in the vote held on December 20, receiving 15 votes against 32 for Sikua.
No longer in Parliament following the 2010 general election, Oti considered standing for the position of
Speaker of Parliament
The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England.
Usage
The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hungerf ...
(the Speaker being selected from outside the assembly), and obtained the support of both the government and the opposition, before unexpectedly withdrawing. He later served as the government's "special envoy" to the
Melanesian Spearhead Group
The Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) is an intergovernmental organization, composed of the four Melanesian states of Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, and the Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front of New Caledonia. In ...
, then, in September 2011, was appointed High Commissioner (i.e., Ambassador) to
Fiji
Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...