Ulufa'alu, Bartholomew (1950–2007)

Solomon Islands centre-right politician, prime minister 1997–2000. Re-elected to parliament in August 1997 after a seven-year absence, Ulufa'alu became prime minister, heading an Alliance for Change coalition, which was centred around his Solomon Islands Liberal Party (SILP). Needing to tackle high levels of government spending and debt, his government introduced structural economic and administrative reforms to streamline government and stimulate the private sector. However the country experienced mounting ethnic tensions between militants on Guadalcanal Island and Malaitan settlers and in late 1999 his government declared a four-month state of emergency. In June 2000, he was kidnapped by the Malaita Eagle Forces militia, who felt that he was not doing enough to protect the interests of Malaitas. To secure his release, he agreed to resign as prime minister. Despite worsening health, caused by diabetes, which necessitated a leg amputation in 2004, he became finance minister in 2006 in a Grand Coalition for Change government formed by the SILP and three other parties, with Manasseh Sogavare as prime minister.

Born in Laulasi, in Malaita province, Ulufa'alu studied economics at the University of Papua New Guinea. On his return to the Solomons in 1975, he set up the Solomon Islands Union of Workers and the union-affiliated National Democratic Party. He was elected to the national parliament in 1976, representing and leading the National Democratic Party (Nadepa), which he reorganized and renamed (in 1988) the Solomon Islands Liberal Party. He was finance minister 1981–84 in the government of Solomon Mamaloni. Ulufa'alu was out of parliament 1984–97, with the exception of 1989–90, but was economic adviser to prime minister Mamaloni 1990–91 and to international development programmes.