Taneti Maamau facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Taneti Maamau
Maamau in 2023
6th President of Kiribati
Incumbent
Assumed office 11 March 2016
Vice President	Kourabi Nenem Teuea Toatu
Preceded by	Anote Tong
Personal details
Born	(1960-09-16) 16 September 1960 (age 64) Onotoa, Gilbert and Ellice Islands
Political party	Tobwaan Kiribati Party
Spouse	Teiraeng Tentoa Maamau
Alma mater	University of the South Pacific University of Queensland

Taneti Maamau (born September 16, 1960) is a politician from Kiribati. He has been the President of Kiribati since 2016. He is part of the Tobwaan Kiribati Party. His main goals are to make Kiribati's economy stronger and help with social problems.

His government created the 'Kiribati Vision for 20 Years' (KV20). This plan aims to grow tourism and fishing with help from other countries. Under President Maamau, Kiribati changed its official ties from Taiwan to China. This decision caused some concern among his own party and other countries.

He did not agree with the previous president, Anote Tong's, plan for people to move away because of climate change. After being re-elected in 2020, Maamau announced plans to fight rising sea levels. This would involve raising Kiribati's islands, partly by digging up sand and mud from the sea floor. This project would be supported by help from other countries like China.

In 2022, Maamau's government was criticized for causing a constitutional crisis. This happened when they suspended all the country's top judges. He was re-elected in 2024 for his third and final term as president.

Early Life and Political Start

Taneti Maamau was born on September 16, 1960. He grew up in Onotoa. He studied at the University of the South Pacific. Later, he earned a master's degree from the University of Queensland in Australia. In 2003, he finished his special project on how industries and trade policies work in India.

In 1997, Maamau started working for the government. He was a Planning Officer in the Ministry of Finance. In the mid-1990s, President Teburoro Tito made him the permanent secretary for that ministry. He also became the secretary for the Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Cooperatives.

In 2002, Maamau left his government job to enter politics. In 2007, he won one of the two seats for Onotoa in the parliament. He was re-elected to the Maneaba ni Maungatabu (parliament) in 2011 and 2015. During this time, Anote Tong was president from 2003 to 2016, and Maamau was part of the group that opposed him.

After the 2015–16 parliamentary election, two parties, the United Coalition and Maurin Kiribati Parties, joined together. They formed the Tobwaan Kiribati Party. In February 2016, they chose Maamau as their candidate for the presidential election. He also received support from former President Tito. Maamau won the election with almost 60% of the votes. He became president on March 11, 2016.

Presidency

First Term: 2016 to 2020

President Maamau's plans focused on improving the economy and solving social problems. In April 2016, his government announced new policies. These policies made education free up to year 12. They also created a group to look into corruption and abuse of power. The government also gave a $1 million grant to the two main Christian churches.

Many people from Kiribati's outer islands move to the capital, South Tarawa. They do this even though there are problems with sanitation, jobs, and the rising cost of living. Maamau tried to develop the coconut trade and manufacturing to reduce this movement and poverty. He doubled the price the government pays for copra (dried coconut meat) from $1 per kilo. This was a guaranteed price for citizens selling copra.

The previous president, Anote Tong, believed that people might have to move because of climate change and rising sea levels. Tong worked to make other countries aware of Kiribati's situation. However, Maamau did not agree with Tong's "migration with dignity" policy. Maamau believes that only divine will could destroy Kiribati, even though he does not deny climate change.

At a big climate meeting called COP23 in 2017, Maamau said his government would not focus on the idea of a "sinking nation." He showed a video about his Kiribati Vision for 20 Years (KV20). This plan includes investing in tourism and fishing to help Kiribati become richer. It also involves raising land in Tarawa to build new homes. He mentioned seeking help and money from other countries to develop businesses and tourism, including building resorts. Between 2017 and 2019, no specific actions were taken to adapt to climate change. In 2019, the government published a plan called the Kiribati Joint Implementation Plan for Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management (KJIP).

In August 2018, Maamau became the Chancellor of the University of the South Pacific.

In September 2019, Maamau decided that Kiribati would no longer officially recognize Taiwan. Instead, Kiribati would have closer ties with China. Because of this, thirteen members of parliament left his party. They formed their own party, the Kiribati First Party, led by Banuera Berina. Maamau called them "traitors" but said he respected their choice. Berina claimed that Maamau did not talk to the MPs before making this big change.

Maamau reportedly said that Taiwan had ignored his requests for help with KV20. This included a request for Taiwan to buy Kiribati a $30 million Brazilian airliner. In March 2019, Taiwan's leader, Tsai Ing-wen, did not visit Kiribati during her trip to the region. Kiribati's government saw this as a sign of disrespect. Berina said he learned from Taiwanese sources that Tsai was actually eager to visit. However, she was told she could not because Maamau was in Fiji. The decision to switch ties was criticized by Kiribati's first president, Ieremia Tabai, and other opposition members. They organized protests in Tarawa to support Taiwan.

Second and Third Terms: 2020 to Present

On January 6, 2020, Maamau signed an agreement in China to join the Belt and Road Initiative. China's leader, Xi Jinping, met with Maamau and praised Kiribati for being "on the right side of history." In the 2020 parliamentary elections, Maamau's party lost its majority in parliament, winning only 20 seats. He ran for re-election in the 2020 presidential election against Berina. Both sides accused each other of corruption. Berina promised to reverse the pro-China decision if he won. Taneti Maamau won the election with 59% of the votes. He was sworn in for his second term on June 24, 2020.

In August 2020, Maamau announced plans to raise Kiribati's islands by dredging. He sought help from countries like China for these projects, which he said would cost billions of dollars. However, he stated that Kiribati would remain independent and not take huge loans from other countries. He also denied American concerns that his government would allow China to build a military base on Kiritimati. The previous president, Tong, had bought land in Fiji. He said this land could be used if rising sea levels made Kiribati's islands unlivable. There was talk that Maamau might give or sell this land to China. In February 2021, Maamau announced plans to turn it into a commercial farm, with China providing "technical assistance."

In October 2020, Maamau and four other leaders from Micronesia threatened to leave the Pacific Islands Forum. They felt the forum did not support their interests. A leader from Polynesia was chosen as the Secretary-General instead of their preferred Micronesian candidate. They felt this broke an old "gentleman's agreement" to rotate the position among different regions. Maamau officially withdrew Kiribati from the forum in July 2022. This was seen as a setback for cooperation in the Pacific, especially as China increased its influence. In 2023, Kiribati rejoined the forum.

In the 2022 Kiribati constitutional crisis, many judicial groups criticized how the government treated judges. In September 2022, Maamau suspended Australian-born judge David Lambourne indefinitely. The opposition believed this was a punishment for Lambourne's wife, who was their leader, Tessie Eria Lambourne. Maamau also suspended all three court of appeal judges and the chief justice after they ruled against deporting Lambourne.

Kiribati had no COVID-19 cases for the first two years of the pandemic. On January 22, 2022, the government announced a lockdown. This happened after people on the first passenger flight in 10 months tested positive. The virus spread to Tarawa. A journalist named Rimon Rimon told Time magazine that many people were unhappy with the government for opening its borders. Maamau's office urged citizens to get vaccinated. At that time, only 50% of the population was fully vaccinated.

Maamau's government has supported deep sea mining. This puts them at odds with environmental groups.

In March 2024, news reports said that Chinese police were working with Kiribati officers. This was part of China's plan to form security ties with Pacific Islands. Countries like Australia and the US were concerned that China was trying to increase its control and watch over other areas. Pro-China relations, climate policy, and the cost of living were important issues in the 2024 elections. Maamau was re-elected for Onotoa in the parliamentary elections. He also won a third and final term in the presidential election with 55% of the votes.

Personal Life

Before entering politics, Maamau served as a deacon of the Kiribati Uniting Church. He is married to Teiraeng Tentoa Maamau, who is from Tabiteuea. They have three children and two grandchildren.

See also

In Spanish: Taneti Maamau para niños