Specifically, there was less patience for supporting countries with corrupt and oppressive governments or high military expenditure that was used more for internal security and regime protection than defence against external aggressors. Major international agencies, especially the World Bank, were also questioning the effectiveness of existing development policies. The movement for good governance brought a fundamental policy change from an emphasis on private sector development and structural change that was expected to lead to democratisation, to a belief that participatory democracy, the strengthening of civil society, and building the capacity of government were the essential precursors and partners of economic change, leading to a market-friendly economy and improved living standards for ordinary people. In the Pacific Islands , the concern of donors has been more with the capacity of governments to manage their affairs than with oppression and the abuse of human rights. Most Pacific Islands governments are elected democratically and are accountable to their electors.
Governments change regularly through an electoral process.
The most obvious exception, of course, was Fiji where the elected government was overthrown by a military coup in 1987. Much of the debate concerning Fiji's subsequent constitutions has been couched in terms of good governance as were the expectations of the British Commonwealth in establishing conditions for the re-entry of Fiji. More widely, there remain concerns at the extent to which the press is free and unfettered from either government ownership or the threat of intervention and control. Similarly, political parties are common but they are often more the instruments of politicians than expressions of popular support. In Vanuatu and Solomon Islands, for example, parties formed for electoral purposes may not survive the term of parliament as unstable governments collapse and their members form new alliances to foster sectional or regional interests, or satisfy personal ambitions.