Islands Business - Politics/Tuvalu: PM MAATIA TOAFA SEEKS ANOTHER TERM

32 candidates fight for 15 parliamentary seats

Samisoni Pareti
Political stability is what Maatia Toafa singled out as one of his government’s achievements in the 21 months he has been prime minister of Tuvalu. With the tiny island state going to the polls on August 3, the former Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat trade officer has to rely on the voters for the mandate to prolong that stability.

Speaking to ISLANDS BUSINESS a day before he travels to his home island of Nanumea to step-up his campaign, Toafa sounded tired as if the almost two years he spent as PM was too long. He did say, however, that stability in government was a pleasing realisation of his leadership.

Maatia Toafa... singled out political stability as one of his government’s achievements.

“Restoring stability was important for Tuvalu after the mishap in 2004 that gave me the opportunity to become prime minister,” said Toafa. That “mishap” was the snap parliamentary election that followed the sudden resignation of his predecessor, Saufatu Sopoanga, who was angered by his cabinet’s disapproval of his trip to mainland China.

Tuvalu is one of seven countries in the Pacific that recognises Taiwan and Sopoanga dissolved his government to ward off an imminent no confidence vote over his leadership.

Toafa got the former prime minister to serve in his cabinet and both men are contesting this month’s polls, as are the remaining 13 members of the now dissolved 15-member parliament.

“Under my term, we also managed to get the country’s strategic plan completed,” Toafa said in a telephone interview.

“The plan is to map out the development of Tuvalu in the next ten years.

“It is our hope the new government will give the new plan a kickstart.”

Island modesty may have stopped Toafa from adding that he wants to lead the new government again after August 3, although there were persistent rumours in Funafuti last month that the man may not return as PM after the polls.

But Toafa reveals though that there are some unfinished business he hopes the new government should see through.

Tuvalu’s small but thriving private sector is one. “We still need to develop our private sector and yes the seed money provided by Taiwan has been paid (to Tuvalu Development Bank) and the private sector has been accessing that money. Work needs to continue on the construction of basic infrastructure and reforms of the public sector must progress.”

Toafa said there have been some progress in these reforms as the government’s travel office has been privatised.

A private company has bought the state office that used to look after the overseas travel of government officers, including cabinet ministers. Development in the outer islands can not be neglected either and the caretaker prime minister said his government has been working closely with the island councils on this.

Together with all the sitting 15 parliamentarians, 17 more candidates have registered in Tuvalu’s general elections.

Apart from Toafa and Sopoanga, also seeking fresh mandates are two other former prime ministers; Kamuta Latasi, who is one of four candidates contesting the capital’s two parliamentary seats, and Bikenibeu Paeniu, who’s being opposed by three other candidates which include younger brother Iefata and nephew Luke for the single parliamentary seat of Nukulaelae island.

Observers say this will be a contest to watch as it would be interesting to see whether there will be any political fallout from the senior Paeniu’s handling of the Taiwan Government grant for private sector loans. It was his declaration in parliament as finance minister that the money had been disbursed (when it wasn’t) that prompted the country’s chamber of commerce to hold Funafuti’s first mass protest march early this year. There are no women in-the-now dissolved parliament, which is why all eyes are on two women candidates contesting the August election.

The Pacific news agency Pacnews named the two women as Annie Homasi and Emily Koepke. Homasi was until recently the coordinator of the Tuvalu Association of Non-Governmental Organisation. She is from neighbouring Kiribati but has spent most of her adult life in Funafuti when she married a Tuvaluan. She is one of four candidates standing against Toafa in the Nanumea constituency. Like Nukulaelae, this will also be a family tussle as Toafa, Homasi and another candidate are related.

Koepke, who is the executive director of the Family Planning Association of Tuvalu, is amongst four candidates vying for the two Funafuti seats.

Amongst the newcomers who are seeking a parliamentary seat is Taukelina Finikaso, a lawyer who served until recently as Tuvalu’s High Commissioner in Fiji.

He is one of five candidates fighting for the two Vaitupu seats.

Toafa believes fuel cost is a budget “blowout” the new government will have to monitor very closely.

“The Tuvalu Electricity Corporation has been struggling with the ever increasing fuel prices. There have been constant increases in the cost of diesel and while assistance from the Japanese Government has been a relief, the problem has not gone away.

“Everyone has been feeling the high costs being brought about by rising fuel prices.”

Voting in Tuvalu is only one day with the results expected to be known by the morning of August 4.