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SOPAC’S hire policy questioned; New Zealand's 'Milk Sheiks'; FNPF's bash of the year
Recruitment under fire: SOPAC, a Suva-based regional organisation, advocates transparency, good governance and fairness in staff recruitment. Nationals of its member countries who have science degrees may be interested to learn how these noble principles are handled in practice: Two Dutch citizens who have worked for SOPAC under the UN Junior Associates programme have just been offered regular SOPAC contracts at the most senior adviser levels. These posts have never been advertised, no Pacific Islander ever had a chance to compete. Perhaps SOPAC’s director believes this was not necessary as the salary packages offered to those young professionals are only in the range of $120,000 and therefore not attractive for Pacific Islanders, Australians and New Zealanders whose taxes are used to fund this organisation. Whispers believes, however, that advertising these positions would have been a practical example of good governance that SOPAC wants to promote in the Pacific Islands countries. And Whispers also believes there are a few regional experts out there who would not mind working for a tax-free package of $120,000.
Practise what you preach: Talking about governance and transparency, would it be also proper for the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat to have advertised the post of the Forum’s secretary-general? The current secretary-general’s term expires in January 2007. By doing that, the Forum Secretariat will be setting the trend and islands people will know that the Forum Secretariat practises what it preaches.
Still on the Forum: Whispers has learnt that a damning letter has been sent to the current forum chair, Sir Michael Somare of Papua New Guinea, for his information only, on what is really happening at the Forum Secretariat. Apparently, the letter has been circulated to all member countries. Whispers has been told there are a lot of unhappy workers up at the Forum’s HQ in Suva.
New Zealand’s ‘Milk Sheikhs’: New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) is sending planeloads of officials and delegations to the Middle East because it sees that region as the next big thing for New Zealand’s exports—particularly the dairy products sector. The quantum of exports so far has been around NZ$700 million—less than its exports to the Pacific Islands, which exceeds a billion dollars, making the islands region one of its biggest trading partners. But MFAT doesn’t see any merit in sending a trade delegation to the islands. The ostensible reason being that the Middle East has greater potential as a market. But does the Middle East really has the potential to turn New Zealand’s dairy industrialists into ‘Milk Sheikhs’?
It’s a men’s world: Editor-in-chief of this magazine mentioned at a regional women-in-the-media meeting that all Fiji’s main news organisations are run by men. This led to a barrage of criticism of this comment—from the said men. A regional observer noted that not only was this criticism all from men in the Fiji media, more than half were Aussie passport holding male expats. And the organisation which rushed their views into print was, well, also Australian-owned.
FNPF fanfare: And the bash of the year goes to (drums rolling)...the Fiji National Provident Fund (FNPF) 40th anniversary party! Being the richest company in Fiji, the fund is reputed for its lavish spending. The fund decided to celebrate its success in the last 40 years in style at the Tradewinds Convention Centre in Suva inviting staff, a few who’s who in high society, and among them a few reptiles. The 600-plus guests enjoyed Wolf Blass wines, a variety of Fosters Ready to Drink and a delicious lovo buffet, including seafood salad. The Police jazz band serenaded the guests, which included the Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase and his wife, Leba. A specially composed meke and song were performed to mark the occasion. The top brass of the fund including some past and present board members all got a pat on the back for a job well done with awards. Among the award winners were finance minister Ratu Jone Kubuabola; former boss Lionel Yee; board member James Raman; current boss Olota Rokovunisei; and chairman Anare Jale. Even Mr and Mrs PM also got an award each. The list was so long that some deserving employees and even the co-founder of FNPF Sakeasi Waqanivavalagi were left out. A former senior official of the fund quipped, “This is extravagant spending, this never happened during my time—we celebrated such occasions but we used money sparingly”. What about the remaining 315,000 or so members who were not part of the party? What do they get? Your guess is good as mine!
Sex scandal: Revelation by a local newspaper of a thriving porno industry in Honiara has the shocked the local community there. Although a few people have been arrested, what has shocked the local community more are the people featuring in these movies. Whispers has been reliably told the pictures seen so far starred two very respected members of the Honiara community.
Under a watchful eye: During his first-ever trip to Samoa last month, the Samoan media hounded New Zealand’s Opposition Leader, Don Brash, over his strident stand on the Taito Phillip Field affair. As he fielded questions at a media conference in the foyer of Aggie Grey’s Hotel on the Apia waterfront, silently watching him from a distance unbeknown to him were the beleaguered in-laws of Taito Field.
Voice of Fiji: Who speaks for Pacific Islands broadcasters? One or two from the region are wondering if voices from Fiji are the only ones to be heard at international broadcasting forums. Just count the number of times Fiji TV’s Canadian GM Commercial Ken Clark and Radio Fiji’s CEO Francis Herman are the speakers from the Pacific, they say. Often on the same programme. Clark has taken to sometimes listing himself as being from Papua New Guinea, because he also has responsibility for Fiji TV-owned EMTV there. But in Papua New Guinea, they scoff about that. The Canadian very definitely lives and works in Fiji, they point out, and is very definitely not regarded locally as of PNG.
Aquarius rising: Is this the age of Aquarius? Aquarius hotels that is. Now that it has successfully established its first “boutique” hotel near Nadi International Airport in Fiji, the Aquarius group is on the move. It has opened its newest Aquarius hotel beachside across the road from Rarotonga International Airport’s terminal. It comes complete with a bound-to-be-popular Coral Club bar and restaurant looking out over the ocean. Next stop for this on-the-move Fiji company is a proposed Aquarius establishment in Samoa. The Aquarius formula is simple. Provide comfortable but economic tourist accommodation and facilities—filling a niche between basic backpacker places and resort hotels.
NZ’s low unemployment: What is the secret of New Zealand’s low, low unemployment—one of the lowest in the OECD? One analyst said it in a word: Australia. With 600 Kiwis leaving the country every week to find better jobs across the ditch in Australia, small wonder the unemployment levels in New Zealand are so low.
Pitchers for hire? Calling for those deadly pitchers...apparently, when queried about the possibility of Uncle Sam entertaining some of our skilled workers, a visiting Congress delegation instead suggested that Fiji should consider the multi-billion baseball industry. “If you have deadly pitchers, that’s a sure ticket to the US of A. So you coconut throwers, work on those skills, pitchers apparently are currently a best seller in the US market at the moment.
Time for action: Enough speech, time for action now. That message stood out like a sore thumb at a recent corruption eradication seminar organised in Fiji recently by the mighty all-inclusive UNDP. Brought together were transparency gods of the region, and speakers included top lawyers, jurists and good governance teachers. Yet, it’s all about talk but sadly no action. The media strangely enough was barred from covering the entire workshop, and to add salt to injury, when invited to address the forum, a woman jurist singled out the media as a key player in ensuring a corruption free society.
So whose copying who? Plans by a university think tank to compile a book on Fiji’s general election last May entered rough patches when a ‘think tanker’ questioned the ‘secrecy’ of the whole exercise. Apparently, the tanker complained why some of them had been bypassed. She accused a colleague of falling into the habit of plagiarising the work of other think tankers! The tanker was rudely brought to earth however when her boss reined her in and apologised for the airing of “internal” think tanking matters publicly!
What’s going on? It has been whispered that a certain multi-million dollar project, the biggest ever in Fiji, might just be a white elephant if it is not controlled well. If this is the case, then it is worrying for the 300,000 plus shareholders of the company who might not get the best returns for their investments. The company’s partner in this joint venture, however, seems to be laughing all the way to the bank. Everything he is doing is legally and politically correct but ethically and morally wrong, we hear. Keep tuned for the latest development.
Changing of the guard: Tokelau’s decision to reject its modest shot at independence and stay with New Zealand has seen a changing of the guard. Its long standing administrator cum governor, diplomat Neil Walter, is stepping down.
While he had something of a deep love for the atolls, he will not miss the getting there bit. Walter was legendary for his seasickness and when he travels to the atolls, his policy was to lie down, close his eyes and not move or talk or eat until arriving.
And the senior Tokelauan civil servant, Falani Aukoso, has accepted the lure of regionalism—and gone to the SPC. No word on the replacements although Pacific reporter Michael Field has been angling for the appointment as Last Governor—with promises of Lieutenant Governorships for suitably compliant friends. And swords and plumed hats and frock coats, of course!
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