‘The Forum has often been compared to a micro-United Nations for the Pacific Islands region. It must live up to that role by at least taking a few positive initiatives than being a passive bystander.'


It is truly ironic. In the very week that the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) declared in its Pacific regional Human Development Index report that Tonga was the top regional performer, the kingdom suffered its worst violence and destruction at the hands of its own people.

As Fiji is expected to break all its previous records with the highest number of tourists landing on its shores this year, tensions between the military and government screeched the brakes on that dream run.

Reports say the numbers continue to fall predicting a bleak end of the year season. That’s bad news for its economy that is not in the pink of its health in the first place.

Over in the Solomon Islands, when the country seemed to be on the mend with more investments pouring into its infrastructure sector after nearly three years of continuing stability, all hell broke loose in April with tensions continuing right through the year.

Tourism numbers that had begun to rise have fallen once again prompting the tourism ministry to appeal to the prime minister to take steps that will boost confidence in foreign tourists.

And as Papua New Guinea’s economy was beginning to look up with many financial analysts coming up with a favourable outlook for the country, its relations with Australia, one of its largest investors, took a nosedive and are perhaps at their worst ever. Both countries are doing little to mend fences and the stalemate will likely to continue into the New Year.

For every step forward, two or several backwards: it’s the same story everywhere in the Pacific islands.

These four instances only highlight the importance of perceived political stability to the well-being of particularly undiversified, fragile economies that are so heavily dependent on tourism.

For an industry like tourism, public perception of safety and stability can make or mar success.

What is worse, instability in even a single country can affect the entire region not least because of the already heightened fear factor among tourists—thanks to global terrorism and instability.  Right now in the Pacific islands region, we have four countries with cautionary travel advisories slapped on them.

And it affects the business traveller too: at least a couple of global corporate giants that had planned visits to Fiji to explore opportunities to scale up their activities there have put off their visits indefinitely, leaving their collaborators with questions about future plans that are linked to their growth.

While these countries remain mired in their individual problems, we see little initiative from the Pacific Islands Forum to address them.

Granted that the Forum can do little about internal political problems of individual countries, it still has a role to play in ensuring regional stability.

It needs to be more proactive and open dialogue with them. After all, what’s going on is hurting the entire region with its people being the worst sufferers.

The Forum has often been compared to a micro-United Nations for the Pacific Islands region. It must live up to that role by at least taking a few positive initiatives than being a passive bystander.

Exactly how it will do this within the ambit of its mandate, it must figure out for itself.

But it is the only organisation in the region acceptable to all member nations that can play that role effectively.

Inaction and a continuing passive stance while the political climate worsens in the region will only make the organisation look ineffective, even marginalised—quite like the United Nations did when the United States and its allies rode roughshod over it to launch their Middle East onslaught in their pursuit of imagined Weapons of Mass Destruction a little over three years ago.

Time is running out. It must take on that role immediately for the sake of the region.