Islands Business - Whispers

SPC NEEDS more PR work; TAVOLA’S EPA job on track?; TONGAN LEADERS get media savvy; HUNT ON FOR Honiara police chief

SPC needs more PR work: The Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) turns 60 this month but how many of us really know what it does or what it is doing in the region? If the media quiz night organised by the Suva office for the Fiji media is anything to go by, then a lot of PR work needs to be done and urgently. Some did not know who the SPC’s director-general is and where he is from. Meanwhile, while the head-honcho Solomon Islands Dr Jimmie Rodgers is happy with the publicity leading up to the 60th anniversary, he admits and agrees with the findings of a corporate review done two years ago that most member countries are not well aware of SPC and what it does. “Sometimes, you work in an organisation and you think everyone knows us. But that it not the case with SPC,” Dr Rodgers says. “The reality is that not many people know about what we’re doing. Yes, people from the sectors that we work with in the different programmes know each other but outside the sectors and how these programmes add benefit to the country—there are not many people who know that.” Rodgers hopes SPC will link up well with the media in the near future. He says the problem is not that the media is not coming to them but that they should be going to the media. He’s made it mandatory with those in the SPC Media Unit to undergo training on how to write better releases or as he puts it “making some of our boring news items more exciting to read”. Perhaps, Dr Rodgers could get a few tips from his wantok at the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, who seems to be doing an effective PR for the forum.

Hunt for police chief: The Solomons is now on the hunt for a new police chief after they did not allow the return of Australian Shane Castles (pictured) after he went on leave. One of those they approached, Honiara sources say, is former Fiji policeman, Romanu Tikotikoca, who until last month was working in Honiara for Gold Ridge Mines Limited (GRML) as head of the company’s community relations and security divisions. Tikotikoca, who was Fiji’s assistant police commissioner before his appointment with GRML, had served a stint with RAMSI. Tikotikoca is being tipped to head the Fiji police force after its Australia police chief Andrew Hughes was sacked by Fiji’s military strongman Frank Bainimarama following a December coup. Another name floated was that of former PNG’s police commissioner, Sam Inguba.

Tavola’s EPA job on track? Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat could be advancing the suggestion made my the Melanesian Spearhead Group (PNG, Solomons, Vanuatu and Fiji) to maintain the expertise of former Fiji’s foreign minister Kaliopate Tavola in the conclusion of the EPA negotiations with the European Union. Whispers has been told that the Forum Secretariat thinks the suggestion is a good one and is talking to Forum member countries to get their endorsement. As the EPA negotiation’s deadline nears, it is crucial to get someone who has a very good knowledge and understanding of trade issues. The regional negotiating team also includes Minister Paul Tiensten of Papua New Guinea and Minister Joachim Keil of Samoa.

EPA negotiations between the EU and ACP countries conclude at the end of this year. Tavola was removed as Fiji’s foreign affairs minister in a military takeover.

His removal means that he loses his role as the Pacific region’s chief negotiator with the EU on the proposed Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA). MSG foreign ministers in their meeting early last month expressed concerns at the current status of the negotiations.

Maiava’s Nauru job: Well, as Whispers had revealed, Iosefa Maiava, the long-serving Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat deputy secretary-general, is finally leaving the Forum Secretariat and heading to Nauru to be part of PRAN (Pacific Regional Assistance for Nauru). He was farewelled late last month and his job is being advertised. Guess, in what capacity would he be serving in Nauru? Well, Maiava will be Nauru’s foreign secretary. Whispers has also been reliably told that there has been a lot of interest in Maiava’s forum job. A number of Fiji CEOs sacked by military strongman Frank Bainimarama last December have expressed interest in the job.

PINA Manager? So what’s the latest in PINA (Pacific Islands News Association)? Sources close to PINA say its executives are close to finalising who will be the PINA manager now that PINA finances are in place. According to those in the know he or she is likely to start work three or four weeks after being appointed.

Still on PINA...Honiara is abuzz preparing for the PINA Convention, the biggest gathering of journalists from the throughout the region. The theme is: The Role of Pacific Media in Economic Growth.”

The convention, held every two years, will be held on May 24-26. And as PINA president Ken Clark said, the convention will be held in conjunction with the 25th anniversary celebrations of Solomon Star, the country’s award winning daily newspaper.

But it is a pity, Whispers has learnt, that President Clark won’t be able to make it there as he will be in Los Angeles on a work related commitment. It will be the first PINA convention held without its president.

PM Marurai on the right road: Sometimes government ministers get so carried away with the grand scheme of running the nation they forget what matters most to people can be more simple.

But Cook Islands Prime Minister Jim Marurai is obviously one leader who understands what the people want. Whilst some in the new Democratic Party Government are promoting things like political reform and media control-legislation, Marurai’s own priorities won praise. High amongst these is slashing the death and human damage from Rarotonga’s worrying road toll. Marurai has made improving road safety a priority. He is pushing ahead legislative action that will give police powers to act more effectively against drink driving and speeding.

This includes proper power to do breathalyser testing and the use of radar speed guns. A recent review of the Cook Islands Police said one of the biggest public worries is the danger on the roads.

Turning on telly not as easy: Starting and running a TV station might not be as easy as some people believe. Businesspeople awarded the second free-to-air TV licence in the Cook Islands have just admitted that one year later they are nowhere near getting their station on air.

The awarding of their licence at the beginning of last year had been greeted with much hype by some. Maybe they should have asked local media business guru George Pitt first about what it takes to operate successfully in such a small market. Pitt took over the failed, debt-ridden government-operated television service and built it into the successful privatised Cook Islands Television of today.

But it took years of constant hard work and sacrifices to achieve this, those who know the story report.

Labour’s support eroding? Labour Party watchers in New Zealand predict a major erosion of support from people of Fiji origin who have traditionally tended to vote en masse for the party. Most feel New Zealand’s extreme stand on developments in Fiji have been a bit over the top and have hurt the common people of Fiji more than anyone else. Disbarring people from Fiji from the seasonal migrant scheme is one sanction that has not gone down well.

Tonga leaders get media savvy: Kalafi Moala, whose “Taimi O Tonga” newspaper was once banned by the Tongan administration is back in his home country conducting media training for government functionaries. He has reportedly told a workshop that unedited television footage of village meetings conducted by the pro-democracy movement helped inflame passions that led to the riots. He said the footage was unbalanced, and used language unfamiliar in Tongan culture. It also criticised people who were not given an opportunity to respond before the footage was aired. His solution is for the government to work closely with the kingdom’s private media.

What’s the story, Sir Richard?: Virgin owner billionaire Sir Richard Branson’s flying visit to New Zealand, which had the nation’s media all over him, has fuelled an ongoing rumour that his group will soon announce the launch of a domestic airline in the country. Or why else would the flamboyant billionaire spend a couple of days in Kiwi country where his empire has precious little to do. Virgin’s corporate headquarters is tightlipped about any such plans. Meanwhile, Virgin’s Australian operations has acquired over a dozen regional jets. There is no doubt that Sir Richard’s team is cooking something with a distinct Pacific flavour.

So Fiji’s safe: Well, well, in the height of the travel advisory in December in which Australia was calling on all Australians not to visit Fiji, guess who was holidaying in one of the country’s resorts? It is none other than one of John Howard’s boys—the federal minister for aboriginal affairs—who was taking a break from his busy Canberra schedule. He had a wail of a time, Whispers was told. Hope he put in a few good words about Fiji to Mr Howard.