As for the secretary-general position, three names have been confirmed when applications closed on July 31.

Laisa Taga
Apart from the normal agenda, two things will make this month’s Pacific Islands Forum Leaders summit in Niue memorable: FIRST: The decision on who will be the next secretary-general.

And SECONDLY, Fiji reneging on its commitment to hold an election by March 2009 as promised to the leaders last year.

As for the secretary-general position, three names have been confirmed when applications closed on July 31. All three are from Polynesia and whoever succeeds will replace Greg Urwin of Australia who resigned early this year due to health reasons.

The three are:

Feleti Teo, Tuvalu’s nominee

Currently the acting Forum secretary-general, Teo was formerly the director-general of the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA). Before that he served as Tuvalu’s attorney-general. He served at Forum Fisheries in Honiara for six years before taking up the appointment at the Forum Secretariat.

He holds an LLM from the Australian National University in Canberra and has wide experience with regional issues.

Should he get the job, he would be the second Tuvaluan to be Forum secretary-general. The other was former deputy prime minister, Henry Naisali.

Rating: He has everything except experience in dealing with leaders and ministers of forum member countries. He has to learn to assert himself a little.

Wilkie Rasmussen, of the Cook Islands

Lawyer-politician and former journalist, Rasmussen has won plaudits for his work as Cooks’ foreign minister and in both Forum and African, Caribbean, Pacific (ACP) group meetings.

Rasmussen could also bring a real understanding of small islands states living to the job. In the Cook Islands Parliament, he represents Penrhyn, the most remote of the country’s atolls.

Rating: Good choice and also someone who is quite vocal and effective.

Tuiloma Neroni Slade, of Samoa

He is a former Attorney-General of Samoa, and served as Samoa’s ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations. He is a former chair of the Alliance of Small Islands States and also a former judge in the International Criminal Court based in The Hague in The Netherlands.

Tuiloma was first nominated in 1997 for the secretary-general position, but the Forum leaders’ summit in the Cook Islands chose Noel Levi of Papua New Guinea instead.

This time Tuiloma’s Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi will do the right thing by strongly lobbying the Pacific Islands leaders to support Samoa’s nominee.

The last time Samoa nominated a candidate, Tuilaepa was criticised for not doing enough. This time, he will not make the same mistake.

Rating: Top credentials, international but little regional exposure.

Melanesian candidate

Despite the announcement at the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) summit in Vanuatu that the Melanesians will put up a candidate, sources reveal there was no formal nomination. It appears they were uninterested, one regional observer said.

It is understood former Fiji foreign minister Kaliopate Tavola was informally approached by Papua New Guinea.

However, PNG was cautious not to undermine PNG/Fiji relations should it nominate Tavola.

Fiji, however, said as reported by LETTER FROM SUVA that if Tavola was interested in the job, he should let them know.

Forum sources say it is the Polynesians’ turn at the helm. But that goes against recent thinking that the best candidate should be given the job.

Since the beginning of the Forum, executive heads have been: Tongan Mahe Tupouniua; Papua New Guinean Gabriel Gris; Tupouniua again; Naisali; former president of Kiribati, Ieremia Tabai; Papua New Guinean Levi; and Urwin of Australia.

Deciding on who the next secretary-general should be a relatively simple and straightforward exercise.

But deciding on the Fiji situation might be a little bit tricky. It could become fiery should New Zealand and Australia continue their warpath.

As for the Forum Contact Group that was in Fiji last month, they believe that Fiji can still hold an election by March 2009. That was as promised by Bainimarama in Tonga last year under the 1990 Constitution.

As one observer who is very familiar with Forum issues says: “I think the atmosphere is likely to be fiery. But if Bainimarama changes his stance before Niue, there might be a softening of this likely heat.

“As you know, it’s not only the Forum that is keeping an eye on things in Fiji now but a good part of the globe.

“I think Bainimarama might have a good message for the leaders if not for anything perhaps to ensure he comes out of the Forum with a positive feeling.

“If not I think the leaders will choose the use of tougher language in their communiqué where Fiji is concerned.”

Another observer told LETTER FROM SUVA that the onus lies on Fiji and Bainimarama to convince the leaders beyond reasonable doubt why he can't hold an election by March 2009 as he had promised.

And the reasons must be substantial enough to convince them to review their decision made in Tonga. Otherwise, it is going to be an interesting meeting.

“What will he tell the leaders? Will he apologise for reneging on his promise? Will he seek their understanding?

“Whatever he is going to tell them, it must be substantial enough to convince them because he has undermined the integrity of the leaders who trusted him to carry out a mandate agreed to at the last Forum,” the observer said.

Here’s hoping good sense prevails and an amicable solution is arrived at.