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NIUE’S DIPLOMATIC blunder; APPLES FROM CHINA for Fiji?; PRATT, SOPOAGA
for SPREP job?
Pacific put-down: Aussies are at it again. In a latest report just released last month, Dr Helen Hughes and her think tank are now saying that the Pacific can be divided into two.
One part is experiencing growth, although modestly, and the other part which comprises mostly Melanesian countries are doing otherwise.
Apart from being described as the arc of instability, a few more lethal doses of descriptions have been coined about Melanesia which include ‘political instability’, ‘lawlessness’ and ‘simply ridden with social ills’.
In addition, the report comes with a stern warning that Melanesia’s “growing army of unemployed and underemployed” will soon turn “from restless to violent” if nothing is done to “reform policies to encourage substantial employment creating growth.
The report has drawn a lot flak from Pacific islanders. One islander who commented on Masalai blog said: “This is one of the fundamental myopia of researchers like Helen Hughes...is that they sit in front of their PCs and do research without visiting the streets to get first-hand data and understand what they write about.”
Another said: “It really offended me in the way that it chose to focus only on the bad things about Melanesia in order to drive home their point that the Pacific is bipolar.
“I didn’t like the way it went on about AIDS and low education standards in Melanesia.
“First, it says not to trust Pacific statistics (for obvious reasons of lack of resources in statistical offices) and then it goes on to make statistical analyses that just puts Melanesia in a totally bad light as opposed to the supposedly perfect and harmless Polynesia.
“It’s as if Melanesia and its so-called arc of instability is a simmering pot of disaster waiting to spill over and poison the whole Pacific with its high unemployment, lack of basic health care and low education standards.”
Buying up, prices up? Worries in Cook Islands over possible food price increases at the supermarkets. The dominant Cook Islands Trading Corporation (CITC) group gobbled up two of its three main competitors, the financially struggling Foodland and Meatco stores, in one gulp. They’re all now part of the CITC group. An early rise in prices at one of the expanded CITC outlets was blamed on “human error”. Meanwhile, Manea Foods, the other of Rarotonga’s big four supermarket companies, continues to compete. Its stores have a heavy emphasis on cheaper products from Asia.
Parliamentary ins and outs: By-elections are becoming common in Solomon Islands, with politicians dying or going to prison. Most contested seat of the moment is East Honiara, vacant with the jailing of political heavyweight and National Olympic Committee president Charles Dausabea. Amongst the 26 candidates (that’s right 26) are prominent former parliamentarians. They include businessman Yukio Sato and media consultant (and ISLANDS BUSINESS writer) Alfred Sasako.
Media fallout: Fiji’s troubles are having an impact in many places, including the news media. Group of senior regional media types have now formed what’s called the Pacific Freedom Forum.
They were unhappy over what they saw as lack of action from the Fiji-based regional organisation PINA; They said PINA should have responded quicker and stronger over attacks on the media by the Fiji regime. The Freedom Forum is intended to do what PINA allegedly isn’t.
Bainimarama fallout: Speaking of Fiji, coup leader Voreqe “Frank” Bainimarama hasn’t endeared himself to regional leaders. Bainimarama blamed Australia and New Zealand for the Pacific Islands Forum’s strong stance on Fiji at the Niue talkfest. Samoan PM Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi responded that Bainimarama is ridiculing the independence and integrity of all members of the Forum. Even Tongan PM Feleti Sevele, regarded as the regional leader closest to Bainimarama, criticised the commodore.
Move over, it’s a plane: Munda airport in New Georgia is causing a few bumps for the busy pilots of Solomon Airlines. Local trucks have taken to swerving off the road and racing along the runway—one of the longest in the Solomons—instead of staying on the bumpier nearby road. The heavily-laden trucks are causing wear and tear on the airstrip, and pothole problems for planes. Pilots worry about the impact on steering if a speeding plane’s nosewheel goes into a pothole.
Clark’s Mugabe talk: Pacific Islands leaders may have been unanimous in their condemnation of Fiji strongman Frank Bainimarama for his decision to boycott last month’s Pacific Islands Forum meeting in Niue but several leaders felt that Prime Minister Helen Clark’s likening of Fiji to Zimbabwe was, well, a bit of an exaggeration—at least at this stage.
Some of the leaders passing through Auckland after the forum en route to their islands said they hoped that kind of talk would not whip up frenzy among over-enthusiastic human rights champions who might start pressing for trade sanctions and the like.
Cutting off trade with Fiji would affect smaller islands, they told a group of Kiwi businesspeople. Fiji is a trans-shipment point for goods to the small islands states. So stuff coming in from Fiji would be effectively cut off, they feared.
But the businesspeople assured them that unlike Ms Clark, a majority of Kiwis knew better than to put Fiji and Zimbabwe in the same basket!
Nauru phosphate version 2.0: WHISPERS is reliably informed that there is quite a bit of activity on Nauru these days. Huge new deposits of phosphates are believed to have been found and at least a few businesspeople are following the leads seriously. But this time around, the businesspeople are not Aussies—this intrepid bunch is believed to be from New Zealand.
Airline special meal: It was definitely a laughing matter for those onboard the Air New Zealand flight taking Pacific Leaders to Niue for their annual summit. When it was near lunch-time, an announcement was made by the purser saying: “Could Bainimarama identify yourself to the crew for your special meal?” There was laughter on board because Bainimarama was not on the plane. He decided not to attend the summit at the last minute.
Island split: There was a split amongst Fijians in Niue whether to welcome him to the island. One group decided they will stay away. The other who thought otherwise were disappointed he did not turn up because they had three pigs for feasting waiting for him.
Uncomfy lunch: WHISPERS’ agents walked into a Suva restaurant and were shocked to see Fiji’s interim PM Bainimarama, ousted PM Laisenia Qarase, Methodist Church ministers and millionaire Ballu Khan—all having lunch there. Of course, they were not sharing one table. On one side of the room was Bainimarama and his VIPs and on the other side was Qarase, Khan and the Methodist Church ministers. Must have been a very uncomfortable lunch!
SPREP job: Five people have been interviewed for the top job at the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme in Apia in Samoa. Four of them are New Zealand passport holders and one from Tuvalu. WHISPERS understands that two of the five people are SOPAC’s boss Cristelle Pratt and Tuvalu’s foreign secretary, Enele Sopoaga. Whoever is going to get the job to replace Asterio Takesy, will be known during the 19th SPREP meeting this month from the 4th to the 12th in Pohnpei.
Apples from China? When we talk about apples in the Pacific, we think New Zealand or Australia. Well, now we’ll have to think China as well. Arrangements are being made by Fiji to import apples from China. Interesting!
Have you heard? WHISPERS has been told that staff of the Fiji immigration department have written to the PSC copied to the PM’s office complaining about their director of immigration, who is also a senior military officer. Interesting to see what action will be taken and how the powers that be will rule in relation to the officer who is one very close to the interim Prime Minister.
Still on Fiji...A successful local indigenous company is looking at divesting its shares in the local brewery in which the Aussies are a major shareholder. Talks, WHISPERS understands, are being held with interested companies.
No love lost: There’s no love lost among parliamentarians in Tuvalu. Just after the inaugural second Air Pacific weekly flight left Funafuti, parliamentarians and government officials continued to make use of the champagne, wines and beers the departed guests did not take advantage of.
The party at the maneaba, where parliament also meets, moved on to Filamona Lodge, about 10 metres away and like most Pacific parties, the party broke up when a fight broke out between (not surprisingly) government members and those in the opposition. Said to have thrown the first punch is a former prime minister, flooring a much smaller in size cabinet minister.
The minister’s cousin jumps in to help, someone else joins in and since we in the Pacific always want to help our own fano, the fight in no time turned into a “physical debate” between the government members and the opposition. The cause of the fight? WHISPERS is still trying to find out as everyone is claiming to be so intoxicated they can’t remember.
Diplomatic blunder: It happened to the ACP secretary-general Sir John Kaputin (from Papua New Guinea) when he went to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kampala, Uganda, last year. Now the new Commonwealth secretary-general Kamalesh Sharma got the same treatment when he attended the Pacific Islands Forum meeting in Niue–thousands of miles away. When he arrived in Niue, there was no one waiting for him at the airport. He had to find his own way to his hotel. First, he was put in a mini bus, but there was not enough leg room. They tried looking for alternative transport but he ended up travelling in a private car to his hotel. Welcome to the Pacific, Mr Sharma.
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