NGO rumbling: Another regional NGO appears to be in trouble. This time from two fronts. FRONT ONE: Governance. The regional NGO which stands for good governance regularly delivers training in good governance for its members. Recently, it contracted a Tongan consultancy firm to deliver training at the annual NGO retreat. Guess what? The Tongan outfit, it has been whispered, is co-owned by none other than the regional NGO's chair. FRONT TWO: Finances. It is been whispered that the NGO's major funders have threatened to withhold future funding. One in particular has told the NGO it won't be giving any further funding until it accounts for the missing $600,000 plus. Stay tuned for more!
Tax revolt: Solomon Islands Visitors Bureau is facing a revolt of sorts out in the country's tourism heartland, Western Province. Some accommodation operators are quietly ignoring requests from the Honiara-based bureau to pay their "bed tax". One tells how he walked into the bureau in Honiara, pretended to be a tourist and asked for information about his place. Bureau staff, he said, were unable to help. Another operator said the only time he has seen anyone from the bureau was when someone came to drop off his "bed tax" invoice. His bureau visitor was apparently not even a little bit interested in having a look around to see what the place offered. The main Western Province operators do their own development without government help. They have done so despite past coup, conflict and riot problems in distant Honiara which have hit their businesses. They want more interest from the bureau before they pay up.
Key's cast benefits the blind: New Zealand Prime Minister John Key sold the cast of his broken right arm for NZ$18,500 in an online auction in late January and donated the proceeds to the Fred Hollows Foundation's work in the Solomon Islands. Several Pacific Islands leaders had signed on the cast. A RAMSI officer suggested that Key auctions it and donates the proceeds. The wining bid, by a Wellington businessman, will fund 400 cataract operations. Key said he was "truly surprised" at the amount the cast was sold for, but he wasn't rushing to break his other arm.
Clark for a UN job? New Zealand's former Prime Minister Helen Clark is lobbying to head the United Nation's Development Programme, which has an annual budget of NZ$10 billion. Prime Minister John Key canvassed Pacific leaders' support at the January Special Pacific Islands Forum meeting, while Clark can count on the UK's Labour Government as well as several high-ranking United Nations officials. The application process will be very competitive-the United States has reportedly promoted five candidates. Labour's long-serving MP Chris Carter is tipped to take over Clark's position as Opposition spokesperson on foreign affairs. Carter was a member of the foreign affairs and trade select committee in his first term in 1993 and was deputy chairman of that committee six years later.
Diplomatic blitz? Funny things happen in coup, coup land. WHISPERS has been told that the representative of one of Fiji's closest allies was on the verge of being booted out of the country. Just like the Kiwi diplomats. But alas, the military council in its wisdom, decided not to go ahead with it. That's not all. Word on the streets, is that another diplomat is under close watch. He could be the next to be targetted. Was it also the military council that voted against Chaudhry and his team returning to join Bainimarama's interim regime?
So slow Solomons: Never let it be said that doing business in the Solomons is easy. Just ask SkyAirWorld and Digicel. Emerging Aussie airline SkyAirWorld last month suddenly slashed flights to Honiara to a token one a week. This appeared to follow the government's failure to so far deliver on a promised upgrade of Munda airport in Western Province. Munda's upgrade is central to SkyAirWorld's ambitious tourism-focused plans. It wanted to fly Embraer regional jets Brisbane-Honiara-Munda by the end of last year. Then run Cessna Caravan turboprop shuttle flights from Munda to other tourism heartland spots out West. But by last month, there was still no sign of any work happening at Munda. International mobile phone operator Digicel is meanwhile frustrated by the government's failure to deliver yet on promises to open the telecom market. Digicel had staff in Honiara ready to start late last year based on assurances from PM Derek Sikua. Services would have been launched this month. But promised legislation did not get to Parliament. SkyAirWorld is now using its planes to open services elsewhere. The Digicel team is now in Kiribati launching services there.
Big time star: Imagine being a star. Everyone worships the ground you walk on and what you say is most of the time gospel. But this Pacific star, who has made it big in sports, can't even pay his bills. WHISPERS has learnt this star has accumulated a fuel bill totalling some $3000, which he has yet to pay.
Talking about not paying...a favourite local hangout is chasing up some of its drinking clients for not paying their bar tab bills. And they could soon be hearing from the watering hole's lawyers. It will be interesting to check out who is on that list! WHISPERS has been reliably told it includes some well-known figures both in the public and private sectors.
Media Watch (1): Here's news media news that hasn't been widely reported. Big row amidst Vanuatu's news fraternity is taking its toll. It looks like keeping the main local newspaper company, headed by media freedom fighter Marc Neil-Jones, and all his staff out of the Pacific Islands News Association (PINA) convention there. PINA is due to be in Port Vila in July. Whisper is that if things aren't sorted in Vanuatu, PINA 2009 could be moved to Nadi, Fiji. It would then run back-to-back with a big Fiji Government-supported Asia-Pacific broadcasting summit PINA's secretariat in Fiji is helping organise, also in July.
Media Watch (2): Australian-funded talkfest in Fiji brought together what were supposed to be journalism training providers from around the region. Honiara media types were surprised to see a Solomon Islands College of Higher Education (SICHE) rep enjoying the trip to Nadi. Reason for their surprise? SICHE does not have a journalism programme.
Media Watch (3): New "STAR", so to speak, of the Samoan media is editor and media operator Apulu Lance Polu. Polu emerged as the local partner of successful Cook Islands media entrepreneur George Pitt's expansion into Samoa. Their Samoa Television and Radio (STAR) Network is launching TV and radio stations. Polu was the top radio and TV news man way back in the days when Samoan broadcasting was heavily government controlled.
He quit government broadcasting in a bid to help build more independent media, first a magazine, then a newspaper and then a news website. Now he's working closely with Pitt at the helm of what is expected to be a major force as the Samoan airwaves continue to open up.
Queen's Honours and Awards: Every year, people from all walks of life in the Commonwealth vye for a range of awards and honours during the Queen's Birthday and New Year. It can range from the OBE [Officer of the British Empire] which is at the lower end to Knighthood at the top.
After the Solomon Islands has exhausted its five-year allocation of Knighthood, there's a long list in waiting. The country's next five-year allocation resumes at the Queen's Birthday Honours this year. Fearing he may miss out, one Asian businessman, a long-time resident in Honiara, has taken matters into his own hands.
He has asked Government House to ask the Queen to confer on him the title, Lord, instead of Sir. The last we heard is that he's been awarded the British Empire Medal [BEM], which is even lower than OBE.
Arise again, Sir Terepai? Increasingly whispers in Rarotonga are that Deputy Prime Minister Sir Terepai Maoate will be the country's next Queen's Representative. That's the local equivalent of Governor-General for those who don't know. Sign of the times: Powerful former PM Maoate and current PM Jim Marurai appear to have settled into a more amicable leadership alliance. That's after testy early days.
Niue alternative: If you're going to Niue, take note that the weekly flight to the "Rock of Polynesia" is leaving a day earlier starting in June. The Air New Zealand return flight from Auckland has been rescheduled to arrive in Niue on a Friday, which is Saturday across the dateline in neighbouring Tonga. Official reason: better connections back in NZ. Another reason, WHISPERS hears, is Tonga's international airport on Tongatapu is open on Saturdays. It can therefore be used as an alternative airport if needed.
Wong days: And still the controversy keeps coming for Cook Islands Tourism. The national tourism corporation's long-time CEO Chris Wong quit in 2007 amidst investigations into his use of an official credit card. Now his then Auckland office manager, Albert Numanga, who quit Cook Islands Tourism soon after Wong, is facing claims alleging misuse of money.
Melanesian troubles: Last month's WHISPERS of PNG imposing high visa fees on Fiji journalists has flushed out more news of lack of Melanesian cooperation. Seems all is not well between some of Melanesia's national flag carrying airlines. Getting a commercial edge not Melanesian cooperation seems to be the name of the airline game.
Sikua's visits: One of the new developments introduced by the ruling Solomon Islands Coalition for National Unity and Rural Advancement [CNURA] government is the regular visits by Prime Minister Derek Sikua to his ministers in their offices. Political watchers have been doing some guesswork on the objective of such visits, which began in earnest earlier this year. And, as usual, the rumour mill in Honiara is running hot. Some say the visits are intended to salvage PM Sikua's standing amongst his ministers. Parliament meets shortly. Taiwan's decision to withhold the 2009 constituency grants until funds given in 2007 and 2008 were properly acquitted has thrown the spanner in the works. There are a lot of disgruntled MPs around. Others suggest the visits were intended to gather information for a projects shopping list which PM Sikua would take with him when he visits Taiwan in May. It would be very interesting to see if any item on the shopping list materialises at all.
Chan back in govt? Rumours are running hot in Honiara that one-time foreign minister, Laurie Chan, is eyeing his old job back. He is currently the chairman of the Parliamentary Foreign Relations Committee reviewing RAMSI. Depending on who one talks to, many in the Chinese community in Honiara are aware of the move. Others say his father, multi-millionaire businessman Sir Tommy Chan, is backing his son's bid. Part of the drive by Chan Snr, they say, is the fundraising drive he has instigated to raise funds for flood victims on West Guadalcanal and the Bushfire Appeal in Victoria. Government ministries have received a directive from the top to "find" $10,000 each to go towards the fundraising drive. A recent dinner costs $10,000 a table!
Sacked over porno: You read it first in WHISPERS. A suspended Solomon Islands permanent secretary who accidentally showed pornography to the country's premiers and other top government officials has been sacked. Fred Ganate got a shock of his life when pornographic pictures he stored in his laptop came out in a power-point presentation he was giving to premiers at Lata, Temotu, last year. To make matters worse, Prime Minister Dr Derek Sikua, was also there at the conference.
