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Media watch: Well, the cat is finally out of the bag...PINA (Pacific Islands News Association) better watch out. A new media organisation to be called the Pacific Media Association is being set up by people understood to be frustrated by the lack of action of PINA. And guess what? One of the members of the core founding group behind the new outfit is none other that PINA’s very own vice-president John Woods of the Cook Islands, who has just recently tendered his resignation as PINA’s VP. Woods’ reasons for quitting? He claims the regional media body is too willing to compromise with the government of Commodore Frank Bainimarama. And that it reneged on its constitutional obligations to oppose censorship and media controls in Fiji. Other members of the new media outfit are Samoa’s Savea Sano Malifa, Russell Hunter (a former Fiji Times editor in chief who now works for Malifa in the Samoa Observer), Marc Neil Jones of Vanuatu and, Kalafi Moala of Tonga. Two other members work for tertiary institutions. With Woods’ resignation, well, say goodbye to Cook Islands hosting the PINA bi-annual convention next year.
Papua power: Questions over Indonesian-ruled West Papua just won’t go away. It seems. Vanuatu is whispered to be prepared to bring up the issue at both the Melanesian Spearhead Group and Pacific Islands Forum meetings this month. Vanuatu’s parliament has already called for an international investigation into the legality of the 1960s Indonesian takeover of their fellow Melanesians.
Table topping performance: Samoa is not only the world’s top sevens rugby nation on the field, it’s also table topping off the field in promoting women in sport. The UN’s Millenium Development Goal 3 is on gender equality and on June 11, 2010 the Samoa Rugby Union (SRU) made a decision that’s a giant leap for MDG-3 in Samoa. It voted unanimously to include the President of the Samoa Women’s Rugby Union as full member on its board. Together with the Schools Union board member Lafaitele Aiga Esera that makes two women on the board. This is a world-leading MDG-3 decision. Why? Because rugby’s governing body, the IRB, does not have a woman representative on its governing council–yet. “All that’s needed now is equality in allocation of resources to fund women’s rugby programmes and Manusina (the Samoan national women’s side) will bring home the Rugby World Cup and an Olympic medal. As Samoan sportsmen and women of all ages: impossible is nothing,” said Manusina representative Gabrielle Apelu in a statement. “Sport, like education, can help girls and women become equal players in society,” she said.
Sevens fever boil-over: After winning the 2010 IRB World Series 7s championship and the heart of their nation, the Manu Samoa 7s team has been overwhelmed with cash donations from well-wishers. Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sa’ilele Malielegaoi told Parliament that nearly WS$400,000 has so far been gifted to Manu Samoa 7’s team by government organisations, and he estimated that the amount gifted to the team would have reached WS$500,000. Samoan captain, Lolo Lui’s village of Moata’a, which has produced many great sevens players in the past, gave the team WS$10,000. Samoa International Finance Authority gave the team another WS$100,000. The team has been collecting gifts in cash and kind since they returned from winning the IRB world sevens series in Edinburgh, Scotland. It seems the sevens fever sweeping through Samoa has also infected the sevens reps themselves. Sevens captain Lolo Lui shocked government officials when he called on government on behalf of the team for land as reward for winning the IRB world series. Opposition politicians quickly got in the act with Tautua Samoa Party Member of Parliament, Palusalue Fa’apo II, saying the team should be given WS$1 million by government. Prime Minister Tuilaepa, who is also chairman of the Samoan rugby union, said in parliament, however, that for those who want a million tala and land to be given by government to others should remember that it is the country’s resources they talk about. While not directly responding to the call from Lui, the PM’s explanation in Parliament is obvious that members of the winning Manu Samoa 7s team, like everybody else, may have to use their cash donations to buy land in the normal way. There won’t be any free land handouts from the government of the day.
From rugby to soccer: Controversial stuff indeed. Australia's The Age newspaper has revealed that European lobbyists hired to help bring the soccer World Cup to Australia stand to receive up to $11.37 million in fees and bonuses—one-quarter of the taxpayer-funded bid—according to secret Football Federation Australia (FFA) files. An investigation by The Age into Australia’s World Cup bid can also reveal how the FFA:
• Bought Paspaley pearl necklaces for the wives of many of the 24 FIFA executive committee members who in December will decide which countries will host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. Pearl cufflinks were also handed out, taking the total value of the gifts to an estimated $50,000.
• Offered an all-expenses-paid trip to South American FIFA executive committee member Rafael Salguero and his wife to Australia this year to mark his birthday.
• Paid for a Caribbean football team linked to FIFA vice-president Jack Warner to travel to Cyprus last year.
The two lobbyists stand to make $11.37 million if Australia wins the right to host the 2022 World Cup. Australia withdrew its bid for the 2018 World Cup.
Samoa spotlight: While Samoan Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi and his vocal aide, ex-journalist Tupuloa Terry Tavita, have been busy firing shots at Fiji, Samoa itself has come under increasing scrutiny. A regional news media forum at Auckland University heard one prominent speaker from Samoa describe Samoa as a one-party state where the only opposition was the independent newspaper Samoa Observer. Another participant, from the Cook Islands, observed Samoa has some of the most punitive media laws in the region.
China town: The semi-independent Cook Islanders, proud New Zealand citizens, also now have a permanent Chinese presence in their midst. Recent visitor to Rarotonga couldn’t help notice that three of the biggest and newest buildings, the courthouse, police HQ and sports stadium, were all Chinese-designed and built. Most of the materials are apparently from China too.
Required reading: Seems one of Fiji’s daily newspapers has become the required reading for the Fiji watchers in certain diplomatic missions in Suva. Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama has used the locally-owned Fiji Sun to signal new international initiatives. These recently include closer cooperation with Russia, and Fiji joining the Non Aligned Movement.
Kangaroo pressure: The flying Kangaroo is back in Papua New Guinea. Eight years after withdrawing its own Australia-Papua New Guinea service in favour of a codeshare with Air Niugini, Qantas relaunched Cairns-Port Moresby-Cairns flights through its QantasLink wing. It operates fast 74-seat Q400 turboprops twice daily Monday to Friday and once a day on weekends. No prizes for guessing why. Qantas is cashing in on the PNG resources and mining boom and the position of nearby Cairns as the Aussie base for this.
From Pago too: More airline happenings are whispered from the direction of American Samoa. Its Inter Island Airways is said to be preparing to fly from Pago Pago to Samoa, Tonga (Vava’u and Nuku’alofa), Niue and Fiji (Suva and Nadi) with its new Dornier 328-110 30-seater fast turboprop.
More airline news...In Fiji, at the national airline, a major revamp and shakeup is being implemented as the new American CEO, a well-regarded American low-cost airline senior executive, takes control of the airline. As part of this, there will be changes in the top management and aircraft. WHISPERS has been told the axe has fallen on one of its very senior executives, also an American. The word is the national airline might be too small for two Americans to operate in. The other very senior exec to go is believed to be a woman who has been with the airline for donkey's years.
Still on airlines...WHISPERS has been told that the major shareholder of the Fiji's national airline has started its own fact finding mission with the possible help of an international organisation whose HQ is in the USA in its attempt to assess the value of the Qantas shares in the national airline. Qantas, which holds 46% shares in the national airline, has told the major shareholder, which holds 51% shares, that it wants to sell off its shares. The major shareholder is also understood to have hired a Singaporean team to review the operations of the national airline and devise ways it can make more money.
World Bank joins Forum? Word is that the World Bank will become the newest member of the Pacific Islands Forum. It is being proposed that it be given an observer status at this high powered leaders summit. The proposal will be discussed at the Pacific Islands Forum Officials meeting scheduled this month. Already there are criticisms about their admission. One regional commentator said: "I think they should stay out. The reason is the Forum should be a Forum to deal freely with issues impacting Pacific islanders, it has become so clouded now that we should not make it anymore complicated than it already is! There are currently three countries and four inter-governmental organisations with Forum Observer status.
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