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MSG chair, Somare version: The chairmanship of MSG summit is still being hotly debated. While MSG chair Edward Natapei of Vanuatu has been guided by a legal opinion provided by Bani Law, a law firm in Vanuatu, elder statesman Sir Michael Somare insists that Fiji should chair the MSG leaders summit. In his letter to PM Natapei of Vanuatu, a copy of which was obtained by WHISPERS, Somare said:
• There is no link between holding free elections with the decision on hosting the summit.
• The chairmanship of the MSG bodies shall be held on a rotational basis and by the member that hosts the leaders’ summit.
• The attempt to bind MSG members to the decisions of the Commonwealth and PIF is unnecessary and irrelevant.
• MSG has its own legal persona and can adopt positions that might differ from those agreed to at PIF and the Commonwealth. This is common practice in other international organisations.
• The legal opinion places too much emphasis infact overly unnecessary slant on good governance, human rights and rule of law to justify its argument for Fiji not to chair the MSG meeting. They are worthy principles….but they certainly do not constitute the sole reasons that gave rise to the formation of MSG.
Somare was also adamant that PNG will not be part of any decision to expel Fiji from MSG. “Fiji or any other member of the MSG must never be placed in a situation where the option of withdrawing from the organisation arises.” He added that the MSG agreement as it is written allows MSG leaders the latitude to decide on the basis of mutual consent and consensus on issues before them.
Missing the Forum: What do these leaders —Dr Derek Sikua of the Solomons, Apisai Ielemia of Tuvalu and Julia Gillard of Australia—have in common. Well, they won’t be attending the Leaders Forum in Port Vila this month. And they’ve decided against Port Vila because of the pending elections in their own countries. Solomons goes to the polls on August 4, Australia 21st August and Tuvalu on September 16. Will be interesting to see the outcomes of the elections.
Targeting ‘expats’: No matter how long they live in the Solomon Islands and become citizens, successful former expats will always be targets for some so-called locals. “Expat bashing” is something of a sport. Just ask Tony Hughes (Soltai) and Mike Hemmer (South Pacific Oil), two of the most respected businesspeople there. Both are embroiled in controversy as they are targeted by elements wanting to cash in for themselves. In a country where corruption runs rife, Hughes and Hemmer are regarded as straight shooters.
Pressure on Marurai: Amidst all the political shenanigans in Cook Islands, more pressures for Cook Islands Prime Minister Jim Marurai. Not only did he have to counter his sacked former deputy Sir Terepai Maoate constantly scheming to remove him, Marurai’s son was found lying on the road unconscious after apparently coming off his motorcycle after a Saturday night out. He was airlifted to Auckland for urgent medical care. Marurai rushed to Auckland too.
PNG pays: Experience in Papua New Guinea is apparently helping ease the launch of new Solomon Islands mobile communication operator bemobile. Towers are rising quickly as bemobile cements its presence. The Papua New Guinea joint venture company halted the seemingly unstoppable Digicel march across the region. bemobile beat the Irish-owned operators for the second Solomon Islands mobile phone licence. bemobile is an example of growing PNG financial clout. Shareholders include superannuation funds there and PNG Telikom in partnership with Hong Kong and American interests.
Media watch: More worries for what used to be the main media organisation in the region, PINA (Pacific Islands News Association). Newspapers are quitting. PINA is now dominated by broadcasters. In 2002-2003, Australian interests pushed through a merger of PINA and its rival, the Pacific Islands Broadcasting Association (PIBA). Now newspapers which belonged to PINA back then have left to form their own Pacific Media Association (PMA). Ironic, really, as newspapers founded PINA and were long its backbone.
Tuilaepa tested: Samoan Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi puts much store on his own financial expertise and the growth in Samoa. But is the bubble about to burst? Samoa’s national debt is ST$681.3 million, Parliament has been told. That’s said to be a worrying 43 percent of GDP (Gross Domestic Product). But others who do not support Tuilaepa are now claiming the national debt has actually passed the ST$700 million mark.
New-look Nuku’alofa: If you haven’t been to the Tongan capital for a while, be prepared for a surprise. Out of the ruins from the 2006 riot, a new Nuku’alofa is growing. Pride of place in the new look goes to the Chinese-built four-storey Taumoepeau Building, complete with elevator. A soft loan from China is helping fund a busy rebuilding programme.
Still on Tonga: A last minute intervention from Fiji's First Lady saw Tonga participate in the Friends of Fiji meeting at Natadola last month. WHISPERS was told that Tonga was not sending anyone to that meeting. Fiji's First Lady's intervention saw PM Feleti Sevele send Honourable Siale’ataonga Tu'ivakano and his media adviser Lopeti Senituli to Natadola.
Republic of Niue? Had there been a coup on the semi-independent nation of Niue? Or had their just been a mistake? Sign on the Niue pod at the Pacific Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo proclaiming it was for the Republic of Niue was just a mistake, it seems. Perhaps something was lost in translation. Niueans remain proudly loyal to the Queen and proudly New Zealand passport holders.
Runway canned : Objects such as empty beer cans on runways of island airstrips apparently remain a worry to pilots flying for Solomon Airlines. Especially now the airline is operating a bigger, faster Dash 8-100 turboprop. In fact, there were so many worries at remote Temotu that the airline issued an ultimatum to local authorities. Keep objects off the runway. Keep people away from the plane. Or we won’t be able to fly the Dash 8 there from Honiara anymore.
Condom use: Condom or rather its use we’ve been told is primarily to stop unwanted teenage and other pregnancies and on a more serious note, prevent deadly sexually transmitted diseases such HIV/AIDs. In one Pacific Islands country, family planning workers and medical personnel are baffled as to why their supplies run out so fast. They found to their amazement and indeed bewilderment that condoms in all its colours, shape and sizes have a new use: fishing. The folks in the rural areas in this particular island nation say they found this “rubbery thing” to be very hot baits for the real fish. And the fish love it all—hook, sink and all. “Or they go for it,” one rural fisherman reported recently. So it seems condom manufacturers have a new line of custom. But should they have any doubt as to why the demand for their products are on an upward climb, it certainly is not the primary intended usage that’s causing the upward swing. Fishing is. The boom it seems is just around the corner.
Election fever: Election time in any country is not normal time. Competition for attention is fierce and candidates are always on the look-out to outgun each other. Solomon Islands former governor-general Sir Nathaniel Waena found that out during this year’s election. Sir Nathaniel is contesting Ulawa, the constituency he forfeited when he was elected governor-general in 2005. A rival candidate operates a commercial shipping service to the island, off the main island of Makira or San Cristobal. He reportedly stopped his boat from travelling to the constituency until after the election, denying the former head of state any opportunity to campaign on the island. Rudolf Dorah, another candidate on nearby Small Malaita came to the rescue but with strings attached. His offer to take Sir Nathaniel in his speed launch from Small Malaita to Ulawa was conditional on the Araha [Chief] accepted to pitch for the newcomer at a rally in Small Malaita. Sir Nathaniel gracefully accepted the offer.
And still on elections…What were the shouts coming from inside Tuvalu’s cabinet office? Someone was heard challenging the other to a fight. And this WHISPERS has been told, was to do with the coming elections. One insider said the campaigning has become so intense, that one candidate has lodged a report with the police saying that another fellow candidate did not observe electoral regulations regarding distribution of registration forms.
Funding furore: The New Zealand Government’s decision to award NZ$4.8 million from its budget allocation to a little known private company in June has drawn the wrath of many in the New Zealand Pacific community. The Pacific Economic Development Agency, known as PEDA, was awarded money to improve the economic wellbeing of Pacific people in Auckland over the next four years. But when it was revealed that the Ministry of Pacific Islands Affairs had warned Minister Georgina te Heuheu that the two-year old Auckland based company had an unproven record, the Government backtracked saying it would open the funding to “other groups”. PEDA’s six-page proposal to Deputy PM and Finance Minister, Bill English, which contained limited information and no budget for five projects it proposed centred on employment, leadership, manufacturing, community development and performing arts, was leaked to the New Zealand media. The criticism, led mainly by opposition Labour Party members, blasted the lack of a tendering process for the funding and alleged inside dealings among National Party members and Pacific leaders with National Party affiliations. Meanwhile, PEDA chief executive Anthony Pereira, who was formerly an official for the Ministry of Pacific Islands Affairs and a former high ranking official in Samoa, says he is currently working with the ministry to finalise a purchase agreement on the contract. Pereira said his funding submission was backed by earlier work and submissions provided by the last government at a Pacific Development Conference in 2008.
Diplomatic immunity? It appears that even members of the diplomatic corps aren’t immune to the allure of pirate DVDs. The ambassador of a country with a sizeable movie and television industry was spotted at a popular pirate DVD outlet in Suva in July.
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