Dev Nadkarni
Like, it's time again for resolutions, promises, wish lists. What can we hope for in our neck of the woods in 2006? Here are a few stray thoughts, a peek or two into the crystal ball-and some wishful thinking on the major themes that will be in focus this year...

Like, if Fiji's mid-year poll process goes well (which is very likely) and there is a clear and decisive result (unlike in New Zealand, Germany and some other countries last year where people turned out deeply fractured verdicts) and there is a good, stable government immediately after the polls (fingers crossed), the country that has waited all dressed up and nowhere to go for nearly 20 years will be well on her way to realising her true potential...

Like, Fiji and Samoa (which, too, will go to the polls next month) will continue to propel both the tourism and construction industries this year, with Samoa having to try harder to attract the big bucks especially to feed her ambitious plans for next year's last South Pacific Games (2011 onwards they'll be called the Pacific Games). Meanwhile, more metal will fly more tourists into these two countries and Samoa will have a hard time accommodating them...

Like, by the time the next Pacific Islands Forum meeting gets underway on her shores, the South Pacific's last surviving monarchy that never had to endure European colonisation, will have inched that much closer to democracy. The stage has been set for Tonga's people to take greater control of their destinies. One does hope the transition will be smooth and peaceful...

Like, the bug of self-determination is spreading fast and gaining momentum all across. In line with New Caledonia, French Polynesia, East Timor and Bougainville, the rumblings on Malaita in the Solomon Islands grew louder last year. This will keep the Solomons' administration on its toes while it grapples with more revelations of graft in its ranks. Left languishing, wonder if the Malaita issue could turn out to be another onerous task for RAMSI...

Like, tougher economic times in New Zealand (the economy is in for a rather hard landing, as everyone is more or less resigned to accepting) and festering tensions at home in Australia (terrorist threat mania, racial tension, Middle East muddle) will keep the two busy and increasingly looking inward, searching for answers for the better part of the year...

Like, the islands will continue to be the theatre for one-upmanship games between China and Taiwan to the ever-growing discomfort of Australia and New Zealand, with more sports stadiums, government buildings, bridges, boats, infrastructural facilities built and donated by the two nations continue to pop up across the Pacific Ocean. Islands nations will need to sail ever so carefully to avoid being sucked into the deepening vortex of their brinksmanship...

Like, shifting geo-political alignments are as real as tectonic movements and the islands' hitherto imperceptible drift northwards will only become more apparent as more and more citizens from entrepreneurial Asia set up businesses-legit or otherwise-in the downtown precincts of the islands' tiny but bustling capital cities. And as more aid flows in kind and in cash to feed governments' ever-increasing funding shortfalls...

Like, the tourist profile of many islands will drastically change with more Chinese tourists making their way there, China's tourism authorities now having officially designated several islands as approved tourist destinations for citizens to visit...

Like, one of the best non-achievements of the last Forum meet in Port Moresby was the labour mobility issue. Though nothing was achieved, now that it has firmly been brought into the arc lights, there is little doubt that leaders will continue flogging it in future forums. Meanwhile, as Australia and New Zealand make up their minds, islanders may have a choice of greener pastures in the north as both Taiwan and China are already running programmes for trades-based training in their own countries...

Like, as much as labour mobility (if not more), leaders need to consider the mobility of the entire islands populations in the event of sudden natural disasters. We had a foretaste of what can happen after the eruption of the volcano on Ambae Island, in Vanuatu, last month. Elsewhere, rising tide levels threaten entire villages. A tsunami could inundate atoll nations in seconds. How about a comprehensive, region-wide, quick-response action plan...

Like, all the impressive gains made by most islands in matters of public health in recent years stand threatened by the worryingly rapid growth of HIV/AIDS, particularly in insular populations. Recent reports have painted a bleak picture, especially in Papua New Guinea. HIV/AIDS is sure to remain on the front pages all through the year...

Like, despite the famed isolation of the islands, successive generations of leaders have continued to neglect the collective communication and transportation needs of their people with the result that it is cheaper to fly thousands of miles across the ocean than to hop across the lagoon to a neighbouring island. Ditto for telephone calls. Monopolistic practices and high levels of regulation continue to put a heavy burden on an already economically disadvantaged people...

Like, there are good signs that this may at last be changing. More airlines have begun flying to and between the islands, monolithic monopolies have softened their stand over the last couple of years. Some people have at least some choice in phone and internet services which are getting fatter pipes and are becoming cheaper at the same time. Mid-sized aircraft flying frequently; better, cheaper telephone and data services will all drive growth in the coming years...

Like, all in all, the islands seem to be heading for a good year, give or take a cyclone or two!