August 2014 by Islands Business

www.lyndenpng.com 1-907-243-7248 +61 (0) 447 330 095

August

2014

Vol. 40, No. 8 V

Contents Gender

29 Three rapes a week in Vanuatu cause uproar V Women condemn police reaction

Constitution

31 Debate over Samoan head of state title Constitution amendment sparks discussion

Agriculture

32 Pacific P looks to yams as survival food for region Botanist pollinates 8000 hybrid varieties

Book Review 33 A Fijian Memoir:

Footprints of a GirmityaÕ s Grandson

Viewpoint Photo: Tokelau Government Media

TokelauÕ s energy options: Tokelau, where small can be beautiful.Ñp

Cover photo: Tokelau Government Media

ages 16-19.

Cover Report

16 TokelauÕ s energy options

Cover Story - Fiji

20 ArchbishopÕ s legacy of hope

Cover Story - PNG

14 Secret letter at centre of OÕ Neill AU$30m

Cover Story - Samoa

34 Pacific P Islands Forum Meeting - of people and power

Environment

35 Youth Y our greatest resource

Regular Features 4 6 7 12 14 36

Letters Views from Auckland We Say Whispers Pacific Update P Business Intelligence

30 Pacific rugby celebrates major breakthroughs

Politics

22 Tokelau meeting approves south Albacore Tuna plan FFA ministers endorse Atafu Declaration

23 Emotional fall-out over nuclear test memorial Flosse tries to move shrine from park

24 Kiribati plans livestock and farms on Fiji property Land is not for resettlement, says Tong

25 Fisheries expert hurries off with stern warning Tuna depletion rate death threat to industry T

26 Fiji prepares for first poll under new constitution Robust media coverage of campaign

Business

27 More US immigration woes for the Northern Marianas Russians, Chinese target visa loop-holes

28 Fiji fears force deal with EU to save sugar industry Viability hangs on interim EPA Islands Business, August 2014

L E T T E R S Managing Director/Publisher Godfrey Scoullar Group Editor-in-Chief Samisoni Pareti Group Advertising & Marketing Manager Sharron Stretton

Graphic Design Dick Lee Virendra Prasad Main Correspondents Australia Rowan Callick Nic Maclellan Davendra Sharma French Polynesia Thibault Marais Marshall Islands Giff Johnson New Zealand Dev Nadkarni Jale Moala Ruci Salato-Farrell Duncan Wilson Niue Stafford Guest Papua New Guinea Baeau Tai P Sam Vulum Patrick Matbob P Peter Niesi Solomon Islands Evan Wasuka Alfred Sasako T Tonga Taina Kami-Enoka T V Vanuatu Tony Wilson T

Islands Business is published monthly by Islands Business International Editorial & Advertising Offices Level III, 46 Gordon Street, PO Box 12718, Suva, Fiji Islands. Tel: +679 330 3108 Fax: +679 330 1423 E-mail: Editorial: editor@ibi.com.fj Subscriptions: subs@ibi.com.fj Advertising: advert@ibi.com.fj Printing: Oceania Printers, Raojibhai Patel Street, Suva, Fiji.

www.islandsbusiness.com Islands Business, August 2014

Y WESA

double have to re l il w n io ws and e reg nership la around th w ts o n d e n m la gally ing “Govern enable le rd reform a to w n to o s ti rt enta loitation their effo er docum it for exp p e b ro , p d g n in e la ce or introduc subsisten volving th r in fo s n g o in ti ll c ly ti task, ansa r for mere daunting tenable tr o a s e ly d rc u te o b l res is undou ossible” of natura merce. It early as p m s o a c e r n e o ld d smallho ds to be hich nee but one w

e region. norm in th region from the ds world is far the land in the islan e western of th nt in ce n r as is know t as much as 90 pe munal e co th pu w to e this m lopEstimates mary ownership.’ visitor ne ve ed to blam operty a western sto long tend eed of economic de oach under ‘cu that when why individual pr unter ists have sp pr es w ap om go is slo on ry e th ec he sto d a co ander Western rship for th doubt that creation of ked an isl , the islander aske his head. e land owne on. There is little th to s ch Pacific as rd rd oa ha ng wa pr ap k to regi Many was so scratchi e islands bling bloc tion’s economy. ownership at left the visitor ved to have ment in th nsiderable stum , lived a na th der is belie ander exa co building their island homes able question vide air?” the islan en d isl be an e s h th ha alt tive, di immov have left vidual we “Can you replied in the nega erty in the Pacific. d in private they could both indi ders are known to ste ve r op in is pr ne , d ig at it ies , re an g th with lande rete parts hen the fo Pacific Isl in western econom alth – somethin asked. W was exactly the case vide air into disc sociocultural ed much we at di ld and work e. and created time plained th is impossible to thanks to long he erty there ve done back hom rld since op it itad wo pr as e lan th st up of ha Ju d the inev re in vvy om pe to sation an able to di t everywhe the very engine ro part never ho s of globali inconceiv the Pacific. Almos r The wind ip has been almost every othe en in rsh ne ow tradition be in ty s ial, proper st but also has alway riod on immemor Not only in the we ovable property pe Pressure m . h over a al commerce , investment in im for creating wealt have created Commun o a rld ul wh wo rm le e fo of th shot of peop rship ll re ne fu su e a Ow ar ex pl considered world’s rich lists ovable property. m co e m other of time. Th h investing in im and a plethora of d in removts roug r succeede ck marke wealth th of the sto uments have neve The rise str in financial investible

Land - source of sustenance

On Behalf Of the MelanesIan IndIgenOus Land Defense Alliance (MILDA), we are writing to provide a different view on a recent editorial promoting land registration for the Pacific. We wonder who authored this letter and in whose interest it was written? For Pacific peoples, land isn’t just about making money, land is about ensuring Pacific families continue to maintain a high level of self-reliance and to control their own destiny. This includes feeding and housing their families well, as they have been doing for thousands of years. This is already happening ef effectively through customary communal systems of land tenure. Land as it exists and functions now already provides for millions of people, so that we have a very low rate of absolute poverty – there’s almost no real hunger or homelessness. In the independent nations of Melanesia (PNG, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu), customary community control of land is enshrined in our Constitutions and we maintain a special relationship with our land that is based on many generations living on and with the land as well as traditionally managing the natural resources. MILDA is well aware of the history of how land registration has been used over the past few hundred years to alienate land from indigenous peoples around the world, and we are not going to let history repeat itself and fall into that same trap. MILDA is also mindful of the historical context of how land registration came to Melanesia and the Pacific at different times following first contact with the outside world through to independence and continues to date. Land registration is ostensibly promoted for the same purpose; to free up land for ‘de-

velopment’ and to parcel it out in the name of individuals, companies and those with hard-cash. But for us, land is held communally for the benefit of all, and remains a central part of our cultural heritage and identity. Land, particularly in Melanesia, is not a commodity but is an inalienable part of our peoples’ very existence. It has spiritual and historical values and other attributes that economists do not consider in their equations. In almost every part of Melanesia, the fact remains that land is our source of kastom, mana, sustenance and economic empowerment. Even if it doesn’t necessarily pay you in hard cash at the end of every week, although it may, if that is what a family or clan wants from it. Sent on behalf of Melanesian Indigenous Land Defense Alliance by Joey Tau Media and Campaign Officer Pacific Network on Globalisation (PANG) (Read full story of the letter on www.islandsbusiness. com)

We want to hear from you! You can reach us in any of the following ways: • Snail Mail: Letters, Islands BusIness, P. O. Box 12718, Suva, Fiji • E-mail: editor@ibi.com.fj • Fax: (679) 330-1423 Letters may be edited for clarity or length. Please include either a telephone number or e-mail contact in the event we have questions about your letter.

FIJIAN ELECTIONS OFFICE

WHO CAN APPLY?

HOW TO APPLY

A voter who is currently on the 2014 voters register and who meets one of the criteria listed below:

• Applications can be made by completing the Postal Vote form

• Living outside of Fiji or will be outside of Fiji on Polling Day • Due to serious illness or to travel from his or her place of living to his or her assigned Polling Station • Under pre-trial detention or sentence of imprisonment • Because of a person’s religious beliefs or membership of a religious order, he or she is precluded from attending a polling station or the person may not be able to attend their Polling Station during the hours of Polling. • Will be away from his or her usual place of residence and in a place not convenient to his or her assigned polling station due to work commitments on Polling Day

WHAT HAPPENS TO YOUR APPLICATION?

• Application Form available at your nearest Voter Information Centre or visit

• If an application is declined we will advise you within 48 hours where practicable. Within 1 day of being advised that your application is being rejected, you may appeal the decision to the Electoral Commission.

WHEN TO APPLY

The decision of the Electoral

Applications must be received by the Supervisor of Elections at the address listed below no later than 6 p.m on 27 August 2014.

WHERE TO SEND COMPLETED APPLICATION FORMS? Send or deliver completed and signed application to one of the following addresses: • 59 -63 Upper High Street, Toorak or • Mail to: P.O. Box 2528, Government Buildings, Suva or • Scan and email it to : postalvote.feo@gmail.com

VOTER INFORMATION CENTRE Voter Info Centre

Location

Suva

59 - 63 Upper High Street, Toorak

Suva

Government Service Centre (Old Fiji Visitors Bureau)

Nausori

Ground Floor, Hermon Plaza (inside Government Service Centre)

Navua

Provincial Administrator’s Office, Navua Town

Korovou

Social Welfare Office, Korovou Town

Nadi

Nadi International Airport (Inside International Check-In Area)

Lautoka

Level 1, Rajendra Prasad Foodtown Building, Registry)

Sigatoka

Provincial Administrator’s Office

District Office, Koronubu House

Tavua

District Office

Rakiraki

Provincial Administrator’s Office, Cokova Crescent, Vaileka

Kadavu

Provincial Administrator’s Office, Vunisea Government Station

Levuka

Provincial Administrator’s Office, Beach Road

Labasa

Ground Floor, Namuka House

Taveuni

District Office, Waiyevo

Savusavu

Provincial Administrator’s Office

Nabouwalu

Provincial Administrator’s Office

Seaqaqa

District Office

P. O. Box 2528, Govt Bldgs, SUVA| Phone: +679 331 6225 | Fax: +679 331 6026

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Column

Reaping the whirlwind of terror An ambitious king in ancient India, so the story goes, prayed fervently to the almighty to give him a soldier so powerful that no weapon could destroy him and whenever he raised his right hand over the head of an adversary or enemy, that enemy would instantly turn to a pile of ash and dust. Pleased with the king’s sincere prayer, the almighty supplied him with a soldier called Bhasmasura, which means ‘the demon of ash.’ He was a big and strong brute of a man donning impenetrable armour that would blunt any weapon and let him penetrate enemy ranks like a hot knife through butter. He would then head straight for the enemy king with his right hand raised and upon placing it above the defeated king’s head would reduce him to a pile of ash instantaneously. And so it went on. The soldier helped the king annex kingdom after vanquished kingdom. The king could not believe his good fortune, now lording over every region he could set his eyes upon. He truly was lord of all he surveyed. Then one day the soldier realised that the king really drew all this power, glory and riches from his own magical super powers. Why should he be subservient to the king, he thought. He wanted to be the king instead of the king. He tried to reason with the king, asking for a part of the kingdom for himself to rule over. The king of course refused. Needless to say, the negotiations broke down and soon the soldier approached menacingly toward the king, right hand raised. The king reached for his weapons and hurled them at the soldier with all the force and fury he could summon but to no avail. Then fearing the worst, he took to his heels with his soldier of great magical powers in hot pursuit. The chase went on for several years, as the story goes, and took the duo to the very corners of the world, where in one such corner the king got a brief respite to hide, reflect and contemplate his next move. Having exhausted all options and at the end of his wits and ebbing physical strength and full of regret for asking such a dangerous weapon in the first place, he began to pray to the almighty again…. Modern day demons of ash Unfortunately for the world today, versions of this parable are still being played out with tragic results. Only the characters have changed. The principles that are at play in the story are very 6 Islands Business, August 2014

much the same. Change the names and the tale is about us, about our times. Last month former United States Secretary of State and future presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton quite candidly admitted a fact that the world has long come to believe: that the United States had created the global terror organisation al Qaeda. The United States financed and armed the militant organisation in its early days to counter Russia’s occupation of Afghanistan. The militants fought Soviet troops with American weaponry until the Soviets left – though not least because of them. In the process the US ended up creating a monster that ultimately turned its guns on American interests not only in the Middle East but even on American soil, culminating in the gruesome 9/11 tragedy when hijacked commercial airplanes took out the twin towers in New York and a section of the Pentagon. Symbolically, the attacks were on America’s financial and military power. Both targets were turned to ash. Well, almost. The US is continuing on the same tack again, now in Syria. It is financing and arming factions against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS), which is really an upgraded version of al Qaeda. As we all know now, ISIS troops now hold sway over large swathes of both Iraq and Syria, having run over the western Iraqi cities of Tikrit and Mosul, and is now proving the toughest adversary to Syrian strongman Bashar al Assad. It’s not just America Creating and financing monsters is not America’s monopoly, though. Powers and leaders big and small have indulged in such power games with disastrous consequences personally or for their nations all over their world. Former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, after having been voted out of power in an election, financed militants in the northwestern state of Punjab to embarrass the government in power. When she was swept back to power in the next election, this militant faction became a headache for her, ultimately having to order a raid on a holy shrine where the militants’ command was holed up, for which she ended up being killed. Her son and successor Rajiv Gandhi did the same in Sri Lanka dallying with, financing and arming the deadly Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and, like his mother, also paid with his life just a few years later. The common thread between al Qaeda and the Punjab and Sri Lankan separatists is that powerful leaders and governments financed, armed and

Views from Auckland

BY DEV NADKARNI

propped them up for their own ulterior motives. The unintended consequence was identical in all these cases, the protégés turned upon their godfathers causing them and their people incalculable harm, spiraling multiple problems out of control with no one having a clue about how to order the menacing genie back into the bottle. MH 17 Last month’s shooting down of the Malaysian Boeing triple seven over eastern Ukraine’s border with Russia is the latest episode in this theme. The Donetsk rebels are clearly funded, financed, armed and morally supported from across the border by Russia. Russia’s motive is clearly to weaken the administration in Ukraine after its widely criticised move over Crimea and the referendum, regarded by most of the world as a sham. The rebels in Eastern Ukraine clearly are being encouraged to carve out a separate state to further dismember Ukraine with Russia’s not-so-covert help. The Buk missiles allegedly that brought the Malaysian jet down with nearly 300 innocent lives are not a plaything and need sophisticated operations for their deployment, which the rebels clearly do not have the competence and experience for. Russia’s fingerprints are all over the episode though it is trying to blame it all on a western conspiracy plot to discredit it. The monster that Russia has created in Eastern Ukraine is the latest demon of ash that has claimed its first innocent victim in the form of 298 innocent people from several countries that had nothing whatsoever to do with the conflict. How will it all end? The king in our original story prayed once again to the almighty. Full of compassion, the almighty decided to help once again. Disguised as a beautiful woman, the almighty enticed the demon. Smitten by her charms, the demon fell on his knees and implored her to wish anything she wanted in turn for her affections. The woman asked him to pledge that he loved her by placing his right on his own head. Blinded by his infatuation he did likewise and was instantaneously turned to dust. Unfortunately in the modern world, there is no such silver bullet available to us. But certainly what the world’s powers can do is rein in their overweening ambitions, wind down their power games and stop creating monsters, all for the greater good of the world. Else, they will keep reaping the ill whirlwind of terror.

WESAY “The spotlight on climate change is likely to be so intense at this event that many other important and equally threatening issues that differently plague individual island nations are in danger of receiving less attention. Leaders and official teams of individual island nations must identify these issues particular to them and highlight these on this global stage”

n the last week of this month and the first week of the next, leaders and representatives from nearly 200 countries will gather in Samoa. There will also be a host of experts of all persuasions, scientists, bureaucrats, NGOs and media to make the third Small Islands Developing States (SIDS) Conference, the biggest ever to be held in the Pacific Island nation. This high level gathering will discuss the challenges that small islands nations around the world – chiefly the Pacific and Indian Oceans and the Caribbean states besides other far-flung low-lying islands and atolls that dot the world map – have to contend with in the face of a range of world trends. Climate change and sea level rise are obviously serious concerns. As well as the issue of sustainability in the face of unrelenting climate change there is also the question of economic sustainability because of isolation, increasing migration, the runaway increase in non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and the rising costs of fuel and the uncertainty of its sustained supply. Though all these themes are billed for threadbare discussion at this mega event that rivals global climate change jamborees like those held in Bali and Copenhagen in scale and scope, there are no prizes for guessing which would be the most discussed topic on the agenda. It will undoubtedly be climate change, thanks to the wide coverage it has received all these years and continues to do so. The spotlight on climate change is likely to be so intense at this event that many other important and equally threatening issues that differently plague individual island nations are in danger of receiving less attention. Leaders and official teams of individual island nations must identify these issues particular to them and highlight these on this global stage and not simply let the singular though important issue of climate change overshadow all others. Though climate change impacts many other issues that the small island developing states face and runs through them like a common thread, concentrating solely on measures to address and reverse the effects of climate change will not go as far in dealing with the other issues. But looking at tackling climate change as a panacea for all of the small island states’ problems would be a one size fits all approach to the islands multiple problems. For instance, one of the biggest human issues that small island states in the Pacific face is the worsening health scenario with a fearsome increase in the incidence of NCDs. Polynesian countries have the highest proportions of overweight and obese people, sometimes as high as 80 per cent of the populations. This has resulted in plummeting productivity, increased medical costs to the state

exchequer, a strain on the concerned nations’ health infrastructure – not to mention secondary health ailments and reduced life spans. Then again, for the atoll states like Kiribati, Tuvalu and Tokelau, fresh water is a growing issue, with patterns of rainfall changing. These islands, having little or no fresh groundwater reserves have long depended on rainfall to fill up reservoirs. With irregular rainfall and rising tides, the ground water reserves are turning increasingly saline. Finding solutions for provisioning freshwater to these remote atoll states is a big priority, as the situation will only worsen as the effects of climate change wreak their havoc in the coming decades. Much of the Pacific small island states’ population is youthful and need to be gainfully employed. With scarce private sector investment, hardly any jobs are created in the formal sector, with young people forced to gain employment either in the subsistence/ informal sectors, the government – which tends to be the single biggest employer in many islands – or to simply migrate. The only other alternative is to take to illegal activity to earn a living, which indeed is a growing trend in many of the small island states. Judicious investment in the richest resource available to islanders – the ocean – could keep entire islands employed in the sector. All that is lacking is investment and a vision to make it happen. Isolated island communities in other parts of the world like Scandinavia have become self sustaining by the exploitation of renewable oceanic resources. There is no reason that cannot be repeated in the Pacific or other small island states to create jobs and build the economy. The forthcoming SIDS conference in Samoa would be far more meaningful for the people of the small island states if these issues were addressed and solutions evolved for implementation in the near term. Almost all of the United Nations’ development agencies will be present at the event including the Secretary General Ban Ki Moon and the head of the United Nations Development Programme, Helen Clark. A former Prime Minister of New Zealand, Ms Clark is well aware of the situation in the Pacific Islands region. But it is up to the leaders of the small island states to impress upon the international agencies, governments of wealthy countries and funding agencies the need to focus attention on the more pressing and urgent problems that challenge them individually and collectively. It is not as though this has not been done before. In fact there have been notable successes in certain sectors. For example, renewable energy is one sector. Financing and techEmployment a serious concern for the region

Islands Business, August 2014 7

WESAY nology and knowledge transfer in solar energy has transformed the energy scene in many of the small island nations, certainly in the Pacific, if not elsewhere. Thanks to the systematic implementation of solar energy projects across the region, the dependence on fossil fuels has shown a measurable decline. Island states like Nauru, Tonga, Tuvalu and Kiribati are notable instances of this happening. But it is Tokelau that takes the cake. It is the ultimate example of a small island state that is challenged my multiple factors. With just 1400 residents and with neither a harbour nor a port to cater to its people’s transport needs, it is on the cusp of becoming the first ever state in the world to be completely powered by renewable energy, mainly solar.

Though such a paradox, it needs to be highlighted as a great example of what can be achieved with the right mix of financing, technology transfer and political will. The success in renewable energy implementation in the small island states in the Pacific can well be used as a blueprint to alleviate the region of similar resource shortage issues like freshwater and food security, not to mention healthcare and reversing the frighteningly debilitating trend of NCD prevalence. It would be rewarding for Samoa, other small island states in the Pacific and beyond were all these issues adequately and satisfactorily addressed in the outcomes declaration at the end of next month’s event.

The costs of NCDs are incalculable. Not only do they affect the GDPs of nations in present times, they have a devastating effect on the economic viability of small nations and greatly threaten their future wellbeing

ere one to browse through the obituaries and death notice pages of newspapers from almost any Pacific Island country, one is most likely to encounter an overwhelmingly large proportion of people who have died in their forties, fifties

and early sixties. In most countries around the world, where life expectancies have impressively risen over the past few decades, people in their forties and fifties are considered to be in the prime of their lives. Most people in that age group live healthy, productive lives. This is not only because of better healthcare in their countries but also because they tend to be more aware of healthy eating, drinking and exercising practices. An unfortunate combination of poor dietary practices and a woeful lack of exercise have conspired to spread non communicable diseases or NCDs, which also go by the name of lifestyle diseases, around the islands region. Type II diabetes, hypertension, coronary heart disease and obesity are some of the NCDs that show a high incidence around the region. While these diseases were almost unheard of not much more than a generation ago, today they account for a whopping 70 per cent of the deaths in the region. Seven in ten Pacific Islanders die of an NCD or a combination of several NCDs today. Small wonder, then, that the death notices are filled with people dying in their forties and fifties, before they have lived out the full potential of their life spans. Why has the situation in the Pacific come to such a pass? There are several reasons – and all of these, like the NCDs themselves, are utterly preventable. For one, the globalisation of markets has facilitated the industrialisation of food and drink. This mass industrialisation has resulted

8 Islands Business, August 2014

in food and drink being over laden with chemicals, preservatives, colours and flavouring agents. Food today is mass-produced with more chemicals than nutrients designed to keep them preserved to remain unspoiled over long sea voyages and even longer shelf lives. While the economies of scale achieved because of globalisation have driven down the cost of packaged food and drink making them extremely affordable, it is their unbridled proliferation that has resulted in the health crisis many countries face around the world. The combination of cheap food laden with more empty calories in the form of excessive sugars and carbohydrates than nutrients and micronutrients essential for healthy living, chemicals and preservatives has formed a deadly cocktail that has sent obesity and NCD rates skyrocketing. One of several other push factors in the Pacific islands region is the continuing migration of young able bodied people away from their island homes, leaving fewer people working in the agriculture sector, whether for subsistence or for profit. This has forced residents off their traditional diets and into the waiting arms of the globalised cheap packaged food industry. It is far easier and even cheaper today for the average islander to buy a week’s supply of canned, packaged and bottled food and drink than to grow their own food on a patch of land. This has also created a related push factor – islanders do not need to work hard anymore and have increasingly gotten used to a sedentary lifestyle with little or no exercise. These two factors have greatly aided the increasing consumption of processed foods laden with salt and sugar to result in NCDs like coronary heart disease, obesity, hypertension, type II diabetes

Easier to buy than grow

WESAY among several others. The costs of NCDs are incalculable. Not only do they affect the GDPs of nations in present times, they have a devastating effect on the economic viability of small nations and greatly threaten their future wellbeing. The costs to most islands’ under resourced and under funded healthcare systems is one thing, but the cost of reduced productivity because of an increasingly unfit and ill workforce is quite another. Last month, Pacific Health Ministers and Forum Economic Ministers committed to take action against the growing health and economic impact of the NCD crisis in island nations. The high level meet recognised that action was required across several sectors including finance, trade, customs, agriculture, infrastructure, education and health. The region has come up with an NCD Roadmap – a recommended set of actions for relevant government ministries to complement work done by health ministries to tackle this issue in a financially sustainable way, through joint efforts. The ministers have urged governments to implement the roadmap on an urgent basis. After all, the problem is completely preventable, like the diseases themselves. All it needs is political will, astute planning and the financial muscle to implement strategies. Several Pacific governments have invested in awareness campaigns in the media and in educational institutions. The Fiji administration regularly runs advertisements on reducing the use of salt, sugar and fat in foods on television. Other governments have embarked on

education programmes for schools children. In Samoa, the private sector, particularly a commercial bank, has a fitness awareness programme, which it funds as part of its corporate social responsibility. As well as a multi-ministerial approach that the roadmap recommends, governments need to adopt a multi-sectoral approach involving all stakeholders that have an interest in the present and future wellbeing of an economy. And that includes the private sector. Only a health citizenry can ensure greater productivity and growth. So the private sector has a great stake in it. But it does not necessarily have the means to implement a strategy – wherewithal that governments could provide. The Samoa approach is a proactive one involving the private sector. ‘Proactive’ has been the operative word at the ministerial conference last month. While proactive strategies are necessary, the problem has gone far enough for governments to also have a more reactive strategy than they do at present. As well as raising consumer awareness, governments must strictly put curbs and force punitive measures on unhealthy foods that are often dumped in the islands. This happens mainly because of a combination of factors – corruption, poor human capacity to weed out the wheat from the chaff, lax standards or the total absence of standards and the absence of ready healthier alternatives at comparable prices. But none of these are insurmountable factors. Any and all of this can be achieved with a single factor, which unfortunately is in short supply everywhere in the world: strong political will.

“Egged on by environmental groups like the WWF, which says it will demand a suspension of the Pacific Bluefin tuna fishery if fishing nations fail to set binding catch limits in line with scientific recommendations this year, the United States might well enforce a dose of strong medicine and enforce a blanket ocean wide ban on Bluefin tuna fishing”

t the tenth annual Ministerial Forum Fisheries Committee meeting on Atafu Atoll in Tokelau early last month Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) Director General James Movick said progress had been made towards a declaration on conservation measures for southe Pacific albacore tuna to make tuna fisheries more sustainable. He said he hoped to take a unified voice to the Tuna Commission meeting in December. A number of important issues relating to the sustainable fishing of tuna were discussed at the Tokelau meeting and strategies formulated for cooperation in a bid to spread costs of compliance and marketing across member nations. The Pacific Islands have long realised that, given their small economies and limited individual

infrastructure set ups, strength lies in cooperation and pooling resources for the collective wellbeing of the fisheries industry. The sector has seen exemplary cooperation between fishing nations in the form of agreements that have been found to be working well for signatory member nations such as the Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA), to name one. Countries have also individually and collectively set up conservation zones and set up self-limits on fisheries activities toward bringing greater sustainability in the sector. But there are justified fears that all that good work stands threatened because of the decisions that some of the bigger fishing nations from outside the immediate Pacific Islands region, especially the United States of America have taken later last month, not much Islands Business, August 2014 9

WESAY

Follow our lead ... Ô Big nations could learn a thing or two from small islands on how they manage sustainability and conservation zones successfully successfully.’ Pacific Forum Fisheries Agency Director General James Movick (right) with Pacific Fisheries Ministers in Tokelau last July. Photo: Tokelau Government Media

after the FFA meeting in Tokelau, which was also attended by New Zealand’s new Ambassador to the Pacific, Shane Jones, who has vast experience in New Zealand fisheries. Late last month, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States said that it was considering a ban on recreational and commercial fishing of Pacific Bluefin tuna. Estimates put adult Pacific Bluefin tuna at just about 40,000 in the wild. Alarmingly, this is just about four per cent of the fish’s historic average. It is possible that Bluefin tuna will be added to the government’s list of imperilled species. There is a great chance that the United States will take urgent and strong measures to enforce the ban, especially in the face of the failure of other powerful tuna fishing nations failing to agree on collective sustainability measures for the species in the Pacific. Because again last month, at a meeting of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) in Lima, Peru, it was decided to delay discussions on quotas on Tuna fishing until at least October this year. It is doubtful if the 21 member countries will reach an agreement on quotas before this date either. But the meeting has agreed on cooperating on curbing illegal fishing in the area, which indeed, is only a small part of the measure. While illegal fishing needs to be curbed forthwith and with ruthless efficiency, it is wrong to use that action plan or strategy to justify the postponement of agreeing on a quota for legal overfishing. This is a clear case of using a diversionary tactic to avoid the real and more material issue: that of legal overfishing. Postponing such an important decision will be to the detriment of all stakeholders. Egged on by environmental groups like the WWF, which says it will demand a suspension of the Pacific Bluefin tuna fishery if fishing nations fail to set binding catch limits in line with scientific recommendations this year, the United States might well enforce a dose of strong medicine and enforce a blanket ocean wide ban on Bluefin tuna fishing if member nations continue to dither and delay agreeing on quotas. Further, Pew Charitable Trusts, the international monitoring and

Enforce ocean-wide ban

Islands Business, August 2014

research organisation says, “Pacific Bluefin tuna needs an ocean wide recovery plan. This lack of action shows that a suspension of the Pacific Bluefin tuna fishery may be the only way to save this species.” Now, the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) will feel undue pressure at its meet in December where it is to discuss possible management actions for the species, because it has the responsibility for managing Bluefin tuna in the western and central regions of the mighty Pacific Ocean. FFA Director General James Movick had rightly raised fears after the Tokelau meeting about the possible United States blanket ban on Bluefin tuna fishing in the Pacific. Those fears seem to be coming true now, less than a month later after the failure of the 21 member nations of the IATTC in Peru a few weeks later. Movick had pointed to US President Barack Obama’s stated plan to expand the no fishing zones around its Pacific territories by around seven times. The ban, if put in place, would end up with United States enforcers driving long liners deep southward into the southern seas, further depleting the very stock the small island states are trying to conserve. Thus defeating the very purpose of all the conservation measures the smaller member states of the Pacific Islands Forum have far more successfully implemented than the big nations that repeatedly fail to agree on quotas. Not only will these long liners begin to fish in the southern seas, but the illegal fishers will make a beeline for the region as well. And everyone knows that the small islands of the Pacific have no wherewithal to keep the illegal fishers out. So despite the impressive achievements that they have notched up in sustainable fisheries and conservation, the Pacific Islands stand to lose because of the intransigence and the arrogance of the more powerful big boys of the fishing world. This is indeed most unfortunate. Where the big nations could learn a thing or two from small islands on how they manage sustainability and conservation zones successfully, they seem more intent in reversing the good work that these minnows of the big bad world of fisheries have achieved. • We Say is compiled and edited with the oversight of Samisoni Pareti.

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Whispers

country and it’s being wasted like water,” the Aitutaki sitting MP told Cook Islands News newspaper. The quick return to the capital of Puna as Leader of CIP and the party with a clear majority of 13 seats created a constitutional impasse of sorts. With the absence overseas of the country’s Queen Representative, no swearing into office is likely to take place any time soon. The Queen’s emissary is reportedly enjoying being a guest of Her Majesty at the Commonwealth Games in Scotland!

Twenty-two thousand dollar charter … At least one Cook Islander was the least impressed when caretaker Prime Minister and of all probability the one that would continue on as Prime Minister Henry Puna (top left) was flown to the capital on a chartered plane after successfully defending his Manahiki Island seat. That charter reportedly cost Cooks taxpayers NZ$22,000. “What’s the urgency?” asked Teina Bishop (top right), a member of the opposing Democratic Party to that of Puna’s Cook Islands Party. “I’m very disappointed, knowing taxpayers are working hard to make money for the

From Russia to Guam … It is quite some distance from Russia to the northern Pacific island of Guam, yet the two countries have been linked to unusual events of late. First US military confirmed a few months ago that Russian military planes had flown into Guam’s air space a couple of times this year. Then last month, a 30 year old Russian national wanted by US Secret Service for being a prolific computer hacker was arrested in the American Pacific island territory. He was presented in a Guam court as Roman Seleznev, although his 27 page indictment document disclosed that his other aliases include Roman Ivanoc, Ruben Samvelich, TRACK2, nCuX, Bulba, bandysli64, smaus, Zagreb and shmak.

country in the world to convert totally to solar energy has its high moments and at times low moments too. Visiting ministers of the Pacific and their officials discovered this recently when they met for two days in the tiny coral atoll of Atafu, currently the island capital of Tokelau. In the middle of hosting guests for a welcoming feast on the first evening, the venue was plunged into darkness without warning. It soon became apparent that since solar power is provided on a prepaid basis, the owners of the dinner venue needed to deposit additional cash before electricity supply could be restored.

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Morning show for FijiTV … Fiji’s television audience is in for a treat soon as the country’s largest commercial TV operator prepares to

Solar highs in Atafu … Being the first 12 Islands Business, August 2014

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launch a morning show. A lot of background work has been going on the past few months and with the island nation going to its first general elections after eight years, the timing of the new TV show could not have been better. And this is despite the fact that its operational licence is renewed on a six monthly basis and that its readiness to migrate from analogue to digital broadcast platform has been put on ice by the authorities.  I’m no jealous kind … One of Samoa’s junior ministers had the ‘audacity’ recently to challenge their most senior colleague in cabinet, none other than PM Tuilaepa Lupesoliai Neioti Sailele Malielegaoi. Tu’u’u Anasii Leota is the associate minister for education who apparently questioned the ‘wisdom’ of sending a fellow junior minister on duty travel to the US. The

Whispers Tuilaepa-Tu’u’u spat was published by the Samoa Observor. The newspaper reported that when Tuilaepa accused Tu’u’u of being jealous, the junior minister retorted: ‘Jealous of what? Faumuina (the other associate minister) is not a girl who could cause me to be jealous if the PM favours him!’  Follow the money … Some Pacific and European officials were left red-faced at a regional meeting recently when questions were raised about the use of aid money allocated to the Pacific. Long time trade expert and Vanuatu ambassador in Europe Roy Mickey Joy reportedly questioned why money allocated to the region is being diverted to Timor Leste, when Leste is not even a full member of the Pacific Islands Forum. He said of the 10 million Euro allocated to Forum member countries, half of it was given to Timor Leste. Samoa reportedly was given 2 million Euro to help with the upgrade of its international airport in Faleolo, but Samoa according to Ambassador Joy turned down the money because it was deemed insufficient.  Minerva for Lau … A noble and member of parliament in Tonga has come up with a radical solution to his country’s dispute with neighbour neighbouring Fiji over a reef. Called the Minerva Reef, located to Fiji’s southerneast borders, or Tonga’s western waters, Lord Ma’afu is now suggesting that Fiji can have Minerva Reef, if it agrees to give Tonga control over its eastern most province of Lau. “We have a lot of our own people with Lau ancestry and a lot of Lauans with Tongan ancestry,” local press quoted Lord Ma’afu as saying. He didn’t say though whether his radical solution had the blessing of the son of Lau’s paramount chief, Ratu Tevita Uluilakeba, who fled to Tonga in 2011 after he was suspended from the Fiji Military of which he holds the rank of colonel and charged with treason.  Digicel TV for PNG … Irish mobile phone giant Digicel is diversifying into electronic media in Papua New Guinea with the announcement that it will open a new television station this November. Digicel PNG – already the biggest mobile operator in that country – plans to offer between 30 to 40 channels, both free to air and prepaid. This will take to three the number of TV operators in PNG. Prior to its November launch, Digicel PNG had launched in 2013 a news online service called PNG Loop headed by a former editor of EMTV and veteran journalist and broadcastor Titi Gabi. 

Go robotic … Can’t blame the administrators of Samoa’s national university for lacking in ingenuity; to try and entice more students to enrol, they have organised a robots competition. Six schools in the country have been invited to participate with the tutelage of VEX Robotics and Kiwibots from New Zealand. Nationa University of Samoa Vice Chancellor Fui Le’apai Asofou So’o admits a shortage of science and maths teachers in the country, and the hope is that the competition will inspire a lot more students to take up science and technology.  No spies allowed … Vanuatu’s new leaders are just finding out how hard it is to keep the numbers in parliament, or may be the age-old adage that what goes around comes around. Joe Natuman, now prime minister of Vanuatu had to issue an ultimatum to MPs who are members of his government to either shape up or ship out. The warning comes amidst rumours that the man he ousted from office Moana Carcasses Kalosil is plotting a confidence motion. First casualty of Natuman’s threat is like Carcasses, a naturalised citizen of Vanuatu, who was reportedly caught on camera talking “for over three minutes” to Kalosil. The man lost his job as political adviser to the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries.  Festival Melanesia clean – up … The two week-long Melanesian Arts and Cultural Festival has come and gone, but the whisper is that the job is not completed yet for some people in the host nation. PNG’s minister for sports and events Justin Tkatchenko has labelled the organisation of the festival by his Cultural Commission a national embarrassment. He said his prime minister was personally dissastisfied with the state of the affairs and the Cultural Commission needed to “throw the deadwood out,” the minster said. “They need to be young, talented, educated, artistic Papua New Guineans who will lead the Commission to modernise and change it for the better.”  Papers don’t fly … The public debate in Samoa over the future appointment of the island’s head of state attracted some colourful language from their very own prime minister. Angry at the leader of the opposition’s claims that the amendments are being brought about because Tuilaepa (the prime minister) wanted to become the next head of state, the veteran politician responded: ‘No stupid fool would leave becoming PM. It’s like going back to eating tinned fish “eleni.” • Whispers is compiled by the Editor. If you have any Whispers, please contact us on editor@ibi.com.fj

Advertising & Marketing Manager Sharron Stretton Advertising Executive Abigail Covert-Sokia Islands Business International Ltd. Level III, 46 Gordon Street PO Box 12718, Suva, Fiji Islands. Tel: +679 330 3108. Fax: +679 330 1423. E-mail: Advertising: advert@ibi.com.fj Circulation & Distribution Litiana Tokona ltokona@ibi.com.fj subs@ibi.com.fj Sandiya Dass sdass@ibi.com.fj Regional magazine sales agents Pacific Cosmos – 89 Brisbane Street, Oxley Park, NSW, Australia Pacific Supplies – Rarotonga, Cook Islands Yap Cooperative Association – Colonia, YAP, Federated States of Micronesia Motibhai & Co. Ltd – Nadi Airport, Fiji Paper Power Bookshop – Town Council Bldg, Main Street, Nadi, Fiji Suva Bookshop – Greig Street, Suva, Fiji Chapter One Bookshop – Downtown Boulevard, Suva, Fiji Kays Kona Shop – Dolphin Plaza, Suva, Fiji USP Bookcentre – USP, Laucala Campus, Suva, Fiji Garden City Bookshop – Garden City, Raiwai, Suva, Fiji Bulaccino – Garden City, Raiwai, Suva, Fiji Samabula Drugstore – Samabula, Suva, Fiji Kundan Singh Supermarket – Tamavua, Suva, Fiji MH Superfresh – Tamavua, Suva, Fiji Methodist Bookstore – Stewart Street, Suva, Fiji Textbook Wholesalers – BSP Centre Suva, Fiji MHCC – Suva, Fiji 786 Supermarket – Toorak ,Suva, Fiji Hachette Pacifique – Papeete, French Polynesia Kiribati Newstar – Bairiki, Kiribati One Stop Stores – Bairiki, Kiribati Robert Reimers Enterprises – Majuro, Marshall Islands Pacific & Occidental – Yaren, Nauru South Seas Traders – Alofi, Niue Nouvelle Messageries Caledoniennes de Presse – Noumea, New Caledonia Wewak Christian Bookshop – Wewak, PNG Boroko Foodworld – Boroko, PNG UPNG Bookshop – Waigani, PNG Lucky Foodtown – Apia, Samoa Wesley Bookshop – Apia, Samoa Panatina Chemist Ltd – Honiara, Solomon Islands Officeworks Ltd – Honiara, Solomon Islands National Stationery Supplies – Honiara, Solomon Islands Friendly Islands Bookshop – Nuku’alofa, Tonga Tuvalu Air Travel, Shipping – Funafuti, Tuvalu Trade and Consultancies – Funafuti, Tuvalu Stop Press – Port Vila, Vanuatu A year’s subscription to 12 issues of Islands Business within Fiji costs $50 and includes a complimentary copy of Fiji Islands Business.

Islands Business, August 2014

Pacific Update

Secret letter at centre of O’Neill AU$30m p By Sam Vulum

he simmering political tensions created by the attempted arrest of Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O’Neill by police over alleged corruption allegations have cooled - at least for the time being. Mounting pressure on the Prime Minister and the government was created by a buildup of antigovernment sentiment propagated and led by political activists, university students and supported by the Opposition. The groups took umbrage over O’Neill’s alleged approval of the settlement of legal bills for prominent PNG lawyer Paul Paraka. An attempted protest march to parliament on June 24 did not eventuate and the government used its numerical strength to defer a sitting of parliament. Public anger resulted mainly from the continuous attempts by the Prime Minister to avoid arrest after a warrant was taken out following police investigations into the payment of K71.8 million (AU$30.459m) to Paul Paraka Lawyers as legal fees from 2012 to 2013. The Prime Minister initially denied authorising the payment, however the situation spiraled into political chaos after the revelation of a secret letter by the Task Force Sweep Team. Established by O’Neill in 2012 as one of his first acts as Prime Minister after election, the letter alleged fresh evidence implicating the premier and requesting police to arrest him. O’Neill, who blamed political compromise as the key reason for his incrimination, went to court to stop his arrest citing abuse of police power. He later followed through with a string of events including the appointment of a new Police Commissioner Geoffrey Vaki to replace Tom Kulunga, termination of Deputy Police Commissioner of Operations Simon Kauba, the suspension of Assistant Police Commissioner for Crime Thomas Eluh who has been leading the investigations and arrest of the Prime Minister. Then came the announcement of a Commission of Inquiry into the corruption charge, disbanding of the Task Force Sweep Team and the sacking of former Attorney General Kerenga Kua and replacing him with Ano Pala. However, on June 30 the National Court ruled that it could not interfere with the functions of police and allowed the Commissioner to carry out his duties. The court said it would only intervene in the clearest cases of abuse in a police investigation. In his ruling, Justice Ere Kariko said in this case there was no evidence of abuse of power. Reacting to the ruling, O’Neill said he would respect the court’s decision to allow the police commissioner to pursue an arrest warrant against him. O’Neill said it was for all citizens to respect that decision. “I will respect the decisions of the Police Commissioner in the handling of any investigation,” he said. “All I have sought, as I am entitled to as is the right of any citizen, is to have an unbiased independent police investigations into any allegation. “I have a duty to not allow bad precedent to be set for the future - by allowing a sitting Prime Min14 Islands Business, August 2014

Island tension ... Police keep a close watch as a crowd gathers to express anger over the actions of Papua New Guinea Pri me

ister to be arrested without clear and unbiased evidence of any wrongdoing.” O’Neill said he has told police he was ready to assist with proper and lawful police inquiries. “This is the same approach adopted by leaders in our partner countries when they have been confronted by allegations,” he said. O’Neill also continued to deny any wrongdoing over the letter authorising payments, which he said was a forgery. “I want to assure you without any qualification that the letter did not originate from my office,” he said. Suspended police prosecutor Eluh said he believed the evidence showed O’Neill has a case to answer before the courts. “The evidence is very overwhelming, it’s very, very strong,” he said. “On the face of it, there is prima facie evidence for the prime minister and anyone else who is involved in this to come forward and be answerable to the law.” However, on July 1, Police Commissioner Vaki instructed his lawyers to file an application at the district court to discontinue the warrant of arrest. But on July 4 the Chief Magistrate rejected Vaki’s application. On July 7, new Attorney General Pala attempted to stop the arrest by writing a letter to the police commissioner suggesting that there was nothing illegal about the payments. “I have reviewed all relevant material in the Department of Justice relating to the payment of Paraka’s legal bills that was used by the former Investigation Task Force Sweep headed by Sam Koim,” the

Attorney General said. “We must be crystal clear on the claims made by Mr Koim, because new evidence has revealed that what Mr Koim said was false and misleading. “Mr Koim based his case of illegality on an assertion that there was a Supreme Court Order staying the payment of Mr Paraka’s legal bills. “ITFS had claimed that Mr Paraka had on various dates between 2012 and 2013 illegally received payments totaling K71.8 million from the State. “However, it is now clear that there was no Supreme Court Order staying or stopping the payment to Paraka Lawyers. “Mr Koim even confirmed this in an affidavit dated June 17, 2014, in relations to O.S NO 115 of 2014 (CC1). “What this means is that the orders of the National Court, dated February 6, 2007, that gave the then Attorney General the power and discretion to clear all legal bills of Paraka Lawyers pending the determination of the judicial review proceedings is still in force. “There is no Supreme Court stay order against these National Court orders. “Consequently, there is nothing illegal or criminal about the payments of Paraka Lawyers legal bills by the State. “Whether the bills to the former national government are excessively or not is a different issue altogether for the State to consider and pursue under the relevant provisions of the Lawyers Act. That may include the State seeking an order for taxation of the lawyers’ bills.” The Supreme Court, however, instructed Pala to provide ‘raw evidence’ to justify the media state-

m payments

Puna back as Cook Islands Prime Minister? By Samisoni Pareti

ending any successful petition against winning candidates in last month’s general elections in the Cook Islands, incumbent Prime Minister Henry Puna (pictured) and his Cook Islands Party are poised for another term in government. Final election results put Puna’s CIP winning 13 seats in the 24-seat parliament while the Democratic Party took eight seats and the One Cook Islands two seats. One other constituency had a tie so a recount would have to take place. According to Cook Islands News newspaper, some big casualties of the elections included Democratic Party Leader Wilkie Rasmussen who went into the July elections as caretaker Leader of the Opposition. Also out is flamboyant Democratic MP Norman George who was unseated from his seat of Teenui-Mapumai by a political newcomer, Rose Toki Brown of CIP. Both veteran politicians have vowed to contest their loss in court.

Solomon goes to the poll under the weight of mounting debt

a Pri me Minister Peter O’Neill. Photo: Sam Vulum

ment he issued contradicting a Supreme Court order. AG Pala was summoned to inform the Supreme Court why he made the statement to contradict a Supreme Court decision, chaired by Justice Kandakasi, quashing two national court injunctions ordering the payment of more than K6 million to Paul Paraka Lawyers. The Supreme Court ruled that there was no evidence to suggest that the bills paid to Paraka were legal. This case for Pala, who has since retracted his statement is pending while the Police Commissioner returned to court seeking to quash the district court’s decision of June 12 that granted the warrant for arrest against the Prime Minister. Vaki is arguing among others that the Chief Magistrate had acted without or in excess of her jurisdiction in issuing the warrant contrary to section 8 of the Arrest Act. In the hearing of this case on July 17, police have again been retrained from arresting the Prime Minister after the National Court issued a stay on the arrest warrant pending a judicial review challenging the decision of Chief Magistrate Nerrie Eliakim in issuing the arrest warrant. The outcome of the case is pending while Commissioner Vaki is fighting another case relating to the saga. On July 21, the National Court issued orders for Vaki to appear on July 25 to be dealt with for contempt of court charges. The Fraud Squad led by Chief Superintendent Timothy Gitua filed an application for contempt after Vaki failed to execute a warrant of arrest issued for the prime minister. The case was also pending when we went to press.

The island’s elections office said 8,364 voters took part in the polls, representing a voter turn out of 79 per cent. Preliminary results had suggested a win by the Democrats but the table was turned when postal votes were counted. Declaring victory from his constituency on Manihiki Island, caretaker PM Puna flew back to the capital Rarotonga on the final week of July on a chartered flight. Final results showed Puna winning his seat by the slimmest of margins. He beat his opponent, Tereapii Piho of the Democrats by a mere four votes. Puna told Cook Island News that he would be visiting the island’s head of state – the Queen’s Representative Tom Marsters – “as soon as possible” in order for his government to resume office. When the swearing in would eventually take place could not be determined however because Cook Island News is reporting that the Queen’s Representative is overseas attending the Commonwealth Games in Scotland.

By Alfred Sasako

s Solomon Islands gears up for its national general election later this year troubling signs of corruption, economic woes and mounting debts are overshadowing preparations. No one really knows the exact date for the election yet, although October 29 has been widely tipped. Discussion on the subject, however, has been somewhat flat since this writer disclosed the date in a recent exclusive newspaper article, citing politicians and senior government officials as sources for the information. This year’s election is likely to be fought along management or rather mismanagement of public funds by the current 50 Members of Parliament. Estimates vary. One suggests that up to $300 million (AU$43 million) in grants passed through the hands of Members of Parliament in any one year. These grants are intended for rural development in the 50 constituencies or electorates. This means that in four years a total of $1.2 billion (AU$172 million) will have passed through Members of Parliament by the time the election is held. The picture in the rural area tells a different story. As a start in unclogging the public system allegedly bloated by corruption, new measures have been introduced for this year’s national general election. One of these measures is the introduction earlier this year of a new registration regime known as the Biometrics Voter Registration (BVR) system. Each voter is issued with an electronically produced photographic ID which allows him or her to vote. By law no one casts a vote without it. The

BVR system was introduced to help identify multiple registrations, which has the potential for a voter casting his or her vote more than once. The practice was rather widespread during the last national general election in 2010. In that election one voter reportedly voted eighteen times at three different polling stations. Electoral officials are hoping that the introduction of the photographic ID or swipe card would totally eliminate this illegal practice. At the close of the voter registration period last April, an estimated 278,000 people were issued photographic voter cards. But as they say, old habits die hard. Shortly after the registration closed the Electoral Commission announced that the newlyinstalled BVR system had picked up more than 5, 000 would-be voters who have registered more than once. How this slipped through the hands of registration officials remains a mystery. Some say electoral officials allowed this to happen because they “are part of the corruption network.” Figures on double or multiple registration of voters are quite staggering. One would-be voter for example had registered nine times, while more than 4, 000 did so more than once, according to figures released by the Electoral Commission. These people now face the certainty of not voting at all as under the law double registration disqualifies a voter. Those engaged in the practice of double or multiple registrations did so for economic reasons. They believe that the more photographic ID voter cards one has, the more money he or she rakes in. (Read full story on www.islandsbusiness.com) Islands Business, August 2014 15

Cover Report

Tokelau’s ener g

Hope for the future ... Tokelau children sing for delegates at a recent regional meeting (left) and the territory’s flag carried by a police officer escorts the Head of Tokelau, Aliki Faipule Kur

Words: Samisoni Pareti

Photos: Tokelau Government Media

ith almost all their electricity supply sourced from the sun, the 1,400 islanders of Tokelau are a living testament to what the Germanborn but English economist the late E F Schumacher advocated in his book ‘Small is Beautiful’ in 1973. Dumping finite fossil fuel for solar energy is saving the island NZ$900,000 a year. It also earned the island territory New Zealand’s 2014 Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority Award. 16 Islands Business, August 2014

Modern and appropriate technology is also driving Tokelau’s determination to have its own ship to provide the only transport link to the closest international sea and air ports in Samoa’s capital, Apia. The new 500 gross tonne boat will be equipped with kites to help power it, and at the same time cut fuel consumption by 20 per cent. Expected to cost NZ$20 million, the 60-passenger capacity vessel is under construction in a shipyard in Bangladesh. Like other islands in the Pacific, diabetes and the spread of noncommunicable disease is a concern on Tokelau - a non-self governing teritory of New Zealand. To address this, the territory banned Coca Cola and other fizzy drinks from all island stores. Being an atoll, fresh water is scarce. Yet Tokelau wants all its inhabitants to

Cover Report

Going for 100 per cent renewable energy

r gy options

pule Kuresa Nasau (with baseball cap) as he arrives on Atafu Island.

have access to clean drinking water, and it’s more than halfway there. About 85 per cent of Tokelau’s operational budget is funded by Wellington. Yet in a model that has worked for the island, the position of Ulu o Tokelau (Chief/Leader of Tokelau) is rotated on an annual basis among the three head chiefs of Tokelau’s inhabited coral atolls of Atafu, Nukunonu and Fakaofo. Each atoll has its own council of elders, or taupulega, presided over by a 21-member fono or parliament. The island that currently holds the Ulu o Tokelau becomes the territorial capital for the year. “Following awareness work done on the islands by UN Women, 15 per cent of seats in the General Fono is reserved for women,” explains Jovilisi Suveinakama, General Manager in the Office of the Council for the Ongoing Government of Tokelau. “Out of the initiative, we now have for the first time in Tokelau’s history a woman in our six-member cabinet. Haili Patea Peau from Atafu is a qualified school principal and currently our minister for

inety per cent reliance on solar power is saving Tokelau almost NZ$1million a year, but that is not stopping the island territory from pursuing 100 per cent reliance on renewable energy. “Because we don’t get sunshine during the day all throughout the year, on average solar energy meets 90 per cent of our power needs,” says Robin Pene, Director of Energy in the Tokelau Government. “Part of my role now is to try and bridge that remaining 10 per cent. We are looking at other clean sources of energy, particularly bio fuel using coconut oil or wind turbines.” A Scottish-designed turbine is currently being studied Pene said, since it seems suited to island conditions like Tokelau. The turbine’s rotors for example tend to bend during strong windy conditions. Diesel engines are currently bridging the 10 per cent gap in the provision of solar power in the three atolls that make up Tokelau – Atafu, Nukunonu and Fakaofo. The decision to embrace renewable energy was taken by the Tokelau Parliament in 2010, met by an $8.5 million loan from the New Zealand Government. Put together, the three atolls’ solar power capacity is 11,000 volts. Batteries alone Pene said cost $2 million, and there are altogether 4200 batteries. They have a life span of 10 to 12 years and these batteries are charged during the day, and power the system during the night. The Director of Energy said Tokelau has already repaid about $2m of that loan to the New Zealand Government. Payment by consumers on Tokelau is on a pre-paid basis. Pene said the Tokelau Government is subsidising the cost of power as his Department charges 50c per unit of power consumed. To break even, they need to charge 77 cents per unit. Two years into solar energy, Pene said the system has worked well. Power Smart, the New Zealand company that installed the solar system on Tokelau is hired to monitor the infrastructure. A minor issue was lizards chewing wires. The biggest challenge however would be getting islanders to reduce their use of electricity. “Any white goods manufactured after 2005 should be efficient enough to operate in our solar powered system. To ensure that we contain our power consumption, our department would like to see a ban on the use of electric stoves, electrical water heaters of more than 20 litre capacity, dryer machines and air condition units. “We do realise that some schools and offices may need air conditions and if that happens, then we may get them to buy their own solar panels.”

Islands Business, August 2014 17

Cover Report

Island paradise ... Atafu, one of the three atolls which make up Tokelau and site of the recent regional fisheries ministers’ meeting.

education.” Suveinakama is originally from Fiji. He is a lawyer by profession and has worked in Fiji’s central bank and for a big law practice in Suva. As General Manager responsible for Tokelau’s National Public Service, he is based in Apia. When he took over as GM from the late Falani Aukuso in 2006, Tokelau’s annual national budget was $6 million. Today it has more than tripled to $19 million. “Tokelau has a unique system of producing its national budget,” said Suveinakama. “This role does not fall on the central government but rather it is the three taupulega (council of elders) in each of the three coral atolls that tell us what they want to see in the budget and it is our job to locate the money to fund the national budget, and implement it. “It is if you like a bottoms-up approach and it has been working for Tokelau for all of these years.” For a small coral atoll territory, sources of revenue are limited. As a member of the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency, Tokelau gets $5 million a year from fish access fees through the

United States Multilateral Fisheries Treaty. It gets an additional $3 million in interests from its $83 million trust fund held offshore. Education is a key development strategy. A major education review has just been completed, resulting in a $5 million investment by the New Zealand Government that will see the construction of new schools in each of the three islands in the next five years. Through partnerships with the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, a lot more emphasis will be directed toward pre-school learning. “For Tokelau, there’s no escaping the fact that it is joined in the hips to New Zealand,” said Suveinakama. “Yet this does not stop the territory from seeking its own separate identity, of finding its own distinct voice among the family of Pacific islands. It has for this reason applied in 2002 to join the Forum Fisheries Agency; it has become a member of Fiji’s Pacific Islands Development Forum and has also applied to become an associate member of the Pacific Islands Forum. We are already part of the University of the South Pacific.”

A piece of Lau in Atafu G

The regional intergovernmental organisation for the protection and sustainable development of the Pacific island environment

Our Vision:

The Pacific environment – sustaining our livelihoods and natural heritage in harmony with our cultures.

www.sprep.org Congratulations Tokelau on your achievements! Islands Business, August 2014

oogle Earth says Vanuabalavu Island in Fiji’s northeast lies 1400 km southwest of Atafu, one of three inhabited atolls of Tokelau. And while separated by the vast Pacific Ocean, the two islands share a common link - their hospitals bear the same name. Lomaloma Hospital is located about 5-minutes walk from Atafu’s boat landing. It comprises a cluster of 3 or 4 timber buildings, just beside the sandy main road on the atoll. It serves Atafu’s population of 450 people, including women and children. The main hospital on Vanuabalavu in Fiji is also called Lomaloma, named after its host village. “The name of our hospital was brought to Atafu by one of the first Tokelauan to graduate from Fiji’s Central Medical School (now the Fiji School of Medicine under the Fiji National University),” explains one of Atafu’s elders Kelihiano Kalolo. “I think he must have done his internship in your Lomaloma Hospital in Fiji and when he returned to get our hospital built, he was the one who decided to name it Lomaloma.” The name has remained since. One of the senior doctors at Atafu’s Lomaloma Hospital, Dr Iuta Faletua, named this pioneering doctor as John Logologo. Nobody on Atafu recalls when he went to Fiji to attend medical school. Our search discovered that two students from Tokelau graduated from Fiji’s Medical School in 1916. Their names were not disclosed. This piece of information seems to fit with what Dr Faletua explained. He said Dr John and another doctor remembered only as Dr Simeti were the pioneering doctors of Tokelau. Both were educated in Fiji. Elder Kaholo believes the two were the first Polynesians to graduate from Fiji’s medical school. Dr Faletua himself is a product of FSM. He graduated in 1966 with Fijian doctors like Dr Varea and Dr Epeli Nailatikau. Although 75 this year, Dr Faletua was brought back from retirement to fill the need for doctors on Lomaloma Hospital in Atafu.

Cover Report

Protecting young people’s sexual health and well-being By Nicol Cave, Public Health Division, Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC)

Navigating sustainable development with and for our Pacific people

oung Pacific people, including those on Tokelau, have high rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and unplanned teenage pregnancies. Youth and population level surveys conducted by Pacific Min istries of Health and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) show that on average 1 in 4 young people in the Pacific have the STI, Chlamydia, and teenage pregnancy rates are among the highest in the world. SPC Youth Advisor, Mereia Carling, said that investing in young people’s health, including their sexual and reproductive health, is an essential component of enhancing the sustainable development of small islands and future generations of Pacific Islanders. Poor sexual health and having children too soon can negatively impact young people’s opportunities, personal and professional growth. In Tokelau, where 73 per cent of unmarried youth between 15 and 24 years are sexually active, 25 per cent report experiencing symptoms associated with STIs in the previous 12 months. The teenage birth rate is also high with 39 per 1000 young women in Tokelau having had at least one child before the age of 19 years. Although small and geographically remote, and with firm re ligious, cultural, village and family ties, Tokelau is not immune to the dynamics that place young people at risk of poor sexual and reproductive health. These include early sexual debut, having multiple sexual partners, engaging in unprotected sex when off-island, binge drinking and alcohol abuse, and unreliable access to condoms and other contraceptives. Although young people in Tokelau have high levels of knowledge and awareness about the ABCs (Abstain, Be Faithful, Condomise) of sexual health protection, this knowledge is not being translated into behaviour change. Tokelau survey data shows that 80 per cent of young people know that using a condom offers dual protection against unplanned pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, but only 10 per cent of young men and 11 per cent of young women consistently use condoms. Tokelau Director of Health, Silivia Alapati, said ‘STI rates in Tokelau are increasing, but we are confident that with the support of SPC and our development partners, we can develop effective communication and health service delivery programmes that encourage young people to make appropriate choices for their lives and not put themselves at risk.’ Nicol Cave, Team Leader for Strategic Health Communication at SPC, says the challenge for Tokelau is to move their com munication programmes from awareness raising to promoting sustained behaviour change. “This can be achieved through more strategic use of modern and indigenous communication tools that appeal to young people and by improving reliable, youth-friendly access to condoms and contraceptives, and doing this together with social, cultural and traditional structures in Tokelau.’

SPC welcomes the declaration of the International Year of Small Island Developing States as a global acknowledgement of their special cultures and diversity and of the challenges they face in achieving the benefits of sustainable development now and for future generations. The UN Conference on Small Island Developing States (1-4 September 2014, Apia, Samoa) will focus on building partnerships for sustainable development. The conference offers unique opportunities for the region and SPC is involved in several partnerships on behalf of its members (www.sids2014.org/). In particular, SPC seeks to further strengthen the effectiveness of its work through a collaborative, multi-sector approach to development challenges in the Pacific.

(Read full story on www.islandsbusiness.com)

Islands Business, August 2014

Obituary

Archbis

FINAL journey ... the late Archbishop Emeritus of Suva, Petero Mataca, is carried to the Sacred Heart Cathedral priests for a Resurrection Mass. Photos: by Invictus Pictures 20 Islands Business, August 2014

By Netani Rika

housands of mourners lined the streets of Fiji’s capital, Suva, last month to farewell the late head of the Roman Catholic Church, Archbishop Emeritus Petero Mataca. In a ceremony full of the pomp and ritual of the world’s largest Christian church, the first local Catholic bishop was laid to rest after succumbing to cancer, The liturgy of the Resurrection Mass showcased the ethnic and cultural diversity of Fijian Catholicism with prayers or readings in six languages. Mataca, 81, during close to four decades as Archbishop of Suva, successfully integrated aspects of local culture and language into worship. He also encouraged unity across the ethnic divide which has for so long torn at the fabric of the nation’s existence. In 2006 Mataca joined the National Council for Building a Better Fiji, an organisation formed by military strongman (then) Commodore Frank Bainimarama to create a framework for a unified country. The move caused friction within the Catholic community but Mataca defended his actions as a genuine attempt to bring about reconciliation in a fragmented society. His sacrifice was recognised by an award from the State and the attendance at his funeral by the President, Ratu Epeli Nailatikau, and Fiji’s interim Prime Minister Rear-Admiral (retired) Bainimarama. When former President the late Ratu Josefa Iloilo abrogated the constitution in 2009 after Bainimarama’s regime was declared illegal by the High Court, Mataca was shattered. By then, however, censorship prevented the nation from hearing of the concerns of its most senior cleric. Mataca continued to preach tolerance, inclusivity and love for neighbour until his retirement in 2014. Shortly before he stepped down as head of Fiji’s Catholic faithful, Mataca expressed his deep desire to return to his village of Vuaki in Fiji’s west. “I want to go back to my village and spend time reading and fishing,” he said, showing off a brand new rod and reel. That dream was never to be fulfilled. Most of his last 12 months - after installing Archbishop Peter Loy Chong - were spent in hospitals in New Zealand and Fiji. Despite his grave illness, Mataca remained devoted to his faith and the church. In a poignant reflection, Archbishop Chong reflected on his predecessor’s continued support and guidance. “He told me - I will always pray for you, Peter,” Chong told 500 mourners at Suva’s Sacred Heart Cathedral and a further 1500 who watched Mataca’s final mass on large screens while seated in the street, around the church or in the crypt below.

ishop’s legacy of hope

IN the name of the Father ... the late Archbishop Emeritus of Suva, Petero Mataca, blesses a parishioner in 2012.

he was ordained a priest in December 1959. After serving as a priest and teacher, Mataca was ordained bishop in 1974 and archbishop in 1976. As first local head of the church, Mataca sought to ensure that the Archdiocese of Suva was self sufficient in terms of providing priests for parishes and teachers for schools. Under his guidance more than 50 Fijian men

were ordained to the priesthood, new schools were built across the country and the church flourished. But his lasting legacy will be a church in which people - no matter their colour or ethnicity - can worship together as a people of God. Mataca has created within the Catholic church a living microcosm of his vision for a truly united Fiji.

‘‘

I want to go back to my village and spend time reading and fishing

‘‘

A further 8000 watched via livestream and the Mass - attended by Archbishop Alapati Lui Mataeliga of Samoa, Bishops Soane Patita Paini Mafi of Tonga, Jean Bosco Baremes of Port Vila, Dennis Browne of Hamilton and Robert McGuckin of Toowoomba - was televised across the region on Fiji Television’s Sky Pacific platform. Born at Cawaci on Ovalau, where his father, Gaberieli Daunivucu, was training to be a catechist in April 1933, Mataca returned to Vuaki from where he was plucked to attend school at Saint John’s College. Mataca fell ill at Cawaci in 1945 and remained perplexed until his death as to how his father - without the benefit of radio or telephone, sailed by canoe from Vuaki to Ovalau to take him home. After convalescence in the village, Mataca continued his education at Namosau, the precursor to Xavier College in the sugar town of Ba in 1948. Identified by Marist priest Father John Clerkin as a candidate for the priesthood, the young Mataca sat Senior Cambridge in 1952 and taught at Cawaci before attending Holy Cross Seminary, Mosgiel in New Zealand. Bishop Victor Foley - head of the Catholic church in Fiji at the time - sent Mataca to Rome where

– The Late Archbishop Petero Mataca

Islands Business, August 2014 21

Politics

TOKELAU

James Movick, Director General of the Pacific Islands Forum Fishery Agency (left) assists the Ulu o Tokelau, Aliki Faipule Kuresa Nasau (centre) at the 10th Pacific Fisheries Ministerial Meeting that was hosted for the first time in Atafu, Tokelau last month. Photo: Tokelau Government Media

Tokelau meeting approves south Albacore Tuna plan FFA ministers endorse Atafu Declaration By Samisoni Pareti F isheries M inisters in the Pacific have endorsed moves they hope would lead to better management of the south Pacific albacore tuna fisheries both in their 200 miles exclusive economic zones and in the adjacent high seas. First steps were sealed in the remote coral atoll of Atafu in Tokelau last month at the 10th Pacific Fisheries Ministerial Meeting of island countries that are members of the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency. To be called the Tokelau Arrangement, the communiqué of the two day meeting resolved among others that limits on the allocation of “South Pacific albacore longline fishing opportunities in our Exclusive Economic Zones in a way that promotes the economic viability of the whole fishery, particularly in support of locallybased enterprises” should continue. It said this could involve a framework for the implementation of zone-based management across most of the range of the fishery.” This proposed framework could be applied “by FFA members and non-FFA coastal territories,” and that it should also provide a mechanism “for 22 Islands Business, August 2014

improving coastal states’ rights over the disposition of fisheries in their own zones.” Allowing room for compromises, the Fisheries Ministers said in their communiqué that the “aspirations of coastal states and territories yet to develop south Pacific albacore fisheries in their EEZs” should be recognised. In addition to placing controls in their own EEZs, the Fisheries ministers felt that their efforts should be matched by long distant water fishing nations who join them as members of the Western Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) whose boats fish in both their EEZs and in the adjacent high seas. “Taking this Declaration as evidence of our earnest resolve to establish a comprehensive south Pacific albacore management arrangement, to work together as a matter of urgency to develop a proposal to WCPFC11 for a Conservation and Management Measure (CMM) for South Pacific Albacore that would provide for a catch limit for the entire stock; take account of the EEZ-based fishing opportunities to be established under the Tokelau Arrangement; and place a limit on the high seas component of the fishery,” declares the communiqué of the 10th Pacific Fisheries Ministerial Meeting.

It also called “upon all members of the WCPFC to cooperate with FFA members to support and implement that CMM proposal, noting that it will offer partnership opportunities for coastal States and fishing operators alike.” In calling for tighter controls on south Pacific albacore tuna fisheries, the Pacific Fisheries Ministers are heeding an urgent call for action from James Movick, the Director General of the Honiara-based FFA. “The fisheries scientists tell us that south Pacific albacore stocks are still sound; they are not being fished at Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) and are therefore not in danger of overexploitation. That is correct. “The problem though is that albacore long line fishing focuses on only a small portion of the overall albacore stock, the larger albacore. Long liners target this particular size class,” Movick wrote in the Islands Business’ April 2014 edition. “With increasing numbers of boats permitted in this fishery, the average catch (or catch per unit of effort) is dropping to a point where the boats are no longer able to engage in financially viable fishing operations. “The exception is those boats that are subsidised or are brand new and super-efficient, which excludes virtually all Pacific Island owned and based long line boats. “We need to look at limiting total catch even further and transferring access rights over as much of that catch as possible for Pacific Island boats and generally for locally based fleets that supply the bulk of their catch to Pacific processing operations.” Then Director General Movick acknowledged that some controls on south Pacific albacore tuna could be imposed by the WCPFC, but he felt that FFA member countries needed to do their part too. “By establishing a collective albacore management limitation arrangement based on our rights as coastal states and taking account of our small developing states status, we can effectively expect the WCPFC to adopt a compatible measure that recognises our national rights and collective management regime, and adopts compatible measures in the adjacent high seas. “However, I would not expect Pacific Island nations to have to wait for the WCPFC to agree on an effective management measure for this southern albacore. We can and should act for ourselves first, being mindful of our rights, development interests and our global responsibilities.  “However, the most fundamental step at this stage is to agree on the regional limit under a PIC coastal state collective arrangement. Agreement was nearly achieved last October, but there were some governments not quite ready to take the plunge. “This year the agreement will need to go ahead. If one or two of the countries on the margins of the range of the southern albacore stock are not yet in a position to commit we can design a measure to allow them to enter when they are ready. However, we cannot delay any longer.” The tiny atoll territory of Tokelau created history last month when it successfully hosted its first ever Pacific wide meeting of ministers. With support from the FFA, the Tokelau Government chartered the MV Naomi in Apia to ferry the ministers and officials between Samoa and Tokelau.

FRENCH POLYNESIA

Emotional fall-out over nuclear test memorial

Politics

ation for the initial choice and appeared as an aggressive step.” On 22 June, there was an unprecedented turnout of young people to support the mostly elderly members of Moruroa e Tatou, who have long been campaigning for improved compensation for the health effects of their work at the nuclear test sites. Students from the University of French Polynesia and young activists from the Haururu Association for the Protection of Nature and Culture and the Puhihau Collective rallied at the memorial site, expressing concern about its planned relocation. The traditional priest Raymond Graf announced that anyone who touched the site would face death and that the memorial should be left undisturbed. John Taroanui Doom of Moruroa e Tatou told Islands Business: “We want to thank the many Assembly members and personalities who stood by us to support the movement. Hundreds of citizens from around the world have joined our efforts to protest against this insensitive proposal to move this important memorial site to all victims of nuclear testing.” Facing significant public protest, the issue was handballed to the Assembly of French Polynesia, which decided that the park should be renamed, but the monument should remain undisturbed. The debate over French Polynesia’s relationship with France and the nuclear era comes at a difficult time for President Flosse. As Islands Business goes to press, Flosse is awaiting the result of an appeal over his criminal conviction in the Office of Postal and Telecommunications (OPT) case, involving ISLAND BLESSING ... Traditional priest Raymond Graf blesses the memorial in the payment of nearly US$2 2006. Photo: Nic Maclellan million of kickbacks from businessman Hubert Haddad to the President. In January 2013, President Flosse was convicted of corruption and trading of signatures from Australia, Japan, New Zealand, favours, and received a five-year prison sentence, the United States and across Europe. an 83,300 Euro (US$113402) fine and five years As an antinuclear delegation from Japan arloss of civic rights. He appealed the decision rived in Papeete last month for the annual comand on 23 July, the Cour de Cassation in Paris memoration, Reverend Naoya Kauakami issued - France’s court of final appeal for criminal matan open letter to President Flosse, condemning ters - will rule on the legal challenge. If Flosse’s the government’s proposal. President Flosse appeal is rejected, the French Polynesian Presipersonally replied to the Japanese church leader, dent is unlikely to serve the prison sentence due stating: “Contrary to what has been said, it was to his advanced age, but may lose his position as never a question of demolishing the monument, President and other civic rights. but of simply relocating it.” Former President Oscar Temaru, serving Flosse defended the proposal to rename the as Mayor of Fa’aa, added to the polemics over park again, stating: “Since its inauguration in memory and justice with a proposal to rename February 2005, this area bore the name of Jacques a street in his municipality after Gaston Flosse Chirac. The decision was taken to change this and Jacques Chirac. This street however leads name and call it the Place de 2 Juillet, but this to Tahiti’s main prison.Island was undertaken without any form of consider-

Flosse tries to move shrine from park By Nic Maclellan Even though the last nuclear test in the Pacific was conducted nearly 20 years ago, the commemoration of the atomic era still causes debate in French Polynesia. President Gaston Flosse of the Tahoeraa Huiraatira Party has caused a storm by proposing to remove a memorial to nuclear testing from a park in central Papeete. The debate about remembering France’s 193 nuclear tests at Moruroa and Fangataufa atolls came as the Flosse Government celebrated 30 years of autonomy in June, following the introduction of a French autonomy statute for French Polynesia in 1984. The memorial to survivors of nuclear testing is located in a waterfront park known as the Place de 2 Juillet 1966. This area was first created in 2003 and originally called Place Chirac, after the French President who was a close political ally of President Flosse. After the election of French Polynesia’s first anti-nuclear president Oscar Temaru in 2004, the area was renamed to commemorate 2 July 1966, the date of France’s first nuclear test in the South Pacific. On 2 July 2006, a memorial to survivors of nuclear testing was inaugurated at the centre of the park by then President Temaru, witnessed by politicians from France, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. At the opening ceremony, Aotearoa activist Hilda Halkyard-Harawira sang a Maori waiata and the memorial site was blessed by Raymond Graf, a traditional Tahitian priest who consecrated the ground. In the memorial, French Polynesia’s five archipelagos are symbolised by stones placed on a traditional paepae, with carved wooden totems later added to symbolise the link between the earth and sky. As well as commemorating the French nuclear tests, the memorial has a plaque in English, French and Tahitian remembering survivors from other nuclear sites in the Marshall Islands, Australia, Kiribati and Japan. In June this year, as Tahiti commemorated the 30th anniversary of autonomy, the government sparked concern by issuing a decree proposing the removal of the memorial site and the renaming of the park as ‘Place Chirac.’ The perception that the memorial would be destroyed lead to widespread protests, coordinated by Moruroa e Tatou, the association of former workers who staffed the nuclear test sites between 1966 and 1996. Moruroa e Tatou has used the memorial site as a rallying point for public activities, inviting international delegations to participate in commemoration ceremonies every year on 2 July. The proposed removal of the memorial led to international criticism, with a petition gathering

Islands Business, August 2014 23

Politics

Kiribati plans livestock and farms on Fiji property Land is not for resettlement, says Tong By Kiribati Correspondent K iribati P resident A note Tong has brushed aside criticism of his government’s decision to buy the Natoavatu Estate land in Fiji at a price of AU$9.3 million. Despite popular belief. Tong says the 5461 acres of freehold land won’t be used to relocate I-Kiribati who have lost their homes due to rising sea levels. Instead the property would transformed into

Former Kiribati President Teburoro Tito said the land purchase was a publicity stunt to show how serious Tong was about rising sea levels. Tito said apart from paying such an excessive amount for the acquisition, the government has no idea on what it is going to do with the property. “Well in politics sometimes we are not rational,” was Tong’s response to Tito’s accusations. “It’s important that we put aside our differences. It is important that we think ahead in a constructive manner and I think the analysis is not because who does it that it becomes good or bad. I think

Woman washes clothes at Naviavia Settlement. Photo: Pacific Conference of Churches

vegetable and root crop farms as part of his government’s food security strategy. Tong said the purchase is an important investment for his country. “Property is a good investment we lost a lot of money on the stock market,” Tong said. “My own belief is that the real estate is a much more stable investment but beyond that we are facing the realities of the climate change challenge and food security is an issue. Hopefully that will be the purpose but it is an investment. You will ask me the question are you going to relocate your people? My answer today no we hadn’t planned to do that.” Land deal criticised In Kiribati however, Tong has been criticised for spending millions of dollars on the land deal. 24 Islands Business, August 2014

whatever happens must stand on its own merits. I know that land is prime commodity in Kiribati every person in Kiribati is short of land there is no doubt of that. Even recently everybody wants to come over (to Fiji) and I said no you cannot it’s for investment. So I think domestic politics is different it’s about coming in and nudging each other out but I think it should not go beyond our borders.” Value of land Kiribati had bought the land in Fiji from the Anglican Church with suggestions that it spent four times the value per acre than any previous buyer. This matter was also put to President Tong. “I know that the valuation of land is a tricky question. Let me tell you that many decades ago

KIRIBATI the United States bought Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million. The valuation is not a matter for us to do. We did get experts to do the valuation and let me tell you that on a per acre basis that land is cheaper than the land being transacted in Tarawa, in Kiribati at the moment. So it’s far cheaper what we are buying than the value of land in Tarawa because the land is very scarce in Tarawa in Kiribati and so people are buying $10,000 more than that for a very small plot of land. There is no doubt in my mind and everybody will confirm this in Kiribati that the value of the land we purchased is far lower than what we would pay on a per acre basis on Tarawa at the moment,” Tong said. Initial stages looked at Wainadoi land Colin Sibary played an instrumental role in helping Kiribati secure the land in Fiji. He is a former Real Estate Agents Licensing Board (REALB) Chairman and he revealed how they had initially looked at buying land in Wainadoi, a largely rural residential piece of property, outside Fiji’s capital. “The Kiribati Government had been looking for some time at a possible land purchase and asked me if I could help,” Sibary said. “I had introduced the possibility of a Wainadoi purchase, but the land in question was deemed to be too small. “Around this time I was asked by one of the trustees of the Anglican Church if I could help them find a buyer as they wanted to dispose of a very large parcel of land in Vanua Levu. The rest as they say is history.” Purchase is huge real estate transaction REALB Chief Executive Officer/ Registrar Ravinesh Murti said it is rare to see such a massive transaction taking place in the real estate market. Murti said the value of the whole land bought by Kiribati could be worth 10 times more than the value they have purchased it for depending on the type of development that takes shape on the property. “I believe that the land was sold at a fair market price. With that land there are abundance of timber and quarry. In addition that land has massive potential for agricultural use, residence, commercial and industrial use,” Murti said. “Apart from the $9.3 million investment, Fijians will benefit in many ways. The infrastructure development, commercial, agricultural, industrial, tourism and real estate will definitely boost the Northern division.” Natoavatu Estate The total land area of the Natoavatu Estate property is 5761 acres of which 300 acres have been set aside for descendents of Solomon Islanders living in a settlement known as Naviavia. While the issue of the Melanesian settlers on the land has never been resolved, the remaining 5,461 acres is now owned by the i-Kiribati Government. It is believed Tarawa plans to start crop and livestock farms in Natoavatu Estate “including livestock (beef, pork and chickens), root crops and fruit,” said Silbary. “There is a possibility of establishing a fish canning plant on site. Kiribati has an abundance of fish for export.”

Politics at the head of the organisation, the measures agreed at each annual meeting have continuously fallen short of what is needed to sustain tuna stocks in the long-term. Hurry expects a major tuna stock assessment that will be presented at a WCPFC science meeting in Majuro this month to yet again raise concerns of scientists about the health of both bigeye and yellowfin tuna. The fishery is seeing an increase in the number of boats and improved sophistication of catch technology—everything from fish aggregation devices that have tuna-tracking sonar to larger vessels with greater capacity—that add up to greatly increased pressure on the resource. “This isn’t good news and Warning bells ...Glenn Hurry, (2nd from right) the outgoing executive director of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries no one wants to hear it,” says Hurry. Commission, warns the region that continued tuna fishing at the current record-setting pace threatens to kill the fishery in the “We’re trying to tell people: you can’t long-term. Here he is interviewed in Majuro by the Xinhua news agency. Photo: Giff Johnson. fish at this level and expect it to last.” The WCPFC was established 10 years ago with the goal of sustainably managing fishing on the high seas. While it has made progress, it has yet to deliver on the larger objective, a fact that Hurry acknowledges. Part of the problem is the membership of the WCPFC includes islands and fishing nations, countries with often conflicting national agendas now exacerbated by record catches and profits. When Hurry leaves the WCPFC this month, it will end the tenure of a conservation-minded fisheries official who has been at the helm—as chairman and executive director—for most of By Giff Johnson the time the regional organization has been in in Majuro last year, Hurry delivered an unmisexistence. takable message: Islands must take the lead to M ajurO — g lenn h urry Is reduce fishing effort in the first of two important and the region to maintain long-term fisheries management the fishery’s sustainofficials to be leaving regional posts over the next ability. Hurry’s presensix months. Hurry, after four years as executive tation didn’t merit even director of the Western and Central Pacific Fisha single mention in the eries Commission (WCPFC) and a previous five Leaders’ communiqué, years as its chairman, departs his Pohnpei base indicating, perhaps, the in August to head back to his Australian home. lack of interest in the Dr. Transform Aqorau leaves his post as CEO issue at the Forum of offor the Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) ficials level. in early 2015. Undaunted, Hurry During his tenure and in his last days on the went to the Forum in job, Hurry has taken every opportunity to warn Palau at the end of July island leaders and fisheries industry officials about to make his pitch one a looming crisis in tuna stocks—but almost no last time. The challenge, one is paying attention. “If we want a train wreck he says, is that everyinstead of a sustainable fishery, we should keep one is making so much going the way we are now,” said Hurry in midmoney—PNA countries July as he prepared to make a final plea to Pacific have quadrupled their Islands Forum Leaders meeting in Palau before income in four years, leaving his post. Hurry operates in a low-key and are set to increase it manner and is well-liked in fisheries circles for further in 2015 as fishing his ability to work with the wide-range of people day fees increase 33 per involved in the fishery. But his message to the cent, while the industry region is anything but low-key. has reaped record prof profTuna fishermen caught a record 2.6 million its—there is little incentonnes of fish in 2012. Hurry said this extraorditive to conserve. nary catch level reflected “an increased number of He points out that the vessels fishing harder than they have ever fished WCPFC is positioned, before, fishing more efficiently with better techas a regional fisheries nology, and deploying more sets than in previous management organisayears. What we now see from the 2012 fishing tion, to implement a data is more boats in the fishery, higher overall system for sustainable catches, smaller fish sizes, and the lowest ever fishing in the Pacific. levels of fisheries biomass for these tuna stocks.” But, he acknowledges, In a 15-minute talk to Forum Leaders meeting during his four years

Fisheries expert hurries off with stern warning

Tuna depletion rate death threat to industry

Islands Business, August 2014

Politics

Fiji prepares for first poll under new constitution

FIJI

According to a posting on former academic and now political commentator Dr Wadan Narsey’s blogsite the issue of ministerial salary payments via a non-government organisation was also raised as a matter of concern by the late Catholic Archbishop Emeritus, Petero Mataca, in a letter he and a colleague sent Bainimarama in November 2007 (see blogsite: narseyonfiji. wordpress.com) Local media coverage of the various political campaigns has been robust with genuine attempts being made to give equal coverage to all political parties. Despite what appears to be a Bainimarama throughout its “Fiji revolution” since December By Dennis Rounds strategy to promote a “one people, one Fiji, equal 2006, has confidently vowed not to form any citizenry” policy, the campaigns are beginning to political coalition and is appealing to the people of The countdown to Fiji’s first expose fears which have been imbedded in the Fiji to give its Fiji First Party a 50-seat clean sweep. General Election under its new psyche of indigenous Fijians since Fiji’s IndepenFiji’s history of ethnic voting suggests such Constitution is well underway dence from the United Kingdom in 1970. a landslide win is near impossible and that the with the country’s long-established political parIssues of native land security and guaranteed formation of political coalitions post-Election is ties vying to out-maneuver 2006 coup leader, and safeguards of the indigenous Fijian culture and the more likely reality. incumbent Prime Minister, Rear Admiral Voreqe way of life through institutions such as the Great Already, Fiji’s voters are being introduced to a Bainimarama’s new Fiji First Party. Council of Chiefs (GCC) or Bose Levu Vakaturaga new trend in local politicking with various parties Currently registered and in the political race continue to be “demons’’ that Bainimarama has widely publicizing the opening of new offices are Bainimarama’s Fiji First Party (FFP), the longto exorcise. across the country. Some have begun playing established National Federation Party (NFP) So much so, that his Fiji First Party has resorted Bainimarama at his American-style campaign– under the new leadership of former academic to pull-page newspaper advertising in the indigeing with buses, taxis and even private vehicles - Dr Biman Prasad, Fiji Labour Party (FLP), the nous (iTaukei) language in an attempt to convince decked out in political party colours featuring Social Liberal Democratic Party (SODELPA) all Fijians that their native land is safe under Fiji’s larger-than-life photos of the various party leadand the new People’s Democratic Party (PDP). new Constitution and that the GCC is an outers. Internet blogging to woo young voters is SODELPA, led by a paramount chief – the dated institution with a colonial hang-over aimed another new feature of Fiji’s political campaigns. Marama Gone na Roko Tui Dreketi - Ro Teimumu at self- preservation and Kepa, is the successor aggrandizement by Fiji’s to the former Soqosoqo traditional chiefs. Duavata ni Lewenivanua Joining the political (SDL) Party which was campaign, ousted Prime led by former Prime Minister and influential Minister Laisenia QaSODELPA member, rase who was ousted Laisenia Qarase has from government by argued, however, that Bainimarama’s Decemnative land is no lonber 2006 coup. ger secure under the The new PDP, which Bainimarama Governis led by former FLP ment’s new Land Bank stalwart Felix Anthony, provisions and that the is viewed widely as a Great Council of Chiefs break-away group folwas an institution that lowing a much pubprovided added Constilicized fall-out with Party manifesto ... President of a political party contesting Fiji’s 17 September elections Roko Tupou Draunidalo tutional safeguards for FLP leader Mahendra meets young party supporters in a rally in Suva. Photo: NFP Media indigenous Fijians. Chaudhry. The re-surfacing of Surprisingly, with the issues of concern to the indigenous population While most contenders have indicated limited General Election due just over a month away on such as native land security, de-establishment of campaign budgets, Bainimarama’s Fiji First Party September 17 and the political campaigning well the GCC, use of the word “Fijian” as a common revealed, in a recent Government Gazette, its underway, a proposed Fiji United Freedom Party identity and a perceived “watering down” of Contotal assets at F$636,515 and total liabilities at (FUFP) has also recently filed for registration unstitutional provisions safeguarding indigenous F$248,000 with net assets standing at F$388,515. der Fiji’s Political Parties (Registration, Conduct, rights will continue to plague Fiji politics for Following months of speculation and about Funding & Disclosures) Decree. Most of the generations to come if not addressed decisively a year after announcing their intention to reveal FUFP’s leaders, including its President, Jagath in the immediate future. their salaries both, Bainimarama and his AttorKarunaratne, are viewed as political newcomers. Bainimarama has vowed publicly to never alney General, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum (who is the At least one other political grouping, led by low, under his watch as Prime Minister, the return registered Secretary of the FFP) also indicated some former SDL stalwarts has indicated its of the GCC which he first suspended in April through the same Government Gazette incomes intention to also register a new political party. 2007 and de-established by Decree in March of F$250,000 and F$185,000 respectively. There is also at least one known social worker, 2012. Whether this vow will weigh heavily to his The stated incomes were in stark contrast to Roshika Deo, who hopes to contest next month’s political detriment remains to be seen. figures touted by political opponents who claimed General Election as an Independent candidate. Other issues which have re-surfaced in the the two men’s salaries exceeded a million dollars Not surprisingly, with so many political parpolitical campaigns and which will likely impact each, based on the various ministerial portfolios ties having largely similar manifestos and each on the final outcome of the General Election they each hold. jockeying for the largest share of Fiji’s registered include the increasing cost of living, unemployWithout independent verification of Baini550,000 voters (at last count) alliances are starting ment, disproportionate wages, apprehension over marama and Sayed-Khaiyum’s salaries, the issue to form with SODELPA and the FLP announcincreasing foreign debt levels and government’s will remain contentious given that they and ing their intention to form a political coalition reliance on the Fiji National Provident Fund other ministers are paid via a non-government, post-Election. to provide funding to generate local economic private accounting firm, headed by a relative of The Bainimarama government, however, growth. Sayed-Khaiyum. relying on strategic publicity of its achievements

Robust media coverage of campaign

26 Islands Business, August 2014

More US immigration woes for the Northern Marianas Russians, Chinese target visa loop-holes By Haidee V. Eugenio the Commonwealth of the Northern Mari-

ana Islands has received a five-year extension of a critical programme allowing it continued access to some 10,000 foreign workers up to 2019 for its recovering economy. But it still faces other key immigration issues, most of which are waiting United States Congress actions. Among these issues is the CNMI’s request to extend its exemption from accepting asylum applicants beyond January 1, 2015. Governor Eloy S. Inos and the CNMI’s non-voting delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives, Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan (Ind-MP), said allowing the asylum provision of U.S. law to apply to the CNMI starting in 2015 would open the floodgates for asylum seekers coming to the U.S. territory as tourists. The governor and the delegate are particularly concerned about tourists from China who, under a U.S. Department of Homeland Security programme that has helped boost the CNMI’s tourism numbers since 2009, are allowed visa-free entry to the Commonwealth. Chinese and Russian tourists can stay in the CNMI for up to 45 days without being required to secure a U.S. visa. In past years, most applicants for refugee protection were from China. They claimed they would be persecuted or killed for political or religious reasons if they were sent back to China. Moreover, tourists from China have been engaging in so-called “birth tourism” in which a pregnant woman enters the CNMI as a tourist for the purpose of giving birth to an automatic U.S. citizen child. Allowing the CNMI to start accepting asylum applicants could also catch the ire of the Chinese government, which could pull the plug not only on airlines servicing the China-CNMI route but also disallow its people from traveling to this U.S. territory, officials said. At least three bills pending in U.S. Congress seek to extend not only the CNMI’s exemption from accepting asylum applications, but also extend a CNMI-only investor programme that allows it to keep 261 of its foreign investors. With such extension, the E-2C investor visa

programme will expire on December 31, leaving hundreds of foreign and U.S. workers without jobs as a result of these businesses’ forced exit from the CNMI. The same bills also extend the CNMI and Guam’s exemption from the U.S. national cap on the number of H visas or temporary foreign worker visas. The measures also extend the foreign worker programme through 2019, but U.S. Labour Secretary Thomas Perez already used his administrative power to extend such programme. On June 19, the U.S. Senate passed by unanimous consent one of these three bills important to the CNMI – S. 744 or the Omnibus Territories Act, which now goes to the U.S. House of

Representatives for action. This Senate bill is a companion bill to the original omnibus territories bill, H.R. 2200, which was drafted and introduced last year by delegates from the CNMI, Guam, American Samoa, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. At these territorial delegates’ request, two U.S. senators introduced the companion measure, S. 744. A few weeks ago, a U.S. House committee approved a standalone bill that also extends the same immigration policies for the CNMI. The CNMI’s delegate to Congress is optimistic that the Commonwealth will get these immigration policies extended. He said these immigration policies can only continue “if U.S. Congress acts.” “Now, the Senate has; so we have our work cut out in the House,” Sablan added, upon the U.S. Senate’s passage of the omnibus territories bill that territorial delegates in the House asked

Business U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Lisa Murkowski to introduce on their behalf. Meanwhile, a five-year extension of the foreign worker programme means more time for the CNMI to develop, train and hire qualified U.S. workers to take over the jobs currently filled by foreign workers that are supposed to be zeroed out at the transition period’s end on Dec. 31, 2019. But not all foreign workers with so-called CW permits would be forced to exit the CNMI after 2019. Current employers of foreign workers are expected to use the five-year extension period to transition their valuable and qualified CW workers into nonimmigrant or immigrant visa classifications under the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act, for continued employment in the CNMI beyond 2019. These include applying H visas for them, for example. But only a few employers have so far started applying for these visas for their valuable workers. Many of the estimated 10,000 foreign workers, however, would not qualify for H visas and other types of visas under the INA. But many of these long-term legal foreign workers are hoping that a national immigration reform bill would pass the U.S. Congress before the five-year transition extension period ends in 2019. Two pending national immigration reform bills include Sablan’s CNMI-specific provisions wherein longterm legal foreign workers in the CNMI could be given a chance to “apply” for permanent residency or “green card,” a pathway to U.S. citizenship. These are the same bills that provide pathway to U.S. citizenship to some 12 million undocumented aliens in the United States. But yet again, not all of the long-term foreigners in the CNMI could qualify under the national immigration reform bills. Many of them are now unemployed parents of minor U.S. citizen children. These foreign workers lost their jobs when the CNMI economy tanked but chose to stay rather than go back home for the sake of their U.S. citizen children born in the CNMI. They were granted paroles in place that are expiring also on Dec. 31, 2014 and there is still no word whether the U.S. government would further extend that parole to allow them to continue to stay in this territory. “If they extend the parole in place, I could at least see my son graduate from high school and enter the U.S. military to serve the country. I don’t want to be forced to go back home without seeing my son graduate,” said Violy Dawana, from the Philippines. When her son successfully enters the U.S. military, he could start petitioning her for immediate relative status that could pave the way for Dawana to permanently stay on U.S. soil such as the CNMI. “Right now, we’re just waiting for the U.S. government’s decision,” the 56-year-old mother said. Islands Business, August 2014 27

Business

Fiji fears force deal with EU to save sugar industry

tions. It would therefore be wrong for Islands Business to assert that Fiji has done a back flip on the matter nor has it ratified the interim EPA it had signed way back in 2009, said Ali.” Contacted the day after news broke of Fiji’s accession to an IEPA with the EU, the Head of the European Union Delegation for the Pacific based in Fiji Ambassador Andrew Jacobs confirmed the deal with the Fijian Government. “The possibility of provisional application is a standard clause in trade agreements included in the original text of the interim EPA that was agreed on in 2007 and signed in 2009. The European Union itself started first with provisional The statement added that Sayed-Khaiyum had application of the interim EPA from 1 January By Samisoni Pareti notified his European Union counterpart of the 2008 until the conclusion of the internal EU Fiji government’s change of heart. procedures for ratification in January 2011,” Fears of the collapse of Fiji’s multi-million When this magazine got hold of the statement Ambassador Jacobs said in his written response. dollar sugar industry prompted its government and posted it on its website and reported that Fiji Asked whether Fiji’s accession to its IEPA was late last month to opt for an Interim Economic has done a back flip over signing onto an IEPA, late given that the EU itself had concluded its Partnership Agreement (IEPA) with the EuroAli telephoned the writer to object to the use of ratification process in January 2011, the EU senpean Union. the word “back flip” and also to correct the asior diplomat added: “Provisional application is a Investigations by Islands Business magazine sumption that Fiji has finally decided to ratify its temporary solution to enjoy the benefits of a trade had shown that once Fiji’s sugar exports to the EU IEPA it had signed way back in 2009. agreement while the formal ratification process is market are taxed, Fiji sugar will be deemed unvi“Fiji did no back flip over EPA with EU, says being concluded. It is part of the interim EPA and able which would probably lead to the collapse of Trade Secretary,” reads the headline of our second has been available to all three Parties to the Agreethe entire industry of 24,000 growers and their ment: Fiji, PNG and the EU. Both the families as well as the hundreds more EU and PNG ratified the IEPA in 2011. who work in the Fiji Sugar Corporation’s In Fiji, the IEPA has not been in force four sugar mills. until now in the absence of either proThe ramifications of such an ecovisional application or full ratification. nomic fallout will be disastrous, some“As far as the other Pacific ACP countries thing the Fijian Government of Prime are concerned, none of them has acceded Minister Frank Bainimarama can ill to the interim EPA so far, although that afford on the eve of its September 17 possibility is also foreseen in the interim general elections. EPA. It is not possible for a country to Our investigations show that Fiji’s provisionally apply an agreement that it sugar currently fetches around €400 is not Party to.” Euro (AU$570) in the EU market. In the course of our investigations, Once our current trade agreement under Islands Business came across a letter Lome lapses, Fiji’s sugar will automatifrom the European Trade Commissioner cally cop duty of €339 per tonne. This Karel De Gucht who warned Fiji about leaves Fiji with a mere €61 per tonne losing its current duty free market acin revenue, rendering the entire sugar cess if it does not assent to its IEPA by market unviable. October 1. Dated April 29, De Gucht When the magazine crosschecked said Fiji needed to notify the EU of its these figures with Fiji Sugar industry decision by mid-May. officials, it was referred to Shaheen Ali, “This would allow the EU to launch Fiji’s Permanent Secretary for Trade a procedure to reinstate the country in and Industry. Ali declined to comment the list of beneficiary countries under saying his minister would be releasing a the Market Access regulation,” he states statement on the subject “soon.” in the letter. By soon, he actually meant the next “This involves the adaptation of day as Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum Fiji’s a delegated act by the Commission, Trade Minister and also the Attorney which normally takes six to eight weeks General released a largely vague but before the act is transmitted to the EU carefully-worded statement through the Council of Ministers and the European Fiji Ministry of Information Not so sweet deal ... Fiji’s last minute agreement secures preferential treatment Parliament. “The Bainimarama Government is of its sugar from the EU. Photo: supplied “Such an adopted delegated act shall taking the necessary measures to ensure enter into force only if no objection has that preferential market access of Fiji’s been expressed either by the European most important exports—sugar, fish, posting on our website. “Fiji is only provisionParliament or the Council within a period of two garments and processed foods to the EU will ally applying an interim EPA with the European months of notification of that act to both institunot be disrupted by a lapse in a trade agreement Union, says Fiji’s Permanent Secretary for Trade tions or if, before the expiry of that period, these with the European Union,” the statement reads. & Industry Shaheen Ali,” the story reads. institutions have been informed the Commission “This is a significant action that preserves the “In so doing, Fiji has not back flipped nor has it that they will not object. favourable market conditions for the foundaagreed to ratify the interim Economic Partnership “That period may be extended by two months tions of our export economy. The results are Agreement with the Europeans. He said contrary at the initiative of the European Parliament or of that thousands of Fijian jobs are protected and to what we had reported, Fiji has not agreed to the council.” our economy will continue to grow at its fastest ratify the interim EPA, because ratification can De Gucht went on to give the assurance that rate in years. Specifically, the Fijian Government only be done by parliaments.  In Fiji’s case, it Fiji’s ratification of the IEPA would not undermine has approved the provisional application of the has agreed to provisionally apply the interim EPA the more comprehensive regional EPA Pacific Interim Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) subject to ratification by the Fijian Parliament, members of the African Caribbean and Pacific with the European Union to maintain favourable when it convenes after the September 17 elecgroup are currently negotiating with the EU. market access for Fijian exports.”

Viability hangs on interim EPA

28 Islands Business, August 2014

Gender

Jenny Ligo: Leading ni Vanuatu women advocate said the chief’s comments were among the most stupid she had ever heard. Photo: Tiny Wilson

Three rapes a week in Vanuatu cause uproar By Tony Wilson The spectre of rape has clouded the halo of happiness in Vanuatu in recent months and led to robust debate about women’s place in society. Late in June police issued a media release in Port Vila concerned that they were now dealing with up to three rapes in the capital each week. Widespread international research over many years has shown that there are probably as many, if not more, unreported sexual assault cases in any time frame and country as are reported. The police media release had been prompted by the rapes of two women in separate attacks near a popular night spot on the edge of Port Vila’s CBD. In one of those cases, among those later charged by police was a 12-year-old boy. Police said that one of the female victims was a married woman in her early 30s who had been out clubbing or similar with friends while her husband was at home. The police media statement was critical of this, saying she should have been at home with her husband. This immediately triggered a strident reaction from women’s groups around the country, incensed that women should be portrayed in this manner. They said it diverted attention from the key issue of the rape of an innocent woman to something that should be irrelevant. But they also admitted that it was an accurate reflection of how numerous men viewed women and their place in Vanuatu society. In 2008, a group of women formed Women against Crime and Corruption and their chairperson and Vanuatu’s leading female activist, Jenny Ligo, said its formation came after the kidnap of a woman in Port Vila. “We were concerned then that the victims were

‘‘

not being treated fairly in the system and not given enough attention,’’ she said. “And most of those victims were women and children and nothing has changed in Vanuatu as far as the victims are concerned. Often these victims are voiceless, so we have become their voice. “With the married woman raped in Vila recently, the attention focused on her being out without her husband and not on the fact that she is the victim and that is just so wrong. “A married woman being out at night is no one else’s business except between her and her husband. “Women should be able to move around both day and night without fear of being attacked and that is the real issue.’’ Ligo said Women Against Crime is campaigning for basic things such as more police on the streets and better public street lighting, which is an ongoing issue in Port Vila. She said Women Against Crime has been very active in campaigns against rape and other sexual assault crimes and that they were very alarmed after a young mother of two was allegedly abducted and gang raped by six youths and men in Tanna in May. The six alleged rapists were arrested, trans-

Women should be able to move around both day and night without fear of being attacked –Jenny Ligo, women advocate

‘‘

Women condemn police reaction

ferred to Port Vila and remanded in custody. After the story broke in The Independent weekly newspaper, the woman and her chief travelled to Vila and handed letters to the prosecutor, asking that the charges be dropped. They then visited the office of The Independent asking that no more stories be written about the alleged rape. The chief said that men had been dealt with in custom law with a cash payment, two large cattle, two large pigs and 10 stumps of kava. He said that he did not want these men in the prison system where they would learn bad habits. His comments caused a furore. Ligo said the chief ’s comments were among the ‘most stupid’ she had ever heard in her life. “It showed in what low regard he thought of women and yet again we see the accused being considered without any consideration for the poor victim in all of this,’’ she said. “And that 28-year-old woman was clearly terrified, yet she is the one that should be considered and looked after following what has happened to her.’’ The Nokoletan Council of Chiefs, which is the supreme body that governs all custom law in Tanna, quickly weighed into the debate, saying the case had to heard in the courts. Council president Chief Freeman Nariu said the alleged rapists must be brought to trial and if found guilty then punished for their crime. He said criminal cases needed to be dealt with in court, not in custom. “Some of our people have gone beyond the power of custom and forgotten its value,’’ he said. The officer in charge of State Prosecutions in Port Vila, Inspector Gray Vuke, said customary settlements can help reduce sentences but charges in serious cases will not be dropped. The six men and youth charged with rape and abduction have all pleaded not guilty and await their trial while remanded in custody. Ligo told Islands Business that Women Against Crime believed that the Vanuatu Government needed to hold a national crime prevention forum to look at all aspects of crime sentencing. Recently the Justice Minister Alfred Carlot told the media he would be asking for tougher laws for rape and murder. However, Ligo said tougher sentencing is the issue, not the laws. “Rape already has a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, so let’s see the judges sitting on their benches giving tougher sentences,’’ she said. “Is someone gets life or even close for rape, then you will see the number of rapes fall.’’ She said the role and status of women in Vanuatu is also a major issue that needs urgent change. “Boys in primary school need to be taught how to deal with girls and women and show them kindness and respect, not violence as though they are just goods to do with as they wish,’’ she said. “Things are bad enough in major towns like Port Vila and Luganville, but I know that in some of the outer islands rape is something women live with every day of their lives.’’ Islands Business, August 2014 29

Sports Zealand’s close relations with the region. He argued that New Zealand had a moral obligation to send the All Blacks to the islands due to the high number of players of Pacific heritage who had played for the All Blacks. Campbell flew to Samoa to interview the locals and the subsequent petition and social media campaign on twitter (#ABsToSamoa) resulted in a wave of public pressure which eventually got the ear of Key. The resulting political pressure prompted a change of heart by the NZRU. All Blacks coach Steve Hansen has reportedly agreed to the game which will take place just a month out from the Rugby World Cup in England. The Samoa union’s biggest job will be to ensure Apia Park is up to scratch. There was harsh criticism of the pitch when Tonga played Manu Samoa there in the June Pacific Nations Cup. The 18-18 draw saw a number of players from both sides losing their footing. During Key’s stopover in Tonga, Tongan rugby officials were quick to remind him “don’t forget Tonga” as the All Blacks had never played in Nuku’alofa either. However,the Tonga union can’t host any Samoan-born ... All Black fullback Mils Muliaina attacks the Samoa defence in New Plymouth in 2008. NZ won, 101-14. international matches until it upgrades Photo: Peter Rees their own national stadium which the IRB has blacklisted.

Pacific rugby celebrates major breakthroughs Regional powers qualify for World Cup by Peter Rees Exciting times for Pacific rugby. The world champion New Zealand All Blacks will finally end their long hiatus of having never played on Samoan soil with an historic test in Apia against Manu Samoa set for July 8 next year. A Singaporebased bid which paves the way for more Pacific island players could soon join an expanded Super Rugby competition in 2016. The International Rugby Board (IRB) has relaxed its eligibility laws for Rio 2016 when rugby sevens makes its Olympic debut. And Fiji has joined Samoa and Tonga in qualifying for next year’s World Cup. Political pressure The news that the All Blacks were coming to Apia in 2015 was greeted with tears of joy by Samoan rugby fans worldwide. The All Blacks have played Manu Samoa only five times since 1993 and all five games were played in New Zealand. Former Manu Samoa captain Mahonri Schwalger and All Black legend Bryan Williams were among the many who praised the move. Schwalger, 35, who fell out of favour with the Samoan selectors after he blew the whistle on Manu Samoa’s mismanagement at the 2011 Rugby World Cup, believes the game will see more young players get excited about their national team. Williams says the game will be special for all past Pacific players 30 Islands Business, August 2014

who have worn the All Black jersey. “It will be an acknowledgement of the role Samoa and Samoan players have had in New Zealand rugby,” he said. While the NZ rugby union was waiting on commercial arrangements to be finalised before announcing the date of the game, the Samoa Rugby Union had broken the news to the world. At press time, the Samoa union were waiting on world body, the IRB to guarantee the availability of Samoan players in Europe and Japan. New Zealand prime minister John Key’s whirlwind tour of the Pacific in June this year set the wheels in motion. During his stopover in Samoa, Key met Samoan Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi where the discussion quickly turned to growing public discontent at the All Blacks continual refusal to play in the islands. The All Blacks last visited the region in the 1980s when they played a friendly match against Fiji, but they’ve never played in Samoa or Tonga. Public interest escalated in May when NZRU CEO Steve Tew announced a November test against USA in Chicago, just days after telling media a game in Samoa couldn’t happen because of the All Blacks busy schedule. This news was a kick in the guts for island rugby fan. What followed was a well-publicised campaign instigated by New Zealand journalist John Campbell who questioned why the All Blacks had never played in Samoa (and Tonga) given New

Super Rugby bid The lack of international exposure is a big obstacle for domestic island players who aspire to play overseas. Proposals for a Pacific team to be included in the Super Rugby and Rugby Championship have continually been ignored. The region’s small economic base and lack of broadcasting capability made a island based team unsustainable. However, there could be an alternative solution if Super Rugby’s governing body SANZAR (South Africa, New Zealand and Australia Rugby unions) endorses a bid for a team based in Singapore to be included in an expanded competition in 2016. The Singapore bid is being financed by a French entrepreneur Eric Series, who has many business interests in the Pacific and New Zealand, and is the chairman of Samoa Water. The Singapore bid is for a composite team of players from Asia and the Pacific islands playing under the banner of the Asia-Pacific Dragons, which Mr Series owns. Singapore is in a two-horse race with Japan for the 18th expansion spot to join new teams from South Africa and Argentina. The Singapore bid has reportedly leaped to the front of the queue. The South African Rugby Union favours Singapore over Japan because it would be easier for its teams to travel there as there are no direct flights to Japan. Australia favours a Japanese team as it seeks to expand its interests in Asia. Critics of the Singapore bid say the Barbarians team will lack support from Singaporeans because of rugby’s low profile there (Singapore ranks a lowly 58th in the world). Current Japan coach Eddie Jones said a Singapore team would “be filled with mercenaries.” However, South Africa’s powerful position from its TV broadcasting clout gives them the trump card when a decision goes to a vote in September. The Singapore bid represents the only viable pathway for island rugby to receive the exposure to professional competition it craves and if it wins, it will be a game changer

Constitution

for the 632 professional players of Pacific island heritage spread around the world. The Northern Hemisphere would no longer be the only option for them. The Singapore bid has lined up former All Black Tana Umaga as their possible coach. He was in charge of the Dragons that made the semifinals of the recent World Club 10s in Singapore. The Dragons team was filled with top Pacific island players including former internationals. Eligibility loophole While a Asia-Pacific Barbarians team would allow island domiciled players to play Super Rugby, a little-known loophole in the IRB’s eligibility rules paves the way for former All Black and Wallaby stars to revive their international careers for the countries of their Pacific heritage. Under the terms of the IRB’s little-publicised exemption, any player who has not played for a period 18 months for one of the ‘capped’ teams National team, National’A’ team or National Sevens team - in the nation they have already played for and holds a passport for another country, can represent another country in next year’s IRB Sevens World Series and then be eligible to play 15s for them as well. The rule change was introduced with sevens in mind and to ensure the best players are on display when rugby returns to the Olympic fold in Rio 2016. Next year’s IRB Sevens World Series will double as an Rio 2016 Olympic qualifier. An IRB spokesman confirmed: “The Regulation 8 exemption governing eligibility for the Rio Olympics was approved by the IRB in 2013 and applies with a stand down period of 18 months. Any player making the switch would then be tied to that country.” The only requirement is that during the stand down period that player must have played at an Olympic qualifying event. For Rio, the stand down period is 18 months; thereafter it will be three years. This is good news for a number of players of Pacific heritage playing top level rugby in Europe and Japan, but whose international careers have ended prematurely. Fiji qualifies Fiji has joined Manu Samoa and Ikale Tahi Tonga in qualifying for next year’s World Cup after hammering the Cook Islands 108-6 in a one-sided RWC 2015 qualifier in Lautoka in June. Giant Crusaders speedster Nemani Nadolo was devastating for Fiji bagging a hat trick and having a hand in three other tries in the 17 try rout. The Cook Islands surprisingly led 6-5 after 25 minutes before Fiji’s superior fitness and firepower opened the floodgates. Qualifying made up for the disappointment of losing to Samoa 18-13 in the 2014 Pacific Nations Cup decider a week earlier in Suva. The format for this year’s Pacific Nations Cup was cut for financial reasons by the IRB which meant Samoa, Fiji and Tonga played each other and USA, Japan and Canada played off in a separate conference. Japan emerged the victors in their conference but the IRB has not confirmed whether they will play off against Samoa in a winner takes all game later this year. The Flying Fijians have been drawn in Pool (A) with Wales, England and Australia for next year’s World Cup, a pool dubbed the “pool of death”. Fiji will play the hosts England in the opening game at Twickenham on 18 September 2015.

Debate over Samoan head of state title

Constitution amendment sparks discussion holder carries the head of state post the Malietoa title supports and serves. It’s the same when the Malietoa title is the An amendment to Samoa’s Constitution Head of State. It’s also the practice that when the that will see the government of the day select Head of State is selected it’s the job of Tumua and a Head of State is genrating much debate in the Pule, Ituau and Alataua, which in island state. With one more reading essence is the whole country. remaining before it becomes law, the This Tautua Samoa, the OpOpposition Party, Tautua Samoa is position Party feels is the practice calling on government to stay with the now and says there’s no logic in the status quo - a selection by all members amendment now introduced. of Parliament. There are suggestions by some “I just don’t see why government traditionally acclaimed families of would want to amend the ConstituSamoa that the amendment would tion,” says Palusalue Faapo II, Leader send the paramount chiefs to find a of Opposition. world where they would be recog“What the Prime Minister is intronised as the traditional Samoan ducing will see just a portion of Samoa decide the next head of state and that’s Samoa’s Head of State ... leaders. Proof of that is the selection of the not right, the whole of Samoa should Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese second level of traditional leaders decide that”. Efi. known as the council of deputies His Highness was asked and while again it’s a body that’s blended into the hireachy reserved of his response he did say that if he of Samoan leadership but it’s not part of the passed away he was more fearful of his parents normal western system of government. than God. “I’m afraid that when I see them they’d say, ADVERTISEMENT!! you were right there and you did nothing,” The Government of Tuvalu intends to procure Building Materials he says. “Neither the Prime for New men’s prison using a competitive quotation process. Minister nor any other Minister informed me Goods may be sourced from any state or country except those about the Amendment,” with whom the Government of Tuvalu has officially prohibited Tui Atua adds. commercial relations. “Not that there’s any restriction to the Interested suppliers should apply by e-mail to the address below not amendment. “ later than 7th August, 2014 with details of your: However, while the Westminster system 1. Company and; may not have any bearing on the selection of a Head of State, this is 2. Confirmation that they comply with the above particularly important eligibility requirements. when it comes to tradition, the faa-Samoa or Quotation documents will be sent by e-mail to bona fide suppliers the Samoan culture. and quotations will be accepted by e-mail or letter. Changing protocol in those who may hold Address for applications and enquiries: the country’s top post would be of concern to Central Procurement Unit the paramount chiefs Ministry of Finance and Economic Development of Samoa because as tradition remains strong Government of Tuvalu in the community, the Government Building recognition of the Tama Vaiaku Aiga (paramount) famFunafuti ilies would certainly change as well. Tuvalu The protocol in these OR E-mail address: asatupa@gov.tv or amalinda.st@gmail.com paramount chiefs is that when the Tupua title

By Merita Huch

Islands Business, August 2014 31

Agriculture

Pacific looks to yams as survival food for region

Vanuatu and other Pacific island countries. His research showed that the country had a rich genetic resource of yams, which could be useful for breeding. Yam breeding in Vanuatu and in the Pacific has not been very popular, the visiting botanist said, but people have to work more on their land and produce more root crops such as yams. Dr Abraham first visited Vanuatu in 2004. He said yam breeding is necessary as an important measure against climate change, and also because of the rapid increase in the country’s population. “Food security is very important and with more yam breeding, you can cut down your dependence on imported food, rice for example.” During his one month work in Vanuatu, the visiting botanist trained people in Santo and Efate in yam breeding. The botanist taught them about the protocol of yam pollination and breeding so that people can carry on the work. As part of his work, he had crossbred wild yams with the current hybrid varieties grown by farmers in their gardens in order to obtain new varietCultural icon ... yams play a central role in Pacific cultures. Photo: ies that are resistant to anthracnose by www.mitchellkphotos.com disease which affects the leaves of the yam plants. Local experts on yams say that the leaves of “With heavy rain fall and drought, Vanuatu wild yams are not affected by anthracnose. could easily lose its current yam varieties so it The disease causes yam leaves and their is way better for the country to prepare against vine like stems to wither, leading to premature this possibility.” Dr Abraham said yam was a major crop in harvests.

Botanist pollinates 8000 hybrid varieties By Hilaire Bule AN indian botanist left Vanuatu at the end of June a proud scientist after a successful pollination and breeding programme on yams. Dr Kuttolarnadathil Abraham, 60, pollinated 8000 hybrids of Vanuatu yam within the one month he spent in the country. Dr K. Abraham - as he is known because of the difficulty locals face pronuncing his first name, expected half of them to survive and be ready for harvest by October this year. The Indian yam expert was sent to Vanuatu by the World Bank to assist improve the country’s yam varieties and especially to develop climate change resistant varieties. Doctor Abraham said Vanuatu has rich soil and has tremendous natural resources but these are largely unexploited and unused. He said he has spent more than three decades on yam breeding in India but Vanuatu has more varieties than his country. “It is important to get resilient varieties against climate change.

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32 Islands Business, August 2014

Book Review

Congratulations ... The author Pratap Chand gets a congratulatory handshake from Fiji’s President, the late Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara after his appointment as Education Minister in May 1999. Photo: Supplied

A Fijian Memoir:

Footprints of a Girmitya’s Grandson

Pratap Chand, Vicas Press Review by Larry Thomas

uite often prominent people are encouraged by their family and friends to write their book, tell their stories, document their rise or fall. More often than not it is not so pleasant to recount the latter. There is often the assumption that if one is rich, famous or well known their lives must be interesting and therefore there must be much to say and pass on. More often than not, this can be the case. But in many cases it is not so. In writing about oneself and reflecting on ones’ life and achievements, what does the author decide to include and what not to include? Pratap Chand has included much in his book and documents clearly his early childhood, growing up in Tavua, the struggles and hardships, his family and friends and his education. In fact for the most part the book is about his ‘education’, a poor sugar cane farmer’s son and his journey to better himself and throughout that journey he continues to, and is eager to keep learning and to improve his social and economic condition and in doing so he also improves the standard of living for his immediate family. This story of struggle and hardship is not confined to Chand, but to many others like him, from poor farming communities in the West and North (of Fiji), who have ‘made it’ and become successful. Reminiscing on the past allows us to appreciate the present, to see the changes that have taken place and one can’t help but realise that Chand he can look back with confidence at what he has accomplished. In recounting his life story, one could imagine sitting on the verandah, late afternoon in one of those old wooden or corrugated iron houses, sipping chai (tea) and listening to these stories of the past, bringing back fond memories, of weddings, borrowing of food and utensils, cane farming, family gatherings, and starting school. The importance of education is emphasised but sadly, importance is placed on the males completing their education while the females attend schools to a certain level and then stay home. It is not important for them to get an education since they are going to get married. Some things have changed while others remain the same. As the sun sets and evening sets in, the chai is replaced by yaqona (kava), the conversation would go to another level, of higher education, unionism and politics. Chand’s determination to further his education becomes a reality when he secures a place at the Nasinu Teacher’s College followed later with upgrading his qualifications at the

University of the South Pacific. It could be argued that the level of teaching then was of a far higher standard than what it is today. The emphasis on writing skills and proper use of language was important as he recounts; The English lecturers made a lot of effort to eliminate common errors. A Kiwi lecturer, Paul Legget, had designed a system of drilling with common phrases, verbs and so forth. As an example, it was quite common for many students not to end a question with a matching verb, eg, She has been away, isn’t she? So the table would have, she has been away, hasn’t she? This is a common error which we still see occurring today. Chand’s stint with the Curriculum Development Unit was useful in that it would come in handy when he later became minister for Education in the Labour Government in 1999-2000. His membership in the Labour party was preceded by his active participation with the Fiji Teachers Union, one of the oldest unions in the country formed in 1931 in Lautoka and his long involvement with the Fiji Teacher’s Union (FTU) brought about many changes that would see a more improved and dynamic teacher’s union. He later became the National Secretary of the Fiji Trades Union Congress (FTUC) The last third of the book is the most interesting as Chand talks about unionism and the politics and drama that unfold followed by his involvement with the Labour party and the subsequent events that followed thereafter. We can be thankful to people like Chand and his colleagues for lobbying for better and just wages and improvement in working conditions. The unions were very strong and powerful and had the capacity to ‘halt’ the nation if they believed that government and companies was not addressing the plights of workers towards fair and just working conditions. His short stint as the Education Minister in the Chaudhry Government provides some insight into the workings of the party under very strong leadership and the tensions that ensued especially towards the position of prime minister when Labour was expected to form the next government. However this was short lived when the coup of 2000 took place. Fortunately for Chand, he was in Vanuatu attending the USP Council when this occurred. Chand has woven an interesting tale of struggle and success, allowing us to revisit the past and appreciate the present. As a descendant of girmityas he has demonstrated that anything is possible and one can follow one’s dream towards success. In doing so he has also contributed to the growth and development of Fiji while at the same time ensuring that the needs of his own family is attended to.

A Fijian Memoir – Footprints of a Girmitya’s Grandson is available at: University Book Centre University of the South Pacific, Suva, Fiji. Telephones: (679) 323 2500, 323 2405 Fax: (679) 323 1547 Email: customerservice@ uspbookshop.ac.fj Website: www.uspbookcentre.com

Islands Business, August 2014 33

Viewpoint

Forum leaders ... Then American Secretary of State Hillary Clinton with Pacific Islands Forum Leaders in Rarotonga in 2012. Photo: Supplied

By Dr Roman Grynberg

Pacific Islands Forum Meeting of people and power

very six years Pacific leaders meet at their annual summit to discuss who will win the lottery and get the six figure job of Secretary General of the Forum. It is quite literarily the lottery as the first Secretary General of the Forum, the late Henry Naisaili told me that he had saved a million dollars in his tenure of the post. This is possible because the Forum’s heads spend most of their six years travelling and can normally live off their per diems and simply pocket most of their salary. That was over 20 years ago and no doubt whoever replaces Neroni Slade will be able to save a good deal more. But that is not a good reason to detain the entire region over an issue that will almost certainly be decided by the power (or cheque book ) politics and will have little impact on the direction of the region. There are at least three candidates who are up for the top job. The first is Ambassador Kaliopate Tavola, a very talented and able diplomat who has been dubbed the ‘eternal secretary general in waiting’ who has now been in the wings for a very long time. He is followed by Dame Meg Taylor from PNG and Dr Jimmy Rogers who will be strongly supported by the Solomon Islands. None of the political elite want him back in Honiara as he would be such an outstanding candidate for the job of Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands. Dr Rogers has to be excluded from the top job completely because there are so few people of his calibre and skills in the political elite in Honiara that his talents would just be completely wasted in an institution as vapid as the Forum. Dame Meg Taylor is also an exceptionally intelligent and qualified candidate. PNG has in the past put up some real lemons for high international office and she will neither embarrass PNG nor disappoint the region. So if these are the options and there are no Micronesians then certain facts are clear. The most obvious is there will not be Melanesian solidarity this time. Second if Ambassador Tavola wins the lottery then there will be three Fiji born 34 Islands Business, August 2014

people at the top. If Dame Meg gets the job there will be the unheard of situation of three women at the top of the Forum Secretariat. Without wishing to endorse any of these fine candidates I will confess that after 25 years of living in the islands I found that the best man for any job was almost invariably a woman because they would never assume they own the job and had to prove they deserve it. The question of who will be the next SG is of course are minor personnel issues but it will occupy the press and the leaders. These are minor issues because who manages the Forum is not half as important as who controls the Forum and the answer to that remains a constant- it is the paymasters i.e. Australia and New Zealand. This will not change. The issues that really should matter to the region will barely be on the agenda. Since at least the time of Noel Levi the Forum has achieved almost nothing tangible except for surviving, which will almost certainly be Neroni Slade’s sole epitaph. The reason for this is simple. There is little vision, no drive and no real role for the meeting of leaders except to be seen and to be heard and to consume a great deal of food and alcohol. The top-down Pacific Plan was hijacked by the aid bureaucrats and has simply become a sham. What the leaders need to do to themselves is what they expect of their juniors. Establish criteria for performance of the Forum meeting, make resolutions at the meeting that will actually be funded, and finally assure the implementation of past decisions through a system of peer review to make sure they do something that will actually benefit the peoples of the South Pacific. But of course, a Forum meeting which is actually accountable to the peoples of the South Pacific and achieves tangible outcomes, is the stuff of dreams. There remains a more pressing and immediate issue that will certainly be on the agenda and that is the negotiations over Pacer Plus, the free trade agreement between the Forum members.

It is very likely that the two principle bargaining objectives of the Pacific Islands, to get a trade agreement that gives them security of labour market access for Pacific islanders to Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) and security of development assistance will not be met. ANZ have made it perfectly clear that they will never make bound commitments in either area because of the precedent this will establish for FTA negotiations with India and other large countries. What ANZ are expecting is a profoundly unequal treaty i.e. the islands agree to bind their tariffs at zero or at low levels and in return ANZ promise to be nice and, if they are in the mood will grant labour market access and development assistance but certainly no legal commitments on either issue. This outcome is all the more absurd and unjust given that the island states already have duty free access for their exports under the unilateral SPARTECA treaty and so will stand to gain almost nothing from Pacer Plus. The last time this sort of inequality was written into treaty form was in the 19th century when European and American gunboats forced Japan and China to also agree to profoundly unequal treaties. For three generations these treaties were the written proof of the humiliation of the Chinese and Japanese people and they fed the nationalist and communist rebellions that ensued. Leaders can avoid this outcome which will only breed long term antipathy between the Pacific islanders and Australia and New Zealand through agreeing to recast Pacer Plus as an Oceanic Economic Community where goods, services capital and labour will be free to move. This would mean India and others could not use it as a precedent in a free trade area. But the question is which of these leaders is ready for such a bold step even though it would finally give the region a real legal structure to its institutions. Dr Grynberg is a former Director of Governance and Trade at the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat and now works in Botswana

Environment

By David Sheppard

Youth our greatest resource

s I contemplated writing this article for International Youth Day this year, I was struck by the number of confident, articulate and passionate young people I have met whilst at SPREP. Many of these young people hold positions in government, regional organisations or work with civil society. Some are still at school or university but are confident speakers at public events or seminars. They organise fund raisers, develop proposals, mentor younger colleagues and pursue further training to strengthen their skills in their chosen work area. They are conscientious consumers and believe in practicing what they preach. They motivate each other and seem to have a special knack of seeing everything as an opportunity, spending little time dwelling on what they cannot do. Instead, they seek to grow together, supporting one another. Who are these young people? They are the future of our Pacific islands – one day, they will be hosts on our TV screens, leading the political debates in parliament houses, seated at the United Nations, determining what should be taught in classrooms. They will be making the decisions for the next few generations. Several years ago, SPREP recognised the imperative of investing in our youth if sustainable development was to become reality – and not just rhetoric. Our past experience also showed us that this investment must go beyond mere education or ‘sensitisation’; it must equip and empower young people with the knowledge, skills and the confidence they need to think critically, view issues systemically, find solutions through dialogue and discussion, and, most importantly, take action. To this end, SPREP identified committed, motivated young people who were already active in their own spheres of influence, be it setting up waste separation posts in a school yard, patrolling their coastal waters for poachers, studiously working on their marine science degrees at university, or trying to reduce fuel consumption in a small business. Our aim was to help nurture and build on the good work that had already been started.

Hope for the future ... regional youth leaders at a recent meeting. Photo: supplied

Commencing with the Pacific Future Environment Leaders’ Forum in 2007, SPREP has run leadership programmes to enable young professionals to build their skills and confidence as they strive toward environmental leadership. The 2007 Forum led to the establishment of the Econesians group at the University of South Pacific. Led by Forum participants, Faye Tamani, Moriana Philips, Mavis Depaune and others, the Econesians started as a small environment group at the USP and has grown to become the key environment body for students attending the University. A second Forum was held in Suva, Fiji in 2008. The 2008 Forum focused on building a shared vision and working together. Buoyed by a dynamic group of speakers and the support of organisations such as the International Union for Conservation of Nature, Live and Learn Environmental Education and the British High Commission in Suva, participants developed a stirring vision and action plan for the environment based on their own ability to contribute to its implementation. The vision and action plan was later shared at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Barcelona by three of the participants using song, dance and drama. The vitality of youth and the vibrancy of the Pacific combined to ensure the vision was shared to a “packed house” by Deyna Marsh of the Cook Islands and Luisa Tagicakibau and Ron Simpson of Fiji. Despite these highlights, continuity was the challenge – young people, by their very nature, are dynamic and progressive. This has meant that as they commence new jobs, take up advanced studies or simply move to new abodes or raise a family, they tend to lose touch with each other and perhaps even move out of the environment field altogether. To address this, the Pacific Emerging Environment Leaders’ Network (PEEL) was formed by

SPREP in 2011. A symposium, held at SPREP in October 2011, brought together like-minded young professionals from a wide range of disciplines but with a shared interest in environmental management or conservation. An experienced leadership consultant facilitated the symposium and created an atmosphere conducive to building professional ties and forging lasting relationships. PEEL, now in its 3rd year, continues to flourish as a membership-based network endorsed by our SPREP members. Members of PEEL have committed to active participation through sharing of experiences, ideas and providing support to each other. The network stays strong perhaps because of the diversity of interests and the value added that each member brings to the group. A “buddy system” provides a support mechanism and regular updates and feedback keeps everyone informed. It may sound simple but it is my belief that creating such spaces and opportunities will serve not just to bring out the best in a few young people, but will result in a cadre of well rounded, intelligent and considerate Pacific citizens who can lead and work together for the long term mutual benefit of their countries and their people. SPREP is not working alone – we partner with other agencies and organisations and will continue to support youth development initiatives, in particular, to nurture the growth and development of other young people. I would like to thank in particular, the Government of Australia, the British High Commission in Suva, and the Commonwealth Foundation for their vision and support for youth development and leadership in the Pacific. The writer is Director-General of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) based in Apia, Samoa. Islands Business, August 2014 35

Business Intelligence

Tuna access in doubt after talks fail to seal fi By Giff Johnson

ishing for 40 United States-flagged purse seiners is in jeopardy for 2015 after negotiations between the US and Pacific nations last month failed to seal an access treaty. Although agreement was reached two years ago on the US access fee, the Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) in April raised the fishing day fee by 33 per cent, and island nations put their demand on the table at the Auckland talks for significantly elevated payments from the U.S. With just four months until an interim treaty arrangement expires in December, it appears unlikely that negotiators can finalise a deal in time. Will an interim deal be struck to keep American purse seiners fishing come January? PNA has said unequivocally it will not provide days to the U.S. industry unless it meets the new minimum fishing day fee of US$8,000. In the 1980s, American purse seiners fished the region without regard for rules established by fledgling small islands nations. US vessels were frequently arrested for fishing illegally and were viewed by many island fisheries departments as latter-day pirates. It sparked enough diplomatic fallout that the State Department engaged its industry in negotiating a treaty with the 17 Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) nations that stabilised relations by guaranteeing a joint U.S. government-industry annual payment to the islands and gave U.S.-flagged boats access to the region. For over 20 years, the treaty was a model for the region. But as PNA nations began exerting their authority five years ago, existing treaty terms negotiated years before meant US vessels were out of step with fees paid and rules followed by other fleets. Several years of difficult negotiations produced US agreement in 2012 to triple its annual payment to the region, from US$21 million to US$63 million. But a series of other issues prevented completing a replacement treaty when the 10-year deal expired in mid-2013, so an interim 18-month agreement was put in place to allow US purse seiners to fish through December this year.

In jeopardy ... A U.S. purse seiner offloads its catch of tuna to a mother ship for transport to canneries. But with the long be fishing in 2015? Photo: Giff Johnson

Both Marshall Islands Marine Resources Authority Director Glen Joseph and PNA CEO Dr. Transform Aqorau said that the US$63 million agreed to in 2012 is no longer enough. With PNA’s decision in April to increase fishing day fees by 33 per cent, from US$6,000 to US$8,000, island fisheries officials told US negotiators during the New Zealand talks that for the 8,300 fishing days sought, they will have to up their payment from US$63 million to US$92 million. “We won’t agree to anything after 2015 unless it reflects the new benchmark price,” said Aqorau. “Times have changed and the value of the vessel day scheme is going up,” said Joseph. Not surprisingly, US industry officials expressed unhappiness with the increase, according to island negotiators. Brian Hallman, Executive Director of the American Tunaboat Association, said of the new fishing day fee demand only that “we are still negotiating with respect to the proposal for 8300

days.” “The onus is on the United States to provide incentives for Pacific islands in order for us to put in (fishing) days in 2015,” said Joseph. “What happens to everyone, including the US, is in 2015 the new benchmark of US$8,000 applies. We’re going to have to think hard and fast to meet the 2015 deadline.” The islands want the US to pay more for the 8,300 days because the treaty gives U.S. boats multizone access in contrast with the individual zone access that other countries get when they buy days from one PNA member. The US$92 million demand for 2015 and beyond would, after deduction of a percentage that goes equally to all 17 FFA members, result in a US$9,000 fishing day rate paid to the PNA nations where most tuna is caught, “which is a fair reflection of the value of a multilateral fishing day,” said a paper presented by island negotiators at the New Zealand talks.

Global mobile phone giant enters PNG, Solomons partnership By Sam Vulum

mobile Vodafone opened for business in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea on July 16, days after Vodafone announced its expansion to PNG and the Solomon Islands in a non-equity arrangement with local partners. Group Facilities Manager David Pidik said a kiosk opened in Port Moresbythe would make it easier for existing and potential users of bmobile Vodafone to buy phones, top up credit and replace SIM cards. Vodafone has 434 million mobile customers in 78 markets and the new partnership has seen 3G connectivity to Wewak, which now joins Port Moresby, Lae and Nadzab, Mt. Hagen and Alotau in 36 Islands Business, August 2014

terms of mobile internet connectivity. The UK-based group in early July announced it had signed an exclusive partner market agreement with Bemobile Limited, which trades as bmobile. The two operators will collaborate on the sale of a range of products and services to businesses and consumers. For bmobile, the deal means its customers will be able to roam onto Vodafone’s global network and gain access to a wider range of services as well as Vodafone best practices. In turn, Vodafone’s multinational corporate customers will benefit from the addition of Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands to their existing contracts for international managed services, while continuing to be serviced via a single point

of contact. “This strategic partnership with bmobile will enable us to expand our presence in Asia Pacific and extend the reach of our products and services across the region. It will also deliver enhanced roaming benefits for both our consumer and multinational corporate customers,” said Stefano Gastaut, CEO of Vodafone Partner Markets. According to the World Bank, the introduction of mobile competition in Papua New Guinea in 2007 saw a dramatic rise in the number of people who were able to afford a mobile phone for the first time. The Economist Intelligence Unit said in January that around 2.7 million of the country’s total population of 7.2 million have a mobile phone.

run

l fisheries deal

Digicel Ops Centre ... Digicel Fiji Technical Manager Krishneel Kumar (right) briefs his CEO Darren McLean at the company’s National Operations Centre. Photo: Digicel Fiji

Mobile companies reinforce presence in Fiji By Samisoni Pareti

L running treaty expiring in December, will American tuna boats

“The American Tunaboat Association is very disappointed that the treaty negotiations could not be finalised in Auckland, in particular those issues relating to the operation of US vessels during 2015 and beyond,” said Hallman. “We are hopeful that these matters can be settled in the very near future.” Whether they can depends largely on the U.S. agreeing to bump up its fishing day access payments. “Whether we will have days to meet U.S. treaty requirements depends on if the price is right,” said Joseph. From 2010 to 2014, PNA revenue from the sale of fishing days soared from US$60 million to nearly US$250 million. With the new minimum price set to kick in from January 1, PNA revenue could increase to US$350 million from the purse seine fishing industry, which will elevate revenue to the islands to about 10 percent of the overall value of the fishery.

eading mobile phone companies announced major developments recently with Vodafone Fiji now fully Fijian owned while its rival Digicel rolled out a massive AU$40.4 million expansion of its Fiji operations. Digicel Fiji’s CEO Darren McLean said the upgrade would add more speed and reliability to its already high-speed data network. Major urban centres would access its 4G network while 3G plus coverage would be extended to other parts of the country. “Customers are demanding more of our data network each month so we have made a big decision to enable all of our towers across the country with high speed 3G+ data capability. In addition to this we are also building the nation’s largest 4G network in the main centres of Fiji. This means even higher wireless internet speeds of around 20 Mbps in the key population areas,” said McLean “Our customers want faster speeds in more places so they will benefit enormously from this network upgrade. Digicel has invested over FJ$200 million since we started operations here on October 2008. The needs of our customers have evolved at a rapid rate and with our reputation for network reliability and coverage we are positioned exceptionally well to deliver on those needs. “Digicel’s build of the country’s largest and

newest 4G network will result in the most advanced mobile network in the region. As well as providing the best internet experience to mobile customers, the expanded network will enable new Cloud data services as well as introducing a worldclass experience for our tourism industry through our managed Wi-Fi services,” he added. Digicel Fiji’s announcement came close in the heels of the localisation in the ownership of its rival, Vodafone Fiji. In an AU$92.422 million deal, Vodafone UK sold its 49 per cent stake in Vodafone Fiji to the island country’s superannuation fund, the Fiji National Provident Fund (FNPF). The other 51 per cent stake is held by Amalgamated Telecom Holdings – a public company that is co-owned by the FNPF and the Fijian Government. ATH also owns Telecom Fiji Limited and Fiji Directories. With the FNPF holding 58 per cent stake in ATH, its acquisition of shares in Vodafone Fiji meant that the Fund now owns directly or indirectly 79 per cent of Vodafone Fiji. “The purchase will allow FNPF members to directly realise the benefits from [Vodafone Fiji’s] strong financial performance through a higher dividend share,” said Aisake Taito, CEO of FNPF. Although the mobile operator is now entirely Fiji-owned, Vodafone, in a brief statement, said the UK-headquartered group expected to continue its presence in Fiji through a “partner market” agreement.

Fiji engages Solomon Islands in flight fight By Samisoni Pareti

lights between Fiji and Solomon Islands by the two countries’ national airlines have remained suspended due to disputes over flight times. Solomon Island authorities say Fiji started the dispute when it banned Solomon Airlines from Nadi International Airport on 11 July. Fiji on the other hand claimed it only did so after its proposed new direct flight to Honiara from Nadi every Saturdays was blocked by the Solomon Islands Civil Aviation Authority. “Civil Aviation Authority of Solomon Islands (CAASI) is aware that Fiji Airways has applied to operate a second service to Solomon Islands on

Saturday’s beginning in July 2014,” said George Satu, Director of Civil Aviation Authority of Solomon Islands. “CAASI, being the Regulator in Solomon Islands had duly notified Fiji some months back that this particular service was not approved based on slots and some common understanding that two jet services on a Saturday to/from Nadi to Honiara was expressly overcapacity on that day. In addition to that, there have been long pending issues of ‘rights’ that needed to be addressed prior to approving Fiji Airway’s request.” Fiji Airways said in its statement that it only received notification of the rejection of their second weekly service application “less than 24 hours be-

fore the start of its scheduled Nadi-Honiara direct flights.” Fiji Airways is hopeful that the governments of Solomon Islands and Fiji are able to reach a speedy resolution on this issue for the benefit of air travellers between the two countries, the airline added. Fiji’s Attorney General who is also the Minister responsible for Civil Aviation Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum had said his government was ready to discuss the matter with the Solomon Islands Government. Both airlines are members of the Association of the South Pacific Airlines, which was holding its bi-annual conference in Noumea on the last week of July, but it is not known whether the tit-for-tat flight ban would feature in the discussions.

Islands Business, August 2014 37

Culture

Rare cultural display in Melanesian Festival 2000 take part in traditional extravaganza

By Sam Vulum

he true spirit of Melanesian cultural identity has again been invigorated, fostered and enhanced at the 5th Melanesian Festival of Arts and Culture staged from 28th June to 11th July in Papua New Guinea. The two weeks of cultural events, which have been held concurrently in Port Moresby, Kokopo, Mt Hagen and Wewak, have achieved more than just sharing of the diversity of the cultural heritage of the Melanesian countries. The festivities ensured enjoyment and maximum outcomes for all participants through the exchange of gifts, knowledge and mutual friendship. More than 2000 participants from Papua New Guinea, Fiji, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New

Islands Business, August 2014

Caledonia and for the first time ever - groups from West Papua, Timor-Leste and Torres Strait in Australia exhibited and shared their cultural dances, traditions, and art and craft over the two weeks. The festival has been described as the biggest event ever organised by any one country within the Melanesian Spearhead Group with many sacred and unique traditional dances from the region being displayed - some for the first time in public. (Read full story on www.islandsbusiness.com) Clockwise (from top left): Dancers from Jiwaka Province, PNG; Fire dancers of East New Britain; Solomon Islands performance; Balimo dancers, Western Province, PNG; warrior dancers from West New Britain.

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