Up Front

with the Editor

PlM’s aim is to inform Islanders about events in the Islands.

But in its 41 years it has had a secondary objective which it seems to have taken up because the necessity was there—that of explaining the Islands to the rest of the world. This is a public relations function, undertaken as a service to the Islanders who, after all, provide us with our bread.

It is a hard task. For one thing, PIM isn’t read by the rest of the world. Nearly all of its circulation is within the Islands, and it mostlv preaches to the converted when it attempts to use its own columns this way Thus it must fall back on extracurricula functions to get a message across. It has to give lectures, write articles for influential mainland aewspapers and magazines, or make ■adio broadcasts. PIM does all these itings, but broadcasting enables us .o reach the widest audiences. PlM’s bunder, R, W. Robson, made good ise of that medium in the 30s and 10s as a regular commentator on affairs, and for many years low I have also been using radio ummentaries in Australia, and occaionally in New Zealand, in an effort o explain developments in the slands to anybody who will listen.

There is never a shortage of grist or the mill. What does Fiji’s latest •udget mean for Australia? What ? behind the new series of South 'acific Forums? What are the pros nd cons of Micronesia’s moves torards a new political status? Is tustralia storing up bad will for Self by not allowing a regular uota of Islanders in? Won’t Aus- •alia realise, please, that new power hgnments are developing in Ausaha’s part of the world among

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peatmg a number of emes over and over. I have been ying that the whole of the Islands ustra! lans' 1 too k 8 heed i S t!™ usiraiians took heed of it. I have .en saying that Australia’s trade barners have to be ught if we are to do more than

merely pay lip service to the need for inter-Pacific co-operation.

These are themes that just have to be understood by Australians if we are not to earn a reputation for being ignorant, self-centred gits. They are not merely matters to be under stood by an Australian government; unless Australians themselves under stand that those are real people out there in the Islands, and that they have some real problems, the gov ernment will deserve all the prob lems if gets.

I am not, of course, the only man to bring Islands affairs regularly to the attention of mainlanders. There is a small group of politicians, churchmen and academics, and oc casionally journalists, who work along the same lines, but occa sionally I am depressed at how little effect we have on public opinion. I suspect we might even have none at all.

For this reason I warmly applaud when Islands leaders such as Fiji’s Ratu Mara, and Albert Henry of the Cooks, speak out for the benefit of Australia and New Zealand. The blunter their comments the better I like it, because only plain speak ing from responsible people will get the Islands message across to an Australia so engrossed in itself and its own domestic issues.

While remaining silent, responsible Islands leaders from the emergent territories are being upstaged by the noisy ratbag fringe of some so called New Guinea leaders, who spend more time in Australia than in New Guinea addressing demon strations, giving Press interviews, hogging the news columns. These people know how to get attention, and there is no reason why they shouldn’t get as much of it as they can win for themselves to express their minority views about what

should be done in New Guinea.

But the danger is that while Aus tralians continue to be occupied in swallowing their varied ration of New Guineana in the newspapers and on radio and TV, they will con tinue to be oblivious to the fact that the more politically, socially and economically advanced Island groups such as Fiji, Tonga, Western Samoa and the Cooks need just as much help and attention.

The whole of Papua New Guinea, not merely some New Guineans, is upstaging the South Pacific on the Australian stage, and the Islanders to Australia’s east are going to have to do more publicly to draw atten tion to their problems. There are no dividends in being a wilting wall flower in these days of the mass media.

Official diplomatic channels have their uses, but they also have great disadvantages. The Nauruans would still be a colonial people, their phos phate still in the hands of the BPC, if Head Chief Deßoburt had con tinued to put his views merely to the Canberra bureaucracy, where they were promptly marked CONFI DENTIAL and allowed to build up a thick file. No bureaucrat involved in those early negotiations ever gave Nauru a hope of gaining complete independence, and it was laughable to think it could take over the phos phate.

Attitudes changed dramatically when Deßoburt went direct to the Australian people for support. He got it, and in face of public opinion the government took the Nauruans seriously.

Next month in Canberra it looks as if, at this time of writing, we will have the second South Pacific Forum, attended by the leaders of the self-governing Island territories, Fiji, Tonga, Nauru, Western Samoa and the Cooks. I hope these men won’t keep all their plain talk to the closed sessions of the conference room. I hope they’ll share their views and fears and ideals with the Australian public. They’ll be doing themselves a big favour.

Stuart Inder