A warm handshake

across the Pacific

From a Port Moresby correspondent

Visits by politicians in the southern winter are no new thing for Papua New Guinea but few have had such an enthusiastic offcial welcome as Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, Prime Minister of Fiji, who spent eight days there in late May. There were big smiles all the way.

As the man who did it himself and jok Fiji from colonial rule to full tatehood in a matter of months in 970, Ratu Mara’s presence gave a cost to Chief Minister Somare’s ampaign for full independence for NG by December 1, this year.

Ratu Mara warned against any elay as quotable quotes he made long the way showed. He questioned le validity of the “grey area” of df-government as a prerequisite for utonomy. There should be no reliminaries, to his way of thinking.

As well he might be, the PM was ithusiastic over the potential of NG. It had gone further ahead, had lore resources developed and transfer I power was much more advanced lan in Fiji on the eve of indepen ;nce. PNG had an obligation, not aly to its people but to the world, » develop—and there was only one ice for development—full steam lead.

But perhaps it was at the end of s final news conference that Ratu [ara put his finger on what PNG ally had going for it as it ap oached statehood: “Certainly,” he said, “we didn’t ive $5OO million promised us”

During his crowded eight days, :companied everywhere by a beam g' Mr Somare, the Fiji PM visited irt Moresby, Mendi, Minj, Mount agen, Bulolo, Lae, Rabaul, the ipper mines at Panguna and the robriand Islands. A hill underneath e Mount Hagen High School cul ral-centre now rejoices in the name Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara Hill; in e Trobriands he was presented with le of their famous carved walking cks. Earlier he had received a pik mask.

In Port Moresby he was entertained two official dinners and he gave a ektail party; in Lae he played a me of golf, and there and in oresby he was entertained by the jian communities.

Out in the bush he towered head d shoulders over the small hill besmen and if, as he declared, he is impressed by the pride they had themselves and their resources, they ire equally impressed by the Fiji ime Minister.

Ratu Sir Kamisese was born a High lief of Fiji and has all the presence d assurance that entails. Of all ntors PNG has ever had, none has

been quite like Fiji’s Prime Minister.

No doubt Chief Minister Somare had just such a reaction in mind when he issued the invitation to visit.

During the tour both Mara and Somare took time out to beat their own particular drums.

Ratu Mara warned that regional aviation could become a “notable failure” unless the Pacific countries involved were prepared to subordinate national interests to the regional con cept. He said that Fiji would welcome participation in Air Pacific by all South Pacific Forum members. New Guinea could also help in a regional shipping line.

Mr Michael Somare in passing blamed the Australian Country Party for the fact that PNG has no sugar industry and indicated that something was going to be done about that.

Both had things to say about paternalistic, dictatorial colonial governments of the past and came out strongly for regional co-opera tion—a sort of Common Market for South Pacific territories. The Prime Minister could see PNG acting as a middle-man in trade between SE Asia and the Pacific as an alternative to trading through Australia, but no details were announced. Indeed, they have to be worked out.

Chief Minister Somare announced

that PNG planned to establish a consulate in Suva; Prime Minister Mara announced that Mrs Akanisi Taureka, a Fijian who is married to New Guinean Dr Reuben Taureka, PNG Minister for Education, had been appointed Fiji’s honorary consul in PNG.

Prime Minister Mara said that Fiji would buy coffee and cocoa from PNG. There was even a suggestion that PNG could import sugar from Fiji instead of from Australia. Some body pointed out that Australian white sugar, allegedly “with no food value”, cost 30 cents a lb in PNG while Fiji brown sugar, which is “full of molasses and has high food value” cost only 5 cents a lb in Fiji.

“In Fiji” are probably the key words in this case, and anyway brown sugar in Fiji is 6 cents per lb.

Before he flew home, Fiji’s Prime Minister invited Chief Minister Somare to make a state visit to Fiji at a time yet to be fixed.

Footnote ; Ratu Mara made his announcement about Fiji’s honorary consul at a small dinner party given by Mrs Taureka at her home. She said the announcement caught her by surprise.

The PNG Post Courier said: “Mrs Taureka has been accused of being a women’s liberation fan but she is

PNG's Chief Minister Michael Somare greets a youthful looking Fiji Prime Minister, Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, in Port Moresby.

proof that no such thing is needed.

She runs a rubber thong factory in Port Moresby that employs four men, “Women don’t have to be liberated —you men have to liberate yourselves,’ she said.”

Fiji Times and PIM reporter Adishwar Padarath, who accompanied the PM on tour, reports from Port Moresby that people early began noticing the warm personal relation ship between the two leaders. Ratu Mara set the spirit within hours of his arrival when, received with traditional Fijian ceremonies by the Fiji com munity in Port Moresby, he acknow ledged his gratitude to Mr Somare for having arranged “on the first day of my first visit to be welcomed by my own people”. Towards the end of his tour, in Kieta, he affectionately referred to Mr Somare as “Michael who is rowing the boat”, and later at a special Island-style floor show at the Davara Motel, Kieta, revellers enthusiastically broke into the song, “Michael, Row the Boat Ashore”.

Undoubtedly, the Fiji Prime Minister’s first visit to Papua New Guinea was an unqualified success. • The United Kingdom will pro vide a £1 million (approx $1.4 mil lion) loan for Tonga. Drawings will be over three years and repayment over 25 with a 2i year period of grace. At the same time, the Local Development Loan which opened on March 1 with a target of $300,000 seemed likely to be fully subscribed.

The loan bears interest at 5i per cent which the Tonga Chronicle has described as “appealing” for the in vestor.