Pacific Report

High Level Turbulence In Fiji

After making it clear that he thinks it’s time the country’s British chief justice should quit office in favour of a local judge (PIM Dec 1979 p 9), Fiji’s Prime Minister Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara has also made it known he thinks it’s time for a change of governor general. Governor-General Ratu Sir George Cakobau has held office since 1972. Ratu Mara said in a December statement that this seven-year term was due to ‘peculiar circumstances’, and that he believed five years to be the right term for a G-G. In the course of the chief justice affair there were strong undercur rents of antagonism between the prime minister and the chief justice, and also between the prime minister and the governor

general.

Reforms Favoured For Samoa Polls

All citizens of Western Samoa of 21 and over should vote in general elections, but only matai should be candidates, accord ing to recommendations of a special committee appointed by the Western Samoa cabinet to investigate election methods in the country. The report is now before the parliament. At present, only matai may stand for election and have a vote in elec tions.

Micronesia’S Busy Political Activity

January was a busy time for developments affecting the various bits of the US Trust Territory of the Pacific now quickly separating. The most important was the resumption of political status talks in Kona, Hawaii, between the US Government and representatives of the Marshalls, the Federated States of Micronesia and Palau. The Marshall Islands Nitijela (parliament) had earlier indicated it was willing to endorse the Compact of Free Association with the US. The Seventh Palau Legislature opened on Koror, and was described by Trust Territory High Commissioner Adrian Winkel as ‘hopefully the last pre constitutional Palauan legislature and the beginning of a new era in Palau’. Toshiwo Nakamura was elected speaker. But the Palau legislature found itself without a Political Status Com mission to send to Kona following the resignation of Roman Tme tuchl, its long-time chairman. While it was electing a new chairman and commission it sent a small group to the Kona talks with limited authority to keep the seat warm. The Yap Legislature on January 21 was to consider a bill calling for a constitutional convention for Yap.

Strange Ways Of Mr Kevin Egan

Papua New Guinea’s outgoing Public Prosecutor Kevin Egan has circularised Australian newspapers with his final official re port. A covering letter by Mr Egan contains a bitter attack on the Somare Government and predicts ‘a military coup ... to save the nation from the politicians’. The copy received by PIM is on official letterhead with the words ‘Secretary for Law, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea’ ‘xed’ out by typewriter. However, the letterhead still bears, unmutilated, the bird of paradise coat of arms of PNG, which is reserved for official purposes. In a comment on Mr Egan’s resignation, Prime Minister Somare has said that while the former public prosecutor had publicly foreshadowed his resignation in the wake of the Rooney affair (PIM Nov 1979 pi 7), he was privately sounding out senior offi cers of the Prime Minister’s and Justice Department, as well as those of the Judicial and Legal Services Commission, about the chances of reappointment for another term as public pros ecutor.

Cooks Freezes Foreigners’ Land Deals

The Cook Islands Government has frozen all purchases of land by non-Cook Islanders who are not permanent residents, any company with less than 50% local shareholding, and any non- Cook Islander (not a permanent resident) who is married to a Cook Islander, unless the lease arrangements are in their joint

names. The move follows growing concern at speculative pur chases of land by people who have no real stake in the country.

MRS STORY’S CASE RULED OUT IN Cl Cook Islands Chief Justice Sir Gaven Donne has ruled that the High Court cannot hear a case brought by former Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Mrs Marguerite Story alleging libel against the government-controlled Cook Islands News. The al leged libel was contained in an article written by former Cl Health Minister Dr Joe Williams. Chief Justice Donne said to proceed with the case would involve receiving evidence of proceedings of the legislative assembly, thus infringing parliamentary privilege. Mrs Story was claiming $225,000 damages.

Back To First-Past-The-Post On Norfolk

At a referendum in December Norfolk Islanders rejected the pro portional representation voting system under which the present Norfolk Island Legislative Assembly was elected. They voted 463-339 for a return to the first-past-the-post system used in elections to the old Norfolk Island Council. Immediately the re sults were known Norfolk’s Chief Minister David Buffett an nounced the assembly would introduce legislation to return to the old voting system in future elections. But meanwhile there is a strong move developing on Norfolk for the present assembly to be prorogued and for new elections to be held under first-past the-post rules.

Fiji’S Gaols Erupt

Fiji’s prison system was in chaos in December-January with riots and breakouts occuring at Suva, Lautoka and Labasa. In Suva a bulldozer was used to smash down the prison gates after 145 prisoners had taken control of the gaol. At Lautoka 129 prisoners broke out of Natabua prison on New Year’s Eve. As RIM went to press, recaptures were continuing. At Labasa, several pris oners went on a rampage of destruction on New Year’s Eve, breaking furniture and smashing down a dormitory door.

Rahimat Ali, 23, was gaoled for six months by Lautoka court on January 8 for supplying three bottles of methylated spirits, yaqona cigarettes and tobacco to prisoners on the night of December 24. Ali had been released from the gaol that day.

Heat Kills Three Soldiers In Nc

Three young French soldiers collapsed and died from heat exhaustion at the New Caledonian military camp of Plum on January 9. The soldiers, two aged 20 and one aged 22, had just completed a training march. They had only arrived in the territory on December 28.

Independent Paper For Nauru

January 1 saw publication of the first issue of an independent weekly newspaper for the Republic of Nauru. The Nauru Post is published by Nauru Publications, whose executive directors include two former presidents of the Republic, Bernard Dowiyogo and Lagumot Harris, now both in private enterprise.

Other directors are Reuben Kun and Rene Harris. Bernard Dowiyogo is Editor-in-Charge, and it was clear from the first two issues that the paper won’t hestitate if need to be critical of Nauru government policies. Issue number 2, under the heading ‘Rights Denied’, reports that a big number of voters in the Menen electorate for the important Nauru Local Government Council elections on December 29 were disenfranchised because their names were missing from the roll. The elections brought some surprises. The Republic’s President, Hammer Deßoburt, was re turned to the council unopposed and re-elected Head Chief of Nauru but Buraro Detudamo, one of the president’s right-hand men, and a councillor since before independence, lost his seat.

New faces were those of Bernard Dowiyogo, Kennan Adeang and Obeira Menke.

FRANCE AUSTRALE BOWS OUT AFTER 90 YEARS New Caledonia’s oldest daily, France Australe, has ceased pub lication. The daily’s main shareholder, the nickel company Societe le Nickel, decided to stop picking up the tab for the financial losses the paper has been suffering over a number of years. France Australe was first published in 1890.