Replying to Dorothy
pp. 6-7 · Read in the full issue
number of owners have been able to put up houses on their land, some having been built for several years. At least two have been resold.
All prospective owners out
side Fiji are required to gain
consent, by filing the appropri
ate form with the Ministry of Lands and Resources, to trans fer land to a person other than a Fijian national. In the above case, group approval was obtained to sell blocks outside Fiji, at the time of the project being started, with the require ment that further notification be given when blocks were re sold. This, along with the re quirement that ‘Sales and Purchase’ documents be lodged for stamping within two months of being received in Fiji, leaves the field wide open
for non-Fijian companies to
delay the stamping of docu ments for as long as they wish.
One company has at least 100 blocks on ‘Sale and Pur chase’ agreements and, to my knowledge, no titles have been issued. This particular company has not registered itself in Australia and therefore is claiming immunity from cer tain laws within Australia.
The company itself has pur chased blocks from sources other than the original owners, without revealing'the fact to new owners. Searching the title reveals none of these facts.
Obviously the Department
of Lands is not too worried at the number of times blocks change hands, as it generates much needed revenue in the form of stamp duty.
The question arises as to how one is going to gain some de gree of interest in the land until the titles are issued. Life in Fiji being what it is may mean that tranfers may take three months to complete, and a further wait of three months for the hand drawn titles to appear. Two years waiting for a title can be
most frustrating!
Of course one can get some
degree of security by placing a
caveat on the title if there is only one previous owner in volved. The situation is im possible if more than one is involved. Squabbles over the means by which titles can be transferred from the original
owners direct to the latest pur chaser also delay matters.
Meanwhile, at least one Aus tralian company is making use of large amounts of purchasers’ money due to its not appearing to have a trust account. Quite a number of Australians could be in a hopeless situation if it
liquidated overnight.
It is a pity that there will
always be unscrupulous people
who will flout the law to suit their own purpose. Beware a ‘free’ return flight to Fiji. It could prove very expensive.
David Butter
Adelaide Australia
An anniversary
suggestion
May 1 suggest that your August 50th anniversary issue should also cover each country separ ately? This would show how PIM over the last 50 years has covered important events which have taken place in each country.
Joseph Huta
Ysabel Province Solomon Islands
Law and order
in PNG
Congratulations to PIM and Kevin Egan for the Papua New Guinea law and order story (PIM Apr pll). It does not
make pleasant reading, but
there is an integrity and a genu ine affection for PNG to be dis cerned between nearly every line.
As an ex-PNG contract offi cer, in the Office of Tourism, I shared many of Kevin Egan’s frustrations over the general failure to recognise that the
slogan ‘Unity in Diversity’ is,
quite simply, a contradiction in
terms; and, equally simply,
illogical therefore.
I also shared, and continue to share, his so-well-stated con cern about the messianic visionaries who arrive in South Pacific countries for two, four or more years, and advise government leaders on policy.
Few of them are over 30 years old, and many tend to come to PNG fresh from the heady pol itical atmosphere of Monash and like institutions. They are, in the modem idiom, ‘commit
ted’. In my time in PNG I rarely saw papers presented to
ministers offering options for
solving problems: more
usually a problem was stated and a course of action consist ent with the political outlook of the writer prescribed as the only solution. That is ‘commit ment’.
One might have thought that the economic history of the 35 years since 1945 in developing countries would by now be speaking for itself so clearly as not to need semantic support.
It is surely this; that those econ omies such as Kenya, Sin
gapore. Hong Kong, Taiwan,
South Korea, Ivory Coast and the like, based on a more or less free market system tempered by a proper social realisation of the needs of the poor, the weak, the old and the infirm, have achieved economic track re
cords demonstrably superior to
their more or less socialist rivals, regardless of whether their political systems be democratic, authoritarian, col onial, paternalistic, or what ever. That the mass of people enjoy a higher standard of liv ing in the free market countries is surely obvious.
And for the future? Is it poss ible that, after 30 years of Mao
China has perceived something
still apparently hidden from the view of South Pacific bu reaucrats? Must we wait until the year 2000, target date for the achievement of the four Modernisations, to find out?
Rory Scott
Hong Kong
Replying to Dorothy
Wakau
May I respond to Dorothy Wakau’s letter (PIM May p 6).
I wish to refer particularly to what she raised regarding Papua New Guinea’s indepen dence or dependence, if she likes and cannibalism.
If Dorothy had done some historical research, she would have realised that it was Aus tralia, and her allied super power USA, both countries that claim to uphold the fun damental rights of any free born person, who directly, or indirectly, sold West Irian to what she called an ‘imperialis tic’ (but I would like to call
lndonesia, during the United Nations guided ‘Act of Free Choice’ in 1969.
Do not overlook the fact that PNG then was still under Aus tralia’s colonial rule, and hence we as a people did not have much to say as we were left in the dark regarding the impli cations of such a handover.
Now that we are independent, and the struggle in ‘West Papua New Guinea’ has reached its present magnitude, Dorothy blames the PNG Government and its citizens for handing over our brothers to Indonesia.
Let me remind Dorothy that not all citizens of independent PNG think the same way as the government of the day, and that many would be glad if Australia would chip in to help PNG feed and create job opportunities for many of the political refugees who are now
assimilating into the indepen
dent State of PNG. We hope and pray that one day all nations of the world, including Indonesia and Australia (re Aboriginal rights) may come to respect the often-quoted human rights.
May I ask Dorothy to expli
cate the phrase ‘your indepen
dence is just about as much as Australia and Indonesia allow you’. PNG is undeniably an
independent State politically,
and to a large extent economi cally. There are certainly col onial remnants who still roam around up here, basically be cause PNG is a land of milk and honey for them. But, Dorothy, do not display that arrogant maternalistic pessi mism about PNG’s indpen dence. We’ve had enough of that kind of denigration.
Regarding aid, Dorothy should not overlook the fact that Australia ripped off so much from this country, and continues to do so in the form
of the capitalistic enterprises
mentioned by Dorothy. The
aid Australia gives is to me a compensation for what Aus tralia failed to do during its col onial rule up here.
Finally, regarding cannibal
ism in PNG, may I reiterate what I once told an American female student who asked me whether a certain tribe was still
practising cannibalism. My re sponse was simply this: canni balism was, admittedly, a historical experience in certain PNG societies, and was perfor med for various religious or ritualist reasons. However, today we only eat women.
Otto M. Nikatel
Womsis Village
Atiape, West Sepik Province
Papua New Guinea
The Indo-Fijian
experience
Sarita Singh’s review of The Indo-Fijian Experience (ed Subramani, UQP) (PIM May p 47) calls for some comment.
Her review contains some fac tual errors. (1) The Indo-Fijian Experi ence was not a brainchild of the Council for the Centenary cel ebrations in 1979. The book was ready for press before the council was formed. However, the council did offer to support the book financially, in return for distribution rights in Fiji. (2) Ray Pillai’s story Laxmi was not published in PIM. It was published in Mana Vol 1, No 2, 1976. (3) ‘Sulochna Nand’: an unfortunate mispelling. Her name is Sulochana Chand.
Matters of literary judgment
are naturally to some degree subjective. I find it easy to be in agreement with Sarita Singh on her evaluation of Ray Pillai’s work. At the same time, it seems to me that Subramani is a more complex and poten tially more influential author.
And Vijay C Mishra’s essay Indo-Fijian Fiction and the Gir mit Ideology could better have been recognised for what it is not ‘boring’, but a major and illuminating comment on the aesthetic awareness presently achieved after more than a dec ade of literary endeavour in the South Pacific.
One essay Sarita Singh does not mention at all: Pio Manoa’s Across the Fence. In Fiji, where inter-racial tensions have for so long been a matter of debate, and sometimes of re ality, that essay is one of enor
mous impact and implication,
advancing as it does another re
ality from a Fijian point of
view, the reality of the har mony that does exist between
peoples, whatever their racial problems might look like from the outside.
And it seems strangely dis missive to describe Brij Lai as ‘a relatively unknown local writer’. It is true that his account of the wreck of the Syria has narrative elements; but it apparently didn’t occur to Sarita Singh that years of re search went into the eluci dation of detail concerning that tragic event, and that the resulting ‘simple narrative’ is a measure of Brij Lai’s judgment and restraint.
Subramani is to be much complimented, I feel, in his selection of material for The
Indo-Fijian Experience.
K O Arvidson
East-West Center Honolulu
Hebrides: A Yank’s
lament Congratulations on your ever
improving magazine.
In the early 1970 s I made several trips to the New Hebrides. On my first and sec ond trips, I purchased approx imately 506 beautiful acres about 12 miles out of Santo toward the Lokalee Beach Hotel; also some 217 lovely acres on a plateau overlooking the Tacuma River about five miles out of Port Vila.
My idea was to create
reasonably priced homes on
what was to have been two beautiful subdivisions with paved roads, a shopping centre and a school in each. The shop ping centre was to have fea
tured fresh garden vegetables
grown and sold by the natives, in addition to any items pro duced by the natives, with the hope of helping them to better
their life-style.
Special low rental of shop ping centre space was to be offered to the natives.
During my trips I was friendly to the natives, and at times, when there was room in my car, I would give them a ride when they were hiking into town. I picked up a native who
was carrying his injured daugh
ter some eight to 12 miles into town. I waited with him at the
hospital until her injured leg
was repaired, and then drove them back to their village.
I was subsequently told to re port to the the British authori ties. They were outraged that I was befriending the natives. I was told never again to pick them up as such treatment would ‘spoil’ them and soon
they would no longer be willing
to work for wages that were very ‘fair’ for them.
On planning our fourth trip in the mid 19705, I was told I would not receive a visa, as my wife and I were no longer wel come in the New Hebrides.
Have such conditions changed? If not, could you please put me in touch with a reputable real estate agent who could give me the current value of my properties, and sell them for me? I had planned to move to the New Hebrides about 1976. I was going to bring my airplane with me so that chiefs could visit other islands and improve communications and goodwill with their ‘brothers’.
With independence of New Hebrides, will titles to lands paid for in full be in any way jeopardised? If this letter will not make my position worse than it already is with the authorities, you may print it!
My address is: 1782 Akolea Place, Hilo, Hawaii 96720.
Dave Ford
Hilo Hawaii
A word from the
Peace Corps
I would like to commmend your magazine for the fine treatment of the ‘America in the Pacific’ articles (PIM Mar).
I would especially like to thank you for the articles concerning Peace Corps’ efforts in the re gion, and only wish you could have rounded out your scope of coverage by mentioning our efforts in Micronesia.
I find it ironic that US foreign policy in this area is finally coming around to the small-scale development ap proach practised by PC and other volunteer organisations in the Pacific for the past 14 years.
Recognising the aspirations
of the peoples of the Pacific is vital and basic for any brand of assistance to be accepted, or even the dialogue for such as sistance to begin. The nations
of the Pacific are fiercely proud of their traditions, customs, integrity and their ability to rationally discuss any aspect of their social, economic and/or
political well-being. They are
not impressed with pressure tactics nor displays of force, yet the great powers continue to display this antiquated form of
‘gunboat diplomacy’. A recent
example comes to mind of a Western Samoa Independence Day celebration a few years ago when the US sent a war ship with a fireworks display that failed to explode; while the Red Chinese sent an in credible acrobatic team who put on shows throughout the country that people still re member. It is sad to think this attitude still remains as Senator Glenn has recommended an increase in naval visits to the area to promote, ‘a larger and more effective US presence’.
Until the US, New Zealand and Australia learn that politi cal pressure, gross displays of power and the dumping of troublesome civil service per sonnel will only earn them a few temporary successes and long-term hatred, the Pacific region will be mired in stag nation for years to come.
But as long as the US and other great nations are per ceived by Pacific Island coun tries as holding respect for their
personal integrity and
sovereignity there is much hope for mutual understand
ing, long-lasting economic and
political ties, friendships, and a fantastic chance for growth and progress in an area eager for such change.
The peoples of the Pacific have been ‘discovered’ by ex plorers from many nations;
‘conquered’ by soldiers from
many sides; ‘exploited’ by
whalers of questionable de scent; ‘saved’ by missionaries of many faiths; etc., etc., yet through it all, with all the comings and goings of such di verse groups through the years, they have maintained their cul tures, languages and customs.
An incredible historical accomplishment! I am glad to have contributed to this area over the past 10 years.
Brad Dude
Deputy Country Director Peace Corps/Micronesia