Islands

From the

Press

Part of a letter to the editor, signed A. C. H., appearing in the Arawa Bulletin on Bougainville Island, Papua New Guinea Man, as a highly intelligent animal, gets frustrated very quickly when he doesn’t drink enough, and this frustration leads to the problems now being experienced in town. If takeaways and public bars were to have longer trading hours people would drink at leisure and not two bottles of beer a minute due to the present limited time.

We haven’t tried longer trading hours yet in this town, so why don’t the authorities give it a go. It just might be the solution to our problems.

The Fiji Times, Suva A 26-year-old Tongan, Tonga Fafita, has set a new record for coconut tree climbing. In the final of the coconut tree climbing competition at Sukuna Park in Suva it took Fafita only 5.53 seconds to climb up a 30-ft tree, and sponsors of the competition hope to get his performance in the Guinness Book of Records. Fafita said fitness was one of the main aspects in climbing coconut trees, together with strong arms and legs and a lot of practice.

The Papua New Guinea Post-Courier, Port Moresby Eastern Highlanders who want to air their grievances have been isked to leave their bows and arrows behind when they come to joroka to complain. The request has come from the president of he Goroka Local Government Council, Cr Marisalopa Hubae. He aid groups in warpaint and carrying weapons often came to town Wanting war songs on their way to lodge complaints with officials.

These are threatening signs and could easily spark trouble,’ Cr Jubae said. : rom a letter to the editor, signed K. Bolimilavau, in he Papua New Guinea Post-Courier, Port Moresby am sick and tired of hearing about tribal fights in the Highlands.

Jews about them seems to be broadcast every second or third day f the week. To me, these tribal fights are no more than inborn avagery ... One deterrent to the tribal fights is to let them fight nd fight to the last warrior. This simply means legalising tribal ghts and killings so they do not become a problem needing alution. roman editorial in the Papua New Guinea Post

courier, Port Moresby

plan to broadcast question time from parliament is welcome, if aly for the reason that it will give people who are ignorant of the arhamentary system an insight into at least how part of the system aerates . . . And if it manages to smarten up conduct among embers and raise the level of debate, so much the better he Fiji Times, Suva tr Justice Kermode has had a long and horrible career and we ape he will be around to continue it with distinction for a long time . And from the next issue of the same paper e are red in the face. On Saturday we wanted to pay tribute to r Justice Kermode who has had a long and honourable career Jt somehow gremlins got into the act and mutilated a well-chosen ard into something offensive. We offer our sincere regret and 'ology to His Lordship.

From a parliamentary report in the Cook Islands News

Rarotonga

The Judicative Amendment Bill was duly passed, and an explanation by the Minister for Justice, Mr laveta Short, was verbally applauded by the opposition member for Pukapuka, Mr Inatio Akaruru. However Mr Akaruru insisted that money was being wasted in printing the bill. He suggested that the money could have been used instead to finance morning and afternoon tea for members of parliament.

Uni Tavur, the magazine of the University of Papua New Guinea, Port Moresby, reporting a demonstration by women students The demonstration was against the arrest of two female students.

The two have been charged with using abusive language. The women demonstrators said that if police are called when boys harass girls, the police don’t seem keen to help. But when the boys call in police to arrest girls, the police seem more enthusiastic.

From an editorial in The Fiji Times, Suva, supporting a plan (subsequently adopted) for the central leadership of the Alliance Party to have more voice in choosing who the party endorses for parliament The House of Representatives has a roll of 52 elected members, a handy number, but not so handy that Fiji can afford to carry some who are not pulling their full weight. As observers will vouch, the number of MPs who, in reality, have little or nothing to show behind the facade raised by the sound of their own voices is one which is cause for concern. It is not half of them, or a third, but arguably it could be as high as 25% . . . They have their seats because of political party systems with weaknesses that mean that the chaff is not removed from the seed. For this reason the Alliance Party should accept as an experiment proposed changes in their candidate selection system that should reduce the number of unworthies who creep into parliament by puff, blarney and even a

little skulduggery . . .

Part of a letter signed Detonga Deiya published in the Nauru Post, Nauru, criticising the attitude of voters in the Aiwo electorate The people of Aiwo have become influenced by ambitions, wealth and family honour so that a group or family seeks domination through the ballot box without considering whether a particular candidate is an excellent choice or not. The pattern of election in Aiwo district no longer seeks a perfect or near-perfect representative to parliament, but seeks a family representative. The people no longer consider such things as whether their representative is a pain in the neck or not. Many electors have turned to selling their votes on the open market, voting for the one who satisfies their price —perhaps the offer of a luxury job. All in all the people of Aiwo no longer wish to choose an ordinary honest decent working man.

From the Fiji Ministry of Information’s publication Fiji, published in Suva, quoting government backbencher Mr P.K. Bhindi in parliament Mr Speaker, sir: Criticism is easily levelled at members of parliament who seek rises in their own salaries. But who else is going to give us a raise or a cut in our remuneration other than ourselves?

The Nauru Post, reporting a flight from Melbourne to Nauru in an Air Nauru aircraft The local padre, returning from a goodwill mission, cautiously uncovered his lunch tray and noticed an Ansett serviette, a TAA the friendly way plastic bag with utensils inside, the utensils themselves stamped Alitalia, some JAL sugar and an Air Nauru towellette. He remarked This is truly an international airline’.

The Fiji Times, Suva, reporting on claims that the foundations of the National Bank Building in Lautoka

were sinking

The building on Naviti Street in the city centre was not ‘sinking dangerously’, as had been reported last week, the structural engineer, Mr Mike Ali, said. What had happened was that the building had differential settlement, and this was being investigated.