Island links unweakened-but

South Pacific Conference In Vanuatu

Island links unweakened-but can the structure remain?

The South Pacific Conference, representing 21 autonomous Island countries, together with Australia, New Zealand, Britain, USA and France, met in Vanuatu in October. PIM Editor ANGUS SMALES, who was in Port-Vila for the conference, describes growing pressures for a new regional structure, moves to strengthen the role of women, attitudes to nuclear issues and proposals to develop and protect Island economies.

The regional links of the mod ern Pacific are as strong as ever they were and the shared cul tural backgrounds of the Island countries in particular continue to contribute to a special brand of sympathetic unity. This much was obvious at the South Pacific Conference in Vanuatu in October, the 21st gathering of a regional non-political insti tution which has consistently typified the spirit of the new Pacific better than any other institution or alliance. ‘Our vitality and our friendships are being renewed all the time,’ was the comment of Young Vivian, soon to retire as Secretary- General of the South Pacific Commission.

The conference ethos was indeed as strong as in any year, but a number of undercurrents existed, adding weight to in creasing speculation that a gen eral shake-up of Pacific regional institutions may be round the corner.

One conference observer 'there was no shortage of ob servers, accredited or unofficial) suggested that the conference or the first time reflected a legree of tension in its debates md its lobbying.

Most delegates wouldn’t igree with this. ‘Tension’ was oo strong a word, they said, fhey stressed that nothing vhich had happened at the (inference in any way hreatened regional links or egional co-operation. On exam nation, the undercurrents ap ear to be related to the mech nical application of regional tructures, not to the concept of bntinued regional co peration.

The undercurrents arose ■om such things as differences f opinion concerning the role

which the SP Conference is supposed to play, fears about the cost of regional structures at a time when most countries are feeling the pinch at home, concern at an apparent prolifer ation of regional institutions, claims of overlapping responsi bilities between regional insti tutions and the growing role of politics in what is supposed to be a non-political alliance.

In essence the SP Com mission and the SP Conference (the conference directs the annual work of the com mission) are not political agencies and they are not aid agencies. They are supposed to take a research and develop ment application role directed at all facets of the Islands regional community.

A degree of politics is un avoidable when political issues can be demonstrated as having a direct bearing on wide issues.

The application of what are essentially research and pilot funds or ‘sponsorship’ project funds also has some difficulty with aid agency work.

But the source of many of the undercurrents at the Vanuatu SP Conference appeared to be a misunderstanding of or a dis content with the defined role of the conference. Three delegates told newsmen that the confer ence had no teeth because of its ‘ban on politics.’ Another claimed that aid funds from metropolitan Conference countries would be better ap plied directly to recipient countries rather than ‘filtered and diluted’ through the SP Commission. It is immaterial whether these attitudes rose from ignorance of the Confer ence and Commission roles or from a deep-seated desire for change.

Whatever the motivation, the comments (and the proceedings of the conference) have been interpreted as evidence of a growing movement for reorgan isation of Pacific regional struc tures.

The country which most strongly questioned existing structures was Papua New Guinea. For a start, PNG did not have ministerial represen tation at the conference be

his country’s payment was only in the interests of regional solidarity. He urged caution on plans for a regional develop ment fund, saying that the administration might be so costly that effective benefits would be small.

He expressed concern at the proportion of SP Commission funds which were spent on salaries and at a proposal to establish a Pacific region stabil-

cause, in the words of a government statement, ‘this is not seen as necessary.’ This in itself was s.gmficam Th 6 man w h ° led the PNG delegation was the very able career diplomat and administrator Paulius Matane, head of his country’s foreign affairs and trade department.

Mr Matane wasted no opportunity to question the worth of proposed new activities, to question expenditure levels and to appeal for curbs on the growth of regional structures.

He agreed to a general decision to raise member country contributions to the SP Commission by 10 percent, but said

isation fund for agricultural exports. Overheads in the stabilisation fund could be ex cessive, he said, But his strongest contribution to the need for austerity was a formal recommendation on be half of PNG that ‘a single regional organisation in the Pacific should be established in 1982 or as soon as possible thereafter.’ This is the issue

Chairing the conference (right) is Education Minister Donald Kalpokas from the host country, Vanuatu. With him is SRC

Secretary-General Young

Vivian, honoured by the confer ence as he approaches the end of his term of office.

which strikes at the roots of existing arrangements.

PNG’s call for a single organ isation would mean the effective amalgamation of the South Pacific Bureau of Economic Co operation (SPEC) and the SP Commission. The relationship between the two organisations has created a long-standing issue, and it was debated for the third successive year still without deciding a definite course of action. Mr Matane said the two organisations overlapped and wasted money. ‘And we don’t want more studies and studies on studies,’ he said.

Tiwau Awira (Kiribati) com mented that ‘the matter de serves looking into’ and two other delegates, Dr Enetama Lipitoa (Niue) and Ezekiel Alebua (Solomon Islands sug gested forming a committee to

consider an ‘umbrella’ organis ation under which the existing organisations would work. The five metropolitan countries Australia, New Zealand, Britain, USA and France all deferred to the opinion of the Island countries. Mr Matane received no immediate support for his hard-line recommen dation, but there was little doubt in the minds of delegates and observers that pressures for some change will increase.

Predictably, the SPEC Direc tor, Dr Gabriel Gris, defended the existence of the two bodies. ‘There is not as much overlap ping as many people think,’ he said.

Discussions on the relation ship were deferred pending further consideration within the South Pacific Forum and by a committee of officials which SPEC is organising.

Strong stand by

women’s lobby

The women’s lobby at this year’s conference was the strongest it has ever been, largely due to the influence of the Pacific women’s seminar held in French Polynesia earlier in the year and pushed along by a decision to establish a women’s resource bureau at the SP Commission headquarters in Noumea. The accent which this year’s conference placed on women’s roles in the Pacific was summed up by Mrs Claire Slatter of Suva who told del egates: ‘After years of fruitless planning and countless sem inars, some important decisions for women are being made.’

But for all this there were still signs that many of the participating governments or their delegates, anyway are

still unsure of what the women’s lobby is all about. The debates tended to produce an atmos phere of dealing in special rights or special facilities for women rather than in the part nership of men and women in the day-to-day life and organis ation of Island countries. Some of the delegates, too, managed to produce the impression that they were dealing in concessions for women. There was a light hearted tone to many of their comments, the parading of little jokes about women, and each woman speaker was given loud applause something the men didn’t get.

The conference heard from Henry Naisali (Tuvalu) who said: ‘We have no problems with our women, and we have demonstrated this by not bring ing any to this conference.

There’s nothing to stop them

standing for parliament, but they know they will lose.’

On a more serious note, however, the conference en dorsed a series of recommen dations from the women’s sem inar. The most important of these will be the establishment of the women’s resource bureau for which Australia has guaran teed a grant of $25 000. Exter nal funding will be sought for other projects contained in the recommendations which cover a wide range of health, education, family, nutrition and welfare matters. The proposed resource bureau will be directed at integrating women into a wider range of Pacific affairs at the community and national level.

Dr Sa’euteuga Scanlan (American Samoa), one of the women who presented papers to the conference, said there was no suggestion that the family

role of women ‘given to us by creation’ should be relin quished. ‘But there is a big life outside the home, and we can fill both roles they are not alien to each other,’ she said.

Colonial hand,

leader warns

Vanuatu Prime Minister Walter Lini, who opened the conference at a ceremony in Port-Vila, appealed for the de claration of the Pacific as a nuclear-free zone and warned that a brand of colonialism was still affecting the Island countries of the Pacific. His remarks were described by some delegates as the most politically motivated ever heard at a South Pacific Conference opening ceremony.

They said it reflected the growing feeling among some

member countries, particularly the newer ones, that the non political constitution of the con ference was becoming outdated and that changes in regional structures were required to suit the changing needs of the Island countries.

Father Lini said there were continuing pressures to bring nuclear activity into the Pacific, but these pressures should be resisted by all countries. He claimed it was a matter of life and death that the Pacific be declared a nuclear-free zone because of the particular en vironmental issues confronting Island countries. ‘There can be no compromise and no retreat where the crucial issue of nu clear activity is concerned,’ he said.

Father Lini said there could be no half measures, and he believed the Island countries

should press for the banning of nuclear tests of all types, the dumping of nuclear waste, the operation of nuclear-powered ships and submarines and the carrying of nuclear devices by submarines or aircraft.

Father Lini said there was also a need for the people of the Pacific to establish confidence in themselves and their abilities or they could easily remain victims of colonial influences which still existed. He believed that the Pacific remained one of the last regions of the world where ‘the heavy band of colonialism continues to be played.’

Father Lini defended the aims and operation of the South Pacific Commission in the face of a degree of criticism in recent years. He said that the Island countries had reached the stage where they still relied heavily

on aid but their ability to advance and develop rested on what they were able to do for themselves. Co-operation and sharing were important parts of this process, and in this respect the work of the SP Commission was central. Its role could be immediate and dynamic in helping the Island countries to outride external pressures and persuasions, he said.

SPC Secretary-General Young Vivian, who also ad dressed the opening ceremony, appealed for greater unity and harmony. He said that the spirit now popularly known as ‘The Pacific Way’ should permeate all relationships.

Diplomat starts

chain reaction

A Japanese diplomat at the conference started a chain reac tion of his own when he inter vened in the delicate political issues surrounding his country’s plans which are still indefinite to dump nuclear waste in the western Pacific.

Earlier the conference had adopted a resolution which, among other things, called for an end to proposals to dump radioactive waste in the Pacific.

This was a direct reference to a long-standing Japanese pro posal, although Japan was not specifically named in the resol ution.

On the final day of the conference observers from non participating governments and from visiting agencies and insti tutions were invited to speak.

This is a well-established prac tice in the history of the South Pacific Conference, and the statements which emerge tend to be non-controversial, usually involving diplomatic and tech nical messages. One of the observers who spoke this year was the Japanese Ambassador to Fiji, Tonga, Kiribati, Tuvalu and Nauru, Mr K. Ikebe, of Suva. After expressing Japan’s support for the aspirations of the Pacific people, Mr Ikebe launched into a detailed ac count of his country’s reliance on nuclear energy (12% of its total power) and of the disposal requirements of low-level waste.

He outlined the present Japanese attitudes which have already been widely publicised

in the Pacific. They are that the proposed dumping area is nearer to Japan than to any other land, that tests show there will be no danger or environ mental hazards, that proper monitoring will be maintained and that proposals to begin dumping are still indefinite while public reaction is as sessed.

His statement produced an immediate response from con ference delegates. Two said they admired Mr Ikebe’s cour age in speaking to the meeting but that their opposition to dumping would not be shaken.

The strongest response was from Mr George Chan (North ern Marianas), an alternative energy specialist who earlier had presented comprehensive reports on energy and environ mental issues. Mr Chan said; ‘Whatever claims you make, the fact remains that our country is in your back yard and if anything happens, we are in trouble. And I remind you, too, that fish swim all over the Pacific taking pollution with them.’ Mr Chan also disputed claims that the proposed dump ing methods were safe, and said it was significant that USA had stopped dumping low-level waste in the Pacific.

The controversy deepened the next day when an incorrect news report circulated through out the Pacific claiming that Mr Ikebe had ‘announced in Port- Vila that Japan intended to start dumping nuclear waste in the Pacific.’ The report prompted an angry reaction from the Solomon Islands where it was accepted at face value and where it led to a denouncement of Japan by the Solomons Prime Minister, Solomon Mamaloni. Mr Ikebe issued a subsequent statement to newsmen in which he stressed that Japan was not defying public opinion, and that he had not announced any decision to begin routine dumping.

‘Don’t let fabric

turn to plastic’

Lobbying for the position of Secretary-General was one of the early issues which led to undercurrents at the confer ence. The present Secretary- General, Young Vivian (Niue),

is constitutionally required to stand down in the middle of next year, and two nominations for the position had been lodged. The nominees were Palauni Tuiasosopo, now assist ant to the governor in American Samoa, and Francis Bugotu, now a roving ambassador for Solomon Islands.

The Planning and Evaluation Committee, which met in cam era before the conference, en dorsed the nomination of Mr Bugotu. American Samoa, up set by the turn of events, withdrew the nomination of Mr Tuiasosopo and the conference then unanimously appointed Mr Bugotu.

The full details of how the nominations were handled in committee were not disclosed.

The formal reason, given briefly several days later, was that the position had to be rotated among the major groupings within the Islands community.

Leaked information suggested in addition that some delegates were unhappy about the possi bility of an appointment from American Samoa on the alleged grounds that American Samoa was excessively influenced by US policies.

Whatever might have been the nature of the discussions, the fact remains that Governor Peter T. Coleman of American Samoa, leader of his country’s delegation, delivered a critical and emotional statement to the conference about what had hap pened.

Mr Coleman stood down from the conference after de livering his statement in which he said that his country had seriously considered withdraw ing its entire delegation. Only a dedication to the principles of Pacific unity had persuaded the delegation to remain, he said.

Mr Coleman’s statement also included a spirited defence of his country’s autonomy and its strong but independent associ ation with USA.

He told the conference: ‘As you know we had proposed a Secretary-General, but when we arrived we found a decision had already been taken. We in American Samoa did not know how to take this it was as if the South Pacific community had forgotten some of its own people. The action which was

taken overlooked certain eti quettes and courtesies for which we are generally known. We contemplated, as a mission, returning home that is how serious it was to us . . . ‘We are withdrawing the candidacy of our nominee for one reason lest the delicate fabric woven in the past should turn to plastic. We do this as a courtesy in the belief that it will save the freedom and the soli darity that this conference rep resents.’

Referring to the relationship between his country and USA, Mr Coleman said he believed American Samoa had a mess age of togetherness to bring to the Pacific. Among the once territorial islands of the Pacific, American Samoa had led the way to independent status, he said, and the present partner ship with USA was a two-way street. American Samoa made its own decisions and stood on its own feet, he said, and at the same time was an integral part of the Pacific community. Un like some countries, he con tinued, it was not taking advan tage of current attitudes which allowed receiving everything and giving nothing.

The incoming Secretary- General, who will take up his appointment on July 1 next year, is in favour of a merger between the South Pacific Bu reau for Economic Co operation (SPEC) and the SP Commission. Mr Bugotu was not at the Port-Vila conference which announced his appoint ment, but in an interview later in Papua New Guinea he ex pressed appreciation of the confidence which had been shown in him and outlined his attitudes to regional issues.

He said he was aware of the criticisms which had been made of present institutional struc tures in the Pacific, and he believed the time had come for a change. He believed that a merger of the two bodies would better utilise limited resources and still provide a valuable service to the region. Mr Bugotu said that he saw his new appointment as making him ‘a servant of the people’ and he said he would commit himself to give more attention to the smaller Island countries of the Pacific.