Pacific Report

ELECTION I: “AS YOU WERE” IN VANUATU Final results of the November 2 elections in Vanuatu announced in mid-month by electoral officials show the Vanuaaku Party with 24 seats in the 39-member Representative Assembly (com pared with 26 in the previous assembly), and the opposition Union of Moderate Parties with 12. The remaining three seats went one each to Na-Griamel, Namake Auti and Fren Melanesia. These three small groups, representing various “bush” interests on the islands of Santo and Malakula, can be expected to side with the opposition rather than the Vanuaaku Party which nevertheless remains in power with a comfortable if reduced majority. A feature of the election was the complete rout of the ex-Vanuaaku breakaway party, the Vanuatu Independence Alliance party, which lost all three seats it previously held in the assembly. (See report by Julie-Ann Ellis in The Month.) ELECTION II: “AS YOU WEREN’T” IN THE COOKS The November 2 election in the Cook Islands the country’s second this year resulted in a mirror-image change of government. The previous Cook Islands Party government, which held a 13-11 majority, has been replaced by a Democratic Party government, also with a 13-11 majority. Sir Thomas Davis has returned as the country’s prime minister-designate. (See report by Trevor Clarke in Political Currents.)

Somare’S Sweeping Win In Confidence Vote

By a 70-0 vote, the National Parliament in Port Moresby on November 15 affirmed its confidence in Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Michael Somare, putting an abrupt end to a weeks-long campaign of threats by Opposition Leader lam bakey Okuk to put a motion of no-confidence in the prime minister. In the event, Mr Okuk withdrew his motion at the last minute. He quit the chamber with his supporters rather than stay to witness the voting on Mr Somare’s counter-motion of confi dence in his own leadership. Opposition members departed amid jeers from the government benches, leaving the way clear for the unanimous assertion by remaining members of the 109member House of confidence in Mr Somare. Speaking after the adoption of his confidence motion, Mr Somare accused Mr Okuk of “making a mockery” of parliament with his no-confidence threats. The prime minister foreshadowed a constitutional amendment which would provide for the holding of new elec tions following any successful no-confidence motion. Under the present constitution a no-confidence motion must name an alternative prime minister, who automatically takes office if the motion succeeds.

New Caledonia: Independent By ’B6?

A draft plan for New Caledonian independence by 1986 was to be put before French Minister for Overseas Territories Georges Lemoine during his projected late-November visit to the territory.

The plan, drawn up by the Union Caledonienne, largest party in the Independence Front, includes proposals for a new system of voting in territorial elections. One clause in the proposed new system provides that voting rights should be restricted to people who were not only born in New Caledonia but also had one parent born in the territory. (See Helen Fraser’s report in The Month.)

Tough Measures In Fiji Budget

Fiji’s 1984 Budget, brought down in parliament in Suva by Finance Minister Charles Walker on November 11, provides for heavier government imposts on tobacco, beer, spirits, TV sets, video recorders, and petrol, and an array of new taxes on tourist-related activities. Spending on public works is to be increased, with the Budget providing SFB4 million for projects aimed chiefly at job-creation and the saving or generation of foreign exchange. Mr Walker said that while 1983 had been a tough year, 1984 didn’t look much better, with sugar production still affected by the long drought. While economic growth rates would decline this year, Mr Walker said there were grounds for hopes of a modest growth of about 4 per cent next year.

ISLAND NATIONS DIG DEEP FOR FORUM LINE Since the August meeting in Canberra of the South Pacific Forum, the Pacific Forum Line has received financial assistance

totalling nearly SA2 million from the Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Tonga, Tavalu, Vanuatu and Western Samoa. Australia’s refus al to help bail out the loss-making line was a bone of contention, especially between Australia and New Zealand, at the Canberra meeting. Further funds for the line are also being sought from the European Economic Community (RIM Nov. p 5).

Tahiti Hotel Strike Hits Tourism

Tourist authorities in Tahiti in mid-November estimated that a continuing strike by hotel employees on the island had resulted in a loss of 1500 tourists and about $A750,000 so far. The strike, which closed the island’s three biggest hotels, is over an employees’ claim for a five-day, 40-hour week. Previous condi tions provided for a 48-hour week with one day off. The strike began late in October and was continuing at press time. The Australian airline Qantas announced that it was removing Tahiti from the itinerary of its luxury 16-day round-the-world tour, due to begin on November 19, and would fly to Honolulu instead.

MORUROA TEAM S FINDINGS ON THE WAY Dr Hugh Atkinson, director of New Zealand’s National Radiation Laboratory, who headed the October mission of New Zealand, Australian and Papua New Guinean scientists to France’s nuclear testing site at Moruroa Atoll, said in November it would be five or six months before the team could analyse the samples and study the data it collected there. He said the mission had found no obvious environmental or structural damage to the atoll, but added that such things could not readily be seen. The scientists spent four days on Moruroa and seven days taking samples in Tahiti.

U.S.P.: NO OFFICIAL STAND IN NUCLEAR DEBATE The council of the University of the South Pacific has rejected a demand by the university’s student association that it declare an official stand on nuclear testing and the dumping of nuclear waste in the Pacific. The student body had made the demand in a submission to a meeting of the council. In its response, the council said it was not proper for the university to state an official position on controversial matters of this kind. It said govern ments and individuals held widely different views on the matters concerned, and for the university to take an official stand might have a constraining effect on the freedom of staff and students to express their views. It said this freedom was an essential part of any democratic university.

Fiji’S Monasavu Dam Is Opened

Fiji’s biggest engineering project, the Monasavu hydro electricity scheme, has been officially opened. The scheme, centred on the Nadrau plateau in the centre of the country’s main island Viti Levu, was declared open on October 27 by Fiji’s Governor-General Ratu Sir Penaia Ganilau. Addressing hun dreds of guests from all over Fiji who attended the opening ceremony, Ratu Sir Penaia said the scheme would have a far reaching influence on Fiji’s future. It is expected to reduce Fiji’s demand for oil imports by more than 60 per cent and to save the country about $lB million a year.

“School Funds For Faleolo” Teachers

Teachers in Western Samoa, through their trade union, have accused the government of Prime Minister Tofilau Eti of using Australian aid funds destined for curriculum development to work on the national Faleolo Airport. (See Sano Malifa’s report in The Month.)

Png Minister Calls For North-South Road

Papua New Guinea’s Minister for Industrial Development Karl Stack has called for the building of a north-south road from Vanimo in the north to a point opposite Daru in the south. The road would skirt the Irian Jaya border, on the other side of which the Indonesians are already in the process of building a highway from Jayapura to Merauke. Mr Stack said funds should be sought from overseas for the building of the road, which would promote PNG’s security and defence interests, and encourage economic development in the border area.

Png Vice-Chairman Of “Committee Of 24”

Papua New Guinea has been elected to fill the post of vice chairman of the Decolonisation Committee of the United Nations General Assembly, the so-called “committee of 24”. It is the

most senior post yet held by a PNG representative on a UN General Assembly committee.

Png Survey Team Has Military Escort

Papua New Guinea in late October sent soldiers to the Irian Jaya border to guard a survey team from possible attack by Free West Papua rebels. The 94 soldiers included infantry, en gineers, and support staff, and were posted mainly to the Ok Tedi project port town of Kiunga. A defence spokesman in Port Moresby said Indonesia had survey teams on the other side of the border involved in a joint operation with PNG. The new survey was agreed upon after Indonesia had built a road which was later found to have crossed into PNG at several points

Sea Treasure For Fisheries Blacklist?

An American fishing boat could be the first vessel to be blacklisted by the South Pacific Forum Fisheries Agency. The blacklist was created at the beginning of September when the agency introduced its register of ships allowed to fish in the economic zones of 15 Pacific Island nations and territories.

Within days an American fishing boat, the Sea Treasure, refused to stop when challenged by a patrol boat from the Federated States of Micronesia. The vessel, of 1200 tonnes, is believed to be worth about SUSIO million. A Japanese vessel arrested a few days earlier by the FSM was released only after its Japanese owners posted a bond of $4 million. The agency, which is based in Honiara, is processing an application that the Sea Treasure be blacklisted from fishing in the region. It is understood that introduction of the fishing register has led to a significant increase in the number of foreign fishing boats paying lirpnrp fppQ

U.S.P. Faces Big Change Of Direction

A major change of direction confronts the University of the South Pacific, according to Dr G. R. Teasedale, who is acting as consultant to a major regional conference on the university’s future to be held in Fiji in December. Speaking in Apia, Western Samoa, in November, Dr Teasedale said the trend by a number of countries to strengthen their own institutions of higher education was bringing a substantial change in the USP’s role.

Enumerating recent developments in this direction, Dr Teasedale noted that Solomon Islands had established a college of higher education, Fiji was reviewing the role of its Institute of Technology with a view to expanding it, Tonga was moving slowly towards establishment of a community college to draw together a number of post-secondary programs, and Western Samoa was planning the establishment of its own national university.

France Won’T Sign For N-Free Zone

France’s Minister for External Relations Claude Cheysson said in Canberra in November that his country is not ready to sign an agreement for a nuclear-free zone in the Pacific. He told journalists that France was not prepared to sign when it knew others would sign in bad faith. Mr Cheysson also said France’s nuclear tests were being carried out on French territory in the only available area which was geologically suitable. Mr Cheys son was the first minister of the Mitterrand government to have visited Australia. He also visited New Zealand and Indonesia.

Solomons Helps Png Flood Victims

Solomon Islands has made a gift of more than $25,000 to help relief efforts for victims of floods in Papua New Guinea’s Morobe Province (PIM Nov. p 5).

Health Officials Rapped In Fiji Report

A report prepared for the Fiji Public Service Commission has accused some officials in the country’s health ministry of trying to undermine the medical degree program at the Fiji School of Medicine. The report, prepared by a two-man Australian team, said there appeared to have been a move among sections of the ministry to create difficulties for two recently introduced prog rams, one for a bachelor of medicine degree and the other for a bachelor of surgery. It recommended that the ministry take no part in the school’s academic affairs, and concern itself solely with administrative and financial support.

New Caledonia Tightens Up On Imports

New Caledonia’s Government Council in November announced new regulations which will affect the territory’s imports from Australia and New Zealand. They provide that all imports of milk,

cheese and wheat from countries outside the European Economic Community will be subject to import quotas, and to the prior issue of an import licence. The territory gets about 10 per cent of its imports from Australia, and five per cent from New Zealand, with dairy products being the main imported items. The regulations will require that all food products carry in French, a contents description and expiry date. This last regulation will not come into effect for six months.

FIJI: HELP FOR FIJIANS IN TRADE, INDUSTRY The Fiji Government has approved a special loan scheme designed to boost the participation of Fijians in the country’s commerce and industry, at present predominantly run by Indians. The loans would be for joint ventures between Fijians and members of other racial groups. Involvement of the Fiji Development Bank is limited under the proposal to $200,000.

The bank will be authorised to finance up to 80 per cent of the cost of any venture, and it will ensure that the Fijian partner holds at least a 25 per cent interest in the project.

Moves To Revive Niue’S Traditional Arts

The Niue Government is seeking to revive traditional handcrafts on the island. According to a report from Radio Australia, the government’s Cultural Officer, Young Vivian, is collecting photo graphs of pieces of Niuean handcrafts from museums and private collections throughout the world. The materials will be used to encourage craftspeople to revive traditional skills and techniques.

U.S.P. Drops Exchanges With U.P.N.G.

The University of the South Pacific has cancelled its student exchange scheme with the University of Papua New Guinea because of a lack of funds. The USP Vice-Chancellor, Geoffrey Caston, announcing the decision, said a review would be made next year to see if the scheme could be revived.

Fiji Looks To Germany

The Fiji Government is considering a number of ideas for purchasing equipment and borrowing expertise from West Germany, following an October visit to Germany by Prime Minister Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara. Two West German forestry experts were due to visit Fiji in November to study possible projects.

Kiribati: Too Many Don’T Come Back

The Marine and Search Unit of Kiribati reports that 10 out of 14 canoes and outboard craft reported missing this year to the end of October had disappeared without trace, with the apparent loss of more than 20 lives. The unit says the men who went missing and survived some of whom were rescued as far away as Papua New Guinea and Marshall Islands were mostly Tarawa-based fishermen.

Six-Day Shoot-Out On Guam

On Guam in late October, two men wanted in connection with a spate of shooting incidents surrendered to authorities after a 10hour siege. A third man was found dead in the grounds of a hotel where the two had taken refuge. A police officer was seriously wounded during one exchange of fire. Earlier, the three men had been hunted in connection with a shooting spree which had lasted six days and left six people dead and seven injured. The incidents began when a man was shot dead following an argument over a game at a pool hall. Another two people were killed outside a bar the following night after an argument. On the next night, a police officer was shot and killed while pursuing a suspect vehicle. On the same night, masked gunmen walked into a social club and opened fire, killing two people.

Solomons Say “No” To P.I.D.P.

Solomon Islands has declined an invitation to join the Hawaii based Pacific Islands Development Program because, it says, there are already too many similar organisations covering the Pacific. Fiji and Papua New Guinea are among the PIDP’s members.

Kiribati Says “No,” Sil Vous Plait

The Kiribati Language Board has rejected proposals to include three new letters in the 13-letter alphabet at present in use. The letters proposed were s, v and p. The board said it took particular account of opposition from local people to the change, and felt that chaos would result if the changes were adopted, especially in the written form of the language.