Pacific

Islands

Monthly

Opinion

Good news, bad news

WHAT did July bring? Good news and bad. First the good news.

In New Caledonia, the country witnessed a peaceful transfer of administrative power from Paris to the new Territorial Assembly.

With Kanaks controlling two provincial administrations and the white settlers one, the country has launched itself strongly in the direction of the Matignon Accord and towards the referendum on independ ence in nine years. For the Kanaks, often militant in their struggle for independence, the spirit of Jean-Marie Tjibaou was alive, and orators eulogised him as they tried to set the pace for the future. For the white settlers, hoping for New Caledonia to remain under the French flag, the future is made easier by the fact they control the nickel-rich Southern Province, and its developments and financial centre. The Accord seems to have won the unity of the majority. The future for New Caledonia seems peaceful.

Fiji made some headlines. Pundits living far away predicted a third coup this year, and warned of impending doom, much to the asto nishment of the local residents. Methodist Church fundamentalists erected roadblocks, again, in their continuing battle with the law to preserve the sanctity of the Sunday. They were put in jail. The economy continued to bloom with the Asian Development Bank pre dicting a growth rate of between two and three percent for this year and next year. Quite contrary to what the critics say about Fiji, the Bank report said the political situation has stabilised, the tourism industry recovered and earnings from sugar, gold and garments have risen.

Vanuatu was swift in acting against the use of Port Vila as a trans-shipment port for heroin from Asia headed for the Australian market. The country remained politically stable. The brightest spot was news of the successful health care programme being run by the Save the Children Fund Australia and the Australian International Development Assistance Bureau (AIDAB). In a country that had poor health and one child in every 10 dying in their first year, Vanuatu has been able to arrest the problem and working for a health for all.

In French Polynesia, a hunger strike achieved some form of success when the territory’s President promised a special sitting of the Ter ritorial Assembly to discuss nuclear testing. The mellowing of official attitude in the territory was a good sign for anti-nuclear activists although it would not nave mucn of an impact on French nuclear

testing in the region.

One of the best examples of successful regional cooperation is the Pacific Forum Line which will announce another profit this month.

From very jittery beginnings many years ago Forum Line has man aged to sail away from financial trouble ana is becoming a profitable enterprise for Pacific Island countries.

Like all good things come to an end, so, too, good news. The bad news of July was the unsolved crisis in Papua New Guinea where the government was still having a shootout m the jungle with Francis Ona’s rebels. The crisis, followed by an impending motion of no confidence in the government, has created havoc m the country’s economy. In Tarawa the rest of the Pacific gathered for the 20th Forum, a meeting that was acknowledged a happy one until Japan again refused to agree to a ban on driftnet fishing in the region. □