Cooks govt

Letters

clarifies report

Sir WE refer to your article “Pearls ’94” which appeared in your July issue.

The many inaccuracies therein and negativity directed at the Cook Islands prime minister, Sir Geoffrey Henry, KBE, has made it necessary for this office to respond and register our strong objections. After consulting by telephone with PIM Acting Editor Arvind Kumar, we would like to clarify the following points: With regard to paragraph four, author Ed Rampell has distorted the facts about booths at the pearl expo. The Cook Islands government fully supports and encourages the country’s pearl industry.

To this end, the government purchased one booth for the exclusive use of the country’s private sector representatives.

At no time was the booth operated or controlled by government officials at tending Pearl Expo ’94.

Secondly, Rampell writes “but despite an excellent speech and thousands of taxpayer dollars to send Sir Geoffrey and his courtiers on their junket to an expensive Waikiki Beach suitte, the prime minister proved to be a poor spokesman for the Cooks. Despite re peated interview requests, he failed to find a few minutes to talk with the media and present the Cooks’ case.”

This paragraph is grossly inaccurate, denigrates Sir Geoffrey and illustrates a lack of professionalism and basic journal istic ethics.

We make the following corrections: Sir Geoffrey was returning from a month long trip to an Asian Development Bank board of directors meeting in France. He

was passing through Honolulu on his way back home to the Cook Islands, therefore, no tax-payer money was spent for his attendance at the pearl expo. The use of “courtiers on their junket” we find very offensive.

Sir Geoffrey’s Hawaii delegation con sisted of the Minister of Marine Re sources Tepure Tapaitau, Marine Re sources Biologist Ben Ponia and govern ment projects analyst (specialising in the pearl industry) Teanaroa Paka

Worthington.

Of the 25 Cook Islands delegates, only these three were government officials, the remainder representing the private sector who travelled at their own expense.

Furthermore, the prime minister stayed at the Waikiki Sheraton courtesy of the hotel. The rest of the delegation stayed at budget accommodation.

By the time the prime minister arrived in Hawaii, he had just completed a gruelling electoral campaign and an intensive one month trip to Europe. He then delivered the keynote address at the Pearl Expo ’94. Given the psychological and physical demands of such a heavy schedule, Sir Geoffrey was undestandably exhausted. Worthington, also acting as aide to the prime minister, cancelled several important scheduled appointments.

The prime minister held only one interview, with a local Honolulu tele vision station. Rampell fails to accept that the Cook Islands prime minister was not obligated in anyway to hold media interviews during the 2 1 / 2 days in Hawaii.

We also point out that Manihiki pearl farmer, Peter William has expressed strong objection to being described as a millionaire by Rampell. While at the pearl expo, William at no time stated nor insinuated that- he is a millionaire. In addition, the article claims that “Williams had to resort to ‘firearms’ to protect their pearl farm from theft etc.”

William has clarified this matter by stating that his family issued a verbal warning and did not “resort to the use of firearms”.

Given that PIM is a leading Pacific publication, it is most unfortunate that this damaging and inaccurate article was printed at all. In our view, Rampell’s negligence and disregard has discredited

a reputable magazine.

F Syme-Buchanan

Media & Information Services Office of the Prime Minister Government of the Cook Islands

Racial

taunts

Sir, MAY I respond to an article in the July issue of Pacific Islands Monthly under the heading “Islanders allege racial taunts”.

It would be unfortunate and indeed unjust if as a result of the article in question, any of your readers were left with a diminished opinion of Warringah Rugby Club or Sydney rugby generally.

Players from all backgrounds are welcomed by Sydney clubs with only the

individual playerl’s performance and

behaviour on and off the field the criteria by which they are accepted by sup porters, officials and fellow players.

The recent irresponsible allegations of racism by UTS Drummoyne against Warringah players should be seen for what it is a desperate tactic by a club in an equally desperate situation. In an attempt to defend the behaviour of one of its players and minimise any possible suspension, UTS Drummoyne saw fit to smear others as a diversion. It is worth noting that Jack Noble, the UTS Drummoyne player at the centre of the fracas when playing Warringah, has subsequently been sent from the field again for fighting.

Everyone involved with rugby under stands the international nature of the game and the friendships and support thus formed. Warringah Rugby Club in 1994 is host to players from countries as diverse as Brazil, Scotland, Italy and the Pacific islands. Among these individuals is your own outstanding young Fijian player Manasa Bari, a highly respected and much loved member of Warringah Rugby Club.

R J Heffernan

Secretary Warringah Rugby Club Narrabeen, Australia

LETTERS to the Editor must include the writer’s full name, address and home telephone number. All letters may be edited for purposes of clarity and space.

Letters should be addressed to: Editor Pacific Islands Monthly P O Box 1167 Suva Fiji Islands OR Fax (679) 303809

Forum

position

Sir, THE utterances of Fiji’s Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka and Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials against the reappointment of lercmia Tabai as secretary-general of the Forum Secretar iat, (see report inside) are hollow and insensitive. The media should take a more critical approach to their state ments.

Their public protestations expose their ignorance of the due process in the appointment of this vital regional pos ition. It took the prime minister of Cook Islands to enlighten them.

More importantly, Tabai, as the former long-serving president of Kiribati and the current secretary general, has the

requisite qualifications, experience and

stature to do more than adequate justice to the position. Indeed, Filipe Bole had indicated that Tabai’s candidature should take precedence over his. Nomi nation by the Kiribati government confirmed Tabai’s candidature. The more sensitive and graceful line of action for Fiji would have been to withdraw Bole’s nomination and accept Tabai’s

reappointment. Unfortunately, the

prime minister and other Fiji govern ment officials by their outbursts have not only ridiculed themselves but have given the country a poor image.

Fiji appears not satisfied with the location of many of regional and interna tional agencies on its shores but aspires to get all the top jobs as well. This seems to be an outward extension of the post coup ethno-nationalism that has charac

terised Fiji politics and leadership. Fiji

taxpayers expect a more mature ap proach to regional and international relations from the prime minister and his colleagues.

Gopal Sundram

Suva Fiji

Yachtsman

lan McNair

Sir, PERHAPS some of your readers may remember the tall, red-headed yachts man whose yacht Arion came ashore on the golf course at Toberua Island without him? Over a period of 30 years, lan visited many Pacific islands and made goods friends where ever he stayed.

Those of us who knew him were often amazed by the long passages he fre

quently completed, single handed and

without the benefit of radio contact or

modern sailing equipment.

For lan, cruising was a search for a meaning in life. To an observer his meandering courses around the world (at least two circumnavigations that I know

of) seemed almost aimless but they gave him the time to read and to meditate for extended periods of time and also provided him with the experiences to test his spiritual theories. lan’s reclusive lifestyle gave him a greatly slowed down sense of time and a tranquil manner. This could be very irritating when we were rushing around trying to fit everything into a very busy life but at other times lan provided us with the luxury of having someone who had the time and the ability to really listen to what we were saying. His long self-imposed periods of seclusion also gave him a unique insight into the folly of the lives we led (and his own life) but he only gave us the benefit of his observations if we asked for them and more often that not they were cushioned by his gentle sense of humour.

When he sailed on, we were never sure if we would see him again but then, years later he would appear unannounced and, if pushed, again entertain us with a new set of incredible stories told in his amusing, understated style. Some of these stories have been told by other

cruising yachties in numerous yachting

magazines. A couple of years ago lan finally parted company with Arion in South Africa after deciding that the boat was becoming too much of a restriction.

Failing eyesight and the possible early

onset of Alzheimer’s disease hastened his decision. lan was an intensely private person.

He belived that as people find out more about you, they classify you and uncon sciously try you to behave in a way that supports their classification. Each of us who knew him probably holds a little piece of his life in our memory but I doubt that anyone knows the full story of his unusual life. This was brought home to me last month (July 23) when I received a phone call from South Africa telling me that lan had been killed accidentally when he was hit by a car while riding his bike. I was asked if I knew if he had any family or anyone else that should be notified. There are Erobably many people around the world oth on and off boats who should know but few of us know each other. I had to admit that despite the fact that I lived on Arion with lan for nearly three years and had kept in contact since then, I knew very little about his life, especially before we met in Suva in August 1970.

Perhaps your readers may like to write to me with their memories and/or photos of lan and between us we could reconstruct his interesting life? 1 always threatened that I would do this if he just disappeared on one of his ocean cross ings. His response to this threat was to write a couple of times each year to let me know that he “wasn’t dead yet".

Sadly that is no longer true.

Reeni Behan

( nee Smith)

96 Arenga St Gumdale, Qld. 4154 Australia