For a better Pacific in 2000

Editorial

There are many milestones in a person’s life. For some people, getting to the Year 2000 was one of them, something that seemed far away as a child and yet tantalisingly close.

Now that it is upon us, how much have

we really progressed?

If one looks at the political side of Pacific Island affairs, then we have gone in leaps and bounds since 1900. Most Pacific countries have gained independence and are now in control of their own destinies.

The Pacific is gaining a stronger voice on the world front by uniting with African and Caribbean countries through the ACP.

The Pacific has also gained the political limelight by pushing for change because of advancing sea-level rise that threatens

the very survival of several island countries.

On the social front, island nations are beset with rising levels of HIV infection, population, and rural-urban drift. On the other hand, there are now fewer women dying during childbirth, increasing awareness and intolerance of domestic violence, and better access to education for the young in the islands.

Societies in the islands have become increasingly mixed with a curious blend of races, cultures, religions and other facets of social life.

But it is on the economic front, where we are floundering.

Not being blessed with close markets, large tracts of land, and abundant capital, island nations are struggling to stay afloat in the great globalisation drive.

Our politicians, who once adopted wholeheartedly the idea of open markets, now realise that Pacific businesses are still at a disadvantage when it comes to competing with the economies of scale of the western world.

Perhaps that is why national elections and votes of no-confidence lately have swung in favour of the party that has been in opposition for many years.

This is the case not just in Fiji, but in New Zealand, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, the Cook Islands and the Marshall.

Disillusion with the status quo led to these changes, and it is clear that island people want something different What we want is a better Pacific in 2000 - one that our forefathers envisioned but never got to see. ■