More from Kalafi Moala

Just as media are alive and vigorous in Polynesia, so are the many attempts by those who are in power to control it. Taming the media is often done by redefining media freedom, and especially in dislodging its role in scrutiny of power. A state without a critical media is a state where there are no checks and balances of power.

Tonga, Fiji, and other island states are more sensitive than ever to any outside pressure, particularly by their development partners, in regards to what the island states perceive as interference in internal matters

For the first time the 2013 PLG summit will include indigenous Polynesian groups with Maori, Hawaiian, and Rapa Nui leaders invited to participate. This is a move that expands the confines of the group from just independent and self-governing island states to include distinct Polynesian peoples.

Polynesian countries may have missed the significance of participating at the inaugural Pacific Islands Development Forum. Bainimarama noted that it was unfortunate some countries did not attend, possibly because they regarded the meeting as political instead of focusing on development.