General

Dili Consensus

2015 Pacific Outcome (English) - Key conclusions from the Round Table Consultation on Pacific Issues

2015 Pacific Outcome (French) - Principales conclusions de la Table ronde-consultation sur les questions du Pacifique

Dili Conference agenda

Programme Overview

Dili Conference Concept Paper

Dili Conference Background Paper

Speech by Kuntoro Mangkusubroto - Address by Dr. Kuntoro Mangkusubroto, Special Advisor on Post-2015 Development Agenda.

Speech by Kay Rala Xanana Gusmao - Welcoming remarks, H. E. Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão, Prime Minister, República Democrática de Timor-Leste.

Speech by Dr Noeleen Heyzer - Development challenges in the Asia and Pacific region, Dr. Noeleen Heyzer, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the UNESCAP.

Speech by Afghanistan Minister Sham L. Bathija

Speech by Prime Minister of Solomon Islands – Honourable Gordon Darcy Lilo MP

Dili Briefing note Session1a

Briefing Notes for Breakout Session 1b

Briefing paper session 2a Governance ODI

Briefing note Session 2b Human security JICA

On November 22^nd Timor-Leste’s Finance Minister Emilia Pires delivered the first Harold Mitchell Development Policy Annual Lecture Series. Minister Pires spoke of her five years of experience as Finance Minister in Timor-Leste where ‘the key to our progress was acting, and acting fast’ and how, through the founding of the g7+ in 2010 (which now has 18 members) fragile states could come together to share their successes and failures and form a voice to ‘end the monologue spoken at us and promote a dialogue spoken with us.’ This dialogue takes the form of the ‘New Deal’, which ‘is our call to the rest of the world for a new type of engagement… a change in doing business, a change in procedures and a change in mindset’ Minister Pires ended her presentation saying ‘nothing about us, without us.’

Minister Pires writes:

Do you or your organisation have ideas to contribute to the development of a New Deal for developing nations? You can download the submission form here.

The Mountain

Drusilla Modjeska

Random House Australia Pty

First Published by Vintage in 2012

978 1 74166 650 2

Reviewed by Linda Kenni, Research Officer

‘The Mountain’ is a story about how lives, personalities and cultures are drawn together, across continents and tribal borders. It is a story about love, loss, giving, taking and about finding one’s calling in life, in a changing environment and circumstances.

Split into two parts, the initial setting is pre-independence Papua New Guinea. Here the author, Drusilla Modjeska draws on her personal experiences to bring the characters to life, reflecting the prejudice of sections of the community of colonial masters; and the hopes and aspirations of the indigenous population, from house servants, to University students, a foreign educated academic to the hero of independence, Michael Thomas Somare.

The main character in Part 1 is Rika, who finds a new life and love in the most unlikely of places. Rika, leaves her native Holland and her sorrows to travel with her husband, Leonard, a film maker, to ‘Papua’ to film the lives of villagers on ‘The Mountain’. The marriage was somewhat hasty, and whilst Leonard is attentive and a gentleman, the decision was made to escape from the shame and memory of the past. In Papua, away from everything in her past and in a completely new world, Rika’s creativity, senses and ‘spirit’ are awakened, and she establishes herself as a photographer of note.

She meets and befriends Martha, Laedi, Milton, Jacob and Aaron, people whose lives will intertwine in the most intriguing of ways. While Leonard is on the mountain filming, she becomes drawn to Aaron, the young foreign trained academic. White prejudices against interracial relationships, especially of white women with Papuans, leads to Aaron’s brutal bashing and subsequent hospitalisation. As Aaron is recovering, Rika is always at his bedside and comes to realise that she cannot deny true love and that the honorable thing to do is to inform Leonard in person. She makes the physically and emotionally challenging trip to the Mountain and as weeks pass, she learns about the lives of the villagers and is drawn to their passion for life and customs, including their sacred bark cloth paintings. She finally finds the moment to inform Leonard, who is heart broken.

After returning from the Mountain, and after seeing off Leonard, Rika makes a life for herself in the Hohola suburb of Port Moresby with Aaron. Laedi who is a ‘hapkas’ (mixed race) and her lecturer husband, Don, an Australian also move to Hohola, along with Martha and Peter. Here, the author takes us through the emotions and challenges of the push for independence through the eyes of a wife (Rika), whose husband, Aaron, is consumed with the work he is doing alongside Michael and the others. The author excels in touching on the peculiarities of Papua New Guinea, none more so than the passion for Rugby League which often spills onto the streets.

Rika attempts to fit into Aaron’s culture and family, spending time and understanding life at the villages in the fjords. She finds that the one thing that will bring about her acceptance is to bear him children. Alas she finds that she is infertile. Added to her woes is Aaron’s increasing focus on government work after PNG achieves self government in 1973. And in yet another twist as part one comes to an end, a hapkas child, called Jericho, who Leonard had fathered with a villager from the ‘mountain’ enters her life, and the lives of her friends. Bili, Laedi’s daughter also enters the scene as a bubbly character, an independent and strong child.

The second part of the story commences in 2005 and centers on Jericho, attempting to piece together and learn about his early life in PNG, having grown up in England after Leonard came for him and Rika following Aaron’s death in 1976. He had made one short trip back as an adolescent, but did not take a liking to the place, nor had he found the need to discover his roots. In the intervening years, he and Rika  had visitors from PNG, one in particular, a soul mate, was Bili. Bili had by now become a successful environmental lawyer, a champion of landowners cheated of their resources and land.

Again the author successfully captures the peculiarities of modern day PNG: unemployment, poverty in settlements, poor infrastructure, exploitation of helpless landowners amongst a host of issues. Through the eyes of Jericho, she also captures the attempt by villagers on the mountain and in the fjords to hold on to their culture and yet seek business ventures to earn an income to educate their children and to look after their basic material needs.

The story sees Jericho discover his roots on the mountain and come to accept why he is referred as ‘the Gift Child’. He is able to gain the villagers’ acceptance of his business idea to sell their much revered bark cloth paintings not by the hundreds but to select galleries and museums. And as all good stories should end, he and Bili find a way forward to overcome distance to keep their love alive.

This is a must read for all Pacific islanders. The book provides an interesting insight on one Pacific country, and provides Pacific islanders an opportunity to understand and picture what it must have been like in their own country and as well as other Pacific countries, during the colonial time and just before independence.

This may prompt people to find out more about how things were during the pre-independence period in their own countries. By doing so, they may be surprised to find out more things they did not know before or compare their country’s struggles (or their old people’s struggles) with those of other countries and see the similarities and differences between them. For instance, I do know Michael Somare, and I have visited PNG many times but knew nothing about him being the main person behind PNG gaining its independence. I did not know that Highlanders in PNG were the first to arrive in PNG and used to live near the coastal areas until the arrival of the Centrals or the Papuans. But through reading this book I came to understand a lot about PNG that I did not know before and which was very interesting because now I can compare the PNG of today with the country it was over 30 years ag

Review by Toby Ley

A discussion paper published through the Australian National University’s ‘State, Society and Governance in Melanesia’ series authored by: Michael Leach, James Scambary, Matthew Clarke, Simon Feeny, & Heather Wallace. ISSN: 1328-7854

In 1992, former prime minister of Solomon Islands, Solomon Mamaloni famously described his home as ‘a nation conceived but never born’, going on to say,

‘All of these small “island nations” were independent entities long before the northern explorers found them. Their cultures differed from each other. However, inter migration between islands close to each other has resulted in some similarities in customs and other characteristics. The merging of these ‘island nations’ into one ‘sovereign authority’ was by human design… Unfortunately, for all practical purposes it was the greatest error of the British administration in this region.’

‘Understanding Future Leaders Attitudes to National Identity in Melanesia and Timor-Leste’ presents findings and analysis of 1,160 surveys conducted with University students from Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Timor-Leste between June 2009 and March 2010. Unfortunately, Fiji was not included in the study, which would have been interesting, especially in light of the country’s diverse cultural makeup, distinct foreign policies and influential political status in Melanesia.

In any case, the paper is both relevant and worthwhile, lending quantitative data to topic areas usually confined to qualitative examination and drawing attention to the important and fundamental differences between concepts of ‘state-building’ and ‘nation-building’. This is an important exercise, especially given the recognised barriers to development that a divide between functions of the ‘nation’ and ‘state’ appear to create. Along with the background section exploring the concepts of nation- and state- building, the paper includes an overview of the methodology of the study and an in-depth exploration of the findings, conveyed via several fascinating tables and graphs accompanied by strong analysis.

The findings presented in the paper lend weight to the argument that while state-building is important, greater attention needs to be paid to the challenges of nation-building in Melanesia and Timor-Leste,

‘While the international community is preoccupied with post-conflict state- building (focused on improving governance, institutional capacity, accountability, and the rule of law) the broader processes of nation-building (community development, identity formation, and national integration), and of creating the conditions for social cohesion and political stability have been relatively neglected.’

A recent ODI opinion piece contends, along a similar vein, that state-building efforts could be enhanced not only by supporting weak governments, but through complementary ‘citizenship-building’ efforts. By improving citizens’ levels of participation and their democratic demands, governments become more accountable, in turn strengthening capacity.

The hypothesis of ‘Understanding Future Leaders Attitudes to National Identity in Melanesia and Timor-Leste’ is that by studying the views of today’s educated elites, we can gain a better understanding of some of the challenges confronting efforts to build a stronger sense of national identity and achieve greater social cohesion in political communities. A nuanced understanding of the attitudes of these elites could prove useful to Pacific governments, donors and civil society in terms of assisting policymakers with prioritising policy focus areas and resource allocation. Information from the survey brings attention to particularly disenfranchised members of communities (such as women) and brings attention to issues of particular concern. For example, the paper highlights tensions surrounding rural-urban migration, with 91% of Papua New Guineans surveyed stating a belief that ‘people moving to cities and towns causes social problems’. Such figures could prompt politicians and policymakers to increase efforts to improve urban management strategies and/or rural service delivery.

Highlighting the diverse cultural and ethno-linguistic make-up the four countries, (sharing more than 1000 distinct languages between them), it is possible that information gathered could be used to assist governments with future decisions regarding the structure of their language education policies. One particular table shared in the discussion paper (see below) helps illustrate why Timor-Leste’s recent decision to make Portuguese an official language proved so controversial.

While the findings of the study are undeniably valuable, policy makers should be wary of the temptation to apply more meaning to the study than was originally intended. The authors acknowledge that the findings reflect the views of ‘an educated stratum of youth’. These educated elites are not only more likely to be younger but also a wealthier, urban-raised minority afforded a rare opportunity to mingle with people from distant provinces and countries. As such, it is important to remember that the views expressed in the surveys may not necessarily reflect beliefs held by ider populations. That being said, those surveyed represent a significantly influential and powerful group of the future, a segment of society worth understanding better.

Among others, some of the key findings of the student survey include:

• -The level of respect felt for traditional authority and kastom/adat matched the level of respect for modern state authority
• -Although Christianity was recognised as a key marker of national identity, respect for traditional authority and custom usually exceeded it in perceptions of importance
• -Differences in geographical region of origin, language background and gender, along with historical, colonial and missionary legacies all noticeably influenced attitudes toward national identity
• -There are significant levels of disaffection surrounding issues of rural-urban migration
• -Women expressed lower levels of closeness to their home villages, and lower levels of faith in traditional authorities for dispute resolution across all four countries. In PNG, women were also significantly less proud of their country’s ‘fair and equal treatment of all citizens’
• -The key sources of national pride lay less in the capacity of the state and more with popular affiliations to society, culture, and independence. There were high levels of respect for political institutions in principle but less faith in their actual performance.

The paper contends that if hurdles relating to governance and service provision can be addressed, there is potential to improve social cohesion and build nations upon the bases of shared pride in national history, culture, faith and the demonstrated belief in the overarching principles of democracy. Ideas that a healthy arts and culture environment are fundamental to nation building have also been explored in this discussion paper by PiPP.

‘Understanding Future Leaders Attitudes to National Identity in Melanesia and Timor-Leste’ begins by lamenting not enough attention is being paid to nation-building objectives. It shares Scott’s (2005) contention that a weak state is a cause rather than an effect of the comparative weakness of national identity. Rather than debating whether state-building or nation-building projects are the development version of the ‘chicken’ or the ‘egg’, it seems clear that projects in developing countries would be more likely to succeed if nation-building objectives were to be given greater attention and worked on complementarily with state-building goals.

Review by: Erika Morishita

Huia Publishers, Edited by Ian Johnstone and Michael Powles, 2012, ISBN 978-1-77550-013-1

In an article that I wrote about ‘nation-building and identity in Melanesia’ I put forward the notion that after 30 years of independence, building states in the Melanesian region is a process that goes beyond governance and globalisation to include history and culture. Nation building projects are an evolving phenomenon and modern state systems are relatively new and culturally foreign. In this context, the transition from custom economies and societies to modern nation states presents a myriad of challenges and conflicts. New Flags Flying: Pacific leadership is a valuable work that offers rare, insiders´ perspectives of these challenges and canvasses the journeys to independence for fourteen Pacific countries through the lenses of Pacific leaders. The book was launched in the region at the Pacific Forum Secretariat in Suva, Fiji on 9 October 2012.

Background work on the book began around 1992 when Ian Johnstone, a broadcaster/writer, began gathering interviews with leaders from Samoa, Cook Islands, Tonga, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. In 2009,  in response to concerns  relayed by Pacific island students, on ‘how difficult it  is to find information about the recent history of their countries’  Johnstone, in  partnership with Michael Powles – a former senior diplomat- looked at ways to make the leadership interviews more widely and easily available. Initially the interviews were assembled into seventeen-part website and later transformed into a 328 page collection including pictures, maps, brief background information on each country and an audio CD with 20 interviews with Pacific leaders.

Fourteen chapters of the book are dedicated to presenting the conversations held with Pacific leaders recounting historical information relating to the various transitions from colonies to independent or self-governingstates.  Pacific leaders interviewed include Tui AtuaTupuaTamaseseTa´isi Efi and Tofilau Eti Alesana (Samoa); John Webb and Sir Tom Davis (Cook Islands); Dr Ludwig Keke (Nauru); HM King Taufa´ahauTupou IV (Tonga); Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara (Fiji); Mititaiagimene Young Vivian and Robert Rex (Niue); Sir Michael Somare (Papua New Guinea); Solomon Mamaloni and Sir Peter Kenilorea (Solomon Islands); Hon. Bikenibeu Paeniu (Tuvalu); Sir Leremia Tabai (Kiribati); Fr Walter Lini (Vanuatu); John Haglelgam  (Federated States of Micronesia); Kessai Note (Marshall Islands);  and Sandra Sumang Pierantozzi (Palau).

Through their stories, they share personal reflections on hard-won insights on leadership, how they managed to achieve their goals and lessons learned in the process. Apart from Tonga, the only Pacific country never colonised, these Pacific island leaders poignantly describe the treatment and attitudes of colonial powers and the moves they made on the way to self-government and independence. Pacific leaders also share personal insights relating their hopes, fears and challenges lying ahead in achieving a truly independent future. Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara for example, had no sense that the colonial period was ending, acknowledging, ‘we were part of the Queen´s regnum; we were happy – why should we change things?’ (p95).Bikenikbeu Paeniu expressed reservations about his country becoming independent, saying, ‘no time from nation-building, for planning at all… we know in those days Britain was letting go their colonies, the empire was breaking down’ (p171). Others such as Samoa and Cook islands wanted self-government as soon as possible and Fr. Walter Lini expressed a strong desire to give freedom to the Ni-Vanuatu people, stating ‘we wanted to make sure we did not lose our land in Vanuatu, that´s why we struggled … It was easy to achieve independence because we had a common cause, but it was more difficult to govern because we had not experienced the art of decision-making…”(p213).

A particularly interesting chapter is dedicated to womens’ perspectives of leadership in the Pacific. The authors point out that ‘across the pacific, male domination of politics had long been the norm, which is not to say that women were without authority’ (p266). This is portrayed through the traditional role of women in different parts of the region and in the stories of Hon. Fiame Na Fiame Naomi Mata´afa, a Samoa MP since 1975. She says, ‘in Samoa we don´t believe there should be parliamentary seats set aside for women’ (p267) and Dame Carol Kidu former MP remarked on Papua New Guinea that, ‘women are powerful in the private sphere, very powerful, but that power was not translated into the public sphere… and this is where we´ve got to make that quantum leap, to give women the space in the public sphere’ (p283).

The final chapter reflects on the interviews and summarises these Pacific voices on the challenges of decolonisation, aid and governance, leadership and political systems and mentions the ‘old flags’ that are still flying in the Pacific. Some Pacific people are still aspiring for independence such as the indigenous Kanak of New Caledonia. This book provides a fascinating portal into the past that will enrich the perspectives of students, academics and professionals interested in the Pacific and beyond.

This two-part investigative piece was aired on consecutive episodes of ABC’s Television’s 7.30 news show. It documents human rights abuses against West Papuans seeking a peaceful, political solution to the issue of Papuan self-determination. Calls for recognition of the plight of West Papuans, and for granting them observer status at the Pacific Islands Forum went ignored again this year, in spite of the desire of some Pacific leaders for action.

Part two looks in particular at the role played by Indonesia’s Detachment 88, an anti-terrorism unit trained and supplied by Australia and the United States.

The following is a summary listing of the questions asked during PiPP’s two Face to Face events held at the Vanuatu Parliament house and featuring Prime Minister Sato Kilman Livtunvanu and Opposition Leader Rialuth Serge Vohor. Note that these are informal notes taken on the fly during the event itself. While we’ve made every effort to ensure that they are a fair and accurate representation of the questions as asked and their responses, they are subject to error and should not be construed as an authoritative record of events.

PM Face to Face

Question 1 – from Port Vila

Q: In reference to the PM’s Independence Day statement that Vanuatu will not be able to meet MDG goals by 2015. What is the strategy to help improve the literacy level in Vanuatu?

A: The PM notes challenges of islands spread over long distances and other concerns. He refers to the education road map and says education will be a priority for years. He wants to reach the goal of universal education but he wants to ensure the quality is not compromised in a rush to meet a goal, i.e., quality teacher training is currently a critical issue in Vanuatu.

 Question 2 – from Port Vila

Q: The Universal Primary Education Policy, in which primary school fees are subsidised by the government – which party’s policy was it?

A: The PM responds that this is a direct result of Vanuatu’s commitment to MDG goals. Although roughly 4 political parties are strongly advocating for this policy, Free Education Policy must be perceived as a government policy. PM reminds us that Vanuatu governments are typically coalitions, and policy is developed collectively.

Question 3 – from Port Vila

A: The PM responds that recent developments show prospect for progress in this regard.  This is an important issue that will require strong backing from all political parties. “Why do we want to have women in parliament?” For him, the issue is more about performance – how women can perform in parliament – just as expected of men.

Question 4 – from Saratamata, PENAMA province

Question 5 – from Port Vila

Question 6 – from Port Vila

Q: What is government strategy on supporting civil society?

Question 7 – from Port Vila

Question 8 – from Lakatoro, MALAMPA province

Question 9 – from Lakatoro, MALAMPA province

Q: Following the recent allegations concerning mismanagement in the Vanuatu National Provident Fund, what updates can you offer us?

A:PM responds that government has requested an independent audit and government will act on the recommendations of this audit. VNPF is a very significant body and failure to observe the rule of law will ultimately have very negative repercussions on development.

Question 10 – from Isangel, TAFEA province

Question 11 – from Port Vila

Question 12 – from Sola, TORBA province

Question 13 – from Luganville, SANMA province

Question 14 – from Port Vila

Q: Are old politicians ever going to hand the baton over to young blood?

Question 15 – from Port Vila

Question 16 – from Port Vila

Leader of the Opposition Face to Face

Question 1 – from Port Vila

Question 2 – from Port Vila

Question 3 – from Port Vila

Q: Free Education Policy is which party’s policy? Where is funding coming from?

A:LO responds that UMP is one of the political parties advocating for this policy. Education is fundamental for development in any country – if there had been free education 30 years ago, Vanuatu would be manufacturing mobile phones and creating car engines by now – today we cant even produce a match. Development partners such as AusAID and NzAID have made significant contributions in this sector.

Question 4 – from Saratamata, PENAMA province

Question 5 – from Luganville, SANMA province

Q: The CRP [Comprehensive Reform Programme] was initiated under your government. What’s your opinion on CRPs implementation?

A:LO responds that CRP is modeled around transparency, but the current government is not transparent. CRP goals not achieved as a result.

Question 6 – from Port Vila

Question 7 – from Lakatoro, MALAMPA province

Question 8 – from Port Vila

Question 9 – from Isangel, TAFEA province

Question 10 – from Port Vila

In the final events in PiPP’s Face to Face series for 2012, Prime Minister Sato Kilman Livtunvanu and Opposition Leader Rialuth Serge Vohor each sat down for consecutive one-hour question and answer sessions with voters from across the nation. This was a landmark day in Vanuatu’s history. It marked the first time that all six provinces have come together at the same time  to participate directly in the political dialogue. Truly democracy in action.

The Face to Face events were broadcast live on Television Blong Vanuatu, nationally on Radio Vanuatu, and on a 5 by 3 metre screen in Saralana Park across the road from Vanuatu’s Parliament. PiPP also live-blogged the event on our Facebook page. An unofficial summary of the questions and answers is now available.

Attendance at the event was high, and hundreds more watched live on the big screen. (more…)