TOP STORIES

MSG’s growing strength

The Melanesian Spearhead Group continued to celebrate its silver jubilee, marking its formation in 1988, with a special Melanesia Week. There have been events in Vanuatu and Fiji to note the milestone with more to come in New Caledonia in June when it takes over the Chairmanship of the sub-regional grouping. In a recent Devpolicy interview, MSG Secretary General Peter Forau attributed MSG’s successful rise to the fact that Australia and New Zealand are not members, as they are of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF). Others hope its “people to people” initiatives will grow in order for the MSG to maintain relevance.

While in Fiji for MSG celebrations, former PNG PM Sir Michael Somare reaffirmed his support for Bainimarama and Kanaky liberation in New Caledonia, suggested re-visiting the nuclear free Pacific idea and left the door open to others in Melanesia to join, perhaps a signal for the West Papuans, who have also recently received support from PNG’s Port Moresby Governor Powes Parkop . West Papua’s push for observer status within the MSG has been a hot topic recently, particularly with the Pacific-wide tour of Benny Wenda, one of its prominent leaders.

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TOP STORIES

2012 PNG elections worse than 2007: Reports

Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O’Neill has defended the 2012 elections, after two separate organisations criticised the process. Transparency International PNG labeled the elections ‘unacceptable’ due to observer reports indicating that at 21% of polling places the election was believed to be either ‘mostly unfair’ or ‘very unfair’. Transparency found that the elections “were seriously flawed to the extent that our democratic traditions are continuing to be seriously compromised” and concluded that “trust in the electoral process [is] declining.” Observers from the Domestic Observation Group concluded in this October report [pdf], that the ‘2012 elections were worse than the 2007 elections both in terms of security as well as fraud and malpractice’.

Meanwhile, PNG’s Electoral Commissioner, Andrew Trawen, has stated that he has accepted the observer reports and that he will use them to help guide the PNG Electoral Commission to improve the management of elections in the future. However, the commission came under attack in the TI report, which noted “anecdotes alleging corrupt practices within the commission itself.”

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Politics

g7+ holds post-MDG conference in Dili

This week in Dili, Timor-Leste, The Pacific Institute of Public Policy (PiPP) is facilitating a major global conference, bringing together representatives from the Pacific and 18 of the world’s most vulnerable countries, grouped together in a new body known as the “g7 Plus”.

The conference will seek to build consensus from a gathering of government policy-makers and global thinkers in shaping a “post-MDG world”.

This is a reference to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) established by the UN as the core roadmap for poorer nations to achieve benchmarks in a wide range of social and economic areas. It was intended that by 2015 all nations would have achieved their “goals”.

There has been some criticism that the original MDG concept was driven by unrealistic expectations and did not to take into account the views of the most vulnerable countries themselves. This event provides the opportunity for Pacific voices to be heard on the post-2015 development agenda and to contribute to a new “Dili consensus”.

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POLITICS

Solomon Islands recovers

In spite of aftershocks that damaged an important wharf, Solomon Islands has begun the recovery from the tsunami that damaged hundreds of homes and killed as many as 10 in the Santa Cruz islands. Australian foreign minister Bob Carr diverted his Pacific tour to visit with Solomon Islands prime minister Darcy Lilo. Disaster management officials and scientists remain vigilant following reports of steam rising from the ground on one of the islands and continued ‘unusual seismic activity.’
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POLITICS

Fiji edges closer to 2014 elections amidst controversies

Amidst much controversy, Fiji may still be on course for elections in 2014. At the end of last year the regime dumped the high-powered Constitutional Commission headed by internationally renowned constitutional lawyer, professor Yash Ghai. Both the president and the interim leader felt the Ghai draft positioned Fiji in the past. The dissolution came after twelve months of what many thought was steady progress towards democracy. The interim government is now preparing an amended draft to be presented to the Constituent Assembly.  New Zealand and Samoa condemned the move, while Australia’s response was much more accommodative.

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Year-end wrap up

Flooding in Fiji devastated parts of the country

Peter O’Neill and Michael Somare reconciled, ending months of political turmoil in PNG

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the Pacific Islands Forum

Countries across the Pacific voted in 2012

The curtain is drawing to a close on 2012, a big year for the Pacific. In this final edition of the Pacific Buzz (our 25^th for the year), the Pacific Institute of Public Policy and the Development Policy Centre bring you some of the main highlights. The Pacific Buzz will return on January 30, 2013.

We wish all our readers a happy Christmas and New Year, and extend our thoughts to those in Samoa and Fiji affected by Cyclone Evan.

Elections and politics

In 2012, six Pacific countries joined over one hundred others around the globe in holding parliamentary or presidential elections. There is a new government elect in Palau where former president Tommy Remengesau Jr. and Antonio Bells have been declared as president and vice president respectively. Voters in Palau rejected incumbent president, Johnson Toribiong, over corruption allegations. In Vanuatu, Sato Kilman returned as prime minister, leading a patchwork coalition. The Kilman government was formed amidst calls for electoral reform. The newly elected governor of American Samoa, Togiola Tulafono, also called for reforms. In Guam, a recount of the ballots confirmed the preliminary results. In Timor Leste, Xanana Gusmao’s party was returned on a plurality of the vote, and there was a brief upsurge in violence after the Fretilin party was excluded from the governing coalition.

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POLITICS

Timor-Leste, the g7+ and the New Deal for fragile states

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.’

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POLITICS

‘Pacific President’ urged to engage island states

Barack Obama’s second term in the White House will see US foreign policy focus on trade and security issues around the Pacific rim, but regional analysts have called for deeper engagement with Pacific island nations. Perhaps a starting point could be around the impacts of climate change, raised as a key issue in Obama’s acceptance speech. At the same time it has been suggested that Pacific leaders reframe their position on climate change, shifting the emphasis from vulnerability to value.

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POLITICS

Australia Security Council bid – Pacific implications

Australia will advocate on behalf of Pacific island countries in relation to the security implications of climate change during its two-year tenure on the UN Security Council. A recent PiPP discussion paper reasons that many future security issues will be driven by climate change, and these issues will drive the international development agenda once the Millennium Development Goals expire in 2015. Australia’s elevated position in the UN coincides with scheduled preparations for a referendum on the political status of New Caledonia and Bougainville coming to the end of its 10-year autonomy transition, with analysts predicting increasing diplomatic pressure over self-determination and decolonisation issues in the region. (more…)

ECONOMICS

Australia ‘the Cayman Islands for PNG’

Sam Koim the head of PNG‘s anti-corruption body, Task Force Sweep, has described Australia as the Cayman Islands for Papua New Guinea in a recent speech. Australia has become the primary money laundering destination of choice for corrupt politicians and officials. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has estimated that investment into Australia has reached USD 1.2 billion. Questionably obtained funds are being deposited into bank accounts or used to purchase real estate, with Cairns the most popular spot to invest. Despite preaching good governance and anti-corruption, Australia is not acting on this issue, with Mr Koim noting that Australia has never repatriated any proceeds of corruption to PNG. (more…)