A great measure of responsibility for the political instabilities and the emergent economic issues with which Melanesian countries have been grappling can be laid on the shoulders of the leadership of the ‘mother parties’, argue Kiery Manassah and Dan McGarry.
The 2012 Pacific Update was held recently at ANU. The DevPolicy forum convened leading thinkers and policymakers from throughout the region, including two ministers of finance, two central bank governors and a top economist from the region. There were three videotaped panel discussions: on PNG and Timor-Leste; on Vanuatu, Tonga and Samoa; and on Solomon Islands and Fiji.
Calls for recognition of the plight of West Papuans and for granting them observer status at the Pacific Islands Forum went unanswered at this year’s Forum meeting, in spite of the desire of some Pacific leaders for action.
ABC Television’s 7:30 news show documents human rights abuses against West Papuans seeking a peaceful political solution to the issue of Papuan self-determination and highlights the use of an Indonesian anti-terrorism unit that was trained and equipped by Australia and the US. Watch the two-part video here.
This week on Pacific Politics: PiPPtalks - MSG Secretariat Director General Peter Forau discusses the organisation's identity and purpose; Dan McGarry looks at the West Papuan independence movement's long road to freedom; a photo essay on the MSG's Eminent Persons Group and much more....
PiPP is pleased to present its latest tool in understanding the state of mobile phone and internet use in Vanuatu. This infographic encapsulates the key findings from our 2011 study of social and economic effects of telecoms in Vanuatu. Please contact us for a printed copy or click here for the downloadable graphic.
