FijiFirst resignations continue
The spate of resignations from Fiji’s former ruling party, FijiFirst, does not spell the end of the party says its General Secretary Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum. The latest resignation is former Health Minister, Dr Ifereimi Waqainabete. He follows Party leader and former PM Voreqe Bainimarama, who resigned after being suspended from parliament for three years, and former ministers Rosy Akbar, and Doctor Mahendra Reddy. Sayed-Khaiyum himself had to depart parliament after he joined the Constitutional Offices Commission.
One of FijiFirst’s youngest and newest MPs, Rinesh Sharma, told Islands Business in response to the departure of his seniors: “Sometimes you have family, you have to look at what is good for the family and they might have other passions they want, because it is a collective decision as a family, a politician is a human being as well.
“If people feel like they have served the country, they want to do something else, it is their life, and their decision. But for FijiFirst, we remain very strong because we have from senior to youngest politician, so it is very dynamic.”
Meanwhile, Bainimarama has pleaded not guilty to an abuse of office charge. Sayed-Khaiyum is also being investigated by police in relation to a complaint lodged by the Fiji Elections Office.
‘Warlords’ misnomer
What’s in a name? A great deal if you ask Papua New Guinea’s Internal Security Minister, Peter Tsiamalili Jr, who says there are no “warlords” in the country, only criminals. He made the statement when questioned about how police were responding to the recent abduction of a young woman, and the murder of a taxi driver. Tsiamalili told parliament that a warlord is generally defined “as an aggressive military commander with extremely loyal forces. They usually control a small territory within a country,” and asked fellow MPs and others to stop using the term. There are concerns that the term glamourises some criminals, or makes them appear more powerful than they actually are.
FNU investigates
Two expatriate staff members at Fiji National University (FNU) have been suspended, as investigations into complaints against them continue. Vice-Chancellor Lyn Karstadt and Pro Vice-Chancellor (learning and teaching) Lisa Harrison have been stood down. It’s believed at least one of them has left Fiji. FNU Chairperson, Dr Adi Kesaia Seniloli said the accusations were “serious in nature”. Karstadt and Harrison are on leave with full pay and benefits. Karstadt has only been in the role since September 2022, and came to the university with more than 20 years’ experience in executive and leadership roles in higher education in Australia and the UK. FNU’s education professor, Unaisi Nabobo-Baba has been appointed acting Vice-Chancellor.
Visa debate heats up
Australia’s Minister for the Pacific, Pat Conroy had to withdraw ‘unparliamentary language’ when things got heated recently over a debate on the proposed visa scheme to allow 3000 people from the Pacific to work in Australia and apply for permanent residency. “I said something along the lines of ‘You f***** up the Pacific relationship when you were in government and now you’re making it harder for us to fix it’,” he told Australian media, referring to the former Coalition government’s relationship with the region. The Pacific Engagement Visa has a two-step application process, under which applicants must first register in a ballot and pay a fee of A$25. In the second stage, applicants selected by the ballot will be able to then apply for the visa. The Opposition has opposed the visa, and it will now go to the Senate for a vote. The government hopes to have it in place by July 1.
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Crumbling infrastructure
A cautionary tale from Papua New Guinea, where facilities constructed for the 2015 Pacific Games have fallen into disrepair. “All our stadiums here, have had 7-8 years of total neglect and we’re not generating enough revenue internally to support the repair and maintenance of the stadiums,” PNG Sports Foundation Executive Director, Albert Veratau said. “To repair and maintain the stadiums, you need millions of kina. Like the (athletics) track at the Sir Ignatius Kilage Stadium itself needs up to K10 million to fix,” he added.
“Our stadiums have gone very bad. They’ve deteriorated to a point where some of them we can’t use, like the indoor netball courts at the Rita Flynn Complex.
“The floors are rotting due to the recent flooding and the use of these facilities for other purposes.”
Several of the venues were hired out for functions, and were used as COVID-19 hospitals at the height of the pandemic.
Neighbouring Solomon Islands is experiencing a building boom in the lead-up to the Pacific Games later this year, much of it funded by China, and local stakeholders are similarly concerned about post-Games maintenance.
Panuelo’s parting shots
Federated States of Micronesia President, David Panuelo is not leaving office quietly. He has written to Congress and FSM governors accusing Beijing officials of bribing elected representatives in FSM and spying under the guise of ‘research’. Panuelo writes that China is readying for conflict over Taiwan, and that “China is seeking to ensure that, in the event of a war in our Blue Pacific continent between themselves and Taiwan, that the FSM is, at best, aligned with the PRC [China] instead of the United States, and, at worst, that the FSM chooses to ‘abstain’ altogether.”
He has also suggested that FSM switch diplomatic recognition from China to Taiwan, if the latter could inject US$50million into FSM. That would reverse a global trend; just this month, Honduras switched recognition the other way.
Panuelo also alleges he was “harassed” to accept Chinese COVID vaccines, and alleged that FSM officials had been bribed with smartphones, alcohol and cash. In response, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson denied the “smears and accusations” and the new Chinese Ambassador in Suva, Zhou Jian, claimed President Panuelo had broken serious political commitments he made to Beijing “multiple times”.
“Frankly speaking, I am shocked at these ‘so called letters’,” Ambassador Zhou said .
Hungary holdout on Cotonou
Hungary is the sole hold-out on signing the successor to the Cotonou Agreement between the European Union (EU) and African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP), which governs economic and political relations between the regions. The latest extension to the agreement expires at the end of June. Parties say time is running out, and that negotiators have done their part after three years of contentious talks, but the treaty is still to be ratified. Hungary believes the treaty’s provisions on the repatriation of migrants (mainly to Africa) are too weak.
Whispers is compiled under the supervision of the editorial team.
