Kava questions
Fiji is taking the battle for the kava market to the United States, of all places. A large delegation led by Assistant Minister Tomasi Tunabuna visited the US, apparently in response to the growing of kava there. But while Fiji attempts to make inroads into the US, it remains unable to satisfy local demand. Word is that Fiji will be forced to import kava from Vanuatu this year. So, was the US trip worthwhile? Not for
Fijian farmers and processors who were notably absent in the images coming out of the meetings.
Beds afloat
What are Pacific port authorities and customs officials doing about the growing number of illegal bed and
breakfast joints springing up across the region? They’re not confined to land. Tourists, mainly backpackers, are paying good money to sleep aboard yachts moored in exotic harbors. But it means
that money is changing hands without taxes being paid to the host countries. Somebody is losing big time and it’s not the yachting community or the tourists.
Run aground?
Will the huge regional maritime project actually float? That’s the question being asked in nautical circles. A huge amount of foreign funding was poured into the construction of an enormous ocean-going canoe. The initiative harnessed knowledge from around the region with master boat builders contributing to the design. Now the frame of the behemoth twin-pulled vessel is gathering dust on the foreshore of a regional sailing hub. There are suggestions that finance has been delayed, and organisers are scrambling
to ensure that the money spent so far has been spent appropriately. Right now, there is silence about what happens next. A case, perhaps, of don’t rock the boat.
Pacific support for Gabbard
The confirmation of Tulsi Gabbard as President Donald Trump’s Director of National Intelligence has been
welcomed in parts of the Pacific to which she has ties. She was a divisive choice for the role given her past
comments on Russia and Syria, and the fact that she has no prior experience working in intelligence. Gabbard was born in Leloaloa, Ma’opūtasi, American Samoa, although she grew up on Hawaii.
She is a military veteran and former Democratic congresswoman, resigning from that party in 2022. Many American Samoans have expressed support for her appointment online, with Congresswoman Aumua Amata calling the nomination historic, and saying “her service will be an honour for Pacific Islanders throughout the US”.
Israel embassy divisions
The Fiji government’s decision to establish an embassy in Israel is proving divisive at home, and controversial internationally. Israel’s foreign minister, Gideon Sa’ar “commended” Fiji’s “historic decision, but the Palestinian Foreign Ministry called it “an act of aggression against the Palestinian people and their inalienable rights.” The establishment of an embassy in Israel was one of the key tenets of the coalition partner SODELPA’s last election platform. Local reaction has ranged from support based on scriptural
interpretation, to dismay over the timing (the fragile ceasefire continues in Gaza), and the likely cost of the exercise given the desperate need for improved basic infrastructure at home. Six other countries maintain embassies in Israel, including Papua New Guinea.
Welcoming the visitor
The appointment of Daniel Vafo’ou Fatiaki as the Visitor at the University of the South Pacific (USP) addresses one of the key complaints of disgruntled USP staff and concerns of the Council. The role had been vacant since 2022, until his appointment was announced this month. Fatiaki is a former Chief
Justice of Fiji and Nauru and served as a Justice in the Vanuatu Court of Appeal. The Visitor is responsible for looking into specific staff grievances. Staff are hopeful that with the role now filed, their long list of complaints will be addressed.
CSOs call for space on the mat
Civil society organisations are urging the Pacific Islands Forum to again ‘extend the mat’ and ensure they
are included in important regional discussions. They are concerned that a High-Level Dialogue of
officials and governments on deep sea mining that was being held as we went to print, excluded CSO
participation. The organisations are worried that this reverses some of the gains of recent years in opening the regional organisation to civil society participation. Deep sea mining continues to be a sensitive challenge to regional solidarity, as Forum members have taken widely varying positions on it.
Pageant palaver
The recent Miss Pacific Islands pageant has again brought out the worst in some people, with allegations of manipulation of votes, the holding of Head Judge Leiataualesa Jerry Brunt as he attempted to leave host nation Solomon Islands, and hateful displays of racism. Solomon Islands authorities say they continue to investigate, and Leiataualesa says he is considering legal action of his own. As usual, it is the
contestants, led by the newly crowned Miss Pacific Islands Litara Ieremia-Allan and runner-up Racheal Guttenbeil of Tonga, who have shown the most grace, standing by each other and showing genuine sisterhood.
