THE inclusion of New Caledonia and French Polynesia in the Pacific Islands Forum raises some interesting questions for regional relationships and independence. These French territories have autonomous legislative assemblies but they are, by right, parts of France. Their budgets, administration, policies and laws are directed and influenced by Paris.

It is not unreasonable to suggest that by opening the door to these French territories, Pacific leaders have opened the door to another Metropolitan power. France joins Australia and New Zealand firmly at the Pacific table with the ability to influence decisions which affect the region’s people, nations and their future.

In 1975 the South Pacific Forum was a closed club. Australia and New Zealand only joined discussions after Pacific leaders held initial, private consultations. The great Fijian statesman, Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, noted in his biography that then New Zealand Prime Minister, Robert Muldoon, became the first outsider at Pacific ministers’ talks. Muldoon was able to convince his Samoan counterpart that New Zealand should be part of ministerial discussions as members of the Pacific community. Some suggest that the need for aid forced the Pacific to acquiesce to the demands over greater involvement – see also oversight or control – in the workings of the forum.

The South Pacific Forum was established in 1971 to provide a setting for heads of government to discuss common issues and problems facing newly independent and self-governing states.

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THE Solomon Islands’ decision to selectively arm members of its police force must be a matter for extreme concern. For it points to the need for protection of the public and the government from the threat of armed elements within society. While the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) under Operation Helpem Fren has been successful in disarming dissident groups, fears remain under the surface of possible future armed uprising.

In June 2000 political unrest in Solomon Islands led to the overthrow at gunpoint of the government of Prime Minister Bartholomew Ulufa’alu. Armed clashes between the Malaita Eagle Force and the Isatabu Freedom Movement continued until peace talks in Townsville, Australia and the inception of a regional peacekeeping mission.

While most of the weapons used in that conflict have been returned and destroyed, there is no guarantee that guns do not exist in private caches across the country. At the heart of the conflict was differences between the traditional landowners of Guadalcanal and the people of neighbouring Malaita.

With the Solomons economy largely based around Honiara on Guadalcanal Island, people from remote regions travel to the capital to earn a living or study. Over the years this relocation has led to disputes over land, economic disparity and other social issues. To its credit, Solomon Islands has gradually and sometimes painfully dragged itself back to political stability.

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