Indonesia’s Pacific elevation: Elevating what and who?
In July 2019, at the inaugural Indonesian Exposition held in Auckland, New Zealand, Indonesia launched its ‘Pacific Elevation’, laying claim to a Pacific islands identity and touting its elevated engagement with the
2050 STRATEGY FOR THE BLUE PACIFIC CONTINENT: A SEA CHANGE?
The Pacific Islands Forum Leaders, at their meeting in Funafuti, Tuvalu, last August, endorsed the development of a ‘2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent.’ Leaders thus tasked
THE TONE FOR A ‘JUST AND TRANSPARENT’ USP IS VANISHING
I was impressed by the words of Vice-Chancellor, Professor Pal Ahluwalia, during the USP’s Emalus Campus graduation ceremony in Port Vila when he said: “Continue to live by the values of your University in all that
SUSTAINING PEACE, NOT SUSTAINING PATRIARCHY
Next year the global women’s and feminist movement will commemorate Beijing+25 – the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA) by 189
Fiji’s Constitution, a 16-year-old suspect and acts of impunity
THE following opinion piece by Fiji solicitor, Filimoni Vosarogo is a response to the reported detention and questioning of a 16-year-old boy for allegedly writing vulgar language on the back
‘Enduring Colonialism’ raises vexatious questions for the Pacific Islands Forum
JULIAN Agnon of Blue Ocean Law recently penned ‘Enduring Colonization: How France’s Ongoing Control of French Polynesian Resources Violates the International Law of Self-Determination.’ The paper however is silent
Why PHAMA Plus matters to the Pacific
PHAMA Plus was launched in Suva on 11 April 2019 although it has been operating since 1 November 2018. The ‘Plus’ tag signifies that it is a follow-up to the original PHAMA, which is the acronym for
United States of the Pacific
THE derivation of the ‘United States of the Pacific’, (USoP), an optional conceptual supra-state construct for the 48-year old Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) is reminiscent of the Lae Rebellion of 1965.
Is PNG part of Pasifika?
IS our region’s largest country, Papua New Guinea, part of Pasifika? It’s a debate that has recently played out on the pages of an influential PNG blog. Two of the country’s most
Aligning to Blue Pacific
THE alignment of Step Up, Australia’s foreign policy direction in the Pacific and its New Zealand equivalent, Pacific Reset, was acknowledged by both Prime Ministers Jacinda Ardern and Scott
Aligning to Blue Pacific
THE alignment of Step Up, Australia’s foreign policy direction in the Pacific and its New Zealand equivalent, Pacific Reset, was acknowledged by both Prime Ministers Jacinda Ardern and Scott
Samoa’s leaders grapple with social media
IN 2017 the Samoan Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi reintroduced the Criminal Libel Act to combat online anonymity and ‘ghost writers’ such as the infamous ‘Ole
Nakao’s Whirlwind Visit a Timely Reminder
IN a recent whirlwind visit to Samoa and Fiji, ADB President, Takehiko Nakao signed several important agreements, including one that scaled up the status of the Samoa office from an extended mission to a
Reward work, not wealth
At the close of 2018, all eyes were on international conferences in Poland and Hawaii, dealing with global commitments to climate change and fisheries management respectively. However Oxfam in the Pacific’s Regional
Is regulation the answer?
Social media under state scrutiny in Fiji DISCUSSION around regulating cyberspace at Fiji Attorney General’s conference generates a few interesting questions and reactions for public discussion. Police Commissioner,
Interconnected: The technical and ethics in a warming planet
Since assuming the mantle of Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, I have been committed to championing inclusivity in many aspects of the Secretariat’s work. Inclusivity ensures a variety of
Winds of change
From colonialism to democracy, coups and a fight for the Earth I WAS born when Fiji was under colonial rule on January 30th 1961; nine years before Fiji gained her independence from Great Britain. During the years
Will Fiji evolve towards Pakistan’s model of democracy?
THE statement in the media by the Chief of Staff of the Fiji Military Forces, Colonel Jone Kalouniwai, in September criticising the speech of National Federation Party MP Parmod Nand, has again raised the question of
Truth and justice
Bishop stands firm on environmental issues AS the Pacific and global focus turns towards COP 23 and the Oceans Summit, the region continues to face challenges with climate change, extractive industry and development.
Costly price of conflict
Solomons rises again from the ruins of the past THE United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) include peace-building as part of a changing paradigm of how to achieve “development.” As a set
PACER-Plus
A wedgie in regional geopolitics from the recently concluded Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations, or PACER Plus, raises some interesting questions about the changing geopolitics of the region and whether
God is dead
“GOD is dead, God remains dead and we have killed him”, the enigmatic words of the German Philosopher – Friedrich Nietzsche. In a predominantly God and rugby obsessed nation like our own, these words
Credit can increase without Government guarantees
Accessing credit is difficult for businesses in the Pacific. While there’s enough liquidity in the banking system, the ratio of private sector credit to GDP is in most cases less than 50 percent— similar to the