Private superyacht tour
Amidst the drama over Fiji’s detention of the Amadea superyacht at Lautoka port this month, questions are making the rounds as to how a constitutionally-appointed official used his official car to transport his family and a local press photographer portside. He then demanded that they be allowed onto the Amadea and proceeded to tour the ship. The Amadea’s captain and his crew could do nothing but watch. It is whispered the press photographer took a lot of shots, and the ship master and crew are now worrying about having their identities exposed if any of those images are published. Authorities say the yacht belongs to Russian oligarch, Suleiman Kerimov. The United States has sought to seize the yacht in Fiji, but lawyers claim it belongs to another Russian, Eduard Khudaynatov, who is not believed to be on the sanctions list. The matter is expected to take some time to make its way through the courts.
Meanwhile, some diplomats are asking why Vanuatu abstained from a vote to suspend Russia from the United Nations Human Rights Council over its actions in Ukraine. “Obviously Russia worked the traps really, really hard,” said UN official and former New Zealand Prime Minister, Helen Clark afterwards. The vote to suspend Russia was ultimately successful. Vanuatu is also raising eyebrows as it has apparently not ruled out taking applications from Russian nationals for its citizenship for investment program; other nations running similar programs have now banned applications from Russians and Belarusians.
Elsewhere, Vanuatu has said its dismayed at the announcement by the Director General of the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) Secretariat regarding a recent voluntary contribution of US$100,000(VT10.9 million) by the Indonesian National Police, to the Secretariat. Foreign Minister Marc ATi says all MSG members should have been consulted, and that “what is becoming increasingly clear to Vanuatu is that while Indonesia’s associate membership in the Group is by virtue of representing and protecting its ethnic Melanesian population, these same people continue to be marginalised and oppressed, especially in the Provinces of Papua and West Papua.”
Diplomatic appointment under scrutiny
How can a person with a criminal record be posted as a diplomat, is the burning question? The diplomat lost his privileges as a legislator in the 1990s over a confinement, bordering on harassment, of a secondary school student. Now the diplomat has taken up posting in this Pacific island nation and bystanders are wondering what went wrong. Questions posted to the island’s foreign affairs ministry have not been answered to date.
Samoa’s court battles continue
Long after Samoa’s contentious election, related matters continue to make their way through the courts. Samoa Supreme Court this month reserved its decision on applications to declare void the appointments of Aliimalemanu Alofa Tuuau and Faagasealii Sapoa Feagiai as the additional women parliamentarians following last April’s general elections. The applicants were Faatuatua I le Atua Samoa ua Tasi – FAST party candidates, who argued the appointments were “unconstitutional, unlawful and should be voided.” The interpretation of the formula used to calculate the eligible women candidates in Samoa’s parliament was at the heart of the election controversy.
Show us the money
PNG’s Police Commissioner wants to know how UN agencies spent emergency funding over the past two years. David Manning, who also heads the COVID-19 National Control Centre, has written to the World Bank Acting Country Director in Papua New Guinea, Paul Vallely, advising that he will no longer endorse any further increase in allocation of funds, or disbursements under the PNG COVID-19 Emergency Response Project. Local media quote Manning as saying: “There is over US$1.3 billion (K4.5 billion) identified on the self-reporting donor tracker as being committed for managing the COVID-19 pandemic in PNG. What our people need to know, and the global community needs to know, is how are these UN agencies using the funds allocated to them.” He’s concerned that a portion of these funds have become part of PNG’s national sovereign debt. To date, a number of UN agencies have provided the same standard response, that they will only be audited by the United Nations Board of Auditors.
Deregistered, not digital
How did the Alliance Francaise in Suva make it to the list of deregistered charitable trusts published earlier this year? Apparently government officials have been sending correspondence about registration obligations to the cultural organisation’s old email and postal contacts. The Alliance Francaise did not receive the correspondence, so did not reply. A few seconds of online research, for example, on the association’s very active social media channels, could have turned up current contact details. Seems like Fiji’s ‘digital transformation’ doesn’t include some common-sense measures.
Maserati mess
Unable to offload a series of very expensive white elephants in the form of Maserati luxury cars, Papua New Guinea’s government will now reportedly be offering them to PNG foreign missions over the world. Finance Minister Sir John Pundari says those not sent to missions will be used for national events. Two Maseratis and one Bentley, originally purchased for the APEC meeting held in Port Moresby, have been sold, while another 38 Maseratis have been re-tendered and are open for local and international bids.
Laid up layover
The stay for some attendees to the Our Oceans conference in Palau was a little longer than planned due to the coronavirus. Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General Henry Puna had to extend his stay, and remain in quarantine, after testing positive for COVID-19. Fiji’s most senior delegate to the conference also tested positive, but was allowed to leave after a negative second test. However his refusal to wear a mask during his business class flight displeased his fellow passengers.
Digicel – PNG lock horns
Who will run Digicel PNG after the ink dries on Telstra’s acquisition of the company? That transaction is being complicated by a so-called supertax that has been levied on Digicel and Bank South Pacific (BSP) by the PNG government, although Telstra says it will go ahead. Digicel says it’s considering its legal options and continues to challenge the one-off 350 million kina tax, but PNG’s Treasurer says the company is being “mischievous” and that it is “bullying” a small country. The Australian Financial Review reports that a request has been made to Australian PM Scott Morrison to speak to his PNG counterpart about the possibility of getting the tax waived, although election campaigns in both countries may thwart this plan. The original deadline to pay the tax was March 31. Digicel is now liable for an additional 50 million kina fine for missing that deadline, and the company’s executives could face jail time if it isn’t paid. Digicel’s top PNG officials, including its CEO left PNG in early April.
Solomons, China and the Pacific
Pacific Islands Forum leaders are scheduled to meet in Fiji 7-9 June and the recently initialed security agreement between Solomon Islands and China will no doubt be on the minds of many, if not on the official agenda. Organisers are hoping for a face-to-face event, which could allow some talk on the sidelines about the implications of the agreement, which has generated huge amounts of analysis and angst in Solomon Islands, Australia, New Zealand and the US, but very little from Solomon Islands’ regional neighbours to date. There are Whispers that China is also planning a high level Pacific tour, in the wake of similar visits from Australia, New Zealand, US and Japanese ministers and officials.
Whispers is compiled under the supervision of the editors.
