Brother Kanaky
MSG seals deal with Independence group ahead of referendum THE Melanesian Spearhead Group will take a lead role in a political referendum in New Caledonia next year. MSG Director General, Ambassador Amenatave
Politics
The decreed legacy of Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum
THE Attorney General and Minister for the Economy Aiyaz Sayed Khaiyum is probably the most influential Minister this country has ever had. His influence is everywhere, in the Decrees, the Constitution, the Electoral
O’Neill wins bizzare elections
PAPUA New Guinea’s Prime Minister Peter O’Neill recorded history by being elected into office for a second year term on July 2. He defeated a determined coalition of parties known as ‘The Alliance’ in a vote 60
A question of identity
Implications of the draft Rotuma Bills OPPOSITION to the draft Rotuma Bills was not to detract the question of unity but it was a matter of identity, explained the adviser to the Council of Rotuma, Dr John Fatiaki in an
Call to end Fiji black list
A FIJIAN opposition party has called for the lifting of travel bans on all individuals – including former Fiji citizens.National Federation Party President, Roko Tupou Draunidalo, said Prime Minister, Frank
Business as usual?
Pacific challenges for new French President FRANCE Has a new Presiden after mainstream parties fell by the wayside during last month’s presidential elections. Incoming President Emmanuel Macron saw off a strong
The middle road
Looking for a Fiji for all WHEN Tupou Draunidalo chose to leave the Opposition National Federation Party earlier this year, political commentators wondered about the wisdom of such a move. For there are many who believe
Out of the shadows to join a family calling
IT’S just days after New Year and while chaos reigned on the mainland as news spread of an underwater earthquake, the then President of the National Federation Party, parliamentarian Tupou Draunidalo, was sitting
End of the road for Somare
AN era came to an end on April 4 when Papua New Guinea’s ‘father of the nation’ and one of the longest serving parliamentarians in the Pacific and the Commonwealth, Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare took up his seat
PM O’Neill upbeat
PNG prepares to go to the polls RIDING on the perceived success of the government’s core policies, Prime Minister Peter O’Neill is confident of retaining government after the 2017 National Elections. Equally
Hilda pushes her world agenda
AFTER 16 months in office, Marshall Islands President Hilda C. Heine has a busy schedule. On the international stage, the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) has been active in global negotiations on climate change
Survivor Tonga
Pohiva defeats Nobles’ motion THREE years after winning an election, pro-democracy fighter Samuela ‘Akilisi Pohiva has fought off a second vote of no confidence to maintain his position as Tonga’s
Class wars
Rulers ostracise their own EARLY this month 32 of Tonga’s nobles met with one item on their agenda – Noble Ma’afu. This one member of the ruling class refused to stand with them and their nine elected
Donald’s Trump card Time will tell
HAS the new US President played his “trump card” too early in his presidency? Only time will tell. In late January, President Donald Trump signed an executive order which suspended all refugee admissions
Fiji deports land reform critic
Land sold for US$10 as retrospective law takes effect OUR ‘Paradise Lost’ story last month about controversial land sale law changes was just hitting the streets in Fiji when news broke of the deportation of
Tuvalu demonstrates against top charge
Former PM seeks re-election PROTESTS in Funafuti, capital of Tuvalu, against Tuvalu’s newly appointed Chief Justice saw the deferment to March of a bi-election in the island’s parliament. Strongly tipped to
Australia the US ally
Turnbull plays his Trump card IN his first statement congratulating Donald Trump on his victory in the US Presidential Election, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull spoke glowingly of the strength of
Who should decide New Caledonia’s future
WITH New Caledonia scheduled to hold a referendum on self-determination in late 2018, there is a looming crisis over who will be eligible to vote. More than 25,000 Kanaks are not properly registered on the French
Detentions widen political gulf
RECENT events in Fiji point to a widening gulf that has developed between Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama’s Fiji First Party- led government and the country’s Opposition political parties. Six prominent
Former Tuvalu PM a ‘free man’
Judge questions handling of case by PM and his deputy A LANDMARK court case last May in Tuvalu which saw the jailing of a former prime minister who is a sitting opposition MP has ended abruptly when the island’s high
Solomons bid to bridge China, Taiwan gap
SOLOMON Islands preparation toward hosting the 2023 Pacific Games could harmonise the deep political division between China and Taiwan. Well, that is if both countries decide to assist Solomon Islands build the needed
Jittery race
Turnbull holds on THE count hadn’t been completed yet in Australia’s triennial federal election and questions were already being raised about party leadership. How long would Malcolm Turnbull be able to hold
Storm warning
Fury over West Papua flag ON July 13, Indonesian delegates — angry because the Morning Star Flag, emblem of the United Liberation Movement of West Papua (ULMWP), was flown alongside other members’ flags