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Pacific Islands Forum

our future generations. that we share. This will ensure we are better able to connect
The work of being Secretary General owes much to strong the communiques of our Leaders to the communities of our
relationships with friends of the Pacific from all parts of the Blue Pacific continent.
globe. But I want to pay special tribute to each and every Fo- The vision of a return for Kiribati to the Forum family is
rum Leader, and they role they play in our collective identity one of my most fervent hopes in 2023- and on that note may I
and strength. borrow from the I-Kiribati people my closing wish for our Blue
As we have seen from the recent visit of the Forum Chair, Pacific continent in 2023 – te mauri, te raoi ao te tabomoa—
the Honourable Sitiveni L. Rabuka’s recent mission to the for health, for peace, for prosperity.
Republic of Kiribati, our true Pacific Way of diplomacy and
talanoa is alive and well. We continue to be a people con- Henry Puna is Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum
nected by the ocean, our cultures, and our traditions. Within Secretariat.
this context, we must continue to celebrate the rich diversity

KIRIBATI BACK IN THE FORUM

By Samantha Magick by close relatives to acknowledge deep and sincere regret for
not being present in the ritual ceremony and period of mourn-
Kiribati will rejoin the Pacific Islands Forum after Forum ing during a funeral rite of passage,” a Fijian official stated.
Chair, Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka’s state visit to Tarawa It is also an “affirmation of one’s commitment to kinship
this month. and solidarity.”
That visit started with a handshake between Rabuka and In Lauan, “boka” translates to “I see you.”
Kiribati President, Taneti Maamau, and ended with an em- “In this ceremony Fiji is saying: ‘Kiribati, I see you, and we
brace. therefore recommit our obligation to you as an integral part
A week after the Fiji delegation returned to Suva, an official of the Fijian family and our Pacific community’.”
letter confirming Kiribati’s return arrived. The significance of this ceremony, and the fact that Kiribati
Kiribati withdrew from the Forum last year, stating in a was Rabuka’s first overseas visit since his election, were ac-
letter to PIF: “the collective inability, and to some degree, knowledged, with President Maamau saying this made the visit
reluctance as a region” to address the concerns of its Microne- ‘all the more special.’
sian members over the Secretary General’s appointment and
other matters. Kinsman and family
Rabuka’s predecessor as Prime Minister, Voreqe Bainimarama The history of Banaba and its people, and how they con-
convened a meeting that saw Nauru, Marshall Islands, Palau nect Kiribati and Fiji, was also spoken of frequently during
and Federated States of Micronesia sign the Suva Agreement, the visit. From 1945, British authorities relocated some 700
which includes a number of actions to address their concerns. Banabans to Rabi island in Fiji’s Cakaudrove province. Great
But Kiribati was not represented at that negotiation, and Britain had mined phosphate on Banaba, stripping most of its
Bainimarama was unable to bring them back into the fold surface in the process.
before Fiji’s election. At the state dinner, Rabuka described how he was person-
Fiji is due to hand over the PIF Chair to Cook Islands in ally “deeply moved to be here, the ancestral home of our
March, and there was a strong desire for Kiribati to be present Banaban people on Rabi Island displaced and moved, probably
and the Forum back to full strength when that occurs. against their will, to be on Rabi Island in Cakaudrove, which
At the state dinner during Prime Minister Rabuka’s visit, is my home province. They have played a major part in the
President Maamau described his meeting with the Prime Min- affairs of Cakaudrove Province.
ister as very successful, thanking him for “taking a bold but “Many of the original inhabitants of Banaba never saw
humble step to restore the Pacific way of trust, respect and their homeland again but I believe they are with us in spirit
understanding within the region.” tonight, I believe all smiling because we continue with the
rich tradition of the Pacific and our family connections. They
“I see you” have become my kinsfolk; they have become my family. You
A critical moment of the visit was the participation of the therefore are my kinsman and also my family,” he continued.
entire Fijian delegation in the traditional ceremony of the
“boka”. Embracing the future and the West Papua question
Before their presentation of the tabua (whale’s tooth) and As Prime Minister Rabuka left the state dinner, he and Presi-
yaqona, Kiribati’s President was told that the boka is the dent Maamau exchanged a warm hug.
Fijian ritual practice to acknowledge the deep sense of grief, Rabuka had earlier told guests, “This is our unique oppor-
usually reserved for the passing away of a loved one. tunity to make peace and progress as a Forum family. But we
“The boka, therefore, is especially observed and practiced must be diligent about it, we cannot work in isolation, we

Islands Business, January 2023 15