Page 8 - IB April 2018

WHISPERS

No pay, no service t
So which island nation will go without
the expert advice and technical assistance
of a major inter-governmental agency
due to non-payment of membership
contributions? Agency personnel have
been directed to cease any work travel or
projects on the island nation unless the
island government in question is fully Fijian embroils in twiplomacy
meeting travel and project costs. Orders Islands in the recent month caught a
of the suspension came from the top boss, glimpse of what twiplomacy is all about,
it has been whispered. This is the same the latest craze made popular by US Presi-
agency that has got several of its would- dent Donald Trump. When the Suva-based
be staff in transit in countries outside the Pacnews, owned by the Pacific Islands
Pacific as they wait for work papers to be Keeping it clean News Association twitted about a newspa-
processed and work permits to be issued Island leaders need to take a leaf from per report in Honiara on Fiji threatening to
by their island host. Makes one wonders what Sili Epa Tuioti of Samoa did after he withdraw its membership of the MSG, Fiji’s
why recruit them in the first place. was appointed his country’s new finance defence minister Ratu Inoke Kubuabola
minister. He immediately took steps to immediately replied through his twitter
t make it public that he has resigned from handle: ‘Not true!’ When Pacnews told @
his consultancy firm. According to the InokeRatu that Solomon Star newspaper is
Samoa Observer, the national government carrying the story, @InokeRatu responded
of Samoa has been a key client of Tuioti’s with another twit: ‘There is no truth in
Kolone and Vaai Associates Consultants. this. Purely speculation and bad taste
“I had always meant to resign,” he told the reporting.’
daily newspaper. “It’s for good governance
that I do so I don’t have any conflict of t
interest.”

t

Sporting diplomacy
Call it soft diplomacy or chequebook
diplomacy but Indonesia is slowly but
surely making inroads into the region with
news that Jakarta has offered to fund the
construction of a new sports stadium in
the island republic of Kiribati. Under the
previous administration of Anote Tong,
Kiribati sided with island states that sup-
ported the independence aspirations of
the people of West Papua. No more now.
President Taneti Maamau (pictured above) Don’t demonise my people Donation to bribery
and his cabinet hosted a delegation from A letter writer to the Cook Islands When is a donation becomes bribery?
Indonesia for about a week straight after News newspaper has some tips for visi- That is what Francois Chani wanted to
their attendance at the Special Lead- tors: ‘Don’t demonise my people and my know. He’s a member of parliament in
ers Summit of the MSG in Papua New country to push your God messages and Vanuatu and he poses the question after
Guinea in February culminating with the unfounded opinion.’ The letter writer was he and other 50 members of the Vanuatu
announcement that Jarkata is going to fi- responding to a newspaper columnist who Parliament were handed a laptop each.
nance their state of the art sports stadium. reportedly gave the Cook Islands the “sad Turns out that the machines were a gift
Still on MSG, is a key stalwart and co- distinction” of being the “binge-drinking from a Chinese company that is doing
founder of the grouping about to make the capital of the world.” This columnist “does business in the island nation. “Normally
switch from being a die-hard West Papua not drink alcohol but seems to be an ex- such a large quantity of highly priced elec-
advocate to one that recognises the sov- pert on alcohol consumption,” writes the tronic goods would normally come from a
ereignty of Indonesia, just like PNG and complainant. He further claims the visiting foreign government. But this was a deal
Fiji? Whispers in the diplomatic cocktails columnist wants to create “this illusion by a private company and I consider this
in Suva seem to suggest that new ‘kid on our Cook Islands’ society as a whole has to be a form of bribery,” said MP Chani.
the block,’ Rick Houenipwela of Solomon an addiction problem that requires the Needless to say, the legislator says he
Islands is contemplating a ‘go soft’ on intervention of God and the need to attend would return the computer and has asked
West Papua independence. A cabinet pa- AA meetings.” his fellow MPs to do the same.
per on the switch is understood to be in
the drafting stages in Honiara. t t

8 Islands Business, April 2018