Page 8 - IB FEB 2018

WHISPERS

Climate Not Ready countries especially in the way Beijing has leased a total of 52 billboards for the
From climate ready to climate not so stood with the island nation in the
ready is what has happened with the face of mounting ostracism from the
whisper that the American Govern- west following the political upheavals
ment’s US$24 million climate change of 2006, the least China thought Suva
related programme in the region being would do was to reciprocate their friend-
told to close shop not even one year liness by sending its aircraft northward
after it opened. Marching orders came to mainland China.
Still on Fiji’s flying ‘billboard,’ not
a few eyebrows have been raised at
the money the majority owner of Fiji
Airways is paying the airline to keep next four months from January by of-
it flying westward to Singapore. Is it fering rental 212 per cent more than the
because Singapore is too important to current lease rate. Its been whispered
Fiji or is it to do with the interest to get that total cost of those messages on the
the airline to fly beyond. billboard would run into six figures!

reportedly from none other than the t t
Trump Administration, perpetuating
his belief that climate change is a hoax. Bluesky relief Closure to cancer
Headquartered in Suva, Climate Ready Sighs of relief all around in Pagopago ‘For the struggle and terrible pain
was being managed by a global engi- with news that a US$20m lawsuit that stopped your wandering steps in
neering management conglomerate with against the previous and new own- this distant place, for the longing and
funding from USAID to assist ten island ers of Bluesky has been resolved. The grief that remained in the hearts of your
countries achieve their climate adapta- case was filed by former Bluesky CEO beloved parents, sisters and brothers,’
tion goals, by helping draft policies and in American Samoa after the Spanish was what remained in a tombstone in
climate funding applications. owners of the telecom company an- a cemetery in Rarotonga for cancer pa-
nounced that its operations in the two tients who had sought treatment from
Samoas have been bought by giant Fiji
t telco, ATH. All parties were mum about
the deal and a carefully worded state-
More judges please ment from Bluesky merely said “parties
A booming mining and construction have settled all claims to their mutual
sector is causing a sharp rise in finance satisfaction.”
related cases in Papua New Guinea.
That’s the word from the country’s chief
justice Sir Salamo Injia who wants to t
boost the number of judges on the bench
from the current 44 to 80. That’s a Europe in the Pacific
jump of about 80 per cent more judges. So which inter-government agency in
Sir Salamo if he has his way would the region is fast becoming a recruiting
also like to split the country’s judiciary haven for European bureaucrats? Or is the European con artist Milan Brych. A
into national court, court of appeal and it the new mandate of the agency that good Samaritan from Australia is work-
supreme court. its experts and advisers for the islands ing to restore some dignity and bring
should all be recruited from the Europe-
an continent? Several divisional heads closure to relatives of victims of the
t are from Europe; the top agro expert is European cancer quack. Debarred from
from the Netherlands, its M&E adviser practicing as a doctor in New Zealand,
China’s displeasure Bulgarian and now head of online con- the Czeck born man moved to the Cook
Big China is reportedly displeased at tent a Swiss. Islands in 1977 to set up his cancer clinic
the announcement by Fiji’s international and attracted more than 200 cancer
airline that it is resuming air services patients from mostly Australia, willing
to Narita, Tokyo this July. Given the t to pay mega bucks for the elusive cure.
very warm relations between the two
Message in the billboard
Slight change in strategy by the ruling t
party in Fiji as it opts to paint the coun-
try with its catchy slogans by snapping What consultation
up lease for most of the island’s super Best comeback of the month award
billboards. From ‘justice and honesty’ to goes to none other than the veteran
‘stability and equality’ to ‘more students and maverick (some would like to whis-
in schools and universities than ever per) prime minister of Samoa Tuilaepa
before,’ now. Whisper is that the party Sailele Malielegaoi when in response to
calls by the media as to why it was not

8 Islands Business, February 2018