Page 8 - IB June 2020

Whispers

Vanuatu’s visa clean-up Tonga’s opaque budget debate Glen Mola says “literally hundreds of
Vanuatu’s Trade Commissioner to Tonga plans to spend $US1.9 million millions of dollars have been wasted”
Hong Kong has been given a three dollars on a Tonga National Security of on poorly conceived and executed
months’ termination notice by the Information Office in what local media hospital projects in the past, includ-
Government. As well as his role as Trade say is an effort to try and curb the ing the K80miilion new wing at Goroka
Commissioner, Jimmy Ng King Cheung leaking of key government informa- hospital, which was completed in 2018,
was the “sole master marketing agent” tion. The plans emerged in the budget but is still awaiting commissioning and
for the Vanuatu Contribution Program debate with Prime Minister Hon. Dr use. Professor Mola says while the usual
(VCP) which secured Permanent Resi- Pohiva Tu'i'onetoa saying that there was reason given for the delay is staff short-
dency Visas on behalf of the Govern- a concern with national security, and ages, there are many non-functional
ment in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and that they were working with the Police features, such as the location of the
Macau since 17 October 2011. Confus- and the offices of New Zealand and labour ward, the absence of a sluicing
ingly, this program runs parallel to the Australia to establish the new office. area near the operating theatre, and
Vanuatu Development Support Program The Tonga Legislative Assembly passed poor access between the new and old
(DSP), which is administered globally. its $589.6 million pa‘anga National wings. Amongst other examples, he also
Cheung’s contract was to lapse in 2021 Budget for 2020-21 by a unanimous vote points to the Koroba hospital which
but the government said it hadn’t been on June 18, however local media have was completed 10 years ago but never
receiving monthly reports as agreed, again observed a lack of transparency in used. Oil Search is now upgrading that
alleged a conflict of interest in the pay- the debate. “We do not have an official hospital.
ment of expenses, and suggested the copy of the Budget Statement or the
move to extend the contract reflected National Budget, and the debate in the Vagabond in Vanuatu
the expectation Vanuatu’s government Committee of the Whole House was ob- It’s a Hollywood-worthy script. When
would change. Under the contentious scure. The members of parliament have fugitive Art Dealer Inigo Philbrick was
PR scheme, thousands of Permanent copies of the budget, but surprisingly arrested in Vanuatu on charges of run-
Residency visas have been issued. The few figures were revealed in the debate ning a $20 million art fraud scheme,
scheme is now under review. so, for anyone outside of their number many locals were astounded. He had
listening, the debate is hard to follow,” been hiding in Vanuatu for less than a
Refining contact tracing wrote veteran journalist, Pesi Fonua. year, but had supported a local animal
Contact tracing apps have been charity and seemed to be living a low
introduced in Cook Islands and Fiji, PNG kit home chaos key life. That all changed when he
but in early-adopter Singapore, the There has been uproar in Milne Bay, was arrested and taken to Guam to
phone-based app may be replaced with PNG over the standard of kit homes face fraud charges on a private plane,
a wearable contact tracing device. As provided for 250 families relocated restrained and escorted by US Depart-
with the careFiji app, which is based for a Geopacific Resource Limited ment of Justice agents. Philbrick was
on open source software developed in mining project on Woodlark Island. charged with one count of wire fraud
Singapore, the TraceTogether app works “These homes are a joke. We live with and one count of aggravated identity
by sending Bluetooth signals between extended family members but the theft, however investigators suggest
users when in close proximity, making it single room and two rooms kit homes more charges will follow.
easier for authorities to conduct contact under construction do not have proper
tracing when a user tests positive for verandas, windows, and living rooms,” Samoa media in the cold
COVID-19. In Singapore, downloading of spokesperson Bosco Lapis told local Frustration for media in Samoa,
the app is not compulsory as it has vary- media. Geopacific managing director, where it has been revealed that the
ing performance across different smart- Ron Heeks has reportedly resigned over new parliament will not include a press
phone operating systems. For example, the matter, with the company chair- gallery. The move, which was revealed
Apple’s iOS suspends Bluetooth scanning man Ian Clyne agreeing the housing was when the 2020-21 budget was tabled in
when the app is running in the back- inadequate, and saying the board was parliament, has been criticised by the
ground, meaning users have to leave it shocked when they saw the pictures of Journalist Association of Samoa (JAWS)
in the foreground, without using other the accommodation provided. and International Federation of Journal-
apps. This has also proved an issue for ists. JAWS says years of planning and
some Australian users of the COVIDSafe Hospital health check Australian aid dollars went into Samoa’s
app. Fiji has made it compulsory for The Head of Reproductive Health, new parliament, and it is surprising the
all users of government-issued phones, Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the government is excluding the press gal-
members of the disciplined forces, users University of PNG has urged the govern- lery, and having to work from tents in
with phones issued by government- ment to learn from past mistakes made parliament grounds presents a signifi-
funded statutory bodies and returning in relation to health infrastructure, cant obstacle to them being able to do
citizens and residents to download the while welcoming plans to build modern their work.
careFIJI App. hospitals in the provinces. Professor

8 Islands Business, June 2020