Page 10 - IB March 2021

Whispers Whispers

Return of the son hosted them in Micronesia. The question East, Guam, whatever, wherever.”
Whispers around the kava bowls in making the rounds is now that the five Meanwhile former chairman of the
eerily-quiet Nadi is that a former senior Micronesian members of the Forum have Guam GOP, Phil Flores said Greene’s flub
executive of the national airline, now made known their intention to leave, was “disappointing,” but that he’d met
living in retirement overseas, may be will these important policy statements other people from across the U.S. who
rejoining as Fiji Airways battles to stay and intentions retain their names? believed Guam was in Africa.
afloat. Andrew Drysdale was MD of Air
Pacific, forerunner of Fiji Airways for Samoa Observer stands firm Government bids (no) retreats
11 years in the early 1980s- late 1990s, Samoa’s Attorney-General, Savalenoa Senior civil servants in Vanuatu have
and the talk is that he will be joining Mareva Betham-Annandale is coming un- been told to hold off on off-site work-
the airline as a consultant. An aircraft der intense scrutiny in the country, after shops and retreats by Finance minister
engineer by profession, Drysdale helped her office engaged the services of her Johnny Koanapo, who says there have
turn the airline’s fortunes around and former firm (now run by her husband) been too many of them, and they cost a
grew it to its international status. on two projects. Neither the AG nor her lot of money. “We don’t want every de-
husband were initially willing to answer partment going out for retreats and no
Forum focus questions posed by the Samoa Observer one back in the offices to attend to the
Micronesian members of the Pacific about the arrangement, which report- queries of clients and the public,” he
Islands Forum were said to be unim- edly saw the firm review the controver- told local media. “Every week, we (the
pressed at a recent meeting in Suva sial Land and Titles Court bills last year. Ministry of Finance) have been approv-
where a senior Forum official went to Eventually the Assistant Attorney-Gen- ing requests for catering and retreats
great lengths to explain the “losses” eral advised via a media statement that which has become uncontrollable.”
their country would suffer once they they had taken charge of all processes
made good on their intentions to leave relating to Betham & Annandale Law SMEs want funds
the regional body due to the non- ap- engagements, and the Attorney-General Where are PNG government funds
pointment of their candidate to the was removed from the discussion of all allocated for SMEs? That’s what the
position of Forum Secretary General. work relating to the matter. But not SME Corporation’s Des Yaninen wants
The message was delivered during a before criticising the media for doing, to know. He says of the K200 million
brief on the European Union’s EDF fund- what after all, is its job. It also accused (US$56 million) allocated for SMEs,
ing envelope. the Samoa Observer of obtaining its only the K100 million allocated to Bank
source documents as a result of illegal South Pacific (BSP) has been lent to lo-
PIDF questions hacking. “This newspaper does not, nor cal entrepreneurs. He’s waiting for the
Unknown but still important is the has it ever, engaged in “hacking” nor National Development Bank (NDB) to
status of Micronesian states’ member- have we ever written stories based on start dispersing its share, and claims the
ship of PIDF, the Pacific Islands Develop- “hacking”. This is not Fleet Street and K20 million allocated to the Department
ment Forum that Fiji established to rival we are not owned by Rupert Murdoch,” of Commerce and Industry has ‘disap-
the Pacific Islands Forum when it was the paper said in response. peared’.
expelled in the wake of the 2006 coup.
Nauru and other Micronesian states Cookie diplomacy Sea survivors
were early supporters of PIDF, but given Republican Congresswoman Marjorie A brace of good news survivor stories
Frank Bainimarama’s refusal to support Taylor Greene got a history lesson, with recently. Five Temotuans (in the Solo-
Micronesia’s candidate for the SG job a side-serve of cookies recently. Mem- mon Islands) have landed in Vanuatu
of the Forum, it seems likely the PIDF bers of the Guam National Guard, led by after 24 days adrift. They were on their
could also lose its Micronesian members. Guam congressional delegate, Michael way to collect food from a neighbouring
F.Q. San Nicolas, visited her office after island group when they ran into rough
What’s in these names? she incorrectly dubbed Guam a foreign weather. They were caught without
The Biketawa Declaration of 2000, country. The Congresswoman was not phones, and had to jettison their engine
Majuro Declaration for Climate Leader- in, but later expressed her displeasure when it threatened to capsize them
ship of 2013, Palau Declaration on the at her uninvited guests. Congresswoman in rough weather. Relatives are now
Ocean of 2014, Pohnpei Statement: Greene apparently told the Conserva- fundraising to collect enough money to
Strengthening Pacific Resilience to tive Political Action Conference: “I’m bring them home. Meanwhile the chief
Climate Change & Disaster Risk of 2016, a regular person. And I wanted to take engineer aboard the Silver Supporter
Boe Declaration of 2018 are some of my regular-person, normal, everyday was rescued by his own vessel 14-hours
the formal declarations or statements American values, which is, we love our after he went overboard. The 52-year-
Pacific Leaders took during their Forum country. We believe our hard-earned old Lithuanian national, was working
meetings in past years that are named tax dollars should just go for America, aboard the freighter on a voyage from
after villages, towns or countries that not for what? China, Russia, the Middle New Zealand to remote Pitcairn Island.

10 Islands Business, March 2021