Page 8 - IB May 2018 Edition

Whispers

leased her family home to house its con- naturalised Papua New Guinean but
sulate in 2007 but according to Ly, it had Malaysian born. Until his resignation
never paid rubbish collection fees and last month, Chung was a senior vice
had installed without her permission president of FIFA, a position that carried
a satellite dish on the roof. When she a US$300,000 salary. OFC had earlier
complained, Ly was told ‘once rented, lost its long time secretary general, Tai
the house has become territory of the Nicholas. It came as he and Chung were
People’s Republic of China.’ Post Script being probed about the construction of
– Ly is going to court to get ‘PRC’ evicted. football facilities in New Zealand.

t t

Fury over logo-ed underwears
Be careful of what you sell is the les-
son learnt for an Asian businessman in
Holy loo gaffe Buka, capital of Boungaiville. Quick ac-
It was a loo ending of sorts for a tion by local police diffused a tense situ-
marketing video gone wrong for Tour- ation last month when a large crowd of
ism Fiji when the Fijian word for church angry locals gathered outside the shop
was erroneously offered as the mean- in Buka. The mob of mainly men and
ing of the word ‘toilet!’ Red faced TF boys were furious about underwears
executives woke up one morning to see the shop was selling, which for some
the gaffe going viral on social media, reason bear the official logo of the gov-
leading to calls for heads to roll in TF Bohane v Facebook ernment of Boungainville. “This is what
leadership. No such thing happened, Award winning Pacific photojournalist happens when those Asians think they
just an unsigned statement on official Ben Bohane had no time to celebrate own you because the’ve funded your
letterhead expressing regret over the world media freedom day as he was national budget,’ a protestor complains
blunder. Many thought the mix-up occupied sorting out banned images on Facebook.
was the work of its overseas marketing on Facebook. Apparently his exclusive
agency, but this was quickly put to rest images of scantly dressed Melanesians t
when the international agency said, ‘no in Indonesian-occupied West Papua
sir, that video wasn’t our work!’ were deemed unacceptable under Face-
Still on the loo ending, somehow the book’s community standards and were
slip up resulted in some not so pleasant therefore deleted and the photographer
words being heard in the corridors of Bohane banned from the platform. Ei-
where happiness supposedly makes its ther that or the images were reported as
home. A very senior government official “unacceptable” by some powers that be.
made it audibly clear that the gaffe was In any case, Facebook has apologised
unacceptable, and its time the bosses for the drama and Bohane who works
shape up or ship out! out of Vanuatu is back on social media.

t t No takers in energy?
Interesting that the Fijian government
has opted for a public share offering in
its bid to partially divest shares in its
wholly owned energy utility Energy Fiji
Ltd, formerly Fiji Electricity Authority).
Seems like its earlier bids to attract
Photo: My Travel Blog the company had flopped. It had called
interested parties to privately invest in
for expressions of interest in 2015, even
budgeted for the divestment, but appar-
ently, nothing happened. It launched

Chinese property in Tahiti Photo: Getty Images another EOI in September 2016 with the
same result. It will be interesting to see
As Tahiti’s ruling party fights to win who will come to the show when the IPO
the second and final round of elections, a Oceania’s policing football is launched in the yet to be announced
property owner in the capital Papeete is Its drama un-ending for football in date, making it the third time that the
having a fight of her own. Its more like Oceania now with the news that presi- Fijian government is going to market
a David versus Goliath kind of battle as dent of the Oceania Football Confedera- with this company.
76-year old Huguetee Ly is battling the tion has step aside amidst corruption
bigger, mightier Chinese Government. investigations involving millions of t
What apparently happened was China dollars. David Chung (above) is a

8 Islands Business, May 2018