Page 8 - IB September 2018 Edition

Whispers

our leaders.” According to him, there’s ciary is truly alive and well, there are
nothing stopping any other member doubts as to whether the same could be
of his family from writing about the said about its neighbour to the east, the
late Malietoa but added “they probably tiny islands of atolls, Tuvalu. Reports
won’t as it is a lot of work.” from its atoll capital Funafuti seem to
suggest that its Australian Chief Justice
t is deciding whether to debar the coun-
try’s Attorney General, or one of her
Speaking for PNG senior counsels from practicising as a
ROUGH seas are ahead it seems for lawyer in Tuvalu. It reportedly stemmed
Selling information owners of the world’s richest tuna from a special high court sitting presided
LEADER of Nauru Baron Waqa let it slip stocks, the so called Parties of the Nauru over by the CJ in which the AG or one
in front of visiting journalists to his tiny Agreement with a faction in Papua New of her representatives allegedly accused
island nation a reason his administra- Guinea threatening to withdraw from the plaintiff’’s key witness of fraud and
tion slaps the hefty AUD8,000 journalist their sales company based in Europe. dishonesty. The only catch is that the
visa fee. At his first press conference Quoting a former head of PNG fisher- witness happened to be the country’s
after assuming the Forum ‘hot’ chair, ies, a London-based seafood website prime minister Enele Sopoaga. Two days
Waqa let off steam when journalists claimed the PNA company, Pacifical after that courtroom confrontation, CJ
wanted to know the status of refugees has not submitted any audited financial Charles Sweeney reconvened his court
who are living in the Australian govern- account to the company registry in the and summoned the AG or her senior
ment funded processing camps on the Netherlands where it is registered nor lawyer to answer to charges of wilful use
island: “You prefer to talk about things has PNG received any monetary benefits of false statements in a never-before-
that interest you like the refugees…. Do from its participation in the commercial seen case where the CJ becomes the
not tell me that refugees are an issue venture. Fake news, exclaimed the PNA prosecutor, the assessor and judge all
[for the Pacific]. How can this be an is- Secretariat headquartered in Majuro, in one sitting. Last whisper we heard,
sue for Tonga? For Kiribati? No, it’s an Marshall Islands before venturing to Sweeney had retired to his law practice
issue for Australia and all these refugee do a fact check on all of the allegations in Australia where he would deliver his
lawyers… You take the wrong informa- levelled against it. PNA claims the judgement by notice.
tion and you repeat it over and over and former PNG official only speaks for the
over again. That’s why we charge you Philippino tuna company that employs t
$8000 to come here, it’s because you him, and not for the entire Fishing
sell our information.” And yes he did Industry Association of PNG of which
say that this fixation over refugees in he is president and chairman. Besides,
Nauru could be the reason American less than 10% of all tuna that Pacifical
President ain’t interested in the Pacific markets in Europe are caught in PNG
too. “That’s probably why Trump does waters and that the company has been
not listen to us, it’s because you do not depositing its audited financials with the
support us.” Dutch company registry as required by
law and also to all of its shareholders,
t and the ex official is not one of them.

Chiefly biographer t Different chair, same problem
DISPUTATION over the rightful heir to JUDGING from the reported public re-
the chiefly Malietoa title has split over Term reduction marks of one of the other leaders of the
to the rightful biographer. Some mem- SO which island nation lost her gover- Pacific, President Baron Waqa seems to
bers of the family are displeased that nor of the central bank after a dispute have more things to worry about than
two academics, one based in Fiji and over the term of the contract? This chief nosey journalists enquiring about refu-
the other in New Zealand are working banker apparently lost his job because gees on Nauru. Premier Toke Talagi told
on the biography of the late Malietoa he did not reapply for it. He only learnt radio in New Zealand that the Forum of
Tanumafili II, a paramount chief of Sa- of it when he enquired as to why his which his country of Niue is a member
moa and long time head of state until contract has not been renewed. Told and of which Waqa is now chair of is
his passing in 2007. “My grandfather’s that he did not submit an “expression of “stuck in limbo” and “making little
name is insultingly misspelt and they interest,” the perplexed bureaucrat said progress.” He’s of the view the Forum
want to do a biography on him and can’t that the governor’s term lasts five years continued to face the same problems and
even get the name correct,” one of the and he has completed only three. It has that many people could not be bothered
Malietoa’s sons bitterly complained to since been whispered that the ‘memo’ or just couldn’t reach an agreement on
the media. It so happen that the Fiji- shortening the term by two years did what to do. The Pacific’s fish licensing
based academic is also related to the late not reach the now former central bank system is a case in point, as much more
Malietoa and had apparently begun the governor. needed to be done to combat illegal fish-
biography before his death. Dr Morgan ing. Niue’s Premier by the way has been
Tuimaleali’ifano said as a teacher and t knighted by the Queen of England and
historian as well as being a member of he is now addressed as Sir Toke Talagi.
the same family, he has every right to re- Judge and jury
search and write about “our family and WHILE Nauru has shown that its judi- t

8 Islands Business, September 2018