Letter from Suva
So What's the Real Story this Time?
Have you noticed something about the recent incident in Honiara where the deputy New Zealand High Commissioner, a woman, was found stabbed and dead?
All has gone very quiet.
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Remember all the international noise - especially from New Zealand - pointing to this being a murder most foul with Solomon Islanders obviously the culprits? There were even some hints this could be a killing linked to the diplomat's work on Solomon Islands law and order problems.
New Zealand - including its news media - seemed to rush to judgment on the Solomon Islands and Solomon Islanders. But were lawless Solomon Islanders to blame? Or have the Kiwis got it wrong again, just as they did when they rushed in and assumed the killing of Fiji Red Cross director, John Scott was political?
It has all got suspiciously quiet about the Honiara incident. But, I¹m told by good Honiara sources, there are some interesting theories doing the rounds in the Hapi Isles' about the death of the deputy high commissioner. If there's any truth in one of them, the Solomon Islands and its people are going to be owed an apology. Just like the people of Fiji should have got one over some of the rubbish published and broadcast in New Zealand about the Scott killing.
Turn on your radio in many Pacific Islands these days, and you'll get news and views with an Australian accent and slant.
Turn on your television and it could be the same. Suddenly, Australians are everywhere.
The Aussies seem to have launched a massive drive to influence Pacific Islands people by providing news and views the Australian way through Radio Australia and Australian Television.
Radio Australia, I've been told, has been busy offering free satellite dishes to Pacific Islands radio stations in an effort to get them to rebroadcast its programmes. It seems to be working.
A check on Radio Australia's website shows it now proudly gives a long list of Pacific Islands stations rebroadcasting its news and views. Australia Television is also welcoming Pacific Islands television stations rebroadcasting its programmes.
The latest I hear is Radio Australia's boss has been visiting the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat seeking funding to produce programmes for the Forum.
This is obviously good for Australia. But is it good for Pacific Islands countries to have Australia having such an influence on what people hear and see?
These days Australian influence seems to be everywhere. UNICEF - the United Nations Children's Fund - is even sending an Australian to do reports for the Pacific Islands on the special United Nations session on children. Doesn't UNICEF think any of our Pacific Islands journalists are capable of doing this?
Congratulations to Fiji's delegation to the UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) general conference for showing just what Pacific Islanders can do.
They worked as a team, lobbied support from Asian and European members, and made sure the Pacific numbers were there. Then they got Fiji elected to the Intergovernmental Council of the International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC). This is UNESCO¹s main body for communications development. It has a big say on how the money is divided.
It is not like some international bodies where positions are decided by rotation or by quota. Places on the IPDC council are sought after and can be fiercely contested. Two previous attempts by other Pacific Islands countries to get elected failed.
Now, the Pacific Islands are represented by Fiji's Jim Bentley, and there could not be anyone better. He has wide experience working for UNESCO and knows the UNESCO system inside out. He has been UNESCO's Regional Communications Adviser for both the Pacific and Asia.
Yes, the Fiji effort truly shows what the Pacific Islands bloc can do internationally if they work and stick together.
