Pacific Notes
Pacific Notes
Marshall Islands
Jebro’s Outrigger Race Takes Off
Every culture has its legends, but how often do they get to act them out? A high-stakes outrigger canoe race will do just that in the Marshall Islands in late March, pitting the country’s best canoe captains on a race-course that traces the famous story of Jebro, whose mother, legend has it, created the first sail for outrigger canoes.
Aside from its historical significance, the March 18-19 race is the biggest—in terms of prize money and canoe sizes—to happen in the Marshall Islands. Unlike the annual Marshall Islands Cup, sponsored each May by the Outrigger Hotel in Majuro, this race will be on the remote atoll of Ailinglaplap.
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The $20,000 in prize money offered by leading chiefs Imata Kabua and Anjua Loeak insures this will be a very serious competition. Upping the ante of the race is that it’s a winner-take-all event—any canoe that comes in behind an Ailinglaplap canoe must be left behind in Ailinglaplap, according to the rules.
Combine that with Ailinglaplap’s storied place in Marshallese legends as the birthplace of Marshallese sailing canoes, and you’ve got the ingredients for an incredible two-day race. The Ailinglaplap race will feature 26- to 30-foot canoes—many being built just for this race—that will be sailed by two-to-three men.
In legend, Jebro raced his nine brothers, who had all refused to give their mother a ride. She was carrying a large bundle and the elder brothers thought they’d be slowed down. But Jebro let his mother on board his canoe. Kindness to his mother paid off, of course, for no sooner had she boarded Jebro’s canoe than she opened the bundle and began setting up the sail. Jebro, needless to say, went on to victory over his brothers, becoming iroij of Jeh Island.
—Giff Johnson
Peace Negotiator Murdered
Sir Fred Soaki, member of the National Peace Council and former Solomon Islands Police Commissioner, was shot dead February 10 at Auki, the Malaita Province capital. Soaki had gone to Auki as part of the council’s efforts to help get the controversial police “special constables” to agree to demobilize and return to their communities. Hundreds of former militants had been made special constables as part of agreements ending more than two years of ethnic conflict.
His killing brings the country’s new British Police Commissioner, William Morrell, an early example of the Solomon’s continuing law and order problems. “At this stage, we do not know the full details of his death and must wait for police investigations to confirm what happened,” National Peace Council chairperson Paul Tovua told the Solomon Star. “I can say that Sir Fred traveled to Auki on behalf of the Council to talk at a demobilization workshop for Special Constables. He was on a mission of peace and his message was one of hope and encouragement to former special constables to return to their communities and help re-build the national identity as a proud and united Solomon Islands. Sir Fred was a great man and highly respected by all parts of the community. His death is a severe blow to Solomon Islands.”
—Solomon Star/PINA Nius Online
Presidential Musical Chairs
Nauru’s presidential crisis came close to resolution in late January only to slip into an impasse once again. Former President Rene Harris, who had refused to accept the result of a no-confidence vote in his leadership, successfully sought an injunction from Nauru’s chief justice, Australian lawyer Barry Connell, denying rival Bernard Dowiyogo the right to exercise presidential authority. The lifting of the temporary injunction gave an indication that the crisis might soon pass.
Subsequent events had more than a touch of comic opera. On January 17, Rene Harris’ leadership was apparently confirmed by the Supreme Court, which found that an earlier vote in favour of Dowiyogo was unconstitutional, having been one vote short of the requirements. But the following day, Harris lost a second no-confidence motion, a result that probably should have signalled a clear victory for Dowiyogo.
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The intending president, however, now found himself challenged by Kinza Clodumar, like Dowiyogo a previous occupant of the presidential office. The contest was further confused by the resignation of the parliamentary speaker, who threw his support behind Dowiyogo, and a change in the allegiance of another member. The consequence of these moves was an even split of the 18 MPs between Dowiyogo and Clodumar and a speaker-less assembly, necessitating an adjournment of Parliament.
At the beginning of February, after more than one month of virtual deadlock, it appeared that a backstage deal made Bernard Dowiyogo the president of his country. At least the Australian government seemed to think so, since it offered the usual congratulations and declared that it looked forward to working with him. The implications of this are significant, since Dowiyogo is said to have been critical of Australia’s deal with his predecessor, which allows for the temporary resettlement of asylum seekers on Nauru in exchange for additional aid.
In any event, Dowiyogo’s apparent triumph may be short-lived. On April 12 general elections are expected to take place and could bring about yet another change of government. As they say, politics in Nauru are fluid.
—Norman Douglas
Travel Abuse Charges Settled
In late January, Palau’s Special Prosecutor Everett Walton dismissed civil and criminal charges against Speaker of the House of Delegates Mario Gulibert and Delegate William Ngiraikelau and settled claims against 10 other Delegates who had received letters from the Office of the Special Prosecutor regarding the use of government funds for overseas travel expenses. Three of the 16 Delegates and five of the nine Senators have yet to settle with OSP.
Under the settlement agreement, the Delegates must repay a total of $154,599.16—plus penalties—to the Republic of Palau. They must refrain from overseas travel using government funds until travel policies are adopted and certified by the Public Auditor. Henceforth, travelers must submit full documentation of travel expenses including receipts, travel vouchers and expense reports.
Charges against Gulibert included embezzlement, grand larceny and forgery. If found guilty, Gulibert faced a possible prison sentence of 20 years and a fine of over $100,000 in the civil suit alone. His settlement agreement contained a “No admission of guilt” clause.
—Nancy Chism
Complaints About Greedy Churches
Radio Australia reports that some Samoan community leaders are finally starting to break the code of silence about the overreaching demands of many Samoan church leaders for donations from their congregations. It is common practice for mainstream Samoan Christian churches to read out each Sunday the amounts donated by each family in the congregation. Though Samoans have muttered in private about such no-so-subtle forms of financial intimidation, the Radio Australia interviews aired in January were one of the first times that community leaders have spoken out about the damage such practices are having on their communities. Arthur Anae, a former New Zealand MP and a leader in the Aukland Samoan community told RA that “The only thing I’m objecting to is this system where people’s donations are read out from the front of the church on a Sunday morning. That is just not acceptable in my books.”
Anae says that many Samoans face bankruptcy and foreclosure on their homes. “Our people need to live within their means because if you don’t, your kids suffer, you suffer, you lose your home and everything else and that’s not what it’s all about.”
Many American Samoan pastors make more money per year than the territory’s governor and, likewise, many pastors in Samoa make a bigger annual salary than cabinet ministers or local business executives.
Pastor Chris Sola, who runs an Islander and Maori Pentecostal church in Pakuranga, a suburb of Aukland, told the RA interviewer: “I was at a particular Samoan church where if we gave nothing we were actually called out ‘Chris Sola gave nothing.’ So I mean that alone puts pressure on people to actually give.” Sola says that some Samoans would rather be seen as big givers inside their church congregations and yet lose their homes and go on the dole. “So they’re big givers in church, but outside of the church environment we’re actually on the bottom of the poverty line.”
—Scott Whitney and Radio Australia
Crime A Growing Problem
Lawlessness in Fiji is escalating. While armed break-ins of residences have been a serious problem since the first coups in 1987, there has been an increase in attacks in public places.
In early February, an Air New Zealand aircraft crew was robbed at 3 a.m. in the lobby of their Nadi hotel as they prepared to depart for the airport. Seven men, wearing balaclavas and carrying knifes, rushed into the Tanoa Hotel’s lobby and surprised the crew and hotel staff. No one was hurt, although the robbers reportedly hit the crew’s bus driver on the leg with a beer bottle.
A few days before that attack, a five-person University of Hawaii team in Suva was attacked on Victoria Parade, the city’s main street, in front of the Holiday Inn Suva in the early evening. A masked man wielding a large knife rushed the team’s leader, Dr. Joyce Tsunoda, and grabbed her handbag. She was pulled to the ground before she let go of her bag. No one was injured in the attack, but Papalii Dr. Failautusi Avegalio, of the university’s Pacific Business Center, was nearly slashed in the stomach by the armed man.
Australia has issued a travel advisory warning of the crime problem in Fiji.
—Floyd K. Takeuchi
Rebels Will “Shoot To Kill”
People living along the common land border between West Papua in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea (PNG) are likely to be affected if the PNG government goes ahead with its plan to close down all suspected rebel camps that are located on the PNG side of the border.
The West Papuan rebel organization, Operasi Papua Merdeka, gave the stern warning early this year after PNG government gave directives for all suspected OPM camps to be closed by January 29 and all residents in the camps to be moved back to West Papua. The directives did not go down well with the Melanesian people of West Papua who have been fighting for full independence from Indonesia since 1963. They have instead issued a warning of their own to PNG security forces deployed to the border to implement the decision to close suspected rebel camps. OPM has since issued a “shoot to kill” order if PNG uses force to deport some of their members who are living on the PNG side of the border.
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The PNG government has deployed a police mobile squad to Vanimo to carry out the order to dismantle known suspected rebel camps. However, Sandaun Provincial Government Governor Carlos Yuni has warned the police to be careful and not use excessive force to remove the West Papuans from the camps.
OPM supreme commander John Somer said PNG should be cautious when handling the border problem. Somer says the freedom fighters of West Papua will not tolerate the collaborative effort by Indonesia and PNG to quash their fight for independence. “We don’t see PNG as a threat, but we are prepared to fight PNG if force is used to close the camps and deport our people back to West Papua,” Somer warns.
“PNG military is nothing to us,” he adds. “We have more than 30 years of experience of guerrilla warfare, all I can say is, if PNG wants to fight us, OK, come and let’s meet at the field. OPM has no problem with the PNG government, it is not fighting against PNG, it is fighting the Indonesian government.”
The hardline stand by PNG to close down suspected rebel camps comes after the recent border skirmish between the OPM and the Indonesian security forces stationed at the Wutung border post on December 16, 2002. OPM fighters attacked the Indonesian border post, which is about 100 meters from the PNG border post at Wutung killing seven Indonesian soldiers.
Meanwhile, West Papuana were angered by Indonesia’s announced intention to create three new provinces in West Papua.
—Winis Map
