Letter from Suva
The Other Secretary-General Job Up For Grabs
When Pacific Islands leaders meet in Auckland this month for the annual Pacific Islands Forum meeting, there will already be an agenda drawn up by regional foreign affairs officials who meet before the leaders summit. Because the summit is only two days a day's retreat involving informal discussions amongst leaders and lobbying, and one day of meeting proper this helps prioritise and focus leaders to deal only with issues of importance.
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This year, judging from what has been happening in the region, particularly the situation in the Solomon Islands, security concerns are expected to dominate discussions. So will the appointment of the new secretary-general to succeed Papua New Guinea's Noel Levi as head of the Suva-based Forum Secretariat. But perhaps leaders at the summit could also use the opportunity to look at how the Pacific is represented on international organisations. They could devise strategies and positions to ensure the Pacific has a voice in them in light of global developments, and to maximise benefits.
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Case in point: the ACP (African, Caribbean, Pacific group) Secretary-General position. The current Secretary-General is Jean-Robert Goulogana of Gabon. His four-year term expires in 2005, and the understanding amongst the ACP group of countries is that it's the Pacific's turn at the ACP helm. Mr Goulogana's successor is expected to be appointed at the next ACP Heads of State and Government summit in Mozambique in late 2004. The job is an important one with an attractive remuneration package. According to sources in Brussels, the post attracts a monthly salary of 6300 Euros, equivalent to F$13,000 tax-free. Several allowances are paid including education, health and superannuation, with free housing and transport. Apart from the money, should this position be on the region's agenda?
As Fiji's ambassador to Brussels, Isikeli Mataitoga, said: "This is an important position for the Pacific ACP region because during the tenure of office of the new secretary-general, phase 2 of the EPA (Economic Partnership Agreements) negotiations with the EC (European Commission) will be completed.
"And given the many constraints that our Pacific economies face, having someone from the region in that position gives us the advantage to influence high level policy processes and decisions in Brussels that directly impact the lives of people in our region. "In terms of geo-political influence, the secretary-general of the ACP Secretariat at a time of greater sympathetic awareness amongst the developed world of the needs of the developing world and, in particular, the small and vulnerable among them, occupies a strategic position to bring positive influence to the needs of the ACP states and our region specifically."
The ACP Pacific region comprises 14 Pacific islands countries: Samoa, Vanuatu, Tonga, the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Palau, Niue, Nauru, Federated States of Micronesia, Marshalls, Fiji, Cooks and Kiribati. Fiji's Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase is currently the chair of the 78-nation ACP group. ACP has become a growing international force and it has emerged as one of the key groups representing the developing world. So what are we doing to ensure we get the job?
A check on a number of Pacific Islands countries was quite revealing. Although most were aware that it's the Pacific's turn at the ACP helm, nothing much had been done by the various countries in working towards nominating a candidate. In fact only two countries Samoa and Papua New Guinea seem to be giving it some serious thought. They are believed to be sounding out other ACP Pacific member countries about their intention. Samoa is believed to be considering nominating its Pao Luteru, who is currently the ACP deputy secretary-general political affairs and human development. Luteru is into his first term at the ACP secretariat and the region could consider his name as a candidate following the appointment practice in the Centre for the Development of Enterprise (CDE).
Under the principle of rotation in the ACP group, Fiji had served the region as Director of CDE for 10 years (2 terms). For Papua New Guinea, there have been several names floated including that of former foreign affairs secretary Gabriel Dusava and Sir John Kaputin. Fiji has not made its mind up whether to nominate a candidate. But the word from the corridors of power is that Fiji is looking at supporting another African candidate.
Is this politics or strategising? According to those in the know, the move has been described as a "good strategy that will get the Pacific Islands what it wants." As someone well versed in the ways of the ACP said: "If we support another African candidate for the SG position we will enlist the full support of the Africans. It's a numbers' game...Africans dominate the ACP and at the moment they are very important to the EU. The Pacific, being small, must latch on to the Africans to give us added influence and weight to deal with the EU. We're looking at the bigger picture, getting maximum benefits in the successor agreements and safeguarding our collective interests." So, what is the Pacific's position? Perhaps, islands leaders at the summit should take the lead and initiate discussions on an approach that we in the Pacific should adopt. We cannot afford to be playing politics amongst ourselves. We have to ensure that whatever decision we take, it is a unified one and one that will safeguard our interests and ensure maximum returns for the region.
But a word of advise from Mr Mataitoga: "If the Pacific ACP region decides to nominate a candidate, it must ensure it provides one that has the support of all the Pacific ACP states. It must be a person who can generate confidence in other ACP states and region that he or she will be able to carry out the important responsibility of the office. "While there is a lot of support for the Pacific ACP region to provide the next appointee for the SG, it is also clear in speaking with my ambassadorial colleagues that the candidate must be of high calibre. As one ambassadorial colleague observed to me, 'it's not a pre-retirement occupation.'"
