Mara’s Way

Samantha Magick

Like many people around the region, the recent death of Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara prompted me to again open my copy of his memoirs, The Pacific Way. While I wished Mara was more forthcoming and less workmanlike about some areas of his political career (such as the lead-up and fallout from the Fiji coups of 1987), his description of the evolving nature of regional politics, the dynamics between the newly independent states of the Pacific and their former colonizers, and the emergence of new diplomatic and trade partners are illuminating. And it demonstrates how in some respects, the more things have changed, the more they have remained the same.

In The Pacific Way, Mara tells an anecdote about how then-Western Samoan Prime Minister, Tupuola Tamasese Efi, broke up the tradition of islands-only South Pacific Forum caucus meetings by inviting New Zealand Prime Minister, Sir Robert Muldoon, to sit on the verandah of the house where the island leaders had gathered on the eve of formal proceedings. Mara claims Efi told them "Muldoon is listening and hearing everything we are saying. Why don't you invite him to join us?"

It is a scenario that seems unlikely now. Australia and New Zealand hardly need an invitation, being as they are, front and center of the Forum's proceedings, meetings and agenda-setting. Recently on Australian radio, Pacific Islands Forum Secretary-General Greg Urwin agreed with the interviewer's contention that it was "entirely likely" Australia would be more deeply and messily engaged in the day-to-day realities and problems of its neighbors in the Pacific. It is hard to imagine Mara being too enamored of this prospect as he approvingly quoted other Pacific Island leaders telling Australia and New Zealand that "Fiji should be left to work out its own solutions" after the coups of 1987.

Fiji under Mara's leadership became the focus of some disquiet as a number of regional organizations and embassies established their headquarters there, boosting the local economy. Mara acknowledged that and suspected that in response, "others have ganged up to exclude Fiji-for instance in the allocation of posts." It is ironic then, that in recent months we have seen the Asian Development Bank office and now the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) signal their move to Suva, prompting renewed controversy over the concentration of organizations in Fiji.

Mara was one of the first proponents of the so-called "Look North" policy. He had great admiration for the government of Singapore, calling Lee Kuan Yew "full of wisdom" and suggesting Forum countries "should do everything possible to increase cooperation with and come closer to the Association of South East Asian Nations" as the fastest growing region in the world. Mara's affection for emulating on some levels the leadership of the Singaporean leader was met with opposition in some quarters, but the philosophy of "looking north" has new momentum these days, as the review of China and Taiwan's engagement in May's Pacific Magazine demonstrated.

It certainly makes sense to look beyond Australia and New Zealand for our aid and trade relationships. The challenge remains to balance pragmatism with a longer-term vision, as particularly in the realm of our natural resources, some of our leaders seem willing to concede too much, too soon.

Another important Pacific leader also passed away in April. Sir Anthony Siaguru was best known for setting up Transparency International (PNG) after a career in politics and law. Colleagues described Sir Anthony as the conscience of Papua New Guinea. And as Peter Niesi's feature this month so clearly illustrates, this conscience is sorely needed when even the election of a largely ceremonial position can be so completely undermined by regionalism and political rivalry. Let's hope there are some men and women with the considerable courage and fortitude necessary to step into Sir Anthony's shoes.