Pacific Notes
Pacific Notes
REGION Islands Need To Become More Aggressive - ADVERTISEMENT -
Asterio Takesy wants to see Pacific Islands nations taking better advantage of funding and other resources for sustainable and environmentally-friendly development-resources that are in abundance through various international agreements and from donors. The director of the South Pacific Regional Environment Program, which is based in Samoa, says many Pacific Islands are missing out because they don't have the capacity-such as people who can produce grant requests-to access the international assistance. The whole point of global initiatives such as the "Barbados Plan of Action" for sustainable development is to provide undeveloped countries with technical assistance and resources to build capacity at the national and regional level, Takesy says. But he says the impetus needs to come from nations. "If programs and needs are articulated at the national level, then we can be strong at the regional level." A series of preparatory meetings are underway to assess actions taken by nations and regions to implement the goals of the 1994 "Barbados Plan of Action." These meetings will culminate in a 10-year review in Mauritius in September this year. Takesy says that "the fact that some countries (in the region) have not submitted requested reports speaks for itself" in terms of the difficulty of SPREP and other regional organizations advancing the development interests and needs of the Pacific Islands. "Leadership needs to be encouraged to focus on sustainable environmental development issues," Takesy says. "No social and economic development planning is possible without a sound environment. It's common sense. Yet (in most countries) there has been no conscious effort to work this into development planning. The environment is the last thing people think of." He comments that the involvement of non-governmental organizations is having a positive impact in the region, especially in the South Pacific where NGOs have a longer history and are generally more developed. "With NGOs in the picture, there's more awareness," Takesy says. It is recognized internationally that promoting cooperation among sectors (government, business and non-governmental groups) on environment and sustainable development initiatives is the way to go," Takesy says. "You get better success if you involve a cross-section of the community." -Giff Johnson American Samoa Development Bank Probe, But Who is Pointing the Finger? The legal counsel for the government-owned Development Bank of American Samoa (DBAS), Fainu'ulelei Alailima Utu, has asked KKHJ radio and its news director Monica Miller to stop using what he has labeled "stolen confidential" bank records or information for news reports. Alailima claims some KKHJ reports and interpretations of "stolen" DBAS information have been factually incorrect. He says those reports incorrectly imply that the numerous DBAS customer loans were illegally obtained. The attorney says, "since this is an election year and most of the information you are publicizing is four to seven years old, I hope your organization will resist this temptation of being used as a medium for dirty politics." Miller, however, denies that the information was obtained through illegal means and says the only motive for reporting on the issue is to inform the public about the operations of a publicly-funded institution. She says it's especially newsworthy when members of the public have a stake in the subject being covered. Miller says KKHJ News will continue to report this story and the DBAS attorney and the police investigation into the source of their information "will not deter us from shining light in dark places." A large proportion of the loans now being revealed were granted to government officials and their families, cabinet members, lawmakers, and bank board and staff members and their families. At press time, the Territorial Audit Office (TAO) was scheduled to carry out an official audit of DBAS. Territorial Auditor George Webster said the audit will focus on loan applications, the approval process, compliance with loan programs, delinquent loans, loan loss provisions, collateral, foreclosure and loan write-offs. "The audit will be looking at years 1998 to 2003 and focusing on government officials and their families," said Webster. He said the audit is been carried out "because we have had several complaints from our local citizens about the fact that many people, who are common citizens, who have had loan applications pending with the bank for years, feel preferential treatment has been given to certain individuals". -Fili Sagapolutele REGION ADB Unveils New Pacific Development Strategy The Asian Development Bank is revising its Pacific strategy to focus on poverty reduction and is seeking comment on the new strategy that will guide ADB operations in the Pacific from 2005-2009. The ADB says its Pacific Strategy "is being formulated in the context of generally disappointing development performance in the Pacific in the past decade." "We have asked the poor and those suffering hardship in eight Pacific Island countries what their needs are, and two priorities consistently emerge," says Jeremy Hovland, Director General of ADB's Pacific Department. "They want access to cash income-generating opportunities and access to basic social services. The new Pacific Strategy will address these priorities." Underlying the new direction is the issue of the public and private sector "environment" for both delivery of government services and business development. ADB official Steve Pollard told a strategy meeting in the Marshall Islands in late March that too many aid projects in the Pacific have failed-but not for lack of funding. "All of these (development projects) have not yielded results because the environment, the organization and management have not been in place to best use these investments," Pollard says. Developing a system that is fair and operating efficiently "means being able to sack your relative because he or she did not perform; being able to use idle land for more productive use; endorsing fair competition rather than family favoritism; accepting that business, including foreign business, creates jobs and that jobs and markets are good for society," he says. The ADB says weaknesses in policies, public organizations, and the rules of law are important challenges for the Pacific. A discussion paper posted on its website (www.adb.org) provides a list of questions on which ADB is seeking public comment. -Giff Johnson CNMI Divisive Casino Bill To Be Tabled Again In a move that could have profound effects on Saipan, a bill to legalize casino gambling on the island may be put to the 14th Legislature. Tinian, three miles south of Saipan, is the only CNMI island where casino gambling is legal. Earlier attempts to legalize casinos on Saipan and neighboring Rota failed. While attempts to get Governor Juan N. Babauta's comment on the latest moves were unsuccessful, Babauta did state in his April 29 State of the Commonwealth address that he wants the hundreds of legal poker machines out of villages and those near schools to be put in one concentrated area. Former Governor Froilan C. Tenorio is leading pro-gambling forces. But the casino debate will be controversial. Already Senate President Joaquin G. Adriano of Tinian said his delegation will oppose the bill as it will have a definite impact on his island's lone casino resort. House Speaker Benigno R. Fitial was cautiously optimistic about the bill's chances of passing the lower chamber. "If the members are united and determined," he said, "this bill could pass." Like Fitial, some other members of the House are cautious, knowing the strong anti-casino gambling sentiments of the dominant Roman Catholic Church. Bishop Tomas A. Camacho, head of the Catholic congregation in the CNMI, has repeatedly spoken out about casino gambling, citing the "concomitant evil" that accompanies the industry. Tenorio has told local media that casinos could fill the void left as garment manufacturers begin to leave CNMI next year when World Trade Organization agreements begin removing current tax advantages they enjoy in the CNMI. And he believes casinos would attract more Asian tourists. Tenorio says the thousands of poker machines throughout the Northern Marianas attract mostly locals, many of whom are now addicted to playing. A recent report from the Department of Public Health stated that more locals are being treated for poker addiction than alcohol and drugs. The proposed legislation, Tenorio says, sets aside funding to treat poker and other gambling addicts. -Frank Rosario REGION Airport Fire Training School To Raise Safety Standards Aviation officials have dedicated a state-of-the-art aircraft fire fighters classroom and training facility at Saipan International Airport. The $5 million dollar facility includes a classroom that can hold up to 30 students and office facilities. A couple of hundred yards away is a burn pit with a mock-up of an aircraft for live fire training, a control tower building, and treatment plant. The burn pit is a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-approved facility, which will allow a safe and secure place for live fire training exercises. The facility uses jet fuel so fire fighters experience the kinds of fires they may encounter on the job. Airport Fire Chief Stanley C. Torres, Jr. said the new facility will train fire fighters from Guam, Palau, Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia. The CPA will later invite airport fire fighters from Asian and other Pacific Island countries. The first training will be held this August. Carlos H. Salas, CPA executive director, says burn pits have been shut down in other areas, making the Saipan facility more attractive as training ground. Upon successful completion of the program, trainees will be certified and qualified like aircraft fire fighters in the U.S. The only other Pacific aircraft fire training facility comparable to Saipan is in Honolulu, Hawaii. -Frank Rosario
Micronesia Lobbying For Congressional Bailout The long-term health of a retirement fund for more than 2,000 former United States Trust Territory government workers in the Micronesian region is in danger of collapse without the intervention of the U.S. Congress. The "Prior Service Fund" has been unable to keep pace even with minimal retirement payments that average about $40 each month and is lobbying the U.S. Congress for an initial $2 million injection, with the long-term need being $24 million to keep the fund solvent through 2045. "There's a pot of money to be had," says Prior Service Fund board chairman Jack Niedenthal, who also chairs the Marshall Islands Social Security Administration. "But it will take a lobbying effort." The Prior Service Fund has 2,017 currently eligible retirees in Palau, Federated States of Micronesia, Northern Marianas and the Marshall Islands-with another 1,000 reaching retirement age shortly. The plan is to decentralize administration of the fund by housing the retirement program with each island's social security program. The Prior Service Fund, run from Saipan, the former headquarters for the U.S. Trust Territory administration, currently spends more than 20 percent of its budget on administration. But Niedenthal says that decentralizing administration to the four social security programs could cut this in half. He indicated that the U.S. Department of Interior is supportive of the plan. The Prior Service Fund hopes to obtain a $2 million injection of funds from the U.S. Congress in the next fiscal year, which would be tied to a larger amount later "to make the problem go away," Niedenthal says. The representatives of the four island groups that are involved in the board want to make sure when the fund is decentralized "it's not an unfunded liability for the four governments," he says. "It's the U.S. government's responsibility and we want to make sure there's enough funding to take care of the need." -Giff Johnson |
