Pacific Notes
Pacific Notes
French Polynesia Temaru Out After Four Months in Government French Polynesia's coalition government of less than four months has been ousted in a vote of no confidence. The motion was backed by 29 of parliament's 57 members, after being filed by former President Gaston Flosse's Tahoeraa Huiraatira party with the backing of a newly formed group of six MPs, who called themselves "Te Ara". The Union for Democracy (UPLD) coalition of pro-independence President Oscar Temaru decided not to take part in the votes and left the floor. Flosse said the motion of no confidence was motivated by Temaru's government's "failure to deliver" in its four months in office and the erosion of investors' confidence in the local economy. When Temaru became French Polynesia's president in June, backed by a coalition of three parties, it ended 20 years of rule under Flosse. But in early October, two of Temaru's MPs crossed the floor, reducing the coalition numbers to 28 out of 57. In France, the situation in French Polynesia has also caused political tensions. The opposition Socialist party, which struck an alliance earlier this year with Temaru, said these were "remote-controlled manoeuvres from Paris" to reinstate Flosse, who is a close friend of French President Jacques Chirac. Temaru had earlier called on the French government to dissolve the assembly and call fresh elections, a request that was denied by French minister for overseas Brigitte Girardin. As Pacific Magazine went to press, Parliament was due to convene to elect a new President, who will then have to form a new government. -Oceania Flash CNMI Commonwealth Development Authority Relief Bill Vetoed One of the most controversial bills ever to be passed by the CNMI Legislature that would have provided credit relief to local borrowers in a government-owned financial lending agency, has been vetoed by Acting Governor Diego T. Benavente. He warned lawmakers of possible taxpayer lawsuits if the legislature overrides his veto. The bill would have prevented the Commonwealth Development Authority (CDA) from foreclosing on the private properties of those in default. It would have also reduced interest rates on all outstanding loans to no less than four percent and not more than nine percent per year. The bill "is constitutionally flawed and contrary to significant public policy interests" Benavente stated in his Sept. 27 letter to the Presiding Officers of the 14th Commonwealth Legislature. Senate President Joaquin G. Adriano, author of the bill, said the upper chamber will try and override the veto. The house leadership said it will not, as there are other pressing matters before the legislature to consider. It all began when Senate President Adriano, citing 80 percent loan delinquency rate at the CDA, stated that due to bad economic times, there is a need to provide new guidelines to the authority. House Speaker Benigno R. Fitial said the house decided to support the bill, blaming past CDA board members for its lenient lending policies in giving out loans to promote economic development in the CNMI. The CDA gives low-interest loans to farmers, fishermen, for the construction of rental apartments, and to start small businesses. Although the CDA confirmed the 80 percent delinquency rate amounting $8 million, Benavente said if commercial banking procedures are used, the delinquency rate would only be 38 percent. No public hearings were held on the measure in either chamber. So CDA wrote a strongly worded letter urging the governor to veto the bill. "This is the worst type of legislation because it punishes the good and rewards the bad," stated CDA Executive Director Mary Lou Ada, legal counsels Vicente T. Salas and F. Matthew Smith in their letter. They claimed the legislation would bankrupt CDA, and produced a list of nine senators and 15 of the 18 representatives who either have loans themselves which are delinquent or have relatives who are delinquent. The CDA argued that the bill was a conflict of interest on the lawmakers part. Public auditor Mike S. Sablan has begun a probe in possible ethics violation on the Legislature. CDA pointed out that since 1985, over $34 million has been lent to 214 borrowers. But due to the high delinquency rate, the agency has had to suspend its commercial lending program for the past four years. Benavente stated that CDA is much more aggressive in its collection efforts and may begin making new loans within six months. The CDA also acts as guarantor to numerous commercial loans with private banks amounting to $13 million. "If this bill were to become law," Benavente pointed out, "it could easily trigger a rush of defaults on these loans." The CDA has only seven million dollars in reserve. Prior to acting on the bill, Benavente announced publicly that he had to sell his business to settle a loan. -Frank Rosario American Samoa "Child Trafficking"Under Scrutiny American Samoa's Chief Justice Michael Kruse has appointed District Court Judge John Ward to form a task force to combat what he describes as a "child trafficking problem" and other related infant and juvenile issues. Kruse alerted local attorneys "there is a growing problem in the territory with infants being illegally sent off-island for 'adoptions'." "There are websites which even advertise the availability of such children for adoption in addition to reports received by the court and forwarded to the attorney general's office regarding numbers of infants being taken out of the territory for 'adoptions' in the states," Kruse wrote to local attorneys. Kruse says Judge Ward will "review these and related infant and juvenile problems and develop some suggestions for amendments/additions to court rules or areas requiring statutory review and amendment." Any petition filed in the future involving children and prospective adoptive parents residing off-island, must be accompanied by a separate application for leave of the court to proceed along with a "notice of hearing" form. However, Kruse says new cases for adoptions by off-island residents will not be heard by the court without a prior showing of extraordinary circumstance requiring the high court to exercise jurisdiction. Kruse also revealed that some attorneys have been preparing and signing "guardianships" for infants and minor children to travel off-island for adoption, in order to obtain a Certificate of Identity from the attorney general's office. "Parents desiring to relinquish their rights to a child may only do so by court order." Judge Ward and his staff are reviewing all pending relinquishment and adoption cases and will be providing notice of calendar calls on these cases in the near future. The court did not release any statistics on the number of child trafficking cases documented. -Fili Sagapolutele Papua New Guinea Bumpy Ride For ECP It has been a bumpy ride for the Australian government-funded $A900 million Enhanced Cooperation Program (ECP) in Papua New Guinea since it was first set in motion in June. The five-year program will deliver assistance in law and order, justice, economic management, public sector reform, border control, and transport security and safety. It will also see about 300 Australian police and officials take up positions in the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary (RPNGC) and PNG Government departments and agencies. The Governor of Morobe Province Luther Wenge threw the first punch when he challenged the constitutionality of the ECP in PNG's Supreme Court. The court is expected to make its ruling this month. Australians who were longtime Port Moresby residents have also complained bitterly about their "forced eviction" from their high class apartments when the Australian High Commission, unable to house all Australians brought into PNG under the ECP, contracted private firm United Process Solutions (UPS) to find alternate accommodation. Real estate agents attracted by the "double the normal rate" payments offered by UPS, issued eviction notices to tenants who paid on a month-to-month basis, to either make upfront rental payments for the duration of their stay or move elsewhere. In September the Post-Courier newspaper quoted local and overseas intelligence sources as saying that Australian security officials and federal police (AFP) had set up a spy monitoring device on switch stations owned by the country's only telecommunications service provider, state-owned Telikom PNG. The report prompted Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare to seek an explanation from his top security aides on the revelation. After the the Australian High Commission initially refused to comment, Australian Federal Police (AFP) Commissioner Mick Keelty described the report as "fallacious and mischievous". The question of immunity for Australians was also raised when John Jones, an employee of UPS, briefly appeared before a committal court in Port Moresby for drunk-driving and using abusive language after an altercation at a road block manned by police. He alleged that police assaulted him. Jones' link to the ECP compelled Port Moresby-based Australian High Commissioner Michael Potts to write to the local media stating unequivocally that Australians were expected to follow PNG laws while in the country. While these controversies raged, the first deployment of the AFP under the aid program began as eight police officers and one civilian liaison officer from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade were sent to Bougainville. They were followed by additional members to Arawa, Buka and Buin on the island. AFP deployment to Port Moresby, which has one of the region's highest crime rates, will occur towards the end of this month and is expected to take four to six months-dependant on essential equipment, infrastructure and logistics being in place. -Alex Rheeney Region Pacific Voice On IRB Roundtable At Stake Rockier times lie ahead for Pacific rugby if the International Rugby Board (IRB) fails to lend its support at its next meeting in November. The meeting in Dublin will ponder two crucial issues; the relaxation of restrictive player eligibility laws and whether or not Pacific rugby will finally get a bona fide voice. Samoa, Tonga and Fiji have no voting rights on the IRB council despite their contributions to world rugby. The plight of Pacific rugby has been a recurring issue since last year's World Cup and was again highlighted during the historic tour by the Pacific Islanders rugby team in July. The tour produced a mere NZ$100,000 profit but Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance (PIRA) officials still claimed a moral victory, despite rumblings in some quarters that the tour was too costly for the individual unions. Fiji gave up a home match against Australia and potential sponsorships to allow the PIRA concept to work. Samoa and Tonga gave up home matches to New Zealand and South Africa respectively. PIRA bosses believed the tour served its purpose of raising awareness and was a success despite consecutive losses to Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. The team, coached by New Zealander John Boe, delighted the crowds with their exciting brand of running rugby and physical defence and earned much respect. The tour raked in NZ$2.3 million but the costs for travel, accommodation, outfitting, and allowances for the players and officials drove expenditure to NZ$2.2 million. PIRA chief executive Charlie Charters predicted a profit of NZ$1.5 million but expectations dived because of the choice of venues and bad weather. The match against New Zealand in Albany saw the best turnout, with close to 25,000 spectators. But considering Auckland has the world's biggest Pacific Island population, it was a poor decision not to move the game to more centrally located Eden Park which seats up to 45,000 people. The underlying purpose of the tour was to convince the combined South Africa, New Zealand and Australia unions (SANZAR) to include a Pacific Islands team in an expanded Super 12 or Tri-Nations competition. But the SANZAR body prioritised its self-interests when it decided in September to keep the status quo. SANZAR's deal with News Ltd expires at the end of 2005 and the combined unions stood to lose out financially if the revenue pie was divided even more under a new contract. The SANZAR snub has not buried the cause entirely. The Pacific Islanders will tour again in 2006. Home games against New Zealand and Italy and three away matches against Ireland, Wales and Scotland have been lined up. PIRA officials have also laid out plans for a new competition to help the three unions stay afloat. -Peter Rees American Samoa Sacred Not Secret-Tackling Teenage Pregnancy For nearly 10 years, American Samoa has recorded a high rate of births to teenage mothers, with the American Samoa Department of Health putting the rate at 8.3 percent in 2000 for teens 13 to 19 years of age. Last year this rate dropped slightly to 6.9 percent among teens ages 14 to 19. Still, many say more has to be done to combat the problem of teenage pregnancy. "I don't think we've seen it crest yet," says Dr. Darlene Moss-Fareti, who works in the American Samoa Community College's Natural Resource Department. Moss-Fareti is also the chairperson of the American Samoa Coalition for Teen Pregnancy Prevention's (CTPP) Education Committee. "It may be fewer this year than last, but I think it'll go up." She's encouraged parents to talk with their children about sexuality through a program called Sacred, Not Secret. "We're trying to go through the faith community to do this," Moss-Fareti explains. "Desires, appetites, and passions were created by God. They're not bad. It's how we use them that makes the difference." The CTTP chairman Salausa Dr. John Ah-Ching, a practicing obstetrician and gynecologist with the LBJ Tropical Medical Center says, "in the beginning, I thought we were the ones with the answers." However, his thoughts have changed since the committee was formed in 2001. "We feel this is a community problem and there has to be a community solution," Ah-Ching says. The group has formed a motto for themselves "Tumau I Lou Fa'avae", which roughly translated in English means "Hang Onto Your Foundation". "We feel the foundation of the Samoan people is based on three things: family values, religious values, and cultural values," Ah-Ching says. "And we feel we should go back and reexamine that and approach problems through that foundation. We feel if they (teens) get into trouble the foundation isn't strong." Coalition member Talosia Uperesa, physical education and health coordinator for the American Samoa Department of Education, says many American Samoans do not want to make teenage pregnancy an issue. Sadly though, she says, it already is one. "We know obesity is (an issue in American Samoa), but we totally neglect teen pregnancy," Uperesa says. "We have to face the reality." Fa'aalu Iuli, Integrated Substance Abuse Allied Community (ISAAC) project program manager and an inactive member of the CTTP, says more agency collaboration might help such social issues as teenage pregnancy. "We speak it but there's no doing it," Iuli says. "Let's not say the same thing in two or three more years' time." -Elizabeth Kirkland Australia Howard In For Fourth Term Australian Prime Minister John Howard has been elected for a fourth term with an increased margin after an election campaign that focussed mainly on domestic economic and taxation issues. Howard's Liberal Party, in coalition with the Nationals, won an increased 3.5 per cent of the primary vote, and will also have increased power in the senate, although votes were still being counted when Pacific Magazine went to press. Regional issues featured little in the campaign, although the government did stress its commitment to the Pacific through programmes underway in Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands. Howard was still to name his cabinet at the time of going to press, although Alexander Downer is likely to retain the foreign affairs ministry. -Samantha Magick
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