Category: Pacific Voices

  • OBITUARY:  A personal reflection by Scott Waide in Lae

    Australian-born former PNG cabinet minister and Madang businessman Sir Sir Peter Leslie Charles Barter, 82 — 1940-2022

    Papua New Guinean political giant Sir Peter Barter, who died in Cairns on Wednesday, was a strong supporter of the free press and media development. He personally supported generations of students from Divine Word University.

    Watson Gabana and I and many others who came later were beneficiaries of that support.

    On one occasion, we travelled with Sir Peter to Long Island and Karkar to visit health centres and aid posts. He gave me his camcorder to use.

    At the time, MiniDVs were the latest on the market and rare. No TV station was using them yet.

    As a 19-year-old, I was over the moon! I didn’t shoot enough footage.

    Or at least Sir Peter didn’t think I did. He scolded me in the chopper then gave me advice. It stuck. Don’t waste time. Don’t waste money. Don’t waste opportunities.

    Sure enough, I never got a chance to go back to Long Island. But the experience made an indelible mark.

    My first insights
    It gave me my first insights into the workings of PNG politics, its flaws and the failures of service delivery mechanism.

    On Long Island, Sir Peter was furious. He, as Madang Governor, was angered by the fact that the people were neglected and the health system just didn’t work.

    “It’s out of sight, out of mind,” he fumed. “As long as nobody complains, none of this will be resolved.”

    He stormed off towards the beach with the village councillor led in tow.

    It was a statement that has remained true for service delivery in PNG — “Out of sight, out of mind.”

    As much as it seems improper and out of line, the politician gives much needed visibility to issues of importance.

    Sir Peter was an avid photographer. He used his photography to document the Bougainville peace process and the collection and destruction of small arms in Tambul-Nebiliyer and the Southern Highlands.

    Plight of the Manam people
    He filmed the Manam volcano eruptions and gave unique insights into the plight of the Manam people while at the same time conducting rescue operations for men, women and children.

    His sometimes dry sarcastic sense of humour was legendary.

    Two decades later, I found myself at the Madang Resort restaraunt, arguing with the chef about the pizza that didn’t have the ingredients that were promised on the brochure.

    Sir Peter walked up behind me and asked what the problem was. I promptly directed my complaint to him (the owner of the pizza joint). He quickly responded: “Please give the whinging journalist what he paid for.”

    We went away happy and began another discussion with him about the drop in tourism numbers in Madang and PNG.

    Long live the Knight!

    Scott Waide is an independent Papua New Guinean journalist who contributes to Asia Pacific Report.


    Sir Peter Barter passes on.                                                   Video: EMTV

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Pacific Media Centre newsdesk

    A new Asia Pacific social justice research and publication nonprofit has awarded a diversity communications trophy to a West Papuan postgraduate student who has advocated for the education and welfare of his fellow students.

    Several dozen Papuan students trying to complete their studies were stranded in Aotearoa New Zealand by a sudden scholarship cancellation.

    Laurens Ikinia, 26, has been campaigning since February for his fellow students to carry on with their studies in New Zealand after Jakarta scrapped their Papuan autonomy government scholarships.

    However, while presenting the Storyboard Award for diversity journalism to Ikinia, interim chair of the Asia Pacific Media Network, Dr David Robie, said today the prize was primarily marking the work of the communication studies student during the pandemic in 2020 when he “raised the profile” of the tiny Papuan community in Aotearoa New Zealand with many articles.

    “His efforts have gone on from strength to strength combining the skills of journalism and as a communications advocate,” he said at the ceremony in the Whānau Community Hub in Mt Roskill.

    “Laurens Ikinia has done West Papua proud, and we’re also very proud of his work.”

    The Storyboard Award was first created in 2006 with the first winner being Qiane Matata-Sipu, creator of Nuku: Stories of 100 Indigenous Women. Other winners have included John Pulu of Tagata Pasifika; Alex Perrottet, formerly of RNZ; Sri Krishnmurthi of Pacific Media Watch; and Alistar Kata and Blessen Tom of TVNZ’s Fair Go.

    Publication of PJR
    The APMN, formally founded earlier this month, was established to continue publication of Pacific Journalism Review, first launched at the University of Papua New Guinea in 1994 and published in recent years at the University of the South Pacific then Auckland University of Technology.

    The network’s objectives also include providing resources to benefit “First Nations and other communities, and in support of fair representation for voiceless and diverse community interests”.

    Gathered at the ceremony were academics, researchers, community advocates and journalists – including several stalwarts of the former Pacific Media Centre – and also “wantok” supporters of Ikinia.

    A spokesperson for the Whānau Hub, Nik Naidu, said it was “exciting to be working with like-minded groups committed to social justice”.

    “It certainly feels as if we are part of an important initiative — it’s a privilege to be part of such an inclusive and welcoming community,” said Dr Heather Devere, one of the network members.

    Khairiah A. Rahman and David Robie with Laurens Ikinia
    Khairiah A. Rahman and David Robie with Laurens Ikinia. Image: Del Abcede/APR

    Pacific Journalism Review editor Dr Philip Cass said it was encouraging that the 28-year-old journal now had a new home and his editorial team were busy working on the next edition due out next month.

    Institutional support
    Ikinia reported that for most of the 27 Papuan students who were impacted on by the loss of government scholarships and were still in Aotearoa they were being assisted by a mix of institutional support through accommodation and waiving of fees and public fundraising.

    In the case of nine students in Palmerston North who had completed their carpentry course, they had been offered jobs and were applying for work visas.

    Nik Naidu and APMN
    Nik Naidu of the Whānau Community Hub with other Asia Pacific Media Network members at their meeting today. Image: Del Abcede/APR

    Ikinia said that on behalf of the International Alliance of Papuan Students Association Overseas (IAPSAO) he was offering “our humble and sincere gratitude” for all the assistance provided in New Zealand.

    He also said that student president Yan Wenda and secretary Christian Tabuni had returned to the Papuan capital Jayapura in a bid to seek government support.

    “They’ve met Governor Lukas Enembe in person to talk about the struggle faced by all West Papuan students who are currently studying overseas,” he said.

    It is believed the governor had issued instructions for the payment of outstanding fees.

    Ikinia also thanked Auckland University of Technology for its support and community groups such as Pax Christi that have been fundraising.

    Asia Pacific Media Network members
    Asia Pacific Media Network members and Papuan students share the success of Laurens Ikinia. Image: Del Abcede/APR

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • RNZ Pacific

    The 142 women running in the Papua New Guinea election are hoping to prove that the PNG Parliament is no longer a male-dominated world.

    They face an almighty struggle given only seven women have ever won seats there before.

    But when the three weeks of polling get underway on July 2 these women are determined and hopeful of entering PNG’s Parliament.

    They are contesting alongside 3357 men for the 118 seats in Parliament.

    A number of them are in seats with more than three dozen male rivals.

    For years there’s been talk of reserving seats for women, but this has so far come to nothing.

    Through it, all the women have remained indomitable — people like Julie Soso, who first stood in the Eastern Highlands regional seat in 1997 and has contested every election since.

    She won in 2012 and wants back in to complete unfinished business.

    Pushed for hospital upgrade
    As the governor of Eastern Highlands, in that period 2012 to 2017, Soso had pushed for a hospital upgrade in Goroka, giving it diagnostic capability.

    This went ahead but she said since the change of government in 2017, nothing has happened — the machines paid for by foreign donors lie idle and no staff have been hired to operate them.

    Soso wants the machinery in use and helping detect diseases like cancer.

    “We need to have specialist doctors to diagnose them and if surgeries need to be done upon them it’s got to be within our own hospital,” she said.

    “So there was a dream, there was a vision, and then, after the Eastern Highlands changed government the project stood still.”

    Matilda Koma is standing against 37 men in the Goilala Open seat in Central Province.

    Koma has stood four times before in the Goilala seat but feels this time she has the support to get her over the line.

    Deteriorating infrastructure
    If she got elected she has a clear idea of what she wants to do, starting with the rehabilitation of the deteriorating infrastructure in the district.

    “Like bridges, roads and even all those building structures at every mission and government station, kind of running down,” Koma said.

    PNG parliament
    The PNG Parliament … only men are currently the MPs: Image: RNZ/AFP

    “The basic services are also missing. Health and education are suffering because there are hardly any aid posts. The hospitals are not in running condition, and the drugs — supply of medicines — is just not consistent.”

    Oro Province in Papua New Guinea has high-quality soils and can produce great organic food but people cannot get it to market because the infrastructure is lacking.

    That is the view of Jean Eparo, who is standing in next month’s election for the Oro regional seat.

    Eparo, who is married to the governor of PNG’s National Capital District, Powes Parkop, said that if she got the job her immediate focus would be on improving transport infrastructure.

    “Not only roads but all the other transportation. Bridges — they’re not very well maintained, and then you have people who travel by small outboard motors, and that is very risky, so we have got to make that safe and a bit less risky for people. And then of course our road connections, they are also very bad,” she said.

    Enough backing
    As a veteran of two earlier campaigns, Eparo believes she now has enough backing to topple Gary Juffa who has held the seat for 10 years.

    PNG Minister Delilah Gore.
    Sohe Open candidate Delilah Gore in Oro Province … she won the seat in 2012, became a cabinet minister, then lost the seat in 2017. Image: PNG Treasury

    Delilah Gore, who is running in the Sohe Open in Oro Province, won the seat in 2012, became a cabinet minister, then lost the seat in 2017.

    She said that loss still hurts, “that shouldn’t have happened because I did my best, the very best I could. But right now I can have reactions from people. A lot of people are telling me I have done well in the last five years – the voters still couldn’t believe I lost the seat, so I am having a lot of support right now. I am confident of coming back again.”

    Along with another profile candidate we heard from in an earlier programme, Dulciana Somare Brash, the daughter of PNG’s first prime minister, who is standing in the Angoram Open, these women are confident they will do well.

    Hopefully, for at least some of them, that will be the case.

    This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • By Kolopu Waima in Mendi, Papua New Guinea

    She is brave — no other word can describe this Papua New Guinean woman.

    Ruth Undi Siwinu isn’t only challenging the norms and a huge field of male candidates in Southern Highlands, but knows the task ahead and she is prepared to take them head on.

    In a province where leadership is regarded as “men’s business”, Siwinu takes on everyone –– including the sitting MP and Pangu strongman William Powi.

    “Let’s make history and vote a woman candidate into Parliament,” Siwini told hundreds of supporters at her rally in Mendi, Southern Highlands Province.

    An independent candidate, Siwinu told the huge group that poverty was real in this province  and a country that were blessed with vast resources that were bringing in billions of kina every year.

    “I have travelled to the length and breadth of this province. I have been to all the five districts in the province and I saw that my people are still struggling to live,” she said.

    “Why are my people struggling when Southern Highlands is blessed with all resources and the country is sitting on the resources Southern Highlands produce.

    ‘A mistake somewhere’
    “There is a mistake somewhere and we have to find out. We want a women leader to lead the province, we have given enough time to the men to lead the province but they have failed us big time,” she said.

    Siwinu said male leaders in the province were not providing services that the people deserved.

    “They are playing too much politics and did not serve the people for many years. We have to stop this,” she added.

    She said that the national election has provided the opportunity for the people to change the leadership and vote in a women leader to drive Southern Highlands forward into the future.

    She urged all mothers, girls, aunties and youths to vote in a women candidate in this election to effect change in the province. She called on all women to rally behind her for a better Southern Highlands.

    ‘Representing the marginalised’
    “I am standing here representing you women, the marginalised. Women are the people who suffer most in this province and I want you all women to make a strong stand and make your vote count in Ruth Undi,” she said.

    She said she had spent K1 million (NZ$446,000) investing in Southern Highlands, helping women through her Mama Helpim Mama Charity organisation.

    “I have Mama Helpim Mama charity organisation, though this organisation I spent K1 million helping Southern Highlands mothers.

    “I have seen the real struggle in the villages, I serve the people already, I am only need the political power to continue what I am doing,” she said.

    Eighty six of the 2351 candidates registered for next month’s general election are women.

    Kolopu Waima is a PNG Post-Courier reporter. Republished with permission.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • RNZ Pacific

    Samoa and China do not have any plans for military ties, Samoa Prime Minister Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa says.

    Fiamē — who is on a three-day trip to Aotearoa — is making her first official bilateral trip abroad since becoming leader last year.

    Her visit marks 60 years of diplomatic relations between New Zealand and Samoa and the 60th anniversary of Samoa’s independence.

    At a media briefing after talks with New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern yesterday, Fiamē said: “There are no discussions between Samoa and China on militarisation at all.”

    She said the Pacific nations would discuss China’s security proposals at the Pacific Islands Forum due to take place from July 12.

    “The issue needs to be considered in the broader context,” she said.

    Ardern said there was capability in the region to deal with security issues and they could be addressed together, while stressing that Pacific nations still had the sovereign right to decide their own future.

    “We have convergence on our regional priorities,” Fiamē said, adding that Samoa believed in the region taking a collective approach to issues.

    She said the anniversary of the Treaty of Friendship signed by the two countries would coincide with Samoa opening its borders fully on August 1.

    Watch the media briefing


    Ardern and Fiamē hold a joint media briefing. Video: RNZ News

     

    The talks with Ardern had covered a lot of ground, she said, and the two countries would work together on tourism, education and in other economic areas.

    “Targeted assistance from New Zealand has enabled us to open our borders.”

    From August 1 flights to Samoa would increase from the current weekly flight for passengers to daily flights by the end of the year.

    Her message to Samoans living in New Zealand was that the anniversary celebrations will take place over 12 months so they had plenty of time to come home.

    Asked what Samoa required of New Zealand, Fiamē said “she was not in a rush to come up with a shopping list”.

    Instead it might be time just to reflect on reprioritising issues while saying climate change and education remained important as well as “building back stronger” after covid-19.

    Time for a rethink on RSE scheme
    On the subject of seasonal workers, which Samoa has “slowed down”, she said the New Zealand scheme was well run. But there were some concerns and Samoa was noticing the impact of the loss of workers in its own development sectors.

    Originally it was intended to send unemployed workers to Australia and Aotearoa for the RSE programme, but now the civil service and the manufacturing sector in Samoa were being hit by experienced employees leaving.

    “We need to have a bit more balance,” Fiamē said, adding that the new government wanted to hold new talks with both the Australia and New Zealand governments on the issue.

    Referring to the Dawn Raids, Fiamē welcomed Ardern’s formal ceremonial apology last year.

    “When we all live together it’s important to settle grievances and differences,” she said.

    Ardern said the visit has come at a special time for the two countries, referring to the Treaty of Friendship and Samoa’s 60th anniversary.

    She announced the launch of a special fellowship in Fiamē’s name and the New Zealand prime minister’s award plus the start of new sports leaders’ awards with an emphasis on women and girls.

    Discussions had covered their shared experiences on Covid-19 with Ardern praising the high vaccination rates among young Samoans.

    Climate change had also been discussed and New Zealand will increase funding for Samoa’s plans to tackle it.

    Invitation to Ardern
    On her arrival at Parliament yesterday morning, Fiamē invited Ardern to Samoa to take part in the independence celebrations next month and she repeated the invitation at the media briefing.

    Fiamē’s visit comes ahead of the Pacific Island Forum meeting.

    After welcoming Fiamē, Ardern acknowledged the importance of that meeting which will discuss issues like climate change and the current “strategic” situation across the Pacific.

    China’s growing presence in the Pacific is among topics sure to be covered by the two leaders during their talks.

    This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • RNZ Pacific

    The global community needs to “be inspired” to defend the world’s oceans ahead of the second United Nations Oceans Conference in Lisbon at the end of the month, a Fijian policymaker says.

    Fisheries Minister Semi Koroilavesau said the Pacific could not protect its greatest resource through advocacy and action on its own.

    Safeguarding the ocean and its resources against future dangers “to make it truly sustainable” will require the “entire world” to show more commitment, Koroilavesau said.

    A former Navy commander and a self-professed marine advocate, he believes Pacific people’s future will be secured if “we will take whatever actions we must take”.

    There are “enormous challenges before us and we need to turn our hopes into genuine ambition” to boost ocean action in the Blue Pacific, he told participants attending the World Oceans Day celebrations in Suva on Wednesday.

    “As stewards of the Ocean, our task is to lead, to be a beacon of Blue leadership that inspires the world to turn away from the model of development that harms our ocean and threatens to strip off our life given resources,” he said.

    This year’s theme for the international day — marked annually on June 8 — is “Revitalisation: Collective Action for the Ocean”.

    Collaboration called for
    Koroilavesau said it calls for “wider commitment” and urged stakeholders to collaborate to realise the changes necessary to protect the ocean.

    “Our shared commitment towards collaboration will inspire and ignite actions that will certainly benefit us and our future generations,” he said, adding “the health and wellbeing of the Pacific Ocean and “the state of our climate are an interconnected system.”

    The Pacific Ocean spans approximately 41 million square kilometres and is a fundamental part of the livelihoods and identity of the Pacific people.

    Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS) deputy director-general Dr Filimon Manoni said the ocean was at the heart of the region’s geography and its cultures.

    “It’s all we have…[and] all we return to in times of need, either for daily sustenance, for economic development, and nation building aspirations,” Dr Manoni said.

    “We are inextricably linked to the ocean in all aspects of our everyday life.”

    The ocean is home to almost 80 percent of all life on Earth. But its state is in decline, as it faces a range of threats due to human activity.

    Critical year for the ocean
    “Its health and ability to sustain life will only get worse as the world population grows and human activities increase,” the United Nations has said.

    This year 2022, therefore, is regarded as a critical year for the ocean and an opportunity to reset the global ocean agenda at the Portugal conference.

    This week, regional stakeholders gathered in Suva during the fourth Pacific Ocean Alliance (POA) meeting convened by the Office of the Pacific Ocean Commissioner (OPOC) to prepare for the UN conference.

    The gathering was scheduled to align with the World Oceans Day to drive regional and global awareness of the region’s priorities for global ocean action, according to OPOC.

    Over two days, the alliance aimed to identify the collective priorities for ocean action and approaches to drive global support.

    Ocean’s Commissioner and Pacific Islands Forum Secretary-General Henry Puna said “much has evolved” since the last time the Alliance met in 2019, prior to the covid-19 pandemic.

    Puna said the region now finds itself “in a much more contested and challenging environment…faced with heightened geostrategic competition” as it “navigates the impacts of a global pandemic”.

    Ocean health still suffers
    “Yet the health of our ocean and indeed our planet continues to suffer as a result of climate change and other anthropogenic depressions,” he said.

    “This challenging context will place significant pressure on our ability to realise our political and sustainable development aspirations.”

    Several high-level ocean-related events have already been held this year with the Our Ocean Conference in Palau in April and the One Ocean Conference hosted by France in May.

    Puna is expecting the conversations held during the POA meeting will strengthen the Pacific’s collective vision to conserve and sustainably use the world’s oceans and marine resources.

    “I am hopeful that this gathering of the POA will provide an opportunity for us all to share our experiences and reflect on how we can work together, how we can collaborate and engage better, and how we can do more to ensure the health and survival of our ocean,” he said.

    The UN Oceans Conference will be held from June 27 to July 1.

    This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • RNZ Pacific

    French Polynesia’s pro-independence leader and mayor of Faa’a, Oscar Temaru, says double standards are at play in probing him over the payment of his legal defence.

    Temaru commented on being held for six hours last week for questioning over the Faa’a Council’s decision to pay his legal bill in a 2019 court case, which is still under appeal.

    The prosecution claimed the payment amounted to an abuse of public funds and that Temaru should have paid for the expense with his own money.

    A lawyer acting for Temaru said the council was obliged to cover the mayor’s bill, describing last week’s brief detention of Temaru as a bid to tarnish him.

    Temaru said such cover had for example been extended to the former chief-of-staff of Nicolas Sarkozy, Claude Gueant.

    As part of the probe, the prosecutor in 2020 ordered the seizure of Temaru’s US$100,000 personal savings — a move being challenged by Temaru.

    The probe drew criticism as his defence team risked court action for accepting funds that the prosecutor claimed were unduly allotted to Temaru’s benefit.

    Prosecutor’s move challenged
    One lawyer, David Koubbi, raised the prosecutor’s move with a 22-member agency which rules on professional ethics.

    In the 2019 court case, Temaru and two others were given suspended prison sentences and fines in the criminal court in Pape’ete.

    Mayor of Faa'a Oscar Temaru
    Mayor of Faa’a Oscar Temaru … being punished because in the eyes of France he “committed treason” by taking French presidents to the International Criminal Court over nuclear weapons tests. Image: Tinfos 30

    They were convicted for exercising undue influence over funding arrangements for a community station, Radio Tefana, which supports Temaru’s pro-independence political party Tavini Huiraatira.

    In what was his first conviction, Temaru was given a six-month suspended prison sentence and a US$50,000 fine.

    The current and former chairs of the board of the association which runs Radio Tefana, Heinui Le Caill and Vito Maamaatuaiahutapu, had also been given suspended jail sentences of one and three months, respectively.

    Radio Tefana was fined US$1 million.

    Maamaatuaiahutapu said it would have been easier to blow up the station with dynamite instead of having a trial.

    US$1m fine five times radio’s budget
    Le Caill said the station’s US$1 million fine was five times its budget, meaning the station was unable to pay and would have to close.

    At the time of the trial, Temaru said if he had to be convicted, he should be jailed for life.

    After sentencing, Temaru said he was being punished because in the eyes of France he “committed treason” by taking French presidents to the International Criminal Court over nuclear weapons tests.

    The case was appealed two years ago but has been deferred four times and is now due to be heard on August 29.

    This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

  • RNZ Pacific

    A female candidate in the Papua New Guinea elections believes it is more important than ever that the country has women MPs in Parliament.

    Dulciana Somare-Brash is the daughter of the late Sir Michael Somare and she unsuccessfully stood in the East Sepik regional seat in 2017, finishing fourth in the vote count.

    This time she is standing in the Angoram seat in East Sepik, which has previously been held by her brother, Arthur Somare.

    Papua New Guinea has had very few women MPs over the country’s 47 years of independence, and none in the current Parliament.

    Somare-Brash said it was vital that changed in this year’s general election — and she was hoping to be part of that change.

    “Papua New Guinea is growing so quickly. We are growing at a population rate of about 3.8 percent each year. We don’t have female representation in Parliament at all and that too is a huge motivator for why I continue to persist,” she said.

    “I work in a political space, as a technical advisor, and I am hoping, as I see my support base increase that I might have some success at the polls this time.”

    Lack of equity ‘motivating force’
    Somare-Brash said the lack of equity for many in PNG society — women and children, particularly — was a motivating force for her.

    “I feel very confident with the policy priorities that I am promoting, with a deep understanding of my people and their challenges.

    Women in PNG at a market in Port Moresby
    Women in PNG at a market in Port Moresby … a record number of women candidates is anticipated for the general election in July. Image: Koroi Hawkins/RNZ Pacific

    “And certainly the issues of the importance of equity in the benefit sharing arrangements in Papua New Guinea, where women and children and youth seem to be left at the back of the line when we are divvying out the spoils, if you like, from our massive resource base in Papua New Guinea.”

    The nominations period is not yet finished but a record number of women candidates is anticipated.

    Voting, over a two week period, is set to begin July 9.

    This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Jordan Fennell of ABC Pacific Beat talks to Laurens Ikinia

    Living in New Zealand as a student Laurens Ikinia wanted to create a space for the West Papuan diaspora to gather.

    “We have been facing challenges and oppression back home so it is really hard for us to preserve and maintain our culture,” he said.

    The West Papuan Students Association in Oceania started in 2020 but they launched the “Empowering Wantoks” programme last year.

    Guest speakers are invited to discuss topics with students about West Papua and they host language classes as well.

    Ikinia is a Masters of Communication postgraduate student at the Auckland University of Technology and said that living in New Zealand had been a good experience.

    “We are studying and living in a country that has a diverse community where indigenous people and non-indigenous people live together,” he said.

    “That makes us feel like we are welcome.”

    However, the students are currently campaigning to be able to finish their studies in New Zealand after Indonesia abruptly cancelled their scholarships at the start of this year.

     

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • By Susana Suisuiki, RNZ Pacific journalist

    An Aotearoa New Zealand-based Fijian professor of Pacific studies says the increase in the frequency of natural disasters and land erosions, and rising ocean temperatures means new terminology is now needed to reflect how drastic the environmental challenges have become.

    Professor Steven Ratuva, who is the co-leader for a New Zealand-government supported research project called Protect Pacific, said the term “climate change” doesn’t fully address the impacts seen throughout the Pacific and elsewhere globally.

    Dr Ratuva, director of the Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies at the University of Canterbury, said it was time to shift away from saying climate change.

    “The word climate change has been around for some time, people have been using it over and over again,” he said.

    “Of course climate changes, it’s naturally induced seen through weather, but the situation now shows it’s not just changing, but we’re reaching a level of a crisis — the increasing number of category five cyclones, the droughts, the erosion, heating of the ocean, the coral reefs dying in the Pacific, and the impact on people’s lives.

    “All these things are happening at a very fast pace.

    “So the words climate change do not address the dramatic changes taking place so we need another new way of framing it so the term climate crisis is being used now because we are right in the middle of it.”

    Protect Pacific is a research project looking at climate crisis across the Pacific region and is led in partnership with the University of Canterbury, the University of the South Pacific and the New Zealand government.

    At the recent Oceans Conference in Palau, New Zealand Minister Aupito William Sio announced that his government will allocate US$3 million to the project which Dr Ratuva said would mostly go towards research to be carried out across 16 Pacific islands.

    The research project would be mainly led by the Pacific, for the Pacific and Dr Ratuva said it was an opportunity for the Pacific to finally participate in a study that took into account their lived experiences.

    US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry and Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr
    US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry with Palau’s President Surangel Whipps Jr. … Image: US State Department

    However, he added that the Pacific’s heavy dependence on aid had meant the region had had to look elsewhere for climate expertise rather than relying on their own indigenous knowlege.

    Dr Ratuva said aid had not allowed the Pacific to express their independence fully.

    “The pattern of economic development, the pattern of governance, the pattern of doing things, has always been reliant on aid donors — they define what has to be done with the money.

    “Often the Pacific climate policies are driven by the international narratives from the United Nations, from the various aid donors so it’s important that the evidence should be generated within the Pacific using our own expertise.”

  • By Phoebe Gwangilo in Port Moresby

    Papua New Guinea’s first woman neurosurgeon has graduated from the national university.

    Dr Esther Apuahe graduated with a higher post-diploma in neurosurgery during the University of Papua New Guinea’s 67th graduation ceremony yesterday.

    “She is the first female neurosurgeon in Papua New Guinea,” said the dean of UPNG’s Medical Faculty, Professor Nakapi Tefuarani.

    Dr Apuahe, 43, originally from Morobe and married with three children, was also the first Papua New Guinean woman surgeon to finish in 2012.

    “Surgery for almost 30 years had no female graduate since 1979 when the first male graduated. And, it has been a male-dominated field,” she said.

    “In 2008 I started doing my masters in surgery at UPNG. I became the first female to finish in surgery.

    “I finished in 2012 and I went out as a general surgeon at Vanimo General Hospital and I was called back here to take up neurosurgery.

    New field for PNG
    “It is a new field, basically to do with surgery of any brain pathology, head injuries and any brain tumour.

    “Surgery, in the field of medicine, has been a male-dominated field.”

    Dr Apuahe wanted to do something more than general surgery and, therefore, took up study in neurosurgery.

    “After that, working outside, I felt that I needed to do more, maybe going further into surgery in some specialising,” she said.

    Her study, which started in 2015, took a little longer than expected due to the pandemic as well as the unavailability of mentors.

    “Neurosurgery is such a hard field. At that time, there were only two male neurosurgeons,” Dr Apuahe said.

    “Because there was no one to cover in Port Moresby, I was called to come back here, so I’ve been here since 2015.

    Not an easy journey
    “The journey is not easy, it has been hard trying to manage patients and training with no medical supervision, just supervision externally, from Australia.

    “It probably took a long time from 2015. I started, not officially, on training just getting some hands-on experience and I started towards the end of 2016, commencing neurosurgery.

    “I had an attachment in Townsville (Australia) in 2019, but just as I was completing that, covid-19 came and so I was unfortunate enough to go before the pandemic and I came back and I sat for my exam last July.

    “I thank the Royal Australian College for being there, supporting the training of neurosurgery and also to the academics at UPNG such as Professor Isi Kevau who pushed us through to make sure that I succeeded.

    “After I graduated, there are now about eight female surgeons.”

    Phoebe Gwangilo is a PNG Post-Courier reporter. Republished with permission.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • SPECIAL REPORT: By Marian Faa of ABC Pacific Beat

    As a child, Efika Kora remembers watching planes glide over her remote village in the Pacific.

    Transfixed, she imagined that one day she would be the one flying them.

    Now, just two semesters away from completing a diploma of aviation at an Adelaide school, the 24-year-old has been told by Indonesian authorities she must return to her home country.

    It came as a complete shock to Kora, who is among a group of more than 140 Indigenous West Papuan students in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States who had their Papuan government scholarships terminated without warning.

    It means they would have to return home part way through their degrees or diplomas, a situation that has been described as highly unusual.

    “To be honest, I cried,” Kora said.

    “In a way, [it’s] like your right to education has been stripped away from you.”

    16 students ordered home
    In Australia, 16 students have been told to return home.

    A letter to the Indonesian embassy in Canberra, dated February 8, from the Papuan provincial government said the students were to be repatriated because they had not finished their studies on time.

    The letter said they had to return to West Papua by February 15, but it wasn’t until a month later — on March 8 — that the students were first told about the letter in a meeting with the Indonesian embassy.

    “I was very, very shocked. And my mind just went blank,” Kora said.

    The Indonesian Embassy and the Papuan provincial government have not responded to the ABC’s questions, including about the delay in relaying the message.

    Students told ‘you have to take turns’
    When the students asked for more details, they were told by the Indonesian Embassy that the five-year duration of their scholarships had now lapsed.

    The ABC has seen text messages from an embassy official to one of the students, saying the decision was final.

    “There will be no extension of the scholarship because there are still many Papuan students who also need scholarships. So you have to take turns,” one message read.

    Efika Kora and Jaliron Kogoya (right), Papuan sudents
    Like Efika Kora, Jaliron Kogoya (right) was told to return home to Papua, even though his scholarship is guaranteed until July this year. Image: ABC Pacific Beat

    Kora said she wasn’t aware of a five-year limit to her scholarship.

    “We never had like a written letter [saying] our scholarship will be going for five years,” she said.

    She said she was told, verbally, she had been awarded the scholarship in 2015, and began her aviation diploma in 2018 after completing language studies.

    A number of students have told the ABC they were also not given a formal offer letter or contract stipulating the conditions and duration of their scholarship.

    Some students signed contract
    Some students said they signed a contract in 2019 — well after their scholarships had commenced — which outlined durations for certain degrees, but Kora said she didn’t sign this document.

    Business student Jaliron Kogoya said he also didn’t sign any such agreements.

    A sponsorship letter from the Papuan government, issued in 2020, guarantees funding for his degree at the University of South Australia until July this year.

    He has also been cut off.

    “They just tell us to go home and then there is no hope for us,” Kogoya said.

    The University of South Australia said it had been working closely with the students and the Papuan government since they began studying at the university two years ago.

    “We are continuing to provide a range of supports to the students at this challenging time,” a spokeswoman said.

    About 84 students in the United States and Canada, plus 41 in New Zealand, have also been told by the Papuan government that their scholarships had ended and they must return home.

    Programme plagued with administrative issues
    While the Papuan government scholarship aims to boost education for Indigenous students, the programme has been plagued with administrative problems.

    Several students told the ABC their living allowances, worth $1500 per month, and tuition fees, were sometimes paid late, meaning they could not enrol in university courses and struggled to pay rent.

    Kora said late payments held back her academic progression.

    West Papuan students and map of Papua
    West Papuan students hope to gain new skills by studying in Australia and New Zealand.Image: ABC Pacific Beat

    Her aviation degree takes approximately four semesters to complete, but Kora said there were certain aspects of her training that she could not do because of unpaid fees.

    The ABC has seen invoices from her aviation school, Hartwig Air, that were due in 2018 but were not paid until two years later.

    Fees for her current semester, worth $24,500, were paid more than three months late, in October last year.

    Kora said there were moments when she felt like giving up.

    ‘What’s the point?’
    “What’s the point of even studying if these things are delaying my studies?” she said.

    Kora believes she may have been able to graduate sooner if her fees had been paid on time.

    Hartwig Air would not comment on her situation.

    But an academic report issued by the school in February this year said Kora was “progressing well with her flying” and getting good results on most of her exams.

    Kora said it did not make sense to send her home now because her fees for the current semester had already been paid.

    “It’s a waste of investment,” she said.

    “If we’re not bringing any qualifications back home, it’s a shame not just for us, but also for the government in a way.”

    Students turn to food banks, churches
    In the United States, Daniel Game has faced similar struggles.

    He was awarded a Papuan government scholarship in 2017.

    Game said he was told the scholarship would last five years but did not receive a formal offer letter or contract at the time.

    After completing a general science degree, he was accepted into Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Oregon, to begin studying aeronautical science in 2019.

    It is a prestigious institution and he was proud to get in.

    But, when it came time to enrol, he couldn’t because the government did not issue a sponsorship letter to guarantee his funding.

    Game sent multiple emails and made calls to the government’s human resources department requesting the document.

    The letter never came
    He said he was told the letter would be issued, but that never happened.

    During this time, Game continued to receive a living allowance from the Papuan government and was told his scholarship was still valid.

    In 2020, Game paid for his own flight back to West Papua in the middle of the pandemic to try to resolve the issue in person.

    When he visited the department office, his sponsorship letter was issued immediately.

    The ordeal set Game’s studies back more than 18 months.

    Papuan flying student Daniel Game
    Papuan student Daniel Game in the United States is fulfilling his dream of flying, despite setbacks over his scholarship. Image: ABC Pacific Beat

    His sponsorship letter, seen by the ABC, guarantees his funding until July 2023 but now he’s also been told to return home.

    “Most of us, we spend our time and energy and work really hard … it’s not fair,” Game said.

    Staying in the US
    With just a few months until he’s due to graduate, Game has decided to stay in the US.

    His family are funding his university tuition, but without a living allowance, Game said he was struggling to make ends meet.

    “It’s really hard, especially being in the US,” he said.

    “For food, I usually go out searching local churches and food pantries where I’ll be able to get free stuff.”

    ‘It doesn’t make sense’

    Back in Australia, students are also in financial strife.

    Kora has started picking fruit and vegetables on local farms to make ends meet since her living allowance was cut off in November last year.

    Tried to find part-time jobs
    “We tried to find part-time jobs here and there to just cover us for our rent,” she said.

    She and other students are hoping to stay in Australia and finish their degrees.

    From a low-income family, Kora cannot rely on her parents, so she is calling on Australian universities and the federal government for support.

    “I just want to make my family proud back home to know that actually, someone like me, can be something,” she said.

    The Australian West Papua Association of South Australia has launched a fundraising campaign to pay some students’ university fees and rent.

    Kylie Agnew, a psychologist and association member, said she was concerned for their wellbeing.

    “Not being able to finish your studies, returning to a place with very low job prospects … there’s a lot of stress that the students are under,” she said.

    Perplexing decision
    Jim Elmslie is co-convenor of the West Papua Project at the University of Wollongong, which advocates for peace and justice in West Papua.

    He said the decision to send students home so close to finishing their degrees was perplexing.

    “After having expended probably in excess of $100,000, or maybe considerably more, in paying multiple years’ university fees and living allowances … it doesn’t make sense,” Dr Elmslie said.

    In a text message to one student in Australia, an Indonesian Embassy official said the students could seek alternative funding for their studies, but they were “no longer the responsibility” of the Papuan provincial government.

    The text message also said the students would receive help to transfer to relevant degrees at universities in Indonesia when they returned home.

    But Dr Elmslie said the alternatives were not ideal.

    “If you start a degree course in Australia, to me, it’s much better … to finish that degree course,” he said.

    “And then you have a substantial academic qualification.”

    President of the Council of International Students Australia Oscar Ong said the situation was highly unusual.

    He said that, while some international students weren’t able to graduate within the duration of their scholarship, for so many to be recalled at once was unprecedented.

    Legislative change and redistribution of funding
    The Papuan provincial government did not respond to the ABC’s detailed questions about the scholarship program.

    Local media reports suggest the issue may be linked to a redistribution of funding.

    The scholarship programme was set up by the Papuan provincial government, with money from the Indonesian central government under a Special Autonomy Law.

    Passed in 2001, the bill granted special autonomy to the West Papua region, following a violent and decades-long fight for independence.

    The old law expired in November and new legislation was passed, with an overall boost in finance to the region but with certain funds, including support for education, going towards districts and cities instead of provincial governments.

    That revised law has sparked protests in West Papua, with critics claiming it is an extension of colonial rule that denies Indigenous peoples’ rights to self-determination.

    An Interior Ministry official from the Indonesian government is quoted in local media as saying there needed to be a joint conversation between the Papuan provincial government and the region’s districts and cities about the future of scholarship funding.

    The ABC has been unable to independently verify whether the students’ scholarship terminations are linked to this legislative change.

    Additional reporting for Pacific Beat by Hellena Souisa and Erwin Renaldi. Republished with permission.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Asia Pacific Report newsdesk

    The Pacific Elders’ Voice has expressed deep concern about reports of deteriorating human rights in West Papua and has appealed to Indonesia to allow the proposed UN high commissioner’s visit there before the Bali G20 meeting in November.

    A statement from the PEV says the reports suggest an “increased number of extrajudicial executions, enforced disappearances and the internal displacement of Melanesian Papuans”.

    The Pacific Elders said that they recalled the Pacific Island Forum Leaders’ Communique made in Tuvalu in 2019 which welcomed an invitation by Indonesia for a mission to West Papua by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

    PACIFIC ELDERS’ VOICE

    “The communique strongly encouraged both sides to finalise the timing of the visit and for an evidence-based, informed report on the situation be provided before next Pacific Island Forum Leaders meeting in 2020,” the statement said.

    “Despite such undertaking, we understand that the Indonesian government has not allowed UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to visit West Papua.

    “We find this unacceptable and believe that such behaviour can only exacerbate the tensions in the region.”

    The Pacific Elders said Indonesia must “take responsibility for its actions and abuses and make amends for the harm” caused to the Indigenous people of West Papua.

    The statement said the elders urgently called for the Indonesian government to allow the UN High Commission for Human Rights to visit West Papua and to prepare a report for the Human Rights Council.

    “We call on all members of the Human Rights Council to pass a resolution condemning the current human rights abuses in West Papua,” the statement said.

    “We further call on the Human Rights Council to clearly identify the human rights abuses in Indonesia’s Universal Periodic Review and to identify clear steps to rectify the abuses that are taking place.

    “We further note that the next G20 Heads of State and Government Summit will take place [on November 15-16] in Bali. We call on all G20 member countries to ensure that a visit by the UN High Commission for Human Rights is allowed to take place before this meeting and that the HCHR is able to prepare a report on her findings for consideration by the G20.

    “We believe that no G20 Head of State and Government should attend the meeting without a clear understanding of the human rights situation in West Papua” .

    Pacific Elders’ Voice is an independent alliance of Pacific elders whose purpose is to draw on their collective experience and wisdom to provide thought leadership, perspectives, and guidance that strengthens Pacific resilience.

    They include former Marshall islands president Hilde Heine, former Palau president Tommy Remengesau, former Kiribati president Anote Tong, former Tuvalu prime minister Enele Sopoaga, former Pacific Island Forum Secretariat secretary-general Dame Meg Taylor, former Guam University president Robert Underwood, former Fiji ambassador Kaliopate Tavola, and former University of the South Pacific professor Konai Helu Thaman.

    ‘State terrorism’ over special autonomy
    Meanwhile, United Liberation Movement of West Papua (ULMWP) interim president Benny Wenda has detailed “disturbing reports” of increased militarisation and state terrorism in a recent statement about the region.

    “Our people have been taking to the streets to show their rejection of Indonesia’s plan to divide us further by the creation of 7 provinces and to demonstrate against the imposition of ‘special autonomy’,” Wenda said.

    “Peaceful protestors in Nabire and Jayapura have been met with increasing brutality, with water cannons and tear gas used against them and fully armed police firing indiscriminately at protesters and civilians alike.

    “This is state terrorism. Indonesia is trying to use their full military might to impose their will onto West Papuans, to force acceptance of ‘special autonomy’.

    The pattern of increased militarisation and state repression over the past few years had been clear, with an alarming escalation in violence, said Wenda.

    Last month two protesters were shot dead in Yahukimo Regency for peacefully demonstrating against the expansion of provinces.

    “History is repeating itself and we are witnessing a second Act of No Choice. West Papuans are being forced to relive this trauma on a daily basis,” said Wenda.

    “The same methods of oppression were used in 1969, with thousands of troops harassing, intimidating and killing any West Papuans who spoke out for independence.”

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Pacific Media Watch newsdesk

    The Media Association of Solomon Islands (Masi) has called on the police to respect journalists and media workers when carrying out their work in a public space after officers harassed two media people trying to film the prime minister, reports the Solomon Star.

    Masi said in a statement that the incident happened at the National Parliament precinct this week when police confronted two members of the press, asking them not to film Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare on his arrival.

    Masi president Georgina Kekea said Solomon Islands was a democratic country and freedom of the press was guaranteed under article 12 of the Constitution.

    She said Sogavare was a public figure and the incident happened when he was carrying out his duty as a parliamentarian and prime minister of his country.

    Masi was surprised to hear of the incident and Kekea said it was hoped that it was just a mistake by the police.

    “If the press are not allowed to carry out their duties without fear or intimidation, then we are doomed as a democratic country,” Kekea said.

    “There are different roles that each of us play in society and the police must respect this.

    “Had the incident occurred at the prime minister’s private residence, then it should be a concern for his Close Personal Protection team.

    ‘A national duty’
    “However, this incident occurred just in the Parliament precinct where he was on his way to carry out a national duty. This should not be an issue at all,” the Masi president said.

    Kekea said members of the press were “not the enemy” and should not be treated as such either. She said journalists were doing their jobs just like any other profession.

    “Our job is to gather information through interviews, filming and of course we write news pieces and present them to the public. I know there are instances where a few articles published by the press are deemed irresponsible.

    “This however should not be the reason to restrict journalists or members of the press from doing their job.

    “If the police or the government is concerned about such articles being a threat to national security, they should work on improving or developing effective communication strategies.”

    Kekea said the action by the police showed a lack of understanding of the work of journalists and the role of the media.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Asia Pacific Report newsdesk

    Opposition National Federation Party leader Professor Biman Prasad is confident there will be a change of government in Fiji this year and his party will be part of the new line-up giving the people a genuine choice for an optimistic future.

    “The people of Fiji are fed up with the lies and propaganda that they have seen with this government,” he told listeners today on Pacific Media Network’s Radio 531pi.

    “Why we are very optimistic is that we feel that the people are going to make a definite choice [in the general election] to reject this government that has been in power for the past 15 years.”

    The current FijiFirst government has been in power since then military commander Voreqe Bainimarama seized power in a coup in 2006 and was then elected to office in a return to democracy in 2014.

    Economist Professor Prasad said that his NFP partnership with the People’s Alliance Party (PAP), formed last year and led by former 1987 coup leader Sitiveni Rabuka, was committed to bringing back a “sense of good governance” to Fiji with transparency and accountability.

    Responding to public discussions about democracy, he told Pacific Days host Ma’a Brian Sagala that Fiji was “far, far away from a genuine democracy”.

    “We have articulated this very well over the last three or four years,” he said.

    ‘Ambush’ discussion
    His interview with PMN today had a very different and more informative tone compared to a hostile “ambush” discussion yesterday with Radio Tarana’s host Pawan Rekha Prasad, who kept insisting on an NFP party manifesto when the election writs have not yet been issued and campaigning has yet to start.

    Professor Prasad eventually walked out of that interview, complaining that he was not being “listened to”.

    He later told Fijivillage that it was a set-up and a plan to try to “discredit him”.

    Radio Tarana walkout reports
    Radio Tarana walkout reports … all virtually the same story. Image: APR screenshot

    Professor Prasad also spoke to a media briefing yesterday that included Indian Newslink editor Venkat Rahman and Māori and Pacific journalists at the Whānau Community Hub when he commented about plans for the “first 100 days” if elected.

    Asked by Sagala what the major election issues would be, Professor Prasad said: “The situation in Fiji with respect to the economy, with respect to poverty levels, with respect to health issues, education, infrastructure, and the contraction of the economy — that we even had before the covid pandemic — has been of serious concern to the people.”

    He said Fijians “want a choice in the next election”.

    “They want to see the last of the current government in Fiji and we in the NFP and the People’s Alliance, and the partnership agreement that we have signed, provide a definite distinction and choice for the people.”

    Issues for the election
    These issues would be the ones that NFP would be taking into the election. A date has yet to be set, but the election writs are due on April 26 with the ballot to be set between July 9 and January 2023.

    The PMN Pacific Days interview with Professor Biman Prasad 140422
    The PMN Pacific Days interview with Professor Biman Prasad today … a poster comments “Radio Tarana, this is how you interview people.” Image: APR screenshot

    Professor Prasad said the mood at the recent NFP convention when people gathered again after two years of the pandemic was confident.

    “We had a sense of exuberance, and a sense of optimism. Everyone is looking ahead to the election and a change of government,” he said.

    Asked by Sagala what would the partnership do if successful in the election, Professor Prasad said a coalition was only possible after the election. But the partnership agreement between the NFP and PAP would be a good basis for forming a coalition.

    However, Professor Prasad also pointed to the 2018 NFP manifesto as a good indicator.

    Asked about a recent “heated exchange” in a parliamentary debate about the Fiji Investment Bill and a claim by Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum that the partnership was a “naked grab for power at any cost”, Professor Prasad said:

    ‘Ironical and hypocritical’
    “This is ironical and the height of hypocrisy when coming from a man who himself with Frank Bainimarama nakedly grabbed power together in 2006 through the barrel of a gun.

    “And they stayed in power with the support of the military from 2006 to 2014 when we had an election under an imposed constitution by them.

    “So it is quite ironical and hypocritical of the de facto prime minister or leader of the FijiFirst party to say that this partnership is about a naked grab for power.

    “Far from it, this partnership gives a clear choice, an alternative for the people of Fiji, and they have been looking for one.

    “This partnership is the alternative.”


    The Professor Biman Prasad interview on Radio 531pi’s Pacific Days.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • By Eleisha Foon and Susana Suisuiki, RNZ Pacific journalists

    Māori and Pasifika female rugby players and advocates are asking to not be an afterthought.

    Māori/Pasifika community rugby representative Chantal Bakersmith said the latest New Zealand Rugby (NZR) report highlighting issues surrounding the treatment of Black Ferns players was not surprising.

    A scathing review released this week by NZR raised concerns within Black Ferns’ culture and environment and said Māori and Pacific players had been badly served by both team management and the governing body.

    Bakersmith, who has developed pilot programmes for women’s rugby within NZR, said the issues were not new.

    “Planning for women’s rugby, it was always an afterthought, and you really had to push your case for it to be thought about,” she said.

    “And then there was always this feeling that because I’m questioning things I’m an agitator or being a pain — but there’s a population that hasn’t been served or thought about.”

    The review was a result of Black Ferns hooker Te Kura Ngata-Aerengamate, who shared a social media post saying the Black Ferns head coach Glenn Moore told her she did not deserve to be on the team, and was “picked only to play the guitar”.

    Cultural competency needed
    Rugby advocate Alice Soper said Pākehā coaches needed to understand cultural competency and be able to relate to their players.

    “Any excuse around ignorance is just arrogance,” she said.

    “We live in a time where there is multiple things that you can access to upskill yourself and if you are a Pākehā coach and you are going into a team that is predominantly Māori or Pasifika then you need to be upskilling yourself — that is a basic part of your role.”

    Soper said changed behaviour and the removal of the current coach was a must. It was understood that Moore would remain as the head coach until at least the Women’s World Cup in October.

    However, female rugby players also need to take accountability of their own performance, said former Black Ferns representative Regina Sheck.

    Sheck, who played prop for the Black Ferns from 1994 to 2004, said the NZR review seems to be about a communication issue rather than a management issue.

    She said a lot of the ownership of not being selected comes down to the players themselves.

    “If you haven’t put in the effort then don’t be surprised if you don’t get the call-out,” she said.

    ‘Take a look at themselves’
    “Players need to take a look at themselves — well that’s just life in general. Don’t throw stones if you live in a glasshouse.

    “What’s happened since the Black Ferns started to get paid, and this is how I look at it, this could also go back through to NZR as well — is that there hasn’t been any development.”

    Despite the report, Bakersmith said that there were some initiatives that NZR had created to ensure rugby culture was more inclusive for women.

    “There’s a programme called Ako Wāhine, and it’s fully focused on upskilling or recruiting women from all different parts of rugby experience — whether as a manager or as a player or as a coach, anybody.”

    “They had the first cohort rollout last year and you’ll see these cohorts throughout the community and across the country, so that’s positive.”

    This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • OPEN LETTER: By David Robie of Asia Pacific Report

    Kia ora Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi

    It is unconscionable. A bewildering and grossly unfair crisis for 34 young Papuan students – 25 male and 9 female – the hope for the future of the West Papua region, the Melanesian half of Papua New Guinea island ruled by Indonesia.

    They were part of a cohort of 93 Papuan students studying in Aotearoa New Zealand on local provincial autonomy government scholarships, preparing for their careers, and learning or improving their English along the way. They were also making Pacific friendships and contacts.

    They were fast becoming a “bridge” to New Zealand. Ambassadors for their people.

    And then it all changed. Suddenly through no fault of their own, 41 of them were told out of the blue their scholarships were being cancelled and they had to return home.

    Their funds were cut with no warning. Many of them had accommodation bills to pay, university fees to cover and other student survival debts.

    They were abandoned by their own government, some of them being close to completing their degrees of diplomas. Appeals to both the provincial governments in Papua and the central government in Jakarta – even to President Joko Widodo — were ignored.

    Yes, it is unconscionable.

    New Zealand help?
    Surely New Zealand can respond to this Pacific plea for help?

    Asia Pacific Report first published a story about the plight of these students back on January 27. Since then many stories have been written about the students’ struggle to complete their qualifications, including Māori Television, Newsroom, Tagata Pasifika, RNZ Pacific, and Wairarapa Times-Age, and Tabloid Jubi, Cendrawasi Pos and Suara Papua in Papua.


    An interview by Laurens Ikinia with Tagata Pasifika last month.   Video: Sunpix

    They must finish their studies here in New Zealand because returning home to a low wage economy, high unemployment, the ravages of the covid-19 pandemic, and an insurgency war for independence will ruin their education prospects.

    Papuan students studying in Australia and New Zealand face tough and stressful challenges apart from the language barrier. As Yamin Kogoya, a Brisbane-based West Papuan commentator, says from first-hand experience:

    “Papuan students abroad face many difficulties, including culture shock and adjustments, along with anxiety due to the deaths of their family members back in West Papua, which take a toll on their study.

    “As well as inconsistencies and delays in Jakarta’s handling of funds, corruption, harassment, and intimidation also contribute to this crisis.”

    At present, out of 17 students currently studying at the Universal College of Learning (UCOL) in Palmerston North, only 10 are able to attend classes. Seven students cannot attend because of their visa status and tuition fees which have not been paid.

    Five students at AUT
    At Auckland University of Technology, out of five students studying there, one is doing a masters degree, four are studying for diplomas and one is not enrolled because the government has not paid tuition fees.

    Out of the 41 recalled students, the visas for some of them have already expired while others are expiring this month.

    Of the 34 students still in New Zealand and determined to complete their studies, the breakdown is understood to be as follows:

    UCOL Palmerston North – 15
    Institute of the Pacific United (IPU) New Zealand – 6
    AUT University – 4
    Ardmore Flying School – 2
    Waikato University – 2
    Canterbury University – 1
    Massey University – 1
    Unitec – 1
    Victoria University – 1
    Awatapu College – 1

    Papuan students in Auckland sort donated food
    Papuan students in Auckland sort donated food for their colleagues stranded in New Zealand while completing their studies. Image: IAPSAO

    The students have rallied and are working hard to try to rescue their situation as they are optimistic about completing their studies. The Green Party has taken up advocacy on their behalf.

    The Papuans are communicating with the NZ International Students Association, NZ Students Union and NZ Pasifika Students.

    Community groups such as the Whānau Hub in Mt Roskill, Auckland, have assisted with food and living funds. A givealittle page has been set up for relief and has raised more than $6500 so far.

    But far more is needed, and an urgent extension of their student visas is a must.

    Papuan Governor Lukas Enembe talks with students
    Papuan Governor Lukas Enembe (centre in purple shirt) talks with students in Jayapura. Image: Jubi

    ‘Grateful for support’
    “We’re so grateful to all Kiwis across the country for their generous support for us at our time of desperate need,” says communication coordinator Laurens Ikinia of the International Alliance of Papuan Students Associations Overseas (IAPSAO) and who is a postgraduate student at AUT.

    “We’re also grateful to all the tertiary institutions and universities for understanding the plight of the West Papuan students.”

    Papuan students are speaking today on the issue at a Pacific “media lunch” in a double billing along with Fiji’s opposition National Federation Party leader Professor Biman Prasad at the Whānau Community Centre in Auckland’s Mt Roskill.

    Today's "media lunch" featuring Fiji and the Papuan students
    Today’s “media lunch” featuring the forthcoming Fiji general election and the West Papuan students. Image: Whānau Community Hub

    Just last Monday, many worried parents and families of students affected by this sudden change of scholarship policy gathered to meet Papua Governor Lukas Enembe in Jayapura to plead their case.

    Hopefully, Indonesian Ambassador Fientje Maritje Suebu, ironically also a Papuan, will read this appeal too. The situation is an embarrassment for Indonesia at a time when the republic is trying to foster a better image with our Pacific neighbours.

    Minister Faafoi, surely New Zealand can open its arms and embrace the Papuan students, offering them humanitarian assistance, first through extended visas, and second helping out with their financial plight.

    Waaa waaa waaa.

    Dr David Robie
    Editor
    Asia Pacific Report

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • RNZ Pacific

    The first female premier of a Solomon Islands province is appealing to New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to help her country manage covid-19 in the community.

    People travelling between Honiara and Isabel Province were being tested for the virus at four testing centres, and if they test positive they were isolated at a makeshift centre.

    The Isabel Premier, Rhoda Sikilabu, said she was desperate for funding to make improvements to the isolation centres because “they’re filling up and are run down”.

    “I really, really need support. We have no place to … isolate these people,” Sikilabu said.

    She wants New Zealand to provide funding for improvements for the centres.

    “I, as a woman and a mother, I have so many worries and concerns for families offloading with babies, children,” she said.

    “I really, really need support in covid. Please I would like to appeal to the Prime Minister.”

    Focus on environmental and women’s issues
    Sikilabu plans to focus on environmental and women’s issues, and is hopeful of bringing changes to her region as well as transform old mindsets.

    She wants women to have authority to speak about their land and property in regards to resources.

    “Reforestation is one of the priorities that I will tackle and maybe I can impact more on how women can address or say more on their property, their land ownership,” she said.

    ”The environment is very, very important to women just now.”

    This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Tagata Pasifika is celebrating 35 years on air this year. Former hosts Foufou Susana Hukui, Reverend Elder Maligi Evile and former researcher/reporter Iulia Leilua take look back at the early days. Video: Sunpix

    By John Pulu of Tagata Pasifika

    A trip down memory lane for Tagata Pasifika’s first host, Foufou Susana Hukui as she watches a video clip of an interview she did with former Prime Minister of Samoa, Tupua Tamasese Efi.

    “It was just the most exciting journey that we were going to take,” Hukui says.

    “Because I have watched the white man, white people, other people but never us telling our own stories. When they were told, they were told from a white man’s perspective.”

    Public Interest Journalism Fund
    PUBLIC INTEREST JOURNALISM FUND

    The weekly show first aired on the 4 April 1987, as a pan-Pacific voice on New Zealand television.

    “When I got on our first programme, I made sure that we were different. I didn’t deliberately do it — that’s just the way I was,” Hukui says.

    “Coloured clothes, summer right through the whole year and flowers in my ear. I just wanted people to know who I was, this is me and this is going to be our people’s programme.”

    Hukui switched from working in radio to pioneer storytelling from a Pasifika lens on national television covering a myriad of stories and events.

    Foufou Susana Hukui - TPPlus
    Foufou Susana Hukui was the first host for Tagata Pasifika, which launched on 4 April 1987 … “Coloured clothes, summer right through the whole year and flowers in my ear.” Image: TPPlus

    ‘Flooded the market with colour’
    “We did suddenly flood the market on the media with colour that we are used to with flowers, with headgear, with cooking, the puaka, hair cutting ceremonies, weddings; and this, you know, even though it’s our culture, we love to see it on TV.

    “In those days we didn’t have social media so we were, at the time, just right because that was the strongest medium at the time,” Hukui says.

    From the very start, Tagata Pasifika was a news and information show for the community.

    Radio broadcasters like the Reverend Maligi Evile played a key role as the first news reader.

    “The programme was more or less bifocal in the sense that I was telling our people what is happening out there at home in your country and your home and I was also telling the NZ public, the NZ community that this is what is happening out there in our homes in the Pacific,” Reverend Evile says.

    As our people continued to come to Aotearoa, the half hour show played an important role in helping them settle in and feel like they belonged here.

    “I was really appreciative to think that, considering the number of Pacific people who were living in NZ at the time, I think it’s about time that we have some small window on the screen on TVNZ,” he says.

    ‘Transforming a window’
    “When this opportunity came along, I thought this was the window that we were waiting for and I was hoping that this window will transform into a door and perhaps into a room and even a big house for bigger things to come for the Pacific people.”

    Reporter Maligi Evile - TPPlus
    Reporter Maligi Evile delivered the Pacific News on the very first episode of Tagata Pasifika … “This was the window that we were waiting for.” Image: TPPlus

    And over the years Tagata Pasifika has moved through different time slots and faces have come and gone, but through it all viewers have remained loyal.

    Former researcher and reporter Iulia Leilua says there was a demand for Pacific voices and faces to be seen and heard in the media following major events like the Dawn Raids which happened in the previous decade.

    “I thank TVNZ for their foresight, I thank even more so the people who lobbied for this programme. TVNZ really had no option but to showcase the Māori and Pacific voice and faces at that time,” Leilua says.

    In 2014, TVNZ announced that the show will no longer be made in-house and the following year production company Sunpix Limited started producing the show.

    Tagata Pasifika is reflective of our Pacific peoples and it’s been there on that journey for many people and their lives. People come to the show to see stories that they are not hearing or seeing elsewhere so the legacy is kind of this, you know, this trusted source of story telling about our people and an important place that documents our people’s lives and history,” Leilua says.

    Researcher/presenter Iulia Leilua - TPPlus
    Iulia Leilua was with Tagata Pasifika since its inception, taking on roles of researcher, director and presenter for the show … “Tagata Pasifika is reflective of our Pacific peoples.” Image: TPPlus

    Playing a role online
    Now, 35 years on, with a wide variety of media to choose from Tagata Pasifika continues to play a role not just on our television screens but also online where more content is available. But there has always been a dream for more time on air.

    “We started off with half an hour, perhaps give us another 15 mins on air or perhaps give us an extra half hour you know we need a bit more frequency on air and we need more support,” Reverend Evile says.

    Hukui acknowledges the changing media landscape but adds that it is even more important than ever to have a trusted source of information.

    “No matter what, no matter if you have Instagram, your TikTok, whatever, Facebook, the people of our Pacific always go to what’s Tagata Pasifika to see the real, to get the real story.”

    John Pulu — “JP” — is a Tagata Pasifika reporter/director/presenter and a Pacific community broadcaster.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • COMMENTARY: By Yamin Kogoya

    Papuan Governor Lukas Enembe had an hour-long meeting with Russian Ambassador Lyudmila Vorobyeva, accompanied by the director of the Russian Centre for Science and Culture in Jakarta this week. On the table, an invitation for President Vladimir Putin to visit Papua later this year.

    The governor also had his small team with him — Samuel Tabuni (CEO of Papua Language Institute), Alex Kapisa (Head of the Papua Provincial Liaison Agency in Jakarta) and Muhammad Rifai Darus (Spokesman for the Governor of Papua).

    As a result of this meeting, social media is likely to run hot with heated debate.

    This isn’t surprising, considering Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, hotly condemned in the West.

    Speculation is rife whether Indonesia — as chair of the G20 group of nations — will invite President Putin to attend the global forum in Bali later this year.

    Governor Enembe is not just another governor of another province of Indonesia — he represents one of the biggest settler-colonial provinces actively seeking independence.

    Considering Enembe’s previous rhetoric condemning harmful policies of the central government, such as the failed Special Autonomy Law No.21/2021, this meeting has only added confusion, leaving both Indonesians and Papuans wondering about the motives for the governor’s actions.

    Also, the governor has invited President Putin to visit Papua after attending the G20 meeting in Bali.

    Whether President Putin would actually visit Papua is another story, but this news is likely to cause great anxiety for Papuans and Indonesians alike.

    So, what was Monday’s meeting all about?

    Governor Lukas Enembe
    Papuan Governor Lukas Enembe … “The old stories are dying, and we need new stories for our future.” Image: West Papua Today

    Papuan students in Russia
    Spokesperson Muhammad Rifai said Governor Enembe had expressed deep gratitude to the government of the Russian Federation for providing a sense of security to indigenous Papuan students studying higher education in Russia.

    He thanked the ambassador for taking good care of those who received scholarships from the Russian government as well as those who received scholarships from the Papua provincial government.

    The scholarships were offered to Papuan students through the Russian Centre for Science and Culture, which began in 2016 and is repeated annually.

    Under this scheme, Governor Enembe sent 26 indigenous Papuans to the Russian Federation on September 27, 2019, for undergraduate and postgraduate studies.

    As of last year, Russia offered 163 places for Papuan students, but this number cannot be verified due to the high number of Indonesian students seeking education in Russia.

    The ambassador also discussed the possibility of increasing the number of scholarships available to Papuan students who want to study in Russia. Governor Enembe appreciates  this development as education is a foundation for the land of Papua to grow and move forward.

    The governor also said Russia was the only country in the world that would be willing to meet Papua halfway by offering students a free scholarship for their tuition fees.

    Along with these education and scholarship discussions, Rifai said the governor wanted to talk about the construction of a space airport in Biak Island, in Cenderawasih Bay on the northern coast of Papua.

    The governor was also interested in the world’s largest spaceport, Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, which is still operating today and he hoped to gain insight from the Russian government.

    Building a Russian cultural museum in Papua
    As part of strengthening the Russia-Papua relationship, Governor Enembe asked the Russian government to not only accept indigenous Papuan students, but to also transfer knowledge from the best teachers in Russia to students in Papua.

    As part of the initiative, the governor invited Victoria from the Russian Centre for Science and Culture to Papua in order to inaugurate a Russian Cultural Centre at one of the local universities.

    However, Governor Enembe’s desire to establish this relationship is not only due to Russian benevolence toward his Papuan students studying in Russia.

    The Monday meeting with the Russian ambassador in Jakarta and his invitation to President Putin to visit Papua were inspired by deeper inspiration stories.

    The story originated more than 150 years ago.

    Governor Enembe was touched by the story he had heard of a Russian anthropologist who lived on New Guinea soil, and who had tried to save New Guinean people during one of the cruellest and darkest periods of European savagery in the Pacific.

    Indigenous hero

    Nicholas Miklouho-Maclay
    Nikolai Miklouho-Maclay pictured with a Papuan boy named Ahmad in this image taken c. 1873. Image: File

    His name was Nikolai Nikolaevich Miklouho-Maclay (1846 –1888) — a long forgotten Russian messianic anthropologist, who fought to defend indigenous New Guineans against German, Dutch, British, and Australian forces on New Guinea island.

    His travels and adventures around the world — including the Canary Islands, North Africa, Easter Island, China, Thailand, Malaysia, Australia, the Philippines, and New Guinea — not only expanded his knowledge of the world’s geography, but most importantly his consciousness. This made him realise that all men are equal.

    For a European and a scientist during this time, it was risky to even consider, let alone speak or write about such claims. Yet he dared to stand in opposition to the dominant worldview of the time — a hegemony so destructive that it set the stage for future exploitation of islanders in all forms: information, culture, and natural resources.

    West Papua still bleeds as a result.

    His campaign against Australian slavery of black islanders — known as blackbirding — in the Pacific between the 1840s and 1930s, and for the rights of indigenous people in New Guinea was driven by a spirit of human equality.

    On Sunday, September 15, 2013, ABC radio broadcast the following statement about Nikolai Miklouho-Maclay:

    He was handsome, he was idealistic and a mass of disturbing contradictions. He died young. That should have been enough to ensure his story’s survival – and it was in Russia, where he became a Soviet culture hero, not in the Australian colonies where he fought for the rights of colonised peoples and ultimately lost.

    ironic and tragic
    The term Melanesia emerged out of such colonial enterprise, fuelled by white supremacy attitudes. As ironic and tragic as it seems, Papuans in West Papua reclaimed the term and used it in their cultural war against what they consider as Asian-Indonesian colonisation.

    It is likely that Miklouho-Maclay would have renamed and redescribed this region differently if he had been the first to name it, instead of French explorer Jules Dumont d’Urville (the man credited with coining the term). He arrived too late, and the region had already been named, divided, and colonised.

    In September 1871, Nikolai Miklouho-Maclay landed at Garagassi Point and established himself in Gorendu village in Madang Province. Here he built a strong relationship with the locals and his anthropological work, including his diaries, became well known in Russia. The village where he lived has erected a monument in his name.

    Miklouho-Maclay’s diaries of his accounts of Papuans in New Guinea during his time there have already been published in the millions and read by generations of Russians. The translation of his dairies from Russian to English, titled Miklouho-Maclay – New Guinea Diaries 1871-1883 can be read here.

    C.L. Sentinella, the translator of the diaries, wrote the following in the introduction:

    The diaries give us a day-to-day account of a prolonged period of collaborative contact with these people by an objective scientific observer with an innate respect for the natives as human beings, and with no desire to exploit them in any way or to impose his ideas upon them. Because of Maclay’s innate respect, this recognition on his part that they shared a common humanity, his reports and descriptions are not distorted to any extent by inbuilt prejudices and moral judgements derived from a different set of values.

    In 2017, the PNG daily newspaper The National published a short story of Miklouho-Maclay under the title “A Russian who fought to save Indigenous New Guinea”.

    The Guardian, in 2020, also shared a brief story of him under title “The dashing Russian adventurer who fought to save indigenous lives.” The titles of these articles reflect the spirit of the man.

    After more than 150 years, media headlines emphasise his legacy. One of his descendants, Nickolay Miklouho-Maclay, who is currently director of Miklouho Maclay Foundation in Madang, PNG, has already begun to establish connections with local Papuans both at the village level and with the government to build connections based on the spirit of his ancestor.

    Enembe seeks Russian reconnection
    Governor Enembe believes that Nikolai Miklouho-Maclay’s writings and work profoundly influence the Russian psyche and reflect how the Russian people view the world — especially Melanesians.

    This was what motivated him to arrange his meeting with the Russian ambassador on Monday. The Russians’ hospitality toward Papuan students is connected to the spirit of this man, according to the governor.

    It is a story about compassion, understanding, and brotherhood among humans.

    The story of Nikolai Miklouho-Maclay is linked to the PNG side of New Guinea. However, Governor Enembe said Nikolai’s story was also the story of West Papuans too now — because he fought for all oppressed and enslaved New Guineans, Melanesians, and Pacific islanders.

    Nikolai Miklouho-Maclay’s ideas, beliefs and values — calling for the treatment of fellow human beings with dignity, equality and respect — are what are needed today.

    This is partly why Governor Enembe has invited President Putin to visit Papua; he plans to build a cultural museum and statue in honour of Nikolai Miklouho-Maclay.

    “The old stories are dying, and we need new stories for our future,” Governor Enembe said. “I want to … share more of this great story of the Russian people and New Guinea people together.”

    Yamin Kogoya is a West Papuan academic who has a Master of Applied Anthropology and Participatory Development from the Australian National University and who contributes to Asia Pacific Report. From the Lani tribe in the Papuan Highlands, he is currently living in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • By Matthew Scott of Newsroom

    Time is running out for a group of West Papuan students in New Zealand whose scholarships were cut — out of the blue — by the Indonesian government

    The sudden removal of government funding for the Papuan students has left many of them in financial dire straits on visas that are running out.

    Forty two students learned of the termination of their scholarships at the beginning of this year. With deadlines approaching they have appealed to both the Indonesian government and MPs in New Zealand to see if they can fix their dashed hopes of a completed education.

    Green Party MPs Ricardo Menendez March, Golriz Ghahraman and Teanau Tuiono penned a letter to Minister of Foreign Affairs Nanaia Mahuta requesting government to support for the students before they are deported.

    They are calling for a scholarship fund to support the impacted students, a residency pathway for West Papuan students whose welfare has been affected, and an assurance that the students will have access to safe housing in affordable accommodation.

    But according to Menendez March, the most urgent issue is the students’ visas — he is calling on the government to extend them due to special circumstances, such as those for Ukrainian nationals.

    “What the situation in Ukraine taught us is that when there is political will, our immigration system can move relatively fast to provide solutions for people who are facing uncertainty,” he said. “The special visa that was created to support Ukrainian families show we could have an intervention to support these students.”

    Quick move for Ukraine
    Immigration moved quickly to ensure Ukrainians with family in New Zealand had an easier avenue to a two-year work visa as a part of the humanitarian support developed in response to the refugee crisis.

    “Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi said last week when the details were unveiled: ‘This is the largest special visa category we have established in decades to support an international humanitarian effort and, alongside the additional $4 million in humanitarian funding also announced today, it adds to a number of measures we’ve already implemented to respond to the worsening situation in Ukraine.’”

    West Papuan masters student Laurens Ikinia
    West Papuan masters student Laurens Ikinia … “It is really heartbreaking for us as the central government of Indonesia and the provincial government have not given any positive responses.” Image: MTS screenshot APR

    The Ukraine policy is expected to benefit around 4000 people, with Immigration streamlining processes to make sure they are supported sooner rather than later.

    With just 42 West Papuan students now in this visa crisis, Menendez March said it would be easy enough for the Government to create a special category.

    And more than that, it would be an opportunity for New Zealand to stand up for a Pacific neighbour.

    “As a Pacific nation we do have a responsibility to support West Papuans,” he said. “I think this is a small but really tangible way that we could supporting the West Papuan community.”

    For some of the students, returning home isn’t just a matter of giving up on whatever ambitions lay past graduation day – but also a safety risk.

    Openly communicated
    “The students have openly communicated in the past some of them may not necessarily face safe living conditions back at home,” Menendez March said, who met with the students last week along with Greens spokesperson for Pacific people Teanau Tuiono to discuss possible solutions.

    Tuiono said there were multiple reasons why the New Zealand government should step in and offer support to the students.

    “First, there’s the consistency thing — if we’re going to do this for people from the Ukraine, why not for West Papuans,” he said. “Also, we are part of the Pacific and we have signed the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.”

    The declaration, first adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2007, establishes a framework of minimum standards for the survival, dignity and well-being of the indigenous peoples of the world.

    “West Papuans are indigenous peoples who have been occupied by Indonesia, so there’s that recognition of a responsibility on an international level that we have signed up to,” Tuiono said.

    The letter signed by the Green MPs was sent to Mahuta at the beginning of this month, but they say there has been no meaningful response. Meanwhile, some of the students are potentially just a matter of weeks away from deportation.

    The decision to rescind the scholarship funds came as a shock to West Papuan students in New Zealand like Laurens Ikinia, who is in the final year of his Master of Communication at AUT. He hopes he will be allowed in the country until his upcoming graduation.

    But despite the International Alliance of Papuan Student Associations Overseas calling on the Indonesian government to consult with it to try and resolve the issue, there has been no response.

    “It is really heartbreaking for us as the central government of Indonesia and the provincial government have not given any positive responses to us,” Ikinia said. “The government still stick to their decision.”

    Matthew Scott is a journalist writing for Newsroom on inequality, MIQ and border issues. Republished with permission.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Asia Pacific Report newsdesk

    The West Papua National Liberation Army-Free Papua Organisation (TPNPB-OPM) has rejected peace talks with the Indonesian government if it is only mediated by the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM).

    It is also asking President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to be prepared to sit down with them at the negotiating table.

    TPNPB-OPM spokesperson Sebby Sambom said that the OPM wants the peaceful dialogue or negotiations to be mediated by the United Nations because the armed conflict in Papua was already on an international scale.

    “In principle we agree [that] if the negotiations are in accordance with UN mechanisms, but we are not interested in Indonesia’s methods,” said Sambom in a written statement.

    Sambom said that they also do not want to hold the dialogue in Indonesia but want it to be held in a neutral country in accordance with UN mechanisms.

    “The negotiations must be held in a neutral country, in accordance with UN mechanisms”, he said.

    Sambom said President Widodo must be aware and must have the courage to sit down at the negotiating table with the TPNPB-OPM’s negotiating team.

    He also reminded Widodo that the UN was an international institution which can act as a mediator in resolving armed conflicts.

    Peaceful dialogue
    “In the statement to Jakarta we are asking that Indonesian President Jokowi be aware and have the courage to sit at the negotiating table with the TPNPB-OPM’s negotiating team together with all the delegates from the organisations which are struggling [for independence],” he said.

    Earlier, the Komnas HAM claimed it would initiate peace talks between the government and the OPM.

    Komnas HAM had also claimed that the proposal for talks had been agreed to by the government, ranging from President Widodo, Coordinating Minister for Security, Politics and Legal Affairs Mahfud MD to the TNI (Indonesian military) and Polri (Indonesian police).

    Komnas HAM, along with the Komnas HAM Papua representative office, began sounding out peaceful dialogue by meeting with a series of groups in Papua on March 16-23.

    In the initial stage, Komnas HAM was endeavoring to hear and ask for the views of key parties on the issue, especially the OPM, both those within the country as well as those overseas. The other key people were religious, traditional community and intellectual figures.

    Translated by James Balowski for IndoLeft News. The original title of the article was OPM Tolak Dialog Damai Ide Komnas HAM, Hanya Mau di PBB.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • The West Papua students who had their tertiary scholarships terminated by the Indonesian government have turned to New Zealanders for help. Video: Tagata Pasifika

    By Anauli Karima Fai’ai in Auckland

    Papuan students are appealing for support in New Zealand after the Indonesian government terminated the autonomous West Papuan scholarships of 42 tertiary students across the country.

    “We humbly ask Kiwis to support us in terms of financial support,” says masters degree student Laurens Ikinia.

    “This is something that’s really worrying us.”

    Indonesia cut the scholarships in December, claiming that the students were either failing their studies or taking too long to finish their degrees.

    Ikinia, one of the students affected, is trying to complete his master’s degree in communications at Auckland University of Technology.

    “The claim that the government is using is baseless,” he told Tagata Pasifika.

    “Some students are on their pathways to finish their programmes and, like myself, I’m just about to finish and this is my final month to complete the programme.”

    Half close to completion
    At least half of the students are close to completion and have thus defied Indonesia’s orders to be repatriated.

    Now they have been left to fend for themselves.

    “It’s really hard for us to purchase our grocery needs and also for us to pay for our rent so it’s really restraining us.”

    Last week, affected students in Palmerston North approached Green MP Teanau Tuiono to help raise their concerns with the government.

    “That’s deeply concerning that a student can get that far to completing their education qualification and get told that their funding’s cut and they’ve got to go home. That’s not cool,” Tuiono said.

    The MP has already sent a letter to Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta requesting a scholarship fund, visa extensions and accommodation for the students.

    “We totally support the cause to have refugees from Ukraine because it is an area under conflict, let’s see that for West Papua as well, which is also a region under conflict.”

    Givealittle page
    In the meantime, a givealittle page has been set up to help the students — many of whom are afraid to speak out.

    Page creator and advocate Nik Naidu, who is originally from Fiji, says it is important for the wider Pacific community to get involved.

    “You know we were always taught to listen and not just speak and not to ask for things, wait for things to be given to you but, even then, you decline it, you know.

    “And so for us in our Pasifika culture, the important thing is to be aware of everybody’s situation to keep an eye out for all our whanau and our families and our children,” Naidu said.

    Ikinia fears the possibility of having to leave New Zealand before finishing his studies and the impact it could have on his community back home.

    “For me, I would love to learn here so that young people who would love to have an education, like myself, can think positively – that hope is there.”

    Republished with permission.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Pacific Media Watch newsdesk

    The first media freedom advocacy group has formed in the Marshall Islands. Organisers this week were in the initial phase of outreach to launch the Pacific Media Institute, which was incorporated last month as a non-profit organisation.

    Despite a small but robust independent news media in the Marshall Islands, there has never been an advocacy group for media freedom in this nation.

    “If ever there was a ‘right time’ to form an advocacy organisation for freedom of expression and transparency in government, now is it,” said Marshall Islands Journal editor Giff Johnson, one of the founding members of the institute.

    “Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine is a prime example of a violation of a sovereign, independent democracy that undermines the rule of law.

    “Moreover, we watch as Russia suppresses access to independent media at home to prevent its citizens from knowing what is happening in the Ukraine and the world’s reaction to the invasion.”

    Founders of PMI said closer to home, there were indications of democracy and media freedoms eroding in island nations that banned visits by foreign independent media and attempted to restrict their own media and freedom of expression by their citizens.

    “We are fortunate in the Marshall Islands to have clear free speech rights enshrined in the Constitution and to have had governments for decades that respect this essential element of democracy,” Johnson added.

    Freedoms ‘cannot be taken for granted’
    “But these freedoms here and in the region should not be taken for granted. We need to celebrate them where they exist, strengthen them where we can, and advocate for them where they don’t.”

    A growing concern is the increasingly active presence in the islands of governments outside the region that do not support media freedom and transparency in government operations at home and bring this philosophy with them into the region, he said.

    The PMI is a joint effort of three people in independent media in the Marshall Islands.

    Joining Johnson as co-founders of PMI are Daniel Kramer, CEO of Six9Too Productions and Power 103.5FM, and Fred J. Pedro, a long-time broadcaster and talk show host.

    They said PMI hoped to promote independent media and transparency in government in the Marshall Islands as well as neighbouring nations.

    The purpose of the new non-profit organisation is to:

    • Advocate for and engage in media freedom and freedom of expression;

    • Promote transparency and accountability in government;

    • Support expansion of independent, non-government media; and

    • Promote training and other initiatives to increase the number and skills of people working in media and the quality of reporting in the Marshall Islands and regionally.

    ‘Watershed moment’
    Veteran Pacific islands journalist Floyd K. Takeuchi said: “This is a watershed moment in the history of independent journalism in the Western Pacific.

    “And what better country to see a media freedom group organized than the Marshall Islands, which for more than half a century has shown how democratic values, chiefly and cultural traditions, and a free press can comfortably coexist.”

    PMI has already reached out to Takeuchi and other journalists with extensive experience in the region to collaborate on proposed training for media and outreach dialogues with top-level government authorities in the initial phase of the organisation.

    “We want to see more young people take up careers in media in the future,” said Kramer.

    “We hope that PMI can help interest young people in media careers through training and other opportunities that our new group plans to offer for journalists here and in the island region.”

    Kramer’s Six9Too Productions has established an ongoing record of collaboration among musicians from the Marshall Islands, Solomon Islands and Polynesian countries that have produced hit songs and music videos.

    He said PMI hoped to see this type of collaboration among working journalists here and in the region to bolster reporting skills and media freedom in general.

    The PMI founders said they were hopeful that countries internationally that supported media freedom, democracy and transparency in government would be supportive of PMI training and other initiatives.

    “We want to start tapping opportunities for synergy among working journalists in the Marshall Islands and in other Pacific islands through collaborative training programs and reporting initiatives,” said Johnson.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • By Tony Smith of Stuff

    The tiny Pacific territory of Wallis and Futuna can, per capita, surely lay claim to be test rugby’s hottest talent nursery.

    Three players who trace their heritage to Wallis and Futuna — a French “overseas collectivity” located north-west of Fiji and west of Samoa — are in France’s Six Nations squad.

    Hooker Peato Mauvaka — a two-try hero in France’s 40-25 win over the All Blacks last November and lock Romain Taofifénua have been joined in Fabien Galthie’s squad by young centre Yoram Moefana, Taofifénua’s second cousin.

    Both Mauvaka and Moefana played in France’s hard-won 13-9 victory over Wales in Cardiff last night – a victory that keeps alive their hopes of a first grand slam and Six Nations title in a decade.

    Lock Taofifénua would probably also have played if he had not contracted covid-19.

    When Mauvaka and Taofifénua came off the bench to join Moefana in the recent win over Ireland, Wallis and Futuna effectively supplied 20 per cent of the France XV. This was repeated in the victory over Scotland.

    Wallisians and Futunans have the right to live anywhere in France, so automatically qualify for French national sporting teams.

    Born in New Caledonia
    The list of French rugby internationals includes some players born in France to parents from Wallis and Futuna, or born and raised in New Caledonia where around 30,000 Wallisians and Futunans live.

    Outside back Yann David, who still plays for Top 14 club Bayonne, had four tests in 2008. He was born in Lyon in mainland France, but his mother, Monika Fiafialoto, a former French javelin champion, is Wallisian.

    Towering Noumea-born lock Sébastien Vahaamahina had 46 test caps between 2012 and 2019. Vahaamahina, who scored his first try in the 2019 Rugby World Cup quarterfinal, retired from test rugby after getting sent off for elbowing a Welsh rival in the head in that 2019 defeat.

    Still only 30, he continues to play in the Top 14 for Clermont.

    Vahaamahina was often joined in France’s second row engine room by Romain Taofifénua, whose father, Willy was one of the first players from Wallis and Futuna to make a mark on the French club scene.

    Romain — born in Mont-de-Marsan in France and raised in Limoges — made his test debut in 2012. The 31-year-old has since garnered 32 caps.

    Brother Sébastien, 30, propped France’s scrum in two tests in 2017. The Taofifénua twosome, and their cousin Vahaamahina played together in a 23-23 draw with Japan that year.

    Rugby World Cup squad
    Vahaamahina and Mauvaka were joined in France’s 2019 Rugby World Cup squad by another player with Wallis and Futuna heritage, Toulon hooker Christopher Tolofua, another cousin of the Taofifénuas, who has seven caps since his debut at 18 in 2012.

    Tolofua’s younger brother, Selevasio, a No 8, has won European Champions Cup and French Top 14 honours with Toulouse, alongside Mauvaka and ex-All Blacks great Jerome Kaino. He won his first and so far only test cap at No 8 in the 2020 Autumn Nations Cup final defeat to England at Twickenham, playing with Mauvaka and Yoram Moefana.

    So fielding players with Wallis and Futuna lineage is nothing new for Les Bleus, but Moefana’s emergence has served to heighten the link.

    The 21-year-old — who has played little more than 30 Top 14 games for Bordeaux-Bègles – has beaten the more experienced Fiji-born Virimi Vakatawa for the berth in midfield alongside the talented Gaël Fickou. In the last two games, against Scotland and Wales, he ha played on the wing.

    Moefana was reportedly born on Futuna but moved to France at 13 to live in Limoges with a professional rugby career as his goal. He lived in France’s porcelain industry capital with his uncle, Tapu Falatea, 33, now a prop for Agen in France’s second tier.

    Young Moefana was soon recruited by the Colomiers academy and made his Pro D2 debut with the club in 2018.

    After just six games, he was signed in 2019 by Bordeaux-Bègles, where he plays alongside test teammates Cameron Woki, Matthieu Jalibert and Maxime Lucu and Tonga’s former Chiefs prop Ben Tamiefuna.

    Represented France Under-20s
    Moefana represented France at under-20 level before becoming the nation’s first test player born in the 21st century when he made his debut, aged 20, against Italy in November 2020.

    Judging by his assured display against Ireland’s highly-rated midfielders Bundee Aki and Garry Ringrose, Moefana could be in for a long stay in the blue jersey.

    Galthie told French media before the start of the Six Nations that Moefana had been on his radar since February 2020 while “he was with the U20s, and he worked with us at senior training camps.

    “We’ve seen him progress with Bordeaux and when we had to enlarge the group for the [2020] Autumn Nations Cup, we didn’t hesitate to start him because he was already impressive in training. His potential was obvious then, and he performed well in the final against England.”

    Moefana was supposed to tour Australia in 2021, but got injured and spent a long spell on the sidelines.

    Galthie had no hesitation hurling the youngster into the Six Nations, saying: “Technically, physically and psychologically, without forgetting his talent, he is ready to meet all the requirements of this game.”

    Bordeaux-Bègles coach Christophe Urios has praised Moefana as “an easy player to manage” and “always reliable”, saying the young Christian is “as reserved, even shy, in life as he is aggressive on the field”.

    ‘Not an ambassador yet’
    A modest Moefana told French media that while it was “always nice to find guys who come from New Caledonia, Wallis or Futuna in the French team” he did not see himself as “an ambassador yet”.

    “I think more of Romain [Taofifénua] because he’s been there for a long time. For young people, I think of Peato [Mauvaka] with his club and selection experience. I find out.”

    Moefana’s father, Taofifenua Falatea, had earlier ventured to France to play for Niort, but injury stalled his career. Today, he is president of the Union Rugby Club de Dumbéa (URCD) club in Dumbéa, near Noumea, which is formally linked to the Toulouse club.

    Mauvaka, is the URCD club’s most famous product, playing in Toulouse’s winning titles-winning team last season before his brace against the All Blacks.

    “I’m not going to hide it from you, we tend to support the All Blacks and his dad has always been a fan of the All Blacks,” Falatea told France’s La Croix newspaper last December. “Playing the All Blacks is already something for him, but scoring tries for [France] and being man of the match is great. Frankly, I think he made history.”

    Mauvaka — first spotted by Toulouse as a 14-year-old centre — made his test debut in 2019 and now has 12 caps. He has carved a niche as an impact player off the bench, replacing clubmate Julien Marchand at hooker.

    Moefana, Mauvaka and Taofifénua — all in line now to play for France against England in the championship decider Paris next weekend — may not be the last proud Wallisians and Futunans to line up at Stade de France to the strains of La Marseillaise.

    Donovan Taofifénua, Romain’s 22-year-old cousin and an Under-20 World Cup winner with France, plays in Paris for Racing 92 and has already been called up to France senior squads.

    According to the La Croix article, people of Wallis and Futuna heritage comprise 10 percent of New Caledonia’s population, but represent 80 percent of the Union Rugby Club de Dumbéa membership.

    The production line should roll on.

    A traditional kava ceremony in Wallis and Futuna.
    A traditional kava ceremony in Wallis and Futuna. Image: Les Nouvelles Calédoniennes

    Wallis and Futuna at a glance

    • Wallis and Futuna is a French overseas collectivity known, officially, as the Territory of the Islands of Wallis and Futuna, or Territoire des îles Wallis-et-Futuna.
    • Located in the Pacific Ocean, 280km north-west of Fiji and 370km east of Samoa.
    • Has three main islands (Wallis, Futuna and Alofi) and 20 small islets.
    • The resident population is around 12,000, with another 30,000 people of Wallis and Futuna descent living in New Caledonia.
    • Its people are Polynesian, but, as French citizens, have an automatic right to live anywhere in France.

    Tony Smith is a journalist for Stuff. Sources for this article include La Croix, Rugby World, Sud-Ouest newspaper, Wikipedia and New Zealand and Australian government websites. Republished with permission.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • By Talebula Kate in Suva

    Women’s participation in decision-making is fundamental to improving gender equality but despite making up half of Fiji’s population, representation at all levels of leadership for women is severely lacking, says an opposition political leader.

    The leader of the Social Democratic Liberal Party (SODELPA), Viliame Gavoka, said this in his statement as the international community commemorates International Women’s Day today.

    Gavoka said this year’s theme reminded Fijians that bias made it difficult for women to move ahead.

    International Women's Day
    International Women’s Day

    He said knowing that bias existed was not enough, action was needed to level the playing field.

    Gavoka said that for far too long, Fiji had continued to “shamelessly lag behind” in protecting and promoting women’s rights and their peace-building expertise.

    “A study carried out by the Fiji Women Right’s Movement reveals that 42 percent of Fiji boards or executive committees of for-profit or non-profit organisations or government agencies have no women at all and 26 percent have less than one-third female participation,” Gavoka said.

    “The research on gender diversity and equality on boards looked at 192 board members across 38 government-controlled organisations and state-owned enterprises,” he said.

    “The purpose of the research was to determine the level of women’s representation in the boards of the 38 entities.”

    Lack of diversity
    He said the research also identified challenges that limited the participation of women in Fiji’s leadership, such as lack of diversity and opportunity for women elected to preside as board chair.

    “According to the research, women hold only 18 percent of board chair positions and sometimes it is the same women appointed as chair of boards in multiple organisations,” he said.

    “In many cases, the same people are on multiple boards. This curtails the opportunities for others to join, contribute and gain board experience.

    “Ensuring that women are better represented on boards is important to dismantle patriarchal ideals that are heavily entrenched into our society and limit women’s participation in decision-making.

    “There is strong evidence that a gender-equal and diverse governance board improves accountability and diversifies the expertise, knowledge and skills available.”

    Gavoka said that when SODELPA would be voted into government, they would ensure to “break barriers and accelerate progress”, including:

    • setting specific targets and timelines to achieve gender balance in all branches of government and at all levels through temporary special measures such as quotas and appointments; and
    • encouraging political parties to nominate equal numbers of women and men as candidates and implement policies and programmes promoting women’s leadership.

    “On this year’s International Women’s Day, we should also pause and reflect on the sacrifices of our women in all facets of society despite the challenges they’ve endured to bring change and progress.”

    Republished with permission.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • The United Nations chief scientific agency on climate change released its latest report on Monday.

    The IPCC Working Group II report on climate impacts, adaptation, and vulnerability says man-made climate change is causing unprecedented damage to the natural environment and the livelihoods of billions of people.

    It also says global warming is set to rise beyond 1.5 deg C by 2040 unless the world commits to drastically reduce its carbon emissions from the use of fossil fuels.

    For nations on the frontlines in the Pacific the consequences will be disastrous with an increase in climate hazards such as sea-level rise, more frequent and severe extreme weather events including flooding, and droughts.

    350 Pacific Climate Warriors council of elders member Brianna Fruean says the findings in the report are not new for the region.

    Fruean is a prominent youth voice in international climate advocacy and spoke to RNZ Pacific’s regional correspondent Kelvin Anthony about what the report means for Pacific people.

    This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

    The Climate Change 2022 report
    The Climate Change 2022 … the full report.
    Tarawa street scene with king tide, Friday 30 August 2019.
    Tarawa street scene with a king tide on Friday, 30 August 2019. Image: Pelenise Alofa/KiriCAN

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Asia Pacific Report newsdesk

    A West Papuan leader has praised the “bravery and spirit” of Ukrainians defending their country against the Russian invasion while condemning the hypocrisy of a self-styled “peaceful” Indonesia that attacks “innocent civilians” in Papua.

    Responding to the global condemnation of the brutal war on Ukraine, now into its second week, United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) interim president Benny Wenda highlighted a statement by United Nation experts that has condemned “shocking abuses” against Papuans, including “child killings, disappearances, torture and mass displacement of people”.

    Wenda also stressed that the same day that Indonesia’s permanent representative to the UN said that the military attack on Ukraine was unacceptable and called for peace, reports emerged of seven young schoolboys being arrested, beaten and tortured so “horrifically” by the Indonesian military that one had died from his injuries.

    “The eyes of the world are watching in horror [at] the invasion of Ukraine,” said Wenda in a statement.

    “We feel their terror, we feel their pain and our solidarity is with these men, women and children. We see their suffering and we weep at the loss of innocent lives, the killing of children, the bombing of their homes, and for the trauma of refugees who are forced to flee their communities.”

    Wenda said the world had spoken up to condemn the actions of President Vladimir Putin and his regime.

    “The world also applauds the bravery and spirit of Ukrainians in their resistance as they defend their families, their homes, their communities, and their national identity.”

    Russian attack unacceptable
    Wenda said Indonesia’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Arrmanatha Nasir, had stated that that Russian attack on Ukraine was unacceptable and called for peace. He had said innocent civilians “will ultimately bear the brunt of this ongoing situation”.

    “But what about innocent civilians in West Papua? asked Wenda.

    “At the UN, Indonesia speaks of itself as ‘a peaceful nation’ committed to a world ‘based on peace and social justice’.

    “This, on the very same day that reports came in of seven young boys, elementary school children, being arrested, beaten and tortured so horrifically by the Indonesian military that one of the boys, Makilon Tabuni, died from his injuries.

    “The other boys were taken to hospital, seriously wounded.”

    Wenda said the Indonesian military was deliberately targeting “the young, the next generation. This, to crush our spirit and extinguish hope.

    “These are our children that [Indonesian forces are] torturing and killing, with impunity. Are they not ‘innocent civilians’, or are their lives just worth less?”

    Urgent humanitarian access
    Wenda said that this was during the same week that UN special rapporteurs had called for urgent humanitarian access and spoken of “shocking abuses against our people”, including “child killings, disappearances, torture and mass displacement of people”.

    This was an acknowledgement from the UN that Papuan people had been “crying out for”.

    Wenda said 60-100,00 people were currently displaced, without any support or aid. This was a humanitarian crisis.

    “Women forced to give birth in the bush, without medical assistance. Children are malnourished and starving. And still, Indonesia does not allow international access,” he said.

    “Our people have been suffering this, without the eyes of the world watching, for nearly 60 years.”

    In response, the Indonesian Ambassador to the UN had continued with “total denial, with shameless lies and hypocrisy”.

    “If there’s nothing to hide, then where is the access?”

    International community ‘waking up’
    Wenda said the international community was “waking up” and Indonesia could not continue to “hide your shameful secret any longer”.

    “Like the Ukrainian people, you will not crush our spirit, you will not steal our hope and we will not give up our struggle for freedom,” Wenda said.

    The ULMWP demanded that Indonesia:

    • Allow access for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and for humanitarian aid to our displaced people and to international journalists;
    • Withdraw the military;
    • Release political prisoners, including Victor Yeimo and the “Abepura Eight”; and
    • Accept the Papuan right to self-determination and end the illegal occupation of Papua.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • SPECIAL REPORT: By Giff Johnson, editor of the Marshall Islands Journal and RNZ Pacific correspondent

    Micronitor News and Printing Company founder Joe Murphy moved the goal posts of freedom of press and freedom of expression in the Marshall Islands, a country that had virtually no tradition of either, by establishing an independent newspaper that today is the longest running weekly in the Micronesia region.

    Murphy’s sharp intellect, fierce independence, vision for creating a community newspaper, bilingual language ability, and resilience in the face of adversity saw him navigate hurdles — including high tide waves that in 1979 washed printing presses out of the Micronitor building and into the street — to successfully establish a printing company and newspaper in the challenging business environment of 1970s Majuro.

    Murphy, who died at age 79 in the United States last week, was the original sceptic, who revelled in the politically incorrect.

    At 25, he arrived in the Marshall Islands capital Majuro in the mid-1960s and was dispatched by the Peace Corps to Ujelang, the atoll of the nuclear exiles from Enewetak bomb tests that was a textbook definition of the term “in the back of beyond.” A ship once a year, and no radio, TV, telephones or mail.

    Still, Joe thrived as an elementary teacher, survived food shortages and hordes of rats, endearing him to a generation of Ujelang people as an honorary member of the exiled community.

    After Ujelang, he wrapped up his two-year Peace Corps stint by taking over teaching an unruly urban centre public school class after the previous teacher walked out. He rewrote what he deemed boring curriculum and taught in military style, replete with chants in English.

    These experiences in pre-1970s Marshall Islands fuelled his desire to return. After his Peace Corps tour, some time to travel the world, and a brief return to the US, Murphy headed back to Majuro.

    No money, but a vision
    He had no money to speak of, but he had a vision and he set out to make it happen.

    “He was determined to start a newspaper written in both the English and Marshallese languages,” recalls fellow Peace Corps Volunteer Mike Malone, the co-founder with Murphy of what was initially known as Micronitor.

    Marshall Islands Journal founder and publisher Joe Murphy in the late 2010s.
    Marshall Islands Journal founder and publisher Joe Murphy in the late 2010s … “Freedom of the press belongs to those who own one.” – “I own one.” Image: Giff Johnson/RNZ

    In late 1969, they began constructing a small newspaper building, mixing concrete and laying the foundation block-by-block with the help of a few friends.

    Before the building was completed, however, they launched the Micronitor in 1970, printing from Malone’s house.

    The Micronitor would be renamed later to the Micronesian Independent for a bit before finding its identity as the Marshall Islands Journal.

    Writing in the Journal in 1999, Murphy commented: “The 30th anniversary of this publication is an event most of us who remember the humble beginnings of the Journal are surprised to see.

    “February 13, 1970 was a Friday, an unlucky day to begin an enterprise by most reckonings, and the two guys who were spearheading the operation were Irish-extract alcohol aficionados with very little or no newspaper experience.

    A worthy undertaking
    “They also, between the two of them, had practically no money, and of course should never, had they any commonsense, even attempted such a worthy undertaking.

    “But circumstances and time were on their side, and with all potential serious investors steering clear of such a dubious exercise they had the opportunity to make a great number of mistakes without an eager competitor ready and willing to capitalise on them.”

    With Murphy at the helm, it wasn’t long before the Journal earned a reputation far beyond the shores of the tiny Pacific outpost of Majuro. Murphy encouraged local writers, and spiced the newspaper with pithy comment and attacks on US Trust Territory authorities and the Congress of Micronesia.

    Joe Murphy in Majuro in the mid-1970s
    Joe Murphy in Majuro in the mid-1970s, a few years after launching the Marshall Islands Journal, which would go on to be the longest publishing weekly newspaper in the Micronesia area. Image: Giff Johnson/RNZ

    In the late 1980s and 1990s Murphy built two bars and restaurants, local-style places that appealed to Majuro residents as well as visitors. He also built the Backpacker Hotel, a modest cost accommodation that turned into a popular outpost for fisheries observers awaiting their next assignment at sea, low-budget journalists, environmentalists and assorted consultants.

    “The first thing that people think about when it comes to my father is that he is a very successful businessman here in the Marshall Islands,” said his eldest daughter Rose Murphy, who manages the company today.

    “But we need to remember him as someone who wanted to give the Republic of the Marshall Islands a voice.”

    “To say Joe was a unique person is a large understatement,” said Health Secretary and former Peace Corps Volunteer Jack Niedenthal.

    An icon with impact
    “He was an icon and had a profound impact on our country because he fostered free speech and demanded that those in our government always be held publicly accountable for their actions.”

    A plaque in his office defined his independent personality and his appreciation of the power of the press. It quoted the famous American journalist AJ Liebling: “Freedom of the press belongs to those who own one.” This was followed by a three-word comment: “I own one.” – Joe Murphy.

    “He fought for freedom of speech and fought against discrimination,” said Rose Murphy. “Regardless of race, religion, and even status, he befriended people from all parts of the world and from all walks of life.”

    In the mid-1990s, Joe Murphy created what became the justly famous motto of the Journal, the “world’s worst newspaper.” It was a reaction to the more politically correct mottos of other newspapers.

    Those three words led to wide international media exposure. In 1994, the Boston Globe conducted a survey of the world’s worst newspapers, reviewing a batch of Journals Murphy mailed.

    When the Globe reporter concluded that despite its claim, the Journal not only didn’t rank as the world’s worst newspaper it was “a first-class newspaper,” Murphy’s reaction was to say, “We must have sent you the wrong issues.”

    The Marshall Islands Journal was the subject of scrutiny by the Boston Globe to determine if publisher Joe Murphy's claim that the Journal was the "World's Worst Newspaper" was accurate.
    The Marshall Islands Journal was the subject of scrutiny by the Boston Globe to determine if publisher Joe Murphy’s claim that the Journal was the “World’s Worst Newspaper” was accurate. Image: Giff Johnson/RNZ

    Murphy knew the key to successful newspaper publishing was not how nicely or otherwise the newspaper was packaged, or if a photograph was in colour. The most important ingredient in any successful local newspaper is original content, intelligently and interestingly written.

    ‘Livened up’ the Journal
    He did more than his fair share to liven up the Journal, from the time of its launch until poor health after 2019 prevented his engagement in the newspaper.

    “My father experienced extreme hardships on Ujelang along with his adopted Marshallese family, the exiled people of Enewetak Atoll, who were moved to Ujelang to make way for US nuclear tests in the late 1940s,” said daughter Rose.

    “He shared these hardships with his children to give them the perspective of being grateful for any little thing we had. If we had a broken shoe or little food, he shared with us this story.

    “Our father, to us, is a symbol of resilience and gratitude. Be resilient in tough situations.”

    From growing up among eight children of Irish immigrant parents in the United States to the austerity of Ujelang Atoll to the early days of establishing what would become the longest publishing weekly newspaper in the Micronesia region, Murphy was indeed a symbol of resilience and independence, able to navigate tough situations with alacrity.

    One of the first editions of the Majuro newspaper Micronitor in 1970
    One of the first editions of the Majuro newspaper in 1970, then known as Micronitor. Image: Giff Johnson/RNZ

    “Democracy was able to establish a toehold, and then a firm grip, in the Western Pacific in part because of a handful of journalism pioneers who believed in the power of truth, particularly Joe Murphy on Majuro,” said veteran Pacific island journalist Floyd K Takeuchi.

    “He had the courage to challenge the powers that be, including those of the chiefly kind, to be better, and to do better.

    “People forget that for many years, the long-term future of the Marshall Islands Journal wasn’t a sure thing. With every issue of the weekly newspaper, Joe’s legacy is made firmer in the islands he so loved.”

    Murphy is survived by his wife Thelma, by children Rose, Catherine “Katty,” John, Suzanne, Margaret “Peggy,” Molly, Fintan, Sam, Charles “Kainoa,” Colleen “Naki,” Patrick “Jojo”, Sean, Sylvia Zedkaia and Deardre Korean, and by 32 grandchildren.

    This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • By Prianka Srinivasan for ABC Pacific Beat

    International media has been facing scrutiny from indigenous groups in the Pacific for the way it has been covering the Russia-Ukraine war.

    Some have highlighted “double standards” among journalists who have brought attention to the plight of Ukrainians, while long-standing conflicts like those in Indonesia’s provinces of West Papua and Papua are often ignored.

    Vanuatu’s opposition leader and former Foreign Minister Ralph Regenvanu said a media clampdown in West Papua had made it difficult for media to report on the situation there.

    “The media blackout is a big contributing factor,” he said.

    “In Ukraine, at least, we have journalists from around the world, whereas in West Papua, they’re banned completely.”

    This week, the United Nations issued a statement sounding the alarm on human rights abuses in Papua, and called for urgent aid.

    It also urged the Indonesian government to conduct full and independent investigations into allegations of torture, extrajudicial killings and the displacement of thousands of West Papuans.

    Independent observers refused
    But Regenvanu said Indonesia had refused to allow independent observers into the territories.

    “Indonesia has just refused point blank to do it, and has actually stepped up escalated the occupation in the military, suppression of the people there,” he said.

    A senior US policy advisor to Congress, Paul Massaro, drew heat from indigenous activists online after he tweeted: “I’m racking my brain for a historical parallel to the courage and fighting spirit of the Ukrainians and coming up empty. How many peoples have ever stood their ground against an aggressor like this? It’s legendary.”

    Veronica Koman from Amnesty International said such commentaries about the situation in Ukraine ignored the many instances of indigenous resistance against colonisation.

    “West Papuans have been fighting since the 1950s. First Nations in Australia have been fighting since more than 240 years ago,” Koman said.

    “That’s how resilient the fights are … it’s just pointing out the the double standard.”

    Koman said the West Papua and Papua provinces of Indonesia are currently experiencing some of the worst humanitarian crises.

    “Sixty thousand to 100,000 people are being displaced right now in West Papua due to armed conflict, and these displaced people are mostly ignored,” she said.

    “They are not getting assisted and all because mostly they are in forests. And they are afraid to return to their homes so are just running away from Indonesian forces.

    “The situation is really bad and deserves our attention. And Ukraine war shows us that another world is possible, if only there’s no double standards and racism.”

    Republished with author’s and ABC Pacific Beat’s permission.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.