The latest comment posted in the Daily Post (Vanuatu newspaper) issue of last Friday was from Dr Tim Anderson from Australia whose current research studeis relate to rights to development and Melanesian land and economic integration.
Australia has been descirbed basically as a bully with little respect for the Melanesian countries cultural aspects.
Of course Australia has Western operational system of society with its tied cultural attitudes and ideas like the American society therefore it can easily go off track and lack understanding of the significant values that Melanesians cherish.
Dr Anderson clearly states that Pacific Island countries are often bling to the racial attitudes that Australia has towards other countries not sharing its culture.
Melanesians are hardly unaware of Australian racialism. Anyone of them who even travels through Australia has to pass through a visa-linked bureaucratic nightmare, something Australians never face when visiting the islands.In 2005 PNG’s PM Michael Somare was required to remove his shoes for security guards at Brisbane airport. He complained bitterly about this humiliation. The then Foreign Minister Alexander Downer responded by claiming that it had been a “standard operation that applied to everybody”.Australia's involvement in the Fijian media situation too can be seen in a similar light.
Maybe they just want what is best for Fiji when they say that the media should be of a "social responsibility" model, the kind that is practised in Australia.
Yet is the media in Australia not censored in some ways as shown by media savvy people.
Not all information, especially political information that the government wants a tight lid on, is free to the media in Australia.
Moreover they cannot simply come in and claim that Fiji must have a free media because that change cannot happen now as it will draw chaotic response from the people themselves.
Developmental journalism is slow and does not promote investigative reporting yet for now it suits the population.
The developmental model, for the moment, suits Fiji and many of the other Melanesian countries.
These countries do not have a strong working force proportion of their population and the majority of the population are the grassroots.
Their knowledge in important issues like democracy and democratic principles, a Western system which their countries have adopted thanks to the British colonisers, is very, very small.
Having the right to vote and participate in elections may be the closest thing that the grassroots have knowledge of what democracy really is.
Thus this developmental model will in more ways than the other, benefit greatly the local people themselves.
It promotes the development of the working class who become more equipped with the knowledge that they can implement towards the development of the country as a whole but moreover of the marginalised population of the country.
Then from then on maybe a social responsibility model or a libertarian model, if you will, may come in place and help the societies of these countries become more free as the Western countries want it to be.
"Australia whose current research studeis" should be "Australia, whose current research studies," and "descirbed" should be "described." READ YOUR COPY OVER BEFORE YOU PUBLISH IT!! Make longer paragraphs.
ReplyDeleteThe person who had described Australia as a 'bully', was in every way right. Of course i may just be a little one sided when it comes to Aussies thinking they know better than us Melanesians.
ReplyDeleteThe development model for Fiji suits Fiji at the moment. This is a country that is just a small dot in the world map, yet over the years, we have become a 'coup coup land"'. So much racial tensions, issues over the land, etc and it was all caused by the media. Today we are following the development model and it may be good for us right now to fix all the bridges that were burnt years ago with all citizens of this country.
To the Vanuatu President who expelled the Australian Federal police all i have to say t that "Good for you". It is about time we as Melanesians all stand up and tell the Aussies to "let us run our own country". Give those jobs to our own people who need jobs!!!
The expulsion of the Australian Federal Police from Vanuatu is an outrage. The sole purpose of the AFP presence in the country was to provide assistance to and build the capacity of the Vanuatu Police force. This coincides with diplomatic agreements between Vanuatu and Australia.
ReplyDeleteThe people of Vanuatu have greatly benefited from the AFP project in Vanuatu which has supported different environmental courses such as Clean up the world day. The Vanuatu Police Force have also benefited through different trainings to enhance their skills in combat, legal issues concerning police cases and forensic training. All these trainings would have cost the government of Vanuatu a great fortune if it were to send members of the Vanuatu Police Force(VPF) overseas. The AFP however, under the technical assistance project brought that training to Vanuatu’s doorstep so that a larger number of VPF members could benefit from the trainings.
Thus, an expulsion based on a diplomatic discrepancy that comes at the expense of the people definitely does not qualify as a solid basis for such an act.
Thank you Dingle. Yes it is truly sad to see politicians who place their personal issues on the forefront before considering what implications their actions might have on the people of the country. As my latest blog desccribes Vanuatu, especially Port Vila, is now under a very risky environment with escalating crimes and so far the murder of a couple. Our Internal Affairs Minister believes that this is the work of organized crime and I personally agree with this speculation. We must now wait and see how the police and other authorities can bring this situation under control.
DeleteAs a Melanesian and from my own understanding regarding Australia and Melanesia, Australia is a big bully.
ReplyDeleteThe Australians lack of respect for Melanesian leaders is many in our country’s long and sad racial history.
The cases of Melanesian leaders standing up to Australia are less common. That is why it is worth noting the actions of Vanuatu Prime Minister, Sato Kilman, in kicking out an Australian federal police contingent in retaliation for the AFP’s disgraceful treatment of Mr Kilman’s delegation when they transited Sydney airport last month. Australia’s engagement with the Pacific is more a matter of national responsibility than national interest. The issues happened not only in Vanuatu, Fiji, and Papua New Guinea, it also occurred in the Solomon Islands. The Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI) was an Australian-led intervention force.
Solomon Islands PM Manasseh Sogavare stood up to the AFP and the Howard Government in 2006-07 have we seen something similar. In that case, Sogavare’s government launched an inquiry into the April 2006 Honiara riots, an inquiry which would include examination of the role of the AFP.
Australian PM John Howard reacted angrily and AFP officers searched PM Sogavare’s office as they prosecuted government ministers. Sogavare then stood up to Howard.
Australia should stop being a bully and let us Melanesians do what we think is best for our own countries.