Academic says Forum going through 'turbulent' phase

Transcript

A Fiji academic in Australia says the Pacific Islands Forum is going through a turbulent phase but still maintains its relevance.

This week Palau is hosting the 45th Forum and its theme is the ocean.

The prime ministers of New Zealand and Australia will not be attending the event and are sending delegations instead.

Brij Lal, of the Australian National University, says Tony Abbott is understandably focussing on Australia's response to the downing of a Malaysian Airlines plane in the Ukraine.

Dr Lal spoke to Amelia Langford, who began by asking about Mr Abbott's decision not to attend.

BRIJ LAL: Mr Abbott is not going because this is a very difficult time for Australia, the downing of MH17 has caused a lot of grief in this country and Mr Abbott has taken a lead
in mobilising international opinion in favour of an independent international investigation into the tragedy, so I can understand why he is not going. I think it's important to mention that the Australian delegation will be led by the deputy Prime Minister, Warren Truss, so  the delegation will have prestige and authority behind it and I also think it will be useful for Mr Abbott's office to place a few strategic phone calls to important leaders in the region explaining to them why the Prime Minister won't be attending. I think they'll understand, but in the context of Pacific cultures, that personal touch is very important and it's important also because the foreign minister, Julie Bishop, on a number of occasions has said the Pacific is vital to Australia, that if Australia is going to play any major role it will be in this region. The Pacific is close to her heart as she put it recently so I think that given all that, it's very very important for Australia, and I suppose New Zealand as well, to have a substantial delegation at the forum.

AMELIA LANGFORD: So if the Australian Prime Minister is not there, you have made some comments that this could be an opportunity for Fiji to take advantage of that gap.

BL: Well I think we have to understand a couple of things, first is that the forum is going through some turbulent times. Fiji has openly criticised the Forum, Fiji is not a member of the Forum and it has said it will only rejoin the Forum if Australia and New Zealand are not part of the Forum, if they take a subordinate role in the affairs of the Forum so that's a major issue. I don't think Australia, or for that matter, New Zealand will opt out of the Forum and more crucially it is Australia, and perhaps to a lesser extent New Zealand who foot the bill of this regional organisation. So I think that's important. The other thing I think again Fiji makes no bones about it, is trying to carve a niche for itself as the spokesperson, the leader or the small Pacific Island groups, trying to point the finger at Australia and New Zealand for their perceived overbearing manner, for their inability to understand the realities of the region, so there is that push on Fiji's part as well. It is trying to play a role in the Melanesian Spearhead Group and so on. The other thing to bear in mind is this, the September elections in Fiji on the 17th of that month, now Frank Bainimarama has said that Fiji will not rejoin the Forum as long as Australia and New Zealand are in it. Now if he wins the election, it will be very interesting to see the way Fiji goes, because while it criticises the Forum, it has no qualms about putting up its own candidate for secretary general. Fiji has also sponsored a rival body called the Pacific Islands Development Forum and how that functions after the elections is also to be seen. So if his party, Read Admiral Bainimarama's party doesn't win then we might see a semblance of normalcy returning. But if he wins then I think that we are in for a fairly unstable time ahead in terms of the regional politics in organisations like the Forum.

AL: Now you've mentioned that the Forum is going through a turbulent phase, do you think the appointment of a new secretary general and some new leadership could help?

BL: It might, it might, I understand that Papua New Guinea is putting up a very very strong candidate. It might change things, but I think the important thing to say is this that whoever is the secretary general, there are certain principles which the Forum has adopted, and the role of the secretary general is to basically ensure that there is no breach of the protocols to which island countries are signatory. For example, you can't get around the Biketawa Declaration which enjoins member countries of the Forum to seek the path of dialogue and discussion the Pacific way to resolve political and other problems. Now whoever is the secretary general will have to abide by certain protocols that govern regional behaviour, but I think that a new secretary general might thaw the ice somewhat between the Forum and the Fijian Government.

New Zealand's Prime Minister John Key is forgoing the meeting because he says it is too close to New Zealand's election in September.