Transcript
MALAKAI KOLOAMATANGI: One would have to say that Nauru is tending towards more authoritarianism. And it's been under clouds, in trouble recently with the issues of the judiciary and the abandoning of the Australian dimension to that. It's had issues of course with freedom of speech and so one would have to say that Nauru is heading in the wrong direction, if I can put it like that, in terms of democracy.
DON WISEMAN: It's heading in the wrong direction because of the support it gets from Australia because Australia wants to dump its boat people there.
MK: Exactly and Australia has to sit down and think properly about this. When it weighs up its options, what is more important to it - offloading of the boatpeople to Nauru or the support for Nauru to develop its governance system so that it's able to move away from this tendency towards more authoritarianism. That's of course a decision that Canberra will have to make.
DW: Yes and of course Australia wants to re-engage with the Pacific and it wants to promote democracy across the region and good governance and this sort of thing, and at the same time, one of its closest friends is moving very much in the other direction.
MK: That's right and Nauru has to feel that its support and engagement with Australia will not be threatened by this because Australia needs it more than Nauru needs Australia. Because otherwise I don't think Nauru would have the courage to do this. And so it may be trying to push Australia to the limits of its tolerance and one would think that its tolerance in this matter is not limitless and there's a boundary beyond which Nauru cannot overstep.
DW: The thing is of course I guess, given the intractable approach Australia has taken over its offshore detention centres it's not going to move, it's not going to rock the boat here, so the onus falls on New Zealand, but New Zealand in the last couple of years has been very meek when it comes to Nauru. There has been no criticism whatsoever, they have restored their aid, but is the onus on New Zealand to speak out?
MK: I know that New Zealand has been quite meek and been somewhat mild if you like in its reaction. Of course the other agency that should be involved is the Pacific Islands Forum, and of course the Forum doesn't want to be involved in Nauru because it is just going to be seen as a political issue and it doesn't want to be involved with regard to politics, unless it is invited. The Biketawa Declaration and those kinds of conventions say that member countries should abide by the rule of law and good governance and transparency and accountability - very good elements for a democratic system. One would have to say that Nauru is not abiding by those values, and something has to be done. Now if Australia is not doing it then I would think that New Zealand is the next in line, plus the Forum, should be exploring options about how to engage with Nauru. Look Winston Peters might be someone who could get away with something like that. He is able to make quite forceful pronouncements on the way forward for the Pacific. New Zealand is committed to this $700 million plus package for the Pacific, Shane Jones has recently announced that Tonga is a failed state, along with others, so why not test the waters to see how far you can go with this. Worse things could happen if you don't try and do something.
DW: Of course the Pacific Forum summit is coming up in Nauru in a couple of months time and this is going to be seen as an endorsement isn't it?
MK: Unfortunately yes, that is what I was saying. If something has to be done it is probably better to do it now rather than later. Because otherwise Nauru will think it's OK, it's doing the done thing and if it can still get aid from Australia it can probably do so again. So something needs to be done right now but before than can be done I'm guessing Nauru will have to be seen as a crisis point in the Pacific, so that will justify moving on Nauru now rather than waiting for that Forum leaders' meeting.
DW: Yes and that move has to come from New Zealand.
MK: I think so, from New Zealand and with the backing of the Forum and some agencies, the UN and so on, but it has to have a clear leader and I think this is probably an opportunity for New Zealand to take that lead.
