Sunday, August 7, 2011

19:57 August 5, 2011 0 comments

Social media activism ... new trend in Papua New Guinea. Graphic: Affiliates.net

Pacific Scoop:
Report – By Laura Stewart, Michael Dwyer and Stephanie Lagerstedt

Social media-driven political activism reached its peak in the Pacific this week, with the controversial appointment of a new Prime Minister in Papua New Guinea sparking online debate.

Former Treasurer Peter O'Neil was elected Prime Minister, to replace Sir Michael Somare who is recovering following heart surgery in April in Singapore.

O'Neil defeated acting Prime Minister Sam Abul 70 votes to 24. Abul is nowchallenging the validity of O'Neil's appointment in court.

New acting PM Peter O'Neill ... illegal political process? Photo: PNG govt

Hours before international media caught onto this major PNG event, Facebook pages such as Sharp Talk, Nau FM and NBC News PNG became a highly active discussion forums.

Members of these groups, some of who were journalists, posted instant updates and discussed the social, political and economic ramifications of the political crisis.

One member was a particularly active participant on the NAU FM page, updating members on the events following O'Neil's appointment.

Election 'illegal'
"Abul in a press conference this afternoon at Parliament says the election of the PM is illegal and this issue will now go to court, he is also adamant that there is NO VACANCY in the PM's office and his troops are still in control…….Parliament is to resume in minutes," she said.

A Sharp Talk page member explained how O'Neil's appointment was "illegal".

"If O'Neal is PM-elect and not acting, then this act of Parliament is illegal. Because first an Acting Prime Minister was in place – meaning that there was no rush to have the PM since normal government business was not in jeopardy. Then the Electoral Commission should have called for byelections in the former prime minister's electorate," he said

Another member on the NAU FM page discussed the financial impact of O'Neil's appointment.

"This turn of events is neither a victory for the country nor the small people… It is going to be a nightmare courtesy of PNG politics," he said.

"One thing PNG politicians know how to do very well is finding [sic] loopholes within the constitution to challenge constitutional procedures."

"It is only the beginning worse is yet to come at the expense of tax payers and rest assured it has started."

Arab Spring
Earlier this year, protesters used social media to rally against Muammar Gaddafi's Libyan regime as part of the so-called Arab Spring upheavals in the Middle East.

Twitter and Facebook raised awareness about Gadaffi's actions, which were the bloodiest crackdown of any Arab country against protestors. One Facebook protest page attracted more than 10,000 members.

The arrival of 3G communications in Papua New Guinea prompted 48,000 citizens to join Facebook.

Social media has provided the 6.4 million population an effective forum to discuss political matters in the face of poor transport links and road infrastructure, with up to 2000 Papua New Guineans joining Facebook every two weeks.

Member of Parliament PNG Sam Basil also uses Facebook extensively to communicate with the public.

Twitter has also taken off, particularly in the last two years. Journalists broke and discussed Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare's impending retirement last month on Twitter before any formal news article appeared online.

Sir Michael led his country to independence in 1975, and had been called "father of the nation."

Social Media is popular in other countries in the Asia-Pacific region, particularly Indonesia, which is the world's second-largest Facebook market and third-largest twitter market.

Further, with only 20 percent of Indonesians currently connected to the internet, and RIM, the maker of BlackBerry, studying the market, the number of users is expected to reach 94 million by 2015.

Laura Stewart, Michael Dwyer and Stephanie Lagerstedt are student journalists at Bond University on the Gold Coast, Australia.

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[pima.nius] Apply for Workshop On: Reporting on Intimate Partner Violence

11:15 AM |

via Pacific Journos

Talofa Pacific Journalists,

If you report on domestic violence or relationship violence you might be interested in applying for this workshop.

The workshop, supported by funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, will take place October 21 and 22, 2011 at the Columbia Journalism School in New York.

The workshop will feature a wide range of national and local mental health and policy experts, award-winning journalists, educators and prevention advocates. It will include background briefings as well as specialized reporting skills training to enhance journalists' capacity to report on relationship violence knowledgeably, ethically and effectively.

Application information below.

Faáfetai,

Cherelle Jackson

Pacific Contact

Dart Centre for Journalism and Trauma

Columbia Journalism School

http://dartcenter.org/

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Application Information

The application deadline is September 26, 2011 at 5 p.m. EST.

To apply, please email Kate Black with your contact information (name, address, city, state, zip, phone, email) along with a one-page letter of interest that:

Describes how and why this workshop is relevant to you and your work;
Identifies three issues around intimate partner violence of particular interest to you; and
Explains one or more challenges you have encountered in pursuing a story on this topic or a related one.

If you have any questions or need additional information, email Kate Black.

More Information on the workshop. Click Here.

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Thursday, August 4, 2011

[pima.nius] Royal intervention in Tonga Police Commissioner issue

11:20 AM |

Royal intervention in Tonga Police Commissioner issue

http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/pacbeat/stories/201108/s3285739.htm

Updated August 4, 2011 16:47:31

Tonga's monarch has intervened in the issue of the police commissioner not having his contract renewed.

The Lord Privy Seal ,Vainga Tone has told the Matangi Tonga website that cabinet did not have the legal power to not renewing the contract of Chris Kelley, a New Zealander who has led the Tonga Police for the past three years.

In a statement, Mr Tone said such a decision is made by the King with his Privy Council.

Mr Kelly has received widespread community support for overseeing a number of reforms of the police, but Police Minister Villiame Latu says it's time a Tongan headed the force.

Tongan journalist Pesi Fonua, says an intervention like this from the Palace is very significant.

Presenter: Bruce Hill
Speaker: Pesi Fonua, editor of the Matangi Tonga website

Listen:
Windows Media

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[pima.nius] Vanuatu host of Pacific adaptation to climate change meeting

11:19 AM |

via Pacific Journos

Vanuatu host of Pacific adaptation to climate change meeting

Port Vila, Vanuatu, 4 August 2011 - 13 Pacific island countries under the Pacific adaption to climate change (PACC) project will meet to review and discuss progress of the regional project which coordinates 'on the ground' adaptation activities.
Its' three years since the countries first met to begin the PACC which provides funds and support for national climate change adaptation projects in the different areas of coastal management, food production and security and water resources management.
Port Vila, Vanuatu is host of the second multi partite review, which brings together participating countries and all supporting partners from 8 to 12 August.
"We look forward to this stock take which will help us gauge how we can provide further support to our member countries," said Taito Nakalevu, the Project Manager of PACC.
"We plan for this meeting to be one to help the project be successful in terms of the work carried out in the different countries as well as the policy, technical and operational processes that must be adhered to."
The PACC is implemented by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), it is a 13 million dollar project funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF).
The Marshall Islands, Niue, Tuvalu and Tonga are carrying out projects to address water resources management. Fiji, Palau, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands are working towards helping ensure food production and food security in the face of climate change and; the Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Samoa and Vanuatu have embarked on projects that strengthen coastal zone management.
Over the duration of the week countries will be making presentations to share experiences and lessons learnt. Sessions during the week will also look at knowledge management, adaptation implementation and climate change economics. Countries will also have individual meetings with the project partners to assess where further specialised assistance is required to help strengthen this project.
"This project is a first in that it is actually doing work on the ground to address the impacts caused by climate change. We want to ensure its' success, as ultimately any activity that helps Pacific people to adapt to the effects of climate change will contribute to the survival of our region," said Nakalevu
For more details please contact:
Ms. Nanette Woonton, SPREP's Media and Public Relations Officer +678 595 3314
Ms. Setaita Tavanbola, PACC Communications Intern +678 595 3313

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Wednesday, August 3, 2011

[pima.nius] Papuans demostrate against Indonesian rule

1:06 PM |

Papuans demostrate against Indonesian rule

http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/pacbeat/stories/201108/s3284742.htm

Updated August 3, 2011 17:04:46

Around 10,000 Papuans have been demonstrating in support of independence from Indonesia.

Witnesses say protesters defied a heavy police presence a day after an ambush police blamed on separatist rebels.

Demonstrators in the provincial capital Jayapura demanded the withdrawal of Indonesian troops from the eastern region which has been the scene of a separatist insurgency since the 1960s.

Protests were also held in Timika, on the southern coast, and in the Indonesian capital Jakarta where hundreds called for an independence referendum similar to that granted to East Timor in 1999.

Richard Chauvel is from the School of Social Sciences and Psychology at Victoria University, and a long standing Papua-watcher.

He's been monitoring the situation, and Bill Bainbridge asked him what sparked the recent political violence that has seen at least 21 people killed.

Presenter: Bill Bainbridge
Speaker: Richard Chauvel, from the School of Social Sciences and Psychology at Victoria University in Melbourne

Listen:
Windows Media

CHAUVEL: The violence in the Central Highlands, in the district of Puncak, which was reported to have occurred on Sunday, I don't think was particularly related to the demonstration that took place in Jayapura and elsewhere in Papua yesterday. The violence in the Central Highlands was related to the conflict or clash between the supporters of two candidates for the election of the regions of the head of the Puncak District Government which is going to take place in a couple of months and there the problem appears to be that one political party, Gerindra has supported two sets of candidates and only one of those sets of candidates was accepted by the Indonesian Election Commission and the supporters of the rejected candidate took umbrage to that and attacked the supporters of the guy who was accepted.

BAINBRIDGE: So the West Papuan National Committee accused elements of the security forces of provoking and staging the violence in order to foil the protest. You don't think there's any evidence to support that claim?

CHAUVEL: No, I think there were sufficient reports going back about the tensions around the elections in Puncak District to suggest that whatever the motives of the security forces in the Central Highlands of provoking violence, I think that there are issues related specifically to the elections for the region which are to a degree separate from the broader political issues.

BAINBRIDGE: So the protesters in Jakarta were calling for an independence referendum of the sort that was given to East Timor in 1999. Is there any realistic likelihood of this ever getting the support of the government in Jakarta?

CHAUVEL: I think on present form, it would be extremely unlikely. The .. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's government has been most reluctant to sit down and engage in a dialogue with Papuan political leaders, let alone agree like President Habibi did with East Timor, to the holding of a referendum. I think clearly a referendum would be a significant step further than agreeing to some form of dialogue, some form of negotiation, so I think at this stage highly unlikely. But it is a fairly well established demand of many groups in Papua and the large public consultation that took place in July of last year made exactly the same demand. It is related to what the subject matter of the conference now being discussed in Oxford, in England, about the act of free choice, which Indonesia conducted in 1969, which the selected Papuan delegates unanimously supported the integration of Papua into Indonesia, so that the demand for a referendum is related to the Papuan rejection of the results of the Act of Free Choice in 1969.

BAINBRIDGE: Well, I'd like to go back to that conference in a moment, but you talked about a dialogue between President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and the Papuans not really being there. He has assented to what he's called he's a constructive communication to discuss these political issues that fuel discontent in Papua. Is there any sign of that taking place, and if not, what is Jakarta's strategy to resolve this issue?

CHAUVEL: I think there ... to go back to your first point, there are very few indications of what the president means by constructive communication, whether it is simply another term for what various .. the Indonesian Institute of Sciences, with [Mooden Majojo? phonetic] and [Father Nilas Tobine?? phonetic] in [Papor? phonetic] have been arguing for a year and a half to two years and been building up support for a dialogue between Papua and Jakarta, whether the president's term is simply another Jakarta's version of the same type of activity. It's too early to tell. There's been no clarification of what he means by that and I think both in terms of realising whatever he means by that, let alone accepting what Papuans and others have been arguing for the need to hold a dialogue. Jakarta seems to have been pretty reluctant to engage in either of them. To go to your second point .. What is Jakarta's current policy framework for resolving difficulties in Papua? The best sign we have of that is Jakarta's intention to establish a special unit within the vice-president's office for the acceleration of economic development in the two Papuan provinces, Papua proper and West Papua. That unit seems to be based on the reconstruction bureau established for Aceh after the tsunami, which in Jakarta's interpretation has worked much more effectively to support economic development in Aceh, than has been the case under the implementation of special autonomy in Papua. It does in many respects, represent a recentralisation of control directly under Jakarta for economic planning, economic development programs in Papua.

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[pima.nius] Anne Tolley and Tariana Turia - Pasifika Education Plan shows good progress

1:02 PM |

Hon Anne Tolley

Minister of Education

Hon Tariana Turia

Acting Minister of Pacific Island Affairs

3 August 2011

Media Statement

Pasifika Education Plan shows good progress

Education Minister Anne Tolley says a mid-term review of the Pasifika Education Plan (2009-2012) shows positive results in early childhood education, schooling and the Youth Guarantee for Pasifika children and young people.

The review found that Pasifika participation in early childhood education (ECE) has increased by 9.5 per cent since 2009. It also showed some improvement in NCEA Level 2 attainment, good retention levels at secondary schools, and that twenty per cent of Youth Guarantee places are being filled by Pasifika 16 and 17 year olds.

"These findings are encouraging, and they show the Government's focus on lifting achievement for Pasifika students is getting results," says Mrs Tolley.

"But much more needs to be done. Pasifika children are still much less likely to attend ECE, which is why our participation projects, part of the $91.8 million investment in Budget 2010, are so important.

"The review shows the need for an increased focus on literacy and numeracy, and National Standards are addressing this by identifying the children who need support in reading, writing and maths and making sure they get extra help.

"Meanwhile the Youth Guarantee, Trades Academies and Service Academies are providing exciting opportunities, free of charge, for thousands of teenagers who were at risk of disengaging from education, by allowing them to learn practical skills while gaining worthwhile qualifications, using the flexibility of NCEA credits."

Acting Minister of Pacific Island Affairs Tariana Turia is pleased the Ministry of Education is on target for achieving better outcomes for children of te Moananui-a-Kiwa, with eight new early childhood centres announced in June.

"Of these eight, some are specifically culturally-orientated, catering for Tongan, Niuean, Samoan and Cook Island children," says Mrs Turia.

"Learning is always far more effective if it is relevant to our own cultural context," said Mrs Turia.

"I am really thrilled that there are hundreds of new places for children, nō te Moananui-a-Kiwa, in areas where ECE participation is most needed."

A report on the review can be found at:

http://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/publication/102486

Media contact: Gillon Carruthers 021 491 761 (Hon Tolley)

Peata Melbourne 021 802 206 (Hon Turia)

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[pima.nius] TONGA POLICE MINISTER NAMES SELF AS TOP COP

1:02 PM |

TONGA POLICE MINISTER NAMES SELF AS TOP COP
Latu says he will replace kelly, who was dismissed

http://pidp.eastwestcenter.org/pireport/2011/August/08-03-05.htm

NUKU΄ALOFA, Tonga (Matangi Tonga, Aug. 3, 2011) - The Minister of Police, Hon. Dr. Viliami Latu, said yesterday that he, as Minister of Police, would become Tonga's Acting Police Commissioner, when the Police Commissioner, Chris Kelley vacates his post on Friday, August 5.

He believed that the new government has the right to appoint him as the interim Police Commissioner because the new Privy Council had not met.

Making the announcement at the Tonga Police headquarter, Longolongo, in a press conference, the Minister said that he was in opposition to the new Tonga Police Act since its inception.

His interpretation of the Tonga Police Act 2010, which came into force in January this year, was that the new government has the right to make a decision not to renew the contract that was signed by the former government.

Dr. Latu said that the decision by the new government not to renew Chris Kelley's working contract was based on a number of factors, one was that the new government envisaged utilizing the human assets that the country has, and secondly to that, under the new law a police officer retires at 60, and Chris Kelley is 61.

The Minister was questioned because it is clearly stated in the Tonga Police Act 2010 that the power to appoint and to dismiss a police commissioner rests with His Majesty in Council and not with the Cabinet.

With regards to the legality of the decision by Cabinet not to renew the contract of Chris Kelley and to appoint the Minister as the Acting Commissioner of Police, Dr. Latu said that he was in opposition to the Act since its inception.

He said that government has formed a committee to amend the Tonga Police Act 2010 so that Cabinet will have the right to appoint a Commissioner.

He believed that the reason why the king had not formed or called a meeting of the Privy Council was because the king wanted to relinquish all his executive power to the executive, the new government.

The Tonga Police Act 2010 was one of the reforms put into place during the formation of the new system of government. It makes the police answerable to the courts and gives greater protection to the public. It also separates the police command from the politicians.

The minister was questioned on the notion that by leaving the appointment of such posts as the Police Commissioner for His Majesty in Council would avoid the politicizing of such an appointment.

The minister agreed with the suggested metaphor that the reform program is like a motorboat with its propeller broken off, it is not going anywhere and the new government is adrift. He referred to the fact that with the Privy Council being inactive the application of the law is paralyzed.

Later in the morning the Police Commissioner Chris Kelley formally announced his departure from Tonga on August 6.

"No reasons have been given for not offering a renewal of contract, but I acknowledge and accept the right of the government to employ whom they wish."

He said that he would leave Tonga "satisfied that the Tongan Police Development Program has established a great foundation of reform, re-building and institutional re-strengthening.

"The success of this programme to date can be measured in many ways but none more so than in the increase in public trust and confidence in the Police," he said.

He acknowledged that he was the first Palangi to hold the post of Commander/Commissioner of Police. "I am as proud today as I was in September 2008 to be the Commander," he said.

He said that it was purely coincidental that August 5 is the second anniversary of the sinking of the Princess Ashika "and my thoughts and prayers are with the 74 victims and their families at this time."

Chris Kelley commanded Operation Ashika the 16 days search and rescue operation by Tonga Police following the sinking of Tonga's inter-island passenger ferry near Noumuka Island on August 5, 2009.

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Sunday, August 7, 2011

[pima.nius] Social media activism in PNG plays role in political upheaval

11:24 AM |

Social media activism in PNG plays role in political upheaval