NEWSPAGE 08 January
2010

NEW ZEALAND: Queen's Service Medal recipients; Manukau connections

(Photo: Samoa Observer)

SAMOA: Book commissioned to record tsunami experiences
Source: Samoa Observer

A book about different experiences during and after the tsunami is being written.

Scheduled to be released on the first anniversary of the tragedy in September, Associate Minister of Commerce, Hans Joachim Keil has commissioned award-winning writer, Lani Wendt to put it together.

“It is not a documentary type book with straight retelling of facts but rather the weaving together of different people’s experiences,” said Ms Wendt.

The niece of iconic Samoan poet, Albert Wendt said Mr Keil, who was deeply touched by the tragedy of 143 people killed, wants the book to remember the stories of the tsunami not just from the victims' perspective but also from people who helped.

The book, with a name yet to be decided, will contain interviews from victims, medical officials, fire and rescue workers, relief team workers, Disaster Management Office staff members and more.

It will also include statements from American Samoa, Tonga, Niuatoputapu and other islands affected.

“We go out three times a week to do interviews and we record as we go,” Ms Wendt said.

“There are a lot of great stories out there and I’m working to put them in the book.”

Ms Wendt, who has been working on the project for two months, said she is interested in how the tsunami has affected people not only as individuals but as a community.

The 36-year-old is married to Darren Young. They have five children.

“Writing has always been my passion,” she said.

Her education started in Samoa. She finished high school in Washington DC, before studying English Literature and Women’s Studies at Victoria University, Wellington.

Later, she studied for a diploma in Teaching at Wellington’s College of Education.

She returned to Samoa where she became an English teacher at Samoa College, Pesega Church College and Robert Louis Stevenson School.

Her writing career was launched when the National University of Samoa initiated a short story competition. She won.

“That’s when I thought; I am good at this and should carry on,” she laughed.

Since then, her work has been published in collections out of New Zealand, Australia and Samoa.
Her fiction for children has been published in the School Journal Series in New Zealand.

“I also write articles for the newspaper occasionally,” she said. “And of course I have a blog/website like most other writers!”

Ms Wendt is hoping her uncle, Albert Wendt, can help out.

“Hopefully he is able to come around and do some proof reading for me,” she said. “(Writing) runs in the family.”

“It is a privilege to be involved in this project,” Ms Wendt said.

“Mr Keil is to be commended for his vision, and commitment to ensuring that people’s stories are preserved. I am grateful for all those who have been willing to share their stories with me and I hope that this book will adequately honour their strength and resilience.”

The book is a non-profit project, Mr Keil said. All proceeds will go to the tsunami relief funds.

“The book will be affordable to everyone, as many were affected by it. We want everyone to read it,” said Mr Keil.

“This incident is a once in a life time experience.”

Photo Caption: Lani Wendt-Young... privileged to write the book.
 

(Photo: Fili Sagapolutele / Samoa News)

AMERICAN SAMOA: Togiola provides recovery updates
Source: Samoa News

On his weekend radio program, Gov. Togiola Tulafono provided an update on the latest relief and recovery efforts following the Sept. 29, 2009 earthquake, tsunami and flooding.

FEMA HOMES

According to the Governor construction of permanent homes affected by the Sept. 29, 2009 earthquake and tsunami is scheduled to begin next week in American Samoa.

He says this phase of the recovery effort is set to begin Jan. 11 and this is for families who chose to have the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) contractors build their houses.

Togiola said site inspections have begun for approval of work orders with the permanent housing construction program.

It was unclear as to the number of people who are participating in this program, instead of getting the one-lump sum payment of $30,000 to built their own homes.

FEMA said two weeks ago that 277 homes are verified by FEMA as destroyed by the disasters and more than 50 individuals/families have expressed interest in having a home constructed by FEMA.

The Governor said on his weekend radio program two weekends ago that 183 individuals/families have received financial assistance to rebuild their own homes, totaling more than $5.3 million.

NEG PROGRAM

Temporary workers hired under the National Emergency Grant (NEG) program must undergo a complete background check carried out by OTICIDE, a bureau of the local Department of Homeland Security, said Togiola, who noted this is a federal requirement because NEG is a federally funded program.

The Governor said that some individuals were hired, but after the background check came back, it revealed problems that resulted in the person being let go. He urged everyone to fill out the application truthfully because the truth will come out in the end.

He said background checks include any police and court records, both local and off-island. “Be truthful with the information you provide,” he said.

As of last week thirty-three worksites have been approved and 18 are still waiting certification, while 826 have been employed so far with 650 people waiting to be recruited.

He said NEG staff continues to work with each worksite to help facilitate their certification to ensure that there is absolute compliance with federal laws and also to allow the hiring of more temporary workers.

Togiola also said that all worksite employers need to comply with all regulations or rulings dealing with the temporary worker’s employment and to not encourage the worker to go see the Governor or Lieutenant Governor or the Director of Human Resources for help, because there is no ‘right of appeal’ in these cases.

He again reminded the public that these jobs are only temporary while the government works on other ways to create new jobs for those, who no longer have jobs.

During one of the Territorial Christmas program performances, a “Christmas” request was made by one of the government directors to the Governor to please let these temporary jobs become permanent.

SCHOOL FACILITIES

The Governor says the “sprung structures” for the temporary school facilities are still undergoing electrical work and pre-final inspections.

He noted FEMA had hoped for completion in time for the new semester but they encountered challenges with the weather and other delays.

DUA PROGRAM

Togiola said more than $14,000 in benefits will be distributed this week to eligible applicants under the federal Disaster Unemployment Assistance program, which provides financial assistance to individuals whose employment or self-employment has been lost or interrupted as a direct result of a major disaster.

This will be the first round of benefit payments distributed since DUA program registration closed on Dec. 17, with 264 eligible applicants so far. Togiola says there are 1,410 ineligible applicants, primarily due to their immigration status.

“Ineligible applicants due to immigration status are encouraged to pursue applying for a change of status to permanent resident (CA),” Togiola said yesterday. “This will help with your eligibility, if other criteria are met.”

CRISIS COUNSELING SERVICE

Togiola said in a statement that through a Crisis Counseling Program grant to the Department of Human and Social Services, outreach crisis counseling teams have been active in their efforts with individuals needing these services by visiting affected individuals in the villages.

Over the next week, these services will continue in the following sectors:

• Westside (Faleniu, Happy Valley, Mapusaga Fou, Mesepa, Petesa)

• Central (Avau, Faganeanea, Leloaloa)

• East (Alega, Auasi, Avaio, Utumea Sasa’e)

Photo Caption: On his weekend radio program, Gov. Togiola Tulafono provided an update on the latest relief and recovery efforts following the Sept. 29, 2009 earthquake, tsunami and flooding.
 

(Photos: United Nations Development Programme)

FIJI: Helping the Pacific people cope with the Global Economic Crisis
Source: United Nations Development Programme Press Release

“In everybody’s mind, anything could happen tomorrow.”

These are the first feelings that Pranit, a carpenter working in the capital of the Fiji Islands, wishes to express regarding the global economic crisis.

The crisis is having major impacts on every aspect of the Pacific population’s everyday life, and its consequences are felt in the work environment or in the households.

Burdened with money devaluation, declines in tourism receipts and reductions in the value of remittances and international investments, more Pacific countries are facing difficulties in the economic downturn.

Businesses, such as Pranit’s, are affected. “People are even afraid to renovate their properties because of the costs it would represent”, he says. As an example, he mentions the price of cement which has risen from $ 11.5 to 15.5 FJD per kilo in the past few months alone.

”Poverty in the Pacific does not generally mean hunger or destitution, but rather the continuous struggle to meet essential daily living expenses, particularly those that require cash payments” clarifies Dr. Isiye Ndombi United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Pacific Representative.

“Now, even families in the most rural or outer island villages have to find cash for everyday needs,”

Pranit is not the only one sharing the concern of being left all by himself in facing the crisis.

“Cash is needed for bus fares, school fees, bills and essential goods. It’s becoming harder and harder to get to the end of the month,” he says.

Despite the existing social protection policies, there are more and more families suffering from hardship in the region. Lacking sufficient funds, Governments too often opt for the worst solution by cutting social expenditure.

And not supporting the vulnerable in these times of global economic crisis can only lead to even longer-lasting consequences on the well being of the Pacific population.

“For a normal worker, it is very hard to survive with a family. Every day I have to walk around looking for any job to fulfil my family’s needs and to ensure my employees can do the same at the end of the week.” Pranit explains; “Life is becoming harder and harder over here, and if it continues like this I’m really afraid not only Fiji but many other Pacific Countries will drown,” says Pranit.

In the eyes of the many similar testimonies that can be heard, it is clear that an appropriate response must be provided by Pacific Island Governments. Adequate social protection policies must be put in place at all levels; either on the Pacific one or on the local one.

Protecting the population now is not only a way to tackle the negative impacts of the economic downturn but also a way “to strengthen and prepare the region for future aggregate shocks which are sure to come” explains Dr. Will Parks UNICEF Pacific Chief of Policy, Advocacy, Planning and Evaluation (PAPE).

Dr. Parks adds that “Pacific Island Governments should use this crisis to jump-start a new development paradigm, one in which social expenditure on the most vulnerable is at the heart of a more inclusive and sustainable pattern of economic growth in the region.”

Investing immediately to protect the people of the Pacific is the most useful tool Pacific Islands Governments have to ensure that the global economic crisis doesn’t leave long-lasting marks on many Pacific families such as Pranit’s.

Photo Captions:

Photo 1 - Pranit says that life is becoming harder and harder and fears that many Pacific Countries will collapse if nothing is done to protect their population.

Photo 2 - Pranit mentions that the price of cement has risen from $ 11.5 to 15.5 FJD per kilo in the past few months alone. Because of the high costs it would represent, people are afraid to build or renovate houses. Every day he has to walk around looking for any job to fulfil his family’s needs.
 

NEW CALEDONIA: Noumea takes control of education
Source: Islands Business

In a massive shift of staffing and financial resources, the local government in New Caledonia will take control of secondary education from France in 2012.

On November 30, members of New Caledonia’s Congress voted unanimously to accept the transfer of key powers from Paris to Noumea, including the regulation of maritime and domestic air traffic and—most importantly—control of secondary and private primary education.

In 2006, New Caledonia gained authority over government-run primary schools. But the decision to take on the secondary system means a doubling of the Pacific nation’s budget, with thousands of new staff coming under local authority.

With 43,000 students in 180 schools, the number of teachers under Noumea’s control will leap to 4,500 (more than three times the current number). If the local government was to pay all the bills, the education budget would be 46 billion French Pacific francs (A$626 million), so sustainable and ongoing funding has been at the centre of negotiations with Paris for months.

Noumea Accord

The education reforms are part of the ongoing transfer of powers from Paris to Noumea under the Noumea Accord.

The accord, signed in May 1998, set out a twenty-year transition towards a referendum on self-determination. Under the agreement, powers currently held by the French State are being transferred to New Caledonia in stages, supported by ongoing funding from France. Unlike France’s autonomy statute for French Polynesia, these powers cannot revert to Paris once transferred. There needs to be a 3/5 majority in New Caledonia’s Congress to approve the transfer, and all powers must be transferred by 2014, except for the key elements of nationhood—justice, public order, defence, finance and currency.

The transfer of these five remaining “sovereign powers” will be decided in a referendum on self-determination. According to the Noumea Accord, this vote on New Caledonia’s political status will be held between 2014 and 2018 and will focus on “the transfer of sovereign powers to New Caledonia, accession to an international status of full responsibility and transformation from citizenship to nationality.”

In the first government established under the Noumea Accord between 1999 and 2004, very little was done to address the transfer of powers: the government was dominated by the anti-independence Rassemblement UMP party, which continues to see New Caledonia as an integral part of the French republic. But after the 2004 local elections, the incoming government led by the Avenir Ensemble (Future Together) party began to negotiate the transfer of a series of powers.

Rewriting the colonial curriculum

The transfer of primary education provides an example of the challenge facing New Caledonia as it takes on responsibility for secondary education.

Between 2002 and 2006, teachers, parents and a range of educational experts had to debate major changes to the education curriculum. In subjects like history and geography, there was a need to completely rewrite school textbooks, to reflect New Caledonia’s place as a Melanesian nation in the South Pacific, rather than a distant suburb of Paris!

There was extensive debate over whether to make Kanak vernacular languages compulsory for primary students (a proposal eventually abandoned because of concerns over the cost of teacher training and the availability of texts for the 28 Kanak languages). Teachers’ unions had to be persuaded to change the rules so non-qualified personnel could teach in the classroom, allowing older members of the indigenous Kanak community to help young school children learn their languages, history and culture.

Over the next two years, a similar process will be undertaken for secondary schools, with education coming under Noumea’s control from 1 January 2012.

At present, 30 percent of students, mainly Kanak, drop out or are pushed out of school without obtaining any qualifications, so localisation of curriculum and teaching is vital.

For the FLNKS representatives in Congress, speaking in support of the reforms, the French colonial education system had soured successive generations of young people away from a joy of learning: “How many Kanak parents continue to feel resentment towards schools that so often bullied or rejected them? How many young people today still feel so uneasy in our schools, that they leave them with a deep hatred of the system? How else can we explain the regular violent attacks on school buildings and teachers? There is a fundamental problem: what can we do so that New Caledonians of all cultures are proud of their schools?”

According to New Caledonia’s President Philippe Gomes: “The process we’re undertaking must feed into a truly New Caledonian education system. That’s the reason we’re taking two years to implement the changes. In 2010, we will undertake an audit of our education system, to be followed by a great debate across the territory about education. Then in 2011 we’ll develop legislation for the school programme. Our aim is to end up with a more efficient education system that is better suited to our country.”

For months, New Caledonia’s government has been negotiating with the French authorities to guarantee the ongoing funding which will make the transfer possible. France currently funds teachers’ salaries and this has enormous budgetary implications if Noumea has to pay the bills in future years.

Rassemblement UMP leader Pierre Frogier, who serves as one of New Caledonia representatives in the French National Assembly, argued the change should only occur with guaranteed French funding: “Concerning secondary education, we must be assured that the French State will support us in a reasonable manner, to allow New Caledonia to ensure that the quality of its education system is at least as good as currently exists. This especially involves the free provision of staffing and the financing of two new high schools at Mont-Dore and Pouembout, which we have been waiting for many years.”

In a compromise to gain support from anti-independence politicians—worried that education standards will fall—Kanak leaders accepted that France should retain control of some aspects of education policy. Paris has retained authority over teacher qualification, issuing diplomas and approving the final school curriculum.

More powers to come

There’s more changes to come. Under the latest decision, control of maritime affairs in New Caledonia’s territorial waters will take effect on January 1, 2011 and control of domestic air transport and airport police in January 2013 (however the international airport at Tontouta will remain under French control).

By December 2011, the congress must decide on the transfer of other areas, including civil and commercial law, civil security and control of key statutory bodies including the land mobilisation and development office Agence pour le développement rural et l’aménagement foncier (ADRAF) and the Agence pour le développement de la culture Kanak (ADCK), which runs cultural programs and the Tjibaou Cultural Centre. Before 2014, Noumea must appeal to Paris for authority over tertiary education, television and radio and the financial governance of local councils.

While conservative members of the government of New Caledonia sees this process as a shift to greater local autonomy within the French Republic, the FLNKS independence movement sees the changes as a vital step on the path to decolonisation.

Gerard Regnier from the Union Calédonienne party states: “For us in FLNKS, the transfer of powers must be well organised and the timetable must be maintained. You must remember that the position of FLNKS is that all powers must be transferred before 2014, except of course the sovereign powers.”
 

WORLDWIDE: Putting human beings at the centre of the answer to the GEC
Source: United Nations Development Programme Press Release

Whilst frequently facing natural disasters, the Pacific region is now dealing with the global economic crisis. Although the effects of the latter have not fully reached the Pacific countries yet, there is clear evidence that its consequences will be dramatic if not tackled properly.

The current global economic crisis represents a challenge, not only for the realisation of the National and Millennium Development Goals, but also for the protection of the most vulnerable populations across the region.

At the present time, one in four households in the Pacific States are already below their respective national poverty levels and the current situation does not reflect any optimistic forecasts.

Because of the increase in food prices and the decrease in purchasing power, levels of poverty are expected to worsen whilst living standards will continue to fall, leading to even greater hardship.

Economic shocks often result in a cut in social expenditures, causing negative impacts on people’s well being, mostly that of children’s and women’s, as past experiences have already shown.

“Beneath this global economic crisis lies a global humanitarian crisis in which the future of Pacific Island children hangs in the balance.” says Dr. Isiye Ndombi, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Pacific Representative.

This is why the global crisis emphasizes the importance for Pacific Islands Governments to focus on social protection policies, which UNICEF defines as “a set of transfers and services that help individuals and households confront risk and adversity (including emergencies), ensure a minimum standard of dignity and well-being throughout the lifecycle, and that especially aim to protect the rights of the most at-risk, vulnerable or chronically poor.”

The focus must now be on developing or expanding social protection initiatives. Pacific Governments need to take this opportunity to strengthen public protection of the poorest, not only to protect them from the negative consequences of the economic crisis but also to give their countries and populations better chances and abilities to face other downturns in the future.

Dr. Will Parks, UNICEF Pacific Chief of Policy, Advocacy and Planning Evaluation (PAPE) emphasizes that “the future of the Pacific Islands countries critically depends on whether and to what extent children, young people and women are protected from adverse shocks and human capital is strengthened.”

Reducing social expenditures to protect children and women is not a solution to facing an economic downturn. By protecting and helping the most vulnerable with appropriate social protection policies, Pacific Islands Governments can set the path towards more sustainable and humane prospectives.