NEWSPAGE 27 October
2010

(Photo: Samoa Government)

SAMOA: Parliamentary Updates
Source: Government Press Secretariat Press Release

Contract awarded to Vinstar Ltd.

Cabinet has approved awarding of contract to Vinstar Ltd as the Managing Contractor to lead Samoa Bureau of Statistic’s Institutional Strengthening Project.

This Tender was advertised for bids and four Firms submitted applications. The applications were assessed by a Sub-Committee where three Firms were shortlisted. These three firms were requested to provide detailed technical and financial proposals. Only two proposals were received by the Tender Board.

After assessment the Sub-Committee found that the Vinstar Ltd had met all the criterions and requirements of the contract and had also submitted the lowest bid.


Judge to attend 4th Asia Pacific Judicial Reform Forum

Cabinet has approved the attendance by the Hon. Judge, Vaepule Vaemoa Vaai of the Samoa District Court of the 4th Asia Pacific Judicial Reform meeting to be held in Beijing, China on the 25th - 28th October 2010.

The theme of the meeting will be “Using Technology to Improve Court Performance”. It will focus on using technology to improve access to justice, reduce case backlog, improve judicial decision making and manage courts.

The Hon. Judge will return to Samoa on the 4th November 2010.


Fiaga new diesel power station

Cabinet has approved recommendation by the Tenders’ Board to award contract to Bluebird Ahlal Joint Venture to build Power House and generators at Fiaga and Northpower Ltd to build switchgear and substation at the same power station.

There are two tender lots in this Tender. Tender Lot A is building power house and generators and Lot B is building electrical switchgear and substation. This Tender advertised for bidders and 4(four) Companies submitted applications for Lot A while 6(six) submitted applications for Lot B.

The applications were assessed by the Sub-Committee according to requirements and conditions of the Tender. These contracts were awarded to the most eligible candidates as mentioned below.

* Building Power House and Generators - Bluebird Alal Joint Venture(Samoa) in association with Woods Pacific (New Zealand) and Mitsubishi (Japan).

* Building and Fixing Electrical Switchgear and Substation - Northpower Ltd.


Tax Administration Expert for the Ministry of Revenue

Cabinet has approved recruitment of Tax Administration Project Coordinator expert, through secondment from the New Zealand Inland Revenue Service.

The Ministry of Revenue in Samoa made a formal request for the provision of a Tax Administration expert to be seconded form the New Zealand Inland Revenue Service (NZIR). Following agreement, the NZIR advertised the post for interested candidates to submit letter of motivation and CV.

A total of 10 applications were received and four candidates were shortlisted. The interviews and assessments of candidates were based on qualifications, experience in the field and other conditions set by the panel. Ms. Shona Williams was ranked the top candidate after the interview.

The secondment is for two years.


Contract awarded to Lucky and Ah Liki Constructions

Cabinet awards contract to Ah Liki Construction Limited and Lucky Construction Limited for the construction of Seawalls for the villages of Laulii, Lufilufi and Solosolo.

Invitation for bids was advertised for expression of interest and four applications were submitted. These applications were assessed according to criteria and conditions as advertised. After assessments, the construction works were awarded to the following Companies.
 

(Photos: J. Kneubuhl)

AMERICAN SAMOA: ASCC SGA and student clubs invite public to Halloween Festival
Source: American Samoa Community College Press Release

We all know that monsters, vampires, demons and ghosts appear everywhere on the days leading up to Halloween, even at the American Samoa Community College (ASCC). You can find all kinds of bizarre characters from the light side, dark side and all shades in between enjoying themselves on the evening of Friday, October 29th, when the Student Government Association (SGA) and ASCC student clubs will host a Halloween Festival beginning at 6:30 p.m. in the College’s Gymnasium. The event is free and the public is invited.

Costumes are encouraged but optional for youngsters and parents to come and enjoy the free candy and carnival booth games that student clubs All Saints, Just Be Cool, New Generation, Humble Club, Happy Hour, Waka Waka, New Era, Segaula, True Samoan Kings and Kweens (TSK), and the Too Won Fu will provide along with the Phi Theta Kappa Association, You Are Not Alone (YANA), and Peer Mentors.

ASCC Dean of Student Services Dr. Emilia Le’i said that the event demonstrates how the students at the College love sharing special occasions with the public, especially children. “Halloween gives young and old a chance to bring out the person who lives in the fantasy world of our minds,” she mused. “Our Halloween Festival will offer the community a fun and safe environment to enjoy this night where we celebrate the unusual, and our student clubs never fail to come up with original and entertaining ways of expressing themselves.”

SGA Advisor Maxine Tuiolemotu advises the public to have their cameras on hand to catch the many colorful and imaginative costumes the student clubs will showcase during the evening. “Judging by past Halloweens, our students lose none of their sense of wonder with the worlds of fantasy from their childhoods. They combine this sense of wonder with the capabilities at design that come with being older to create some very flamboyant Halloween outfits very much in the spirit of the occasion.”

For more information about this event, call ASCC at 699-9155 and ask for the SGA Office.

Photo Captions:

Photo 1 - ASCC staff members get in the spirit of things in this photo from Halloween 2009.

Photo 2 - ASCC students get their spook on in this photo from Halloween 2009.
 

(Photo: Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme)

FIJI: Pacific examples lead the way in nature conservation
Source: Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme Press Release

Fiji has demonstrated that they are a model for the Pacific in adopting and putting into practice ridge-to-reef management, also known as ecosystem-based management (EBM).

Eleni Rova Tokaduadua, from the Ministry of Local Government, Housing, Urban Development and Environment of Fiji, conducted a presentation that showcased how this nation was able to mainstream EBM practice both into government policies and implement it at the community level.

Community-based ecosystem management led to the adoption of a range of management measures, including fishing gear restrictions, restrictions on fishing methods, protection of species and the establishment of networks of marine and terrestrial protected areas.

EBM takes into account interactions among species, habitats and biophysical processes. Central to EBM is the idea that humans are an integral part of the ecosystem, since humans derive various services from the ecosystem and can also influence ecosystem processes.

As Fiji has shown, people can influence and manage ecosystems on many levels, from locally-based approaches to nationally applied policies.

Pacific Island nations are facing critical environmental issues - pollution, habitat destruction, declining fisheries and climate change - which threaten their coastal ecosystems and impact on food security and well being.

Ecosystem-based management (EBM) offers an innovative approach to managing these threats in coastal ecosystems as it designs solutions to ecological issues with regard to social, economic and political drivers. This approach involves holistic thinking with participation from a broad range of stakeholders, including the government and traditional leaders, and differs markedly from a sectoral approach..

Tokaduadua says that the Fiji government has put in place statutes to address environmental issues, including the Environment Management Act 2005, which authorized the creation of Fiji's Integrated Coastal Management Committee. The Committee is explicitly applying EBM concepts to develop a National Coastal Plan for Fiji.

Vanuatu has also taken a leadership role in actively implementing EBM. Touasi Tiwok of the Vanuatu Department of Environment highlighted a case study where vetiver grass and acacia trees have been planted to trap sediment and re-establish indigenous forest in Aneityum Island, which suffers from erosion that has reduced the health of the adjacent coral reefs.

Tiwok says the great success of the project was due to the commitment of the small band of workers who shown dedication in forestry planting to prevent erosion sites. It might have taken years but the project paid off improving the state of its shores from erosion.

In the same event, Stacy Jupiter, the Wildlife Conservation Society Fiji Country Program Director, launched a guide book on EBM principles to help governments, communities and conservation practitioners incorporate this approach into their management practices. The guide is specifically tailored to the needs and conditions of island countries in the Pacific.

Photo Caption: (L-R) Jackie Thomas WWF South Pacific Programme Office, Eleni Tokaduadua Fiji Environment Ministery, Bernard O'Callahan IUCN Oceania, Touasi Tiwok Vanuatu Environment Ministry, Stacy Jupiter Wildlife Conservation Society Fiji.
 

(Photo: Solomon Star)

SOLOMON ISLANDS: Blackwood lecturer's gift for the Solomons
Source: Solomon Star

A former engineering lecturer is sending £10,000 worth of equipment to help students in the Solomon Islands.

Albert Wilson, 64, of Bloomfield Road, Blackwood, has collected training equipment that will be used to teach engineering students how to use and service machinery for milling, welding, drilling and cutting metal.

Retired Coleg Gwent lecturer Mr Wilson worked on secondment as a vocational advisor in developing countries such as Nigeria, the Cook Islands and Kiribati in the 1980s and in the Solomon Islands from 1991 to 1996.

Mr Wilson taught students at the Solomon Islands College of Higher Education in the capital, Honiara. The country has a population of 500,000 people and is east of Papua New Guinea.

Mr Wilson said: "What they use was on its last legs when I left in 1996. The civil war broke out on the capital island of Guadalcanal soon after which left equipment and infrastructure even more damaged."

He has previously sent equipment to countries such as Romania and Guyana and has collected the current haul from Gwent colleges, businesses and contacts.

It will be placed in a 20-foot container and shipped to the Solomon Islands from Newport docks by the company City Packers.

Mr Wilson added: "These countries are impoverished and can’t afford to buy brand new equipment.

“They rely on donations and there are probably lots of companies who send surplus machine tools to the scrap yard when they could be put to good use."

Any company or individual with surplus machine tools can call Mr Wilson on 01495 220873.

Photo Caption: Albert Wilson with some of the equipment he is sending to the Solomon Islands.
 

WORLDWIDE: PIFS launches publication on leadership practices in the region
Source: Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat Press Release

Leaders in Forum island countries by and large respect and abide by their laws and systems of government, but there are also troubling features including the growing dominance of the Executive over the Legislature and a disconnect between policy and its actual application.

This was among the findings of a study, the “Country Reports on Actual Leadership Practice against the Forum Principles of Good Leadership - Baseline Survey for the Year 2008.” The study was coordinated by the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat’s Political Governance and Security Programme with 16 contributors reporting the situation in 13 Forum island countries. It was supported by the Government of Australia through the AusAID Pacific Leadership Programme.

When launching the publication in Suva, Fiji on Tuesday 19 October, Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, Tuiloma Neroni Slade described it as the first of its kind to survey and report on the quality of actual leadership practice throughout 2008 measured against the Forum Principles of Good Leadership in 13 FICs.

The Principles were endorsed by Forum Leaders in 2003 and have become firmly established as part of the good governance pillar of the Pacific Plan. The Forum Principles of Good Leadership comprise nine principles with respect for the law and system of government, respect for human rights and respect for office high among the principles.

“The survey on the quality of performance on actual leadership practice through 2008 found that by and large, Leaders in Forum islands countries respect and abide by their laws and systems of government. It also found that Leaders showed respect for people on whose behalf they exercise power, and that Leaders in the region showed respect for authority and have been open and transparent, participatory and decisive, and also fair and equitable in their interactions with their citizens,” said Forum Secretariat Secretary General Mr Slade.

“But there are also troubling features, including the growing dominance of the Executive over the Legislature; the disconnect between policy and its actual applications; the inability of governments to act decisively on fraud, corruption and maladministration; and the lack of resources and authority for integrity and oversight bodies to independently and effectively undertake their prescribed functions.”

Mr Slade added: “Universal problems like private interests, conflict of interest and abuse of public facilities continue to occur.”
He urged Forum island countries to support the roles and functions of key leadership and integrity institutions in the region to ensure that Pacific Leaders continue to uphold the principles of good governance.

“Integrity and oversight bodies that implement these leadership codes must be empowered with resources and authority to effectively do their work. It is critical that initiatives for strengthening the integrity of Leaders’ offices must continue to be undertaken.

Mr Slade also urged Forum members to promote the development and maintenance of leadership codes in the countries.

The Forum Secretary General explained: “There are no conclusions in the respective country reports that make up this publication. This was deliberately done to allow the reader to form his or her own conclusions. There is, however a concluding summary which tries to elucidate the key issues for Pacific leadership across the region for the year 2008.”

As a direct result of the survey, the Forum Secretariat will start in 2011 to examine the harmonization of traditional and modern governance structures to support traditional leaders in formal policy making. Traditional courts are another area that will be examined, particularly their role in support of the rule of law and good governance. Both of these projects are milestones in the Pacific Plan which are yet to be progressed.

The publication can be viewed soon on the Forum Secretariat website: www.forumsec.org.