Pacific Ways: Government and Politics in the Pacific Islands

431 Pages·2016·2.788 MB·English

by  Stephen Levine

VICTORIA UNIVERSITY PRESS
Victoria University of Wellington
PO Box 600 Wellington
vup.victoria.ac.nz
Copyright © editor and contributors 2016
First published 2016
This book is copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private
study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act, no
part may be reproduced by any process without the permission of the
publishers
National Library of New Zealand Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
Pacific ways : government and politics in the Pacific Islands / edited by
Stephen Levine. Second edition.
ISBN 978-1-77656-068-4 (print)
ISBN 978-1-77656-026-4 (EPUB)
ISBN 978-1-77656-027-1 (Kindle)
1. Islands of the Pacific—Politics and government. I. Levine, Stephen I.
320.995—dc 23
Ebook conversion 2016 by meBooks
Contents
Front Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Map of the Pacific
Preface to the second edition Stephen Levine
Introduction Stephen Levine
Country Studies
American Samoa J. Robert Shaffer & Cheryl Hunter
Australia Nigel S. Roberts
Cook Islands Phillipa Webb
Federated States of Micronesia Glenn Petersen & Zag Puas
Fiji Robert Norton
French Polynesia Lorenz Gonschor
Guam Kelly G. Marsh & Tyrone J. Taitano
Kiribati Takuia Uakeia
Marshall Islands David W. Kupferman
Nauru Max Quanchi
New Caledonia Nic Maclellan
New Zealand Stephen Levine
Niue Salote Talagi
Northern Mariana Islands Frank Quimby
Palau Wouter Veenendaal
Papua New Guinea Vergil Narokobi
Pitcairn Peter Clegg
Rapa Nui / Easter Island Forrest Wade Young
Samoa Iati Iati
Solomon Islands Gordon Leua Nanau
Timor-Leste / East Timor Michael Leach
Tokelau Kelihiano Kalolo
Tonga Steven Ratuva
Tuvalu Jack Corbett & Jon Fraenkel
Vanuatu Marc Lanteigne
Wallis and Futuna Hapakuke Pierre Leleivai
West Papua Gregory B. Poling
Conclusion
Political Institutions in the Pacific Islands Jon Fraenkel
To
my granddaughter Paige,
child of the Pacific

Preface to the second edition
Stephen Levine
Although the islands of the Pacific are popularly viewed as a tropical
paradise, which fortunate outsiders (largely from Western countries, Japan
and China) are briefly able to experience, a more prosaic reality regards
Pacific Island countries and territories as entities with governments,
rivalries, limited resources – in short, with politics, for better or for worse –
situated on the same scale or continuum as all other nations and peoples,
tranquil at some times, riven with divisions at others. In this sense the lovely
photograph on the cover – a pristine scene of ocean, sandy beaches and palm
trees, a glorious vision of a never-ending spring – is in stark contrast with the
content and character of a book such as this.
For Pacific Ways, first published in 2009, is about political reality –
people and communities as they are, in this world of ours, where a beautiful
backdrop is no guarantee against inequality, poverty and ethical shortcomings
of one kind or another. Politicians in Pacific countries do not become
heaven-sent simply by virtue of living in dramatically beautiful settings. And
so this book, Pacific Ways, strives to discuss and document, in a clear and
readable fashion, the political predicaments and institutional settings in
which the residents of Pacific Island states and communities live together,
organising themselves for the purposes of governance and nationhood.
While this book, since published, has gone through reprintings, it was
recognised that in due course a revised second edition would be necessary if
it were to continue to achieve its broad purposes: to provide a reasonably
up-to-date political narrative, and to convey information about governments,
state institutions, political parties and political leadership that would be
useful and accurate. A decision was taken, however, to defer putting together
a second edition until Fiji had made its transition from military rule
(instituted in 2006) to an elected government. In 2013, Fiji’s new constitution
was approved and in 2014 elections were duly held; a new Parliament was
inaugurated; and an elected government, with majority support in Parliament,
was introduced. By these steps the Government of Fiji acquired greater
legitimacy; the people of Fiji returned to elected government and
constitutional rule; and – less dramatically – efforts to organise a new edition
of Pacific Ways, its first edition’s chapter on Fiji now well and truly
superceded by events, were set in motion.
While much of the first edition of Pacific Ways retains its validity –
background information about each country and territory, their political
history and circumstances, and in most cases their institutional arrangements
– seven years separate the two manuscripts. During that period each country
and territory has experienced political changes of one kind or another:
elections; leadership changes; new issues and emerging challenges.
Accordingly, each chapter in the first edition of Pacific Ways – not merely
the chapter about Fiji, but every other chapter as well – has been revisited,
revised and rewritten, in some cases more substantially than others.
In fact, the second edition of Pacific Ways is, in reality, an almost
entirely new and different book: the same title, but a new work of research,
scholarship and interpretation. The book has the same motivation and
purpose, but the specific contents are separate and distinct. The first book
retains its usefulness as a work to be drawn upon and consulted. It exists side
by side with this second edition, a view of Pacific Islands government and
politics from a group of authors writing during 2015.
The distinctiveness of the second edition can be appreciated when it is
noted that most of the contributors to this new book were not represented in
the first edition. Of the chapters about the 16 full member states in the Pacific
Islands Forum – Australia, the Cook Islands, the Federated States of
Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue,
Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and
Vanuatu – 12 have been written by new participants in this project. Of the
three French-affiliated territories – French Polynesia, New Caledonia and
Wallis and Futuna – one (Wallis and Futuna) has a new contributor. Each of