(o+) Think Pacific, not European

I am once again reminded about how little outsiders, and I am one of them, understand of Pacific Islanders. Pippa Brown's report on last night's public discussion in Auckland organized by the Pacific Media Centre on what it means to be a Tongan, led by the region's foremost activist on media freedom, 'Eakalafi (Kalafi) Moala is a case in point. Publisher, broadcaster, former pro-democracy MP, imprisoned, banned, multiple winner of the Media Freedom Award, author of In Search of the Friendly Islands (Pasifika Foundation), one might have thought he would have used the opportunity to denounce the Fiji regime and its curtailment of media freedom. That he chose not to do so does not mean he agrees with the regime. I think he saw no point in further denunciation. He sought a solution, a Pacific solution.

I quoted from Pippa's report:

Moala questions why the Pacific region is trying to solve the current Fiji political problem in an confrontational way.“Why not solve it in a Pacific way and let the Pacific sovereignty leaders meet Fiji and see how we can open up the dialogue,” he asks.

Moala thinks New Zealand is a country that is standing in confrontation with Fiji so Maori may offer a solution. Going in as an outsider hasn’t worked but to look at the issue as Pacific brothers may work. “It hasn’t been solved within the current framework so we need to find another one,” he says. He thinks the Forum had the right to suspend Fiji “but we don’t need to keep beating them up.” Moala says the heads of government in the Pacific Island Forum may have some conflict with the duality of the Pacific and Western frameworks.

A Personal Aside

I taught 'Eakalafi at Tonga High School in the mid-1960s. On my recommendation he became Dux and Head Prefect. Years later, in 1997, in the school's golden jubilee magazine he wrote Walsh was "the man most responsible for motivating me in leadership in those days" and went on to say "I have never met Walsh again since I left school, and he probably does not realise the impact he made on my life." Malo 'aupito, 'Eakalafi. You make me a lucky man. Most teachers are left wondering if any of their work has "made a difference."

That's another thing to learn about the Pacific: its physical distances are huge, but nearly everyone is connected in one way or another, and time has no meaning when old friends meet.

Photo: Te Ara.