Trawling through the Papua New Guinea media in search of local reaction to the asylum seeker deal with Australia, Grubsheet stumbled upon an article written a few months back by one of the country's best journalists, Frank Sege Kolma, that pretty neatly sums up the difference between the two countries. It has particular resonance as the Fijian … [Read more...] about # A TALE OF TWO NATIONS
# AUSTRALIAN PROBLEM, MELANESIAN SOLUTION
"Imagine what the South Pacific would be like in five or six years’ time if there were 50,000 resettled refugees in PNG, and perhaps 10,000 in Vanuatu, 5000 in Solomon Islands and a few thousands elsewhere in the Pacific. These refugees would be Iranians, Iraqis, Afghans, Pakistanis, Palestinians, perhaps some Sudanese and Somalis, and most of them … [Read more...] about # AUSTRALIAN PROBLEM, MELANESIAN SOLUTION
# CHIMING IN A NEW ERA
Regular readers of Grubsheet will be aware of our continuing campaign to restore Suva to its former glory, and especially the so-called “Golden Half-Mile”, the area bounded by Government Buildings, the Grand Pacific Hotel, Government House, the Fiji Museum and Thurston Gardens. We derive a huge amount of satisfaction from the power of our pen, or … [Read more...] about # CHIMING IN A NEW ERA
# FIJIAN CRAFTED, FIJIAN MADE
The latest and arguably most important phase of the Government’s Fijian Made campaign – Fijian Crafted – is being launched by the Attorney General, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, in Nadi on Friday. Why is a crafted object more significant than an industrially manufactured item, however excellent or desirable? Because more than anything else, it represents … [Read more...] about # FIJIAN CRAFTED, FIJIAN MADE
# AUSTRALIA’S UNHEALTHY OBSESSION
Relations between Fiji and Australia have taken yet another turn for the worse with the revelation that Canberra has been secretly blocking Fiji’s access to hundreds of millions of dollars for development projects. A senior Australian academic – Professor Stephen Howes – told The Australian newspaper that the Government had used its muscle to veto … [Read more...] about # AUSTRALIA’S UNHEALTHY OBSESSION
# GATTY’S $2-MILLION GIVEAWAY
In a striking act of philanthropy, the family of the founder of Fiji Airways, Harold Gatty, is making two big donations to local institutions, including $1-million to build a new wing at the Fiji Museum to celebrate the late aviator’s achievements. The money is coming from Harold Gatty’s son, the Wainadoi spice farmer and author, Dr Ronald Gatty, … [Read more...] about # GATTY’S $2-MILLION GIVEAWAY