DISMISSING the current diplomatic
standoff between Australia and Vanuatu as a case of "the mouse that
roared" is a bad idea.
Neither does it help to view Pacific
island countries solely as beneficiaries of Australia's $1 billion aid program.
Their strategic significance is only growing.
As the axis of power moves eastward,
emerging Asian powers including China, Indonesia and India are demonstrating
increasing strategic interest in Australia's backyard.
Within days of expelling the
Australian Federal Police, Vanuatu's Prime Minister Sato Kilman welcomed a
delegation from Indonesia and offers to provide police and paramilitary
training. Within 24 hours of that meeting, a Hercules aircraft loaded with
equipment had arrived from Jakarta.
To resolve the current impasse and
retain its strong footprint in the region, Australia would do well to
recalibrate its relationships in the Pacific.
Australia's Melanesian neighbours
Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu have more than 1000 living
languages, a cultural make-up more diverse than anywhere else in the world.
Rules of engagement vary greatly
from island to island. Islanders know that the way one person says something is
not necessarily the way the other person hears it. Its not just what you say,
its how you say it. Actions often speak louder than words, and both are always
carefully examined. Getting language and approach right is no mean feat.
So it must be a source of great
frustration that well-meaning Australian politicians, diplomats and aid workers
find themselves labelled "big brother" or "bully". Equally
importantly, it frustrates Pacific leaders and policymakers not to be afforded
the same degree of respect bestowed on their international colleagues. No
matter how small the country, the prime minister is still the prime minister.
The Pacific is a region in the
process of redefining its own identity. Most countries are led by the same
ageing generation that won independence. As the biggest donor, Australia has
played a significant role in charting the region's development path over the
last 30 years.
Yet the discourse on foreign aid
remains haunted by guilt, greed, and good intentions. Donors are accused of
interference, neo-colonialism and aid conditionality. In some cases, such
accusations have been warranted. In other, the best of intents have been
thwarted, often due to the failure to communicate a good idea. But unilaterally
imposed solutions rarely gain traction, and for good reason.
Most of us don't like to be told
what to do, and we certainly don't like to see our faults paraded in front of
others. In a region where pre-independence memories remain fresh, such
sentiments are particularly powerful. Stop focusing on corrupt governments, and
start thinking about the people who need support fixing things.
In the Pacific, development is a
process, not a product. Development partnerships may be forged between
countries and institutions, but the interaction and engagement occurs between
people.
Person-to-person relationships come first and they extend far beyond
government offices.
One of the greatest collateral
effects of the Pacific seasonal workers scheme is that Pacific islanders not
only gain access to temporary job opportunities in Australia, they return home
enriched with new friends and exposed to new ideas.
Personal relationships can have
far-reaching consequences. The battle for supremacy between China and the US is
now playing out on the Pacific stage. As both powers boost their presence
across the region, Australia's position is coming under closer scrutiny. Australia
may have the deepest pockets now, but new donors are gaining traction.
Pacific leaders who have quietly
bemoaned the imbalance in the relationship with Australia are embracing these
new opportunities. Chequebook diplomacy it may be, but it comes with lashings
of respect.
Kilman was politically compromised
and embarrassed when his delegation was diverted and an adviser arrested at
Sydney airport. An angry reaction was inevitable, and its fallout threatens to
shake the foundation of the relationship between the two countries.
Both sides claim the high moral
ground, making a face-saving resolution all the more important. Saving face is
integral to the Pacific way and many across the region are watching in
anticipation.
A new era of understanding is
possible. A little effort and a lot of empathy could reset the relationship
from the prevailing lop-sided, aid-centric approach towards mutually beneficial
closer integration. Staying on the same track is in no one's interest.
By Derek Brien executive director of
the Pacific Institute of Public Policy, an independent regional think tank
based in Vanuatu
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