Niue Fono Ekepule retains Premier and Speaker.

Speaker Siakimotu swearing in Lilivika LiumaihetauMuimatagi from Toi.

This morning at Niue’s Fono Ekepule [Legislative Assembly] its twenty members re-elected Mititaiagimene Young Vivian to be the nation’s Premier for another three year term. Premier Young Vivian’s selection overwhelmed Mrs O’Love Jacobsen, the only member in the House to contest the premiership, with a majority decision of 17 – 3.   In the same Fono Ekepule, Mr Atapana Siakimotu was also re-elected as Speaker defeating Mr John Funaki by 14 votes to 6. The decisions by the Fono Ekepule to retain both its Premier and Speaker, each by a large majority including the return of 16 [or 80%] of former members, are clear indications that the small island state is unanimous in continuing and maintaining a stable government.

Premier Vivian is understandably elated with his re-lection to remain the leader of Niue’s 20-member Fono Ekepule. “I was confident but pleasantly surprised with a 17-3 majority,” he told Niue Foou after the Fono. “That the selection was contested, thanks to Ekepule O’love Jacobsen, confirms our determination under the Westminster system of government to adhere and uphold one of the fundamental principles of democracy.”

The Fono Ekepule met today for the first time since the national elections were held on 30^th April, to adjudicate and formalise three out of four constitutional requirements before resuming normal Fono Ekepule meetings; to elect a Speaker whose constitutional function is to swear in the 20 members who will comprise the Fono Ekepule, and to elect a Premier who will be the constitutional head of the island state. The selection of the three Cabinet Ministers to assist the Premier will be decided this week under consultation with Caucus.

Niue is a self governing small island state with the Government of New Zealand as its constitutional partner since 1974. National General Elections are held every three years with 14 members from each of the 14 villages and six Common Roll members selected by popular vote from the entire voting public.

Public Relations Office

Falefono

 Last two Members in by a Hat

Justice Department Officials preparing for the hat decision

The fates of the final two members to be admitted to the Niue Fono Ekepule were decided last Friday by drawing their names from the hat as required legally by law.  

Lilivika Liumaihetau Muimatagi [Toi] and Toke Tufikia Talagi [Common Roll] now join the other 18 members to complete the numbers required for the Niue Fono Ekepule [Legislative Assembly.]

Elation or disappointment it really depends on the draw of the hat. For Liumaihetau and Talagi it ended a week long vigil, of waiting for the process of decision that required the intervention of the chief Judge to give his permission after all the constitutional requirements was met, was finally over. “Thank God it is finally over,” a relieved Talagi said on Friday night.

Thank God indeed. A small altercation erupted at the market last Friday in an OK Corral showdown style after the first contestants’ names were drawn from the hat. It just goes to show that a long wait for decisions to be made can stretch patience to unacceptable levels in the normally peaceful community of Toi.  

“It is legal and the constitution did not recommend any other options,” a legal spokesperson from Falefono said. “We have done it before and it is a common practice followed by our Pacific neighbours.”

Despite the ‘sudden death’ hand in the hat decision, many felt that the way it was decided was probably undemocratic and undignified. The small population base and the smaller numbers of voters [about 900] could have held a by-election to make the final outcome less controversial. The Chief Electoral Officer Togia Sioneholo is pleased that the decision is finally decided.

Children’s Playground to begin.

 John Kumitau, Premier Vivian, Mrs Liline Hewett and Simon Ikiua

A small team from New Zealand arrived last week to begin working on the new Children’s Playground in Tufukia, sited between the old Huanaki Cultural Centre and the old hospital. John Kumitau, Simon Ikiua and Liline Hewett were all hands on deck when they began the clearing of the site on Saturday.

“There were more of us who wanted to come but the airline fares were a bit steep,” team leader John Kumitau said. The three met the Premier on Friday eager to start and early on Saturday morning they were into the first phase of the playground much to the amusement of locals who could little else but tooted their car horns in encouragement as they drove past.

The Playground is intended to be a memorial to both Cathy and Daniel Alec who perished in the fury of Cyclone Heta in January last year. The funds came from the Auckland based Tagata Niue Group through fundraising activities and a large donation from NiuFM Radio station. Reef Shipping assisted with freight charges to bring the equipment from New Zealand.

John hopes to open the Playground later this month and is expecting more of the group to arrive to help with the construction.

Niue Primary School’s first Harvest

Harvesting one’s first grown produce is like catching one’s first fish – it is a magical feeling of achievement, especially when properly acknowledged.

 Presenting the first harvests - a traditional Taoga Niue gesture 

The senior students at Niue Primary received their accolades last Friday when they harvested their organically grown lettuces and bak choy [Chinese cabbage] and invited parents and caregivers to a special ceremony.

“You have just proved that organic farming is possible and I am very proud of you,” Taufakavalu Tukiuha told the students. “Organically grown produce is good for you, and good for the soils in keeping them sweet and safe for the soil living microbes and animals that live in them. I hope you will remember this for your own benefit and for the good of our environment.”

The plants were healthy indicated by their lush growth and colours which of course would not have been possible without the love and care from their young growers.

The presentation was an enormous boost to both students and caregivers. NIOFA, Niue Young Farmers and DAFF have been instrumental in keeping up with the horticultural lessons each week since the programme started. Well done everyone!

Did anyone notice a Taoga Niue observance at the end of the ceremony? Our ancestors practiced a tradition of giving away of first fruits before harvesting the remainder of the crops, and in keeping with this the first harvested lettuces were given away to special guests. The remainder of the lettuces that were still in the garden plots were sold out before the buyers left the school grounds.

ECE Presentation










 

There are always good practical reasons why Niue Primary Teachers and their students hold special Assemblies to which parents and caregivers are invited to attend and when possible to take an active part in.

A graduation ceremony for ECE pupils.

The first part was a graduation ceremony in which eight ECE pupils received their diplomas to attend Year one class at the Primary School, which can be best described by a Chinese proverb, ‘that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.’ Embarking on such a journey, perilous in our understanding of what reality actually is, it is wonderful and fascinating all the same to watch our little ones eager and impatient to challenge and embrace their future whatever it holds for them. I hope that we will not spoil their expectations with our version of reality.

The second presentation is a further acknowledgement by the school in presenting the family of the Niue former High Commissioner to New Zealand with a book, published by the school, to thank Mr Hima Takelesi for the computer, IBM Junior Explorer, earlier in the yaer, which according to Principal Janet Tasmania, ‘a gift of immense educational value’ in the ECE unit.

The final item was a presentation of the ECE students’ rendition of Wagner’s ‘the dance of the Butterflies’ an entertainment for the guests whom each thought that his or her offspring was the most accomplished performer on the stage. And why not, the performers were full of enthusiasm that can only happen when you are that young and as free as a butterfly, or for that matter a Botticelli angel in their midst who added flavour, colour and cosmopolitan-ness to the performance. I pity you if you were not there to witness something worthwhile and a joy to watch.

Talkback Host – Political post Mortem

Surprisingly there were not the post mortem comments on the elections as anticipated and some of the issues were probably too stale for any meaningful discussion to happen.

There were mixed feelings about the practicality behind the ‘hand in the hat’ decisions that ended the agony of tense waiting for the last two members to be chosen. “It is one of those things that we don’t want to happen but we have to get there,” concluded Talkback host, Patrick Lino. “But we can avoid this next time simply by voting honestly and properly, and if it is not a satisfactory way to make a choice it will up to the Fono Ekepule to amend the Act before we have the next general elections.”

Summary of issues discussed:

·        Where does equality and democracy fit into this? - that a member from Toi, with 8 votes during the elections have the same voting rights in the House as the Common Roll member with 378 votes?

·        That the fish offal is dumped at sea and are attracting sharks. The offal could be better used to turn into pig food.

·        That people occupying status positions [lilifu] should be married. Perhaps one should respect too Mutalau village’s decision to sanction their own candidate and if it is good enough for them… after all was not Mutalau the cradle of our Christian heritage?

·        The support for the drawn out of a hat was about 50% although the reasons for doing it this way because the Constitution said so. There was an excellent suggestion by Stan Tafatu [he ID himself] that because there were six places in the Common Roll there should have been six names of each candidate offers an equal opportunity of probability for either one being drawn.

·        There were stories of the foreign fishing boats in our locally designated zone inside the 12 mile limit. This would compromise and take fish that belongs to the local fishermen.

·        That the method for choosing a tied or a hung decision should be looked at, preferably by amending the appropriate Act.

The best suggestion, in my opinion was one which urged the members to kaufakalataha in getting the Fono issues solved for the good of everyone instead of a spirited member trying his or her best to obtain a personal advantage.

Niue Foou, Back by Popular Demand.

Last week I mentioned that the Niue Foou will cease publication because it had served its purpose. There were other reasons, too sensitive to be printed but I have had so many requests to resurrect the publication Premier Vivian has decided to leave things the way they are.

The Niue Foou, unfortunately, is not available to the general public except on request [I do not have the right to deny information to any who wants a copy,] but even then with great difficulty because of the territorial rights of the Niue Star, a private sector business, to report on community, sport, twenty first and other birthday parties, church and community related youth events and funerals. The Niue Foou will, as it has for most of the time, cover all events related to the Government or if the presence of a Cabinet Minister is required. 

The Government Public Service Departments receive at least one copy of the Niue Foou regularly.

The most important functions of the Niue Foou are to ensure that the Government remains as transparent and accountable as possible, and it will convey messages and information from the Premier to the people at every opportunity. All issues of the Niue Foou are available as archival and educational resource.

Is Niue an Immigration Paradise?

It looks and feels like it, having seen a few odd souls here during the past few weeks. We know of some who are already here [at least Niue Foou does] a Chinese chef [from China], we have had a few Indians working in a private sector business earlier in the year, a Filipino to repair household appliances, plus others that we do not know of yet.

The thing is eventually there will be more foreign people wanting to come because Niue is a relatively safe country to live in, and there will be applications for permanent residence with an added attraction of a New Zealand Passport. We on the whole are suspicious of non Niueans and their motives; Captain Cook found this when he arrived in 1774 [and other subsequent visits thereafter without gaining a foothold on the island, that our ancestors simply do not want foreigners to land.

Granted that we are living in a different time and the perceived cosmopolitan-ness of Niue is something to consider more seriously in the light of our ancestors’ overdeveloped suspicions. Or were they right?

Out of the hat…

Whatever else you might have thought of the hand in the hat decision last Friday at least you all saw on Television how the whole procedure was conducted.

Credits to both the Chief Electoral Officer, Togia Sioneholo for allowing the filming and for BCN Director Patrick Lino for insisting to record the event.

It left no doubt that the moment was personally witnessed by staff from the Department of Justice, BCN and Niue Foou, families of the contesting candidates and the locals who saw the entire process captured on camera. At least we al know that it was done properly and transparently even if some consider the practise quaint and probably undemocratic, but more important perhaps is that we did save time and money by going back to the polls.

Editorial.

Is Democracy the best system of government for us?

In the United States the people vote twice, once for the state representative and again to choose a President. Other system allows everyone a vote for his or her local constituency and at the same time a preference for the Leader of Government. In this system, the Ministerial posts are given to the top ranked vote getters. Sounds nice, clean and simple, don’t you think? And more democratic than the way we do ours.

Another simple system would be to put everyone on the Common Roll and whoever gets the most votes is Premier and the next three become Ministers. Or better still, put everyone’s names into a hat and draw the first to be Premier and the next three as Ministers. Saves a lot of money and other associated hassles. This is true democracy – a Government of the people, for the people by the people.

The only flaw in this system is that the top four might come from the same village, or one from Motu and the rest from Tafiti – not acceptable and definitely not parochial.

But regardless of the Tafiti/Motu demarcation we can appeal to and practise what all politicians preach at election time – that we kaufakalataha as one people one nation instead of a collection of villages with their own representatives. Makes sense? It does to me. And better still votes of no confidence will not be allowed because it is the people’s will that the top four were elected, and it eliminates the squabbling during parliamentary debates where members are forever showing themselves up to be ‘better than thou’ attitude and then everyone can get on with the job of the business at hand.

Sure there are problems with this system, but so there are in other systems as well. The sooner we accept that no system is flawless or fool proof just as we are as people are not perfect, there is always the next person on the ladder to give a chance to, and there would be no need for a by-election.

The suggestions that I have made are but for discussions when you are in a frivolous mood. I am sure that the experts on these matters have already gone through alternative ways of selecting suitable methods that are legally, politically, practical and constitutionally binding. My suggestions are there fore open for idle thinking only, not mind you that you have not thought of it before.

But on the other hand if there is public concern over the shortcomings of the present voting system should we not change the way it has performed? 

Cabinet Meeting Notes.

Approved or Endorsed:

• A request from the Land Management Services in the Department of Justice and Lands for essential Surveying equipment is approved.

Travelling on Government Business:

• Ms Terri Anne Mokoia is to attend a meeting “Training Action Plan and Skills Building for Low Developing Countries, to be held in Apia from 17-19 May.
• Environmental Risk Management in the Workplace attachment from May 30-6 August for John Hetutu.
• A Bulk Fuel Installations Fire Management Workshop in Japan from 20-24 June to be attended by Tongariro Konelio.
• A PIANZEA Electoral Workshop from May 18-20. Hagen Siosikefu to attend.
• A Pacific Islands Governance Programme Workshop attachment in Canberra, Australia from 16-27 May. Mrs Wennie Salatielu to attend.
• An ACP and FIC Trade Ministers Meeting from 23-27 May. Minister Bill Motufoou and Official, Young Tony Kalauni to attend. Fully funded.
• Rev Arthur Pihigia and Dr Asu Pulu to attend a Global Fund Meeting in Nadi from 16-20 May.
• Moira Talagi to attend a Sub-regional Workshop to promote physical activity in Pacific Island Communities, Nadi, from 16-20^th May.

Ministers’ Notes:

Update on the Fishing vessels: [Minister Motufoou]

1. Orientation of Samoan fishermen with our locals is progressing satisfactorily.
2. There will be an impact report of wharf fish sales on the fish that are not required by the Fish Processing Plant. The locals are already aware of this and are buying fish directly from the wharf.
3. Fish offal or other fish by-products can be processed [cooked] for pig food and the fishermen are requested not to dispose of these in mid ocean for fear of attracting unwanted ocean predators.
4. Our talo is not selling well in New Zealand. Fiji is paying 50cents a kilo to its growers. [Niue growers get $1.50 a kg]. This is a concern for the future of our talo sales.

Last Cabinet Meeting before the new term begins

Premier Vivian informed Cabinet that, “I am bending over backwards to help Reef Air protect our fishing industry. Everyone should be aware that all new businesses have teething problems and I have urged all the Ministers to lend a helping hand where they can to smooth things over where possible.”

Minister Pihigia reported on the progress of our new hospital.

1.      A Revised Detailed Design Report has been received.

2.      BC Construction still aim to complete the building by December 21^st.

3.      The work therefore is progressing well.

Cabinet Ministers all expressed their individual gratitude to one another for the support, respect and understanding shown during their term as Ministers. All look forward to return and resume the work that they have started and have yet to be completed.

SOG Talagi expressed her thanks and was impressed with the way the Ministers conducted themselves in the weekly Cabinet meetings. “The Ministers have worked well together in a professional manner.     

Nurses International Day










 

Principal Nurse Mrs Ketiligi Fereti intends to have a quiet day today celebrating the Nurses International Day. “We missed last year’s occasion because of Heta and we spent most of the time picking up the pieces of our damaged hospital and too shocked with the death of our colleague, Cathy Alec and her son Daniel. We are in a better position this year to remember and to look forward to the new Hospital.”

“The theme this year is ‘Fighting Counterfeit Medicine,” said Anne Marie Eric, PR Officer for the Niue Medical Centre. “These are medicines that are of substandard quality that do not comply with accepted practise, like illegal street drugs for example.”

Principal Nurse Fereti and Mrs Puasina Tatui with their message.

What of the normal awareness issues like better salaries for nurses? asked Niue Foou. There were signs posted outside the Medical Centre proclaiming ‘Nurses are there for you -24 hours a day’ and ‘Value your nurses – the profession that cares about people.’

Our nurses are well qualified and they do work very hard for what they receive in remunerations. “But we do not make an issue of it,” added Principal Nurse Fereti. “Besides, who really listens?” Who indeed, Niue Foou agreed. Overworked, understaffed and underpaid have been the nurses’ lot for years, yet they are always there each time you wait in the Out-Patients room at the Medical Centre, smiling confidently to give you courage when you are unwell.

Niue Foou is pleased to share with its readers in remembering the Nurses International Day, especially of Cathy Alec who tragically lost her life on January 5^th last year.

Another Youth With A Mission Group

If you have not seen them around it is probably because they have been busy helping out in the community.

Niue Foou and Premier Vivian met the current group at Huvalu Youth Camp cleaning up, mowing grass and weeding the taller growth at the back of the camp buildings. The last group to do this was probably their YWAM brothers and sisters who were here last year.

The present group is led by Ms Elonor Reynes from the Phillippines and comprises of members from Australia, Canada, United States, Switzerland and Sweden – all are confirmed Christians with a message to share experiences and prayers and to make restitution to God for the service that they have been blessed to receive from Him.

While most of us remember God on Sundays YWAM members in their youthful prime remember God every day of the week. These youth groups are here on an inspired mission to serve God in the best way they can. They are self funded and spend months away from their families to do what they think is right.  

YWAM with Premier at the Huvalu camp site