9 June 2010
Kupeña abandoned in post-election shakeup (PUNA)

HAÑA ROA - Former Justice Advisor Ma'oa Petero was elected Wednesday as Henua's new Chief Advisor, a position equivalent to Prime Minister.  Ma'oa, a dedicated reformer, is known mainly as the driving force behind the 2008 overhaul of Henua's judiciary system.  He has generally been a supporter of the outgoing head of government, Kupeña Tuki, whose fall from political power shows the risks of government service in a country notorious for its fragile and unstable governing coalitions.

Kupeña was voted out by a strong majority of the newly seated Council despite gains by his own ideological wing, which can broadly be described as favoring reform and the power of the central government over the clans and chiefs.  Although most of the new Council members would normally be expected to follow Kupeña's policies, for the last seven months the outgoing Chief has been accused of ineffective leadership.  Widespread protests last December accused Kupeña of turning a blind eye as the planned eclipse festival next month seemed to get out of hand - making it the second out-of-control event to occur under his watch.  The protests united anti-immigrant conservatives and ecotopians against the Chief Advisor, and many candidates this election called for "more reform, but less Kupeña".  His ouster was expected, but his replacement by the veteran politician Ma'oa was the result of a compromise between old and new members of the Council.

Ma'oa has been in the Council since 1986 and has headed the Justice Advisorate since 2001.  A Christian and therefore not a follower of the traditional faith, he has nevertheless been an outspoken advocate of protecting Henua's cultural heritage from the collateral damage caused by a growing tourist industry.  He campaigned tirelessly last year to create a new judicial system that could better handle cases of foreigners committing crimes on Henua soil, and he supported King Ña'ara's environmental initiatives in 2007.  As Chief Advisor, Ma'oa said that he will work to revive the king's abandoned project of creating an ecotopic park on the island that meets international standards.  "Over the last few years, we Henua have been increasingly aware that our island, its ecosystem, and its culture are more vulnerable than we once thought," he said in a speech before the Council Wednesday afternoon.  This year I pledge that we will get the outside expertise we need to protect it."  A team of Oregonian ecologists was expelled from the island in late 2007 by the conservative Council leadership.  Reformists have blamed Kupeña for failing to revive the project in his two years in power.

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12 May 2010

 

BANABA - The world's tiniest countries will meet on the athletic field for the first time in seven years, the Commission on Very Small States announced Wednesday at the conclusion of its first full meeting of 2010.  The Very Small States Games are not held according to any regular schedule because CVSS members often have a difficult time paying for them and finding space within their borders to hold the events.  Even so, the gap since the San Marino Games of 2004 has been unusually long.  The Kingdom of Beaver Island, a self-governing territory of the North American League and a permanent observer in the CVSS, announced at the meeting that it had secured the necessary funds to host the Games, and was pursuing arrangements to rent athletic venues in neighboring provinces.

 

"Seven years has been much too long to wait," said Beaver Island's delegate, Matthew Harris.  "I'm glad Beaver Island can step in and meet this need."  The new Games are scheduled for August 2011.

 

The Commission also voted to move the headquarters of its Secretariat away from the Pacific island of Banaba, where it has been since 2008.  The location was largely chosen to allow the Secretary to closely observe the Republic of Tokelau's transition to independence.  Outgoing Secretary Ariu Misieli summed up the reasons for the move: "While nobody is claiming that Tokelau's political journey is finished - because no nation's journey can ever be said to be finished - the islands' successful election and peaceful transition of power demonstrate that its new government works, without our direct supervision.  I also know that for most of you, the Pacific is terribly difficult to travel to."  Tokelau's December parliamentary election met with international approval, and its new government was seated in January.  

 

CVSS delegates voted for Geoffrey Richards of Hay-on-Wye to head the Secretariat; the headquarters will move to that small British kingdom in the coming months.  The Commission on Very Small States is a committee of the League of Nations, but it often holds meetings and runs its own affairs outside the formal LoN structure.

 

Foreign Advisor Rano'ika Pa'oa represented Henua at Wednesday's meeting.  She told reporters that she is "delighted that we will have the chance to compete again.  This is a great opportunity for our athletes.  The Americans had better watch out!"  With so many island members, the Very Small States Games usually feature many rowing and sailing events.

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The Moai Eclipse Festival that will be held on Henua this July will be much smaller than previously announced, the Henua government said Wednesday.  The Tawantinsuyuan company in charge of planning the festival shocked this tiny island kingdom last month when it released plans to draw as many as 20,000 tourists to its music and arts festival, scheduled to coincide with a total solar eclipse that will be visible from Henua.  Henua of all stripes questioned their country of 10,000 people's ability to host so large an event.  The controversy cost Fati Tea'o, Henua's veteran Tourism Advisor, his job, and in the month since his resignation the government has convinced the organizers to drastically scale back their plans.  The festival is now limited to five thousand visitors, including paid staff and planners.  Henua's often factious ruling Council has acted with remarkable unity in applying pressure to the Eclipse Festival organizers, including repeated threats to cancel the event altogether.  Henua public opinion, which took a sudden anti-immigrant, anti-foreign turn last month, helped to spur the Council members into action.