Howard's Pacific demands
The Prime Minister, John Howard, is in the South Pacific talking tough: if the region's impoverished countries want Australian aid their governments must govern better and stamp out corruption.
The main targets of Mr Howard's barbs are the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea – both are at odds with Canberra over the Julian Moti affair.
The Solomon Islands Prime Minister, Manasseh Sogavare, is angry that his country's police commissioner, Shane Castles, (who was loaned by the Australian Federal Police) ordered a police raid on his office on Friday.
The raid was meant to find evidence that could link Mr Sogavare to Mr Moti's flight to Honiara on a PNG Defence Force aircraft this month.
By flying out of PNG secretly Mr Moti escaped proceedings in Port Moresby that could have seen him extradited to Australia to face child sex allegations.
Mr Sogavare – who has already expelled Australia's high commissioner – has labelled the raid as provocative. And there are rumblings that the Honiara governnment might pull the plug on the Australian-led Regional Assistance Mission in Solomon Islands.
Critics say that while Australia's aid is welcomed, it should show more respect for Solomons' sovereignty.
Others, though, fear the island nation will again descend into chaos if RAMSI goes.
Another scenario suggests that if Australian aid is pulled from parts of the region, countries such as China and Taiwan will step in with fast bucks to buy diplomatic support for their rival causes. But do they have genuine regard for the long-term development of the problem-ridden islands?
Is Mr Howard right to lay down strict conditions on Australian aid? Or, as some Pacific leaders suggest, is he being too heavy-handed? |
