Comments

Thank you for this informative piece Dr Aqorau

Thanks Dr Aqorau for sharing your perspective and many decades of experience.

A clear and authoritative discussion on the issue, thank you Dr Aqorau.

Thanks Dr Transform Aqorau. This article clearly explain what has happened and the use of your rich experience in previous meeting is highly appreciated in adding context to the current dilemma! Ko rabwa.

Does it affect the interests rate set by the commercial banks.

For a small island developing state battling a pandemic alongside fellow, often larger countries, Vanuatu's achievements are considerable. Well done!

The reason,many people love Australia because of jobs opportunities and it's the closest country to those countries. Myself wishing to travel Australia too, but I don't have any relatives there or friends. Therefore I'm still hoping and praying for such opportunity.

Hi Colin, Interesting read. Just wondering how would the dynamics of aid to the Pacific change amid this ongoing crisis(Micronesia has pulledout of the PIF). The Pacific did not reach some of it's MDG target's(for example, WatSan). Would diversion to subregional managed Secretariat's be better suited for Pacific development/SDG target attainment for the region?

Well said and expressed Sir, as our Pacific way of brotherhood , respect and treating one another with dignity seems to be evaporating very quickly. Hope that good sense will prevail to stabilize the excellent governance that USP used to practise & enjoy in previous years.

Good post Ms Dilu

Feels a bit like Wuhan and China, does it Varun ? Or was China less repressive and felt freer then Fiji? From all accounts the experience of the VC in my opinion as a Fiji Citizen, was more then disgraceful and yes, I imagine would have caused much distress both to VC Pal but his wife too, both Australian citizens. Mind this is the norm for the Fiji First Government since it came into power through the 2006 coup. Readers may recall how ANU's Professor Brij Lal and wife Dr Padma Lal, were similarly treated, as was Fiji Times Editor Russel Hunter and several others. What is more worrying is that donor Nations who purport to support good governance in the region, such as Australia and New Zealand have been rather muted in their response...strangely enough their High Commissioners in Fiji were seen posing for photo opportunities at the Waitangi Day celebrations in Fiji, with a grinning Aiyaz Khaiyum, the AG of Fiji responsible for ordering the violent deportation of VC Pal. So much for supporting and respecting academic freedom in Fiji. The terrible victims in all this are the regional students studying at USP...what of the impact on them? The Fiji First Government certainly doesn't care, lets hope the USP Council which meets on February 16th does. Vinaka Varun.

I thoroughly enjoyed both this and the podcast episode itself; in particular the respect shown for indigenous food knowledge and traditions and the reflections on feedback loops. Do rapid and influential informal feedback loops exist? I think absolutely, and just because they don't fit neatly into MEL frameworks doesn't render them invalid, especially if we understand the context in which they are delivered and by whom. Looking forward to the next instalment.