Comments

Teach for the Pacific is an attractive idea. I absolutely support the proposal to do randomised control trials to look at the impact of the different programs (though I accept the PSSP impact would probably be easier to measure). Without dismissing the value of qualitative evaluation, Australian development assistance would benefit from having more robust cost-benefit studies on which to base funding decisions.

Thanks Uday, glad to hear it resonated with you.

The article lists the broad characteristics of strategic aid programme. Useful in other contexts as well.

Kia ora Adrian and the others (Michele, Carolyn and Melita). I have had the pleasure of meeting Behrouz Boochani in New Zealand last November at his Word Festival event in Christchurch and directed members of our local Kurdish community to see him beore he was interviewed in front of a large audience. I do strongly sympathize with Manus people's sense of estrangement from their own whenua, and I know Steve Winduo and Regis Stella. I met them both at the Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies (University of Canterbury, Christchurch NZ) in the 1990s and 2000s. The Boochani story is indeed horrific, but what seems to be overlooked is that Behrouz 'freely' chose to leave Iran (rather than escape into the Kurdistan mountains) and take a very risky human traffickers' route, paying big money twice to get on leaky boats instead of flying from Djakarta to New Zealand or a Pacific state to seek UNHR asylum as a refugee. I have wanted to ask him about his back-story as a Kurdish nationalist escaping Tehran, but he has disappeared in NZ and now seems to be 3 months overdue on his visitor's visa (dated 14 November 2019). After our appalling March massacre of 2019 no-one here in their right mind remotely wishes to harass a man in his situation. I am not at all Islamophobic nor a xenophobe, but I do wonder where Behrouz is and why liberal Australian supporters are reluctant to explore his pre-Manus story. I am writing an appreciation of his appalling experience as recounted in the memoir. We have not yet heard if Behrouz seeks NZ citizenship--it is stated that he was offered US citizenship under the Gillard-Obama deal (2016), and maybe even in PNG, but seems to have declined these. I may be wrong because journalists have not done a thorough job of inquiring into the back-story of a talented writer. They may have good reasons but never seem to ask. My emerging paper on BB is called "Trouble on Manus and Nauru". I would very much like to speak with Behrouz again--he may well be living in my city (Christchurch)! With aroha to all.....

“Collective and meaningful action from government, business and yes, the international non-government organisation – or aid – sector, remains the best way forward”. Thanks a lot Ronalds, to raise your voice for a timely and relevant issue of Bangladesh. As a low lying delta region, we “the people of Bangladesh” are highly vulnerable to “the impacts of climate change”. “Solidarity”, in front of us, is the best approach to ensure rights and justice for all. This will lead to close the gap between “haves” and “have nots”. Regards Shoma

I read Behrouz Boochani’s 'No Friend but the Mountains: Writing from Manus Prison' book as a sceptic to be honest. Like Rooney, I am a Papua New Guinean. A bit of Baluan on my mother's side of the family. I have had growing up in the 90s the ongoing issues of traditional land in and around the Lombrum area, the resettlement of some West Papuans, and then 2013 thereafter, the controversial 'Pacific Solution'. I am currently a student scholar of International Development and I have often clashed with my lecturers over the one-sided narrative of the Asylum Seekers on Manus Island. I do respect the Human Rights discourse of migration yet the Manusian perspective has always in my humble opinion been overshadowed by the practices of development (infrastructure mostly) and the supposed benefit it brought to the people. Manusian's 'Way of Life' has been impacted. And Manusian may come across as very "quiet" or "silent" sometimes on the matter but they can talk. In a country where the testosterone levels can go from 0 to 100 per cent within a split of a second, I have often been very frustrated that Manusians have been relatively calm about the whole issue. They have watched while Waigani and Canberra struck a deal and placed 'outsiders' on their land. They have watched while some of these 'outsiders' have harassed and insulted their people. I have witnessed on two occasions whilst on duty travel in my previous role with one of the largest Disability Service Provider Organization to Rabaul and Port Moresby, where these 'outsiders' have violated the sacredness of our hospitality towards others. Our sisters and mothers were openly harassed by these 'outsiders'. Those incidences have left a very negative perception with me toward certain types of Asylum Seekers. Boochani represents the majority of very genuine people and I commend his courage. Yet as a PNGean, I found the entire book presenting and ultimately geared towards the West and does no justice to the Manusians whose island space has been sacrificed to allow a continued 'neo-colonialization' motive. But this is my view as a PNGean growing up in the mainland New Guinea Highlands, so that is just one perspective. Thank you Rooney for your review that has spurred me to tell 'our' story.

I hear you Michelle - a timely and important article. I don't necessarily agree from an Australian advocate's perspective that Behrouz and some other refugees rendered Manusians invisible. While I follow Manus RPC history closely recolonisation of Manus - a love for Manusians and Manus for years, constantly raised this issue to (and educated) his Australian public. And many advocates here raised regularly the colonialist exploitation of Manus and the manipulative disempowerment of Manus people by the system, while fighting for the men's lives and sanity - and justice. And as foreign men it's to be remembered the issue is they had no choice but to be there - they were trafficked and imprisoned there while being pressured to return to danger. But I empathise with your views from an Islander's perspective. Personally I have felt gutted over the intrusion - the geopolitical appropriations and disruption to culture 😢 as well as the horrendous cruelty to the men. This is a must read article.😢😎 Thank you🌹

Having been an advocate for refugees on Manus Island for six years, I read 'No Friend but the Mountains' with great interest. I wanted to know the Islanders story too and fortunately became friends with one who lives now in Port Moresby. Yet I also felt as if I was reading a Dostoevsky novel and loved the atmosphere Boochani trapped me in as I read non stop until finished! This critique by a Manus Islander is most interesting and I thank its writer for giving me yet another angle on this tragic historical situation.

An excellent program which again reinforces the important role that remittances play in developing economies. Clearly mobile payment platforms aligned to remittances are a contributing driving technology.

Picked out some good points. Thank you so much.

Hello Dr. Nemat, There is no touch in Pakistan's role on post US-Taliban settlement in Afghanistan. I hope if your next article is something about what could be the likelihood reasons or influencing factors to make the process the fail.

Good article - old timers will know this works by simply looking at history. The number of former leaders who all came from the same schools which we all know in the Pacific. However, there were some design failures back then (capture by political elites) which will need to be avoided. A good case study would be the old Aotearoa Scholarships that were abruptly halted by the NZ Government about 15 years ago I think. They lost a lot of traction after that, which was slightly recovered by the Seasonal Worker Programme. In todays geopolitical environment where some Asian countries are seen as more trustworthy such interventions have to be part of the long-term solution to the problem of addressing the relationship between Australia and the Pacific. Alas like all long-term interventions in Education the results will not be known for decades.