By Mataeliga Pio Sioa
Australia has promised a new multi-million tala police patrol boat for Samoa and also go into an 8-year partnership to be known as ‘Tautua-Human Development For All’ to improve health and other social issues.
Australia’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Senator Penny Wong, brought the happy promises with her on a quick swing visit to Samoa last Thursday.
Included also were talks with the local private sector and community leaders on the ‘challenges and successes for Samoan families under Australia’s labour mobility programs to be of mutual benefit to Samoa and Australia.’
The new guardian class patrol boat will be ready in 12 months time to replace the Nafanua II, damaged beyond repair while on an emergency run to Savaii in response to politically related lawlessness.
The Tautua partnership deal will ‘…foster collective action in health, education, gender, disability and social protection, addressing areas most critical to Samoa.”
Senator Wong arrived last Thursday on a whirlwind diplomacy swing visit that started in Fiji before Samoa and onwards to Tonga, described by the Australian media as ‘incredibly significant.’
Her visit was hot on the heels of an 8-island tour of China’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Wang Yi, who called into Samoa after signing a security agreement with the Solomon Islands.
“The timing of this visit is incredibly significant given the geopolitical tensions in the region, particularly in the Solomon Islands in relation to that newly inked security deal between Beijing and Honiara,” Sky News reported.
Senator Wong wants “….to renew and strengthen Australia’s deep ties of friendship and family,” with members of the region.
“We want to make a uniquely Australian contribution to help build a stronger Pacific family – through social and economic opportunities including pandemic recovery, health, development and infrastructure support, as well as through our Pacific labour programs and permanent migration,” she promised.
“We will increase our contribution to regional security: we understand that the security of the Pacific is the responsibility of the Pacific family, of which Australia is a part.”
Australia has been making unhappy, worried noises, at the security agreement China’s Foreign Affairs Minister signed with the Solomon Islands before traveling to Samoa.
Senator Wong emphasised unity in the island member states of the region as the Pacific Island family, in a joint press conference on Thursday with Samoa’s Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mataafa,
“We have consistently taken the view that sovereign nations are sovereign but ultimately have the nature of affecting the security arrangement of the region,” Senator Wong asserted.
She summed up Australia’s position as a ‘ wise intervention,’ that served clear notice that her country will step in when matters that threaten the security of the region are involved.
Prime Minister Fiame towed the same line of collective rights over the sovereign decision-making responsibilities for individual member countries.
Her reaction was in response to Samoa’s position on China’s security offer for the region.
“ Our position was, you cannot have regional agreement when the region hasn’t met and discuss it, and to be called in to have that discussion and expect a comprehensive outcome for something we could not agree to,” Fiame declared.
“I think we need to meet as a region to consider any proposal that is put to us by our development partners that requires a regional agreement.”
The PM’s reaction suggested that the Solomon Is has signed up to the security agreement of their own accord, the offer by China to members of the region, without collective approval.
When asked for a reaction, the former Prime Minister and opposition leader Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, re-emphasised in philosophical terms Samoa’s position with China as a development partner during his time in office.
“The enemy of my enemy is my friend,” Tuilaepa quoted from an ancient proverb to suggest that in the end the right decision is what benefits the country most.
He is adamant as well that what a sovereign country decides is their business and no one else.
Tuilaepa told the Australian media when asked for a reaction to the Solomon Is and China security agreement that if the two countries want to be friends it is their business.
“I suspect the unexpected visit by the Australian Foreign Affairs Minister to Samoa was to counter the Chinese Minister’s influence after signing up on the security agreement with the Solomon Is.”
It is more than 40 years since Samoa established official relations with China from 1975 and according to Tuilaepa, his Government has always made every effort not to get caught up between the politics of the big powers.
“Our efforts are to look at how we can benefit from a few shovels and crowbars they can assist us with our developments, while they do their own politics.
“China has never interfered with our decision making as a sovereign country and we in turn have done the same in all this time we have established relations right up to when I was no longer leader.”
Tuilaepa recalled how China was against having Japan included in the UN Security Council yet it was supported by Samoa in what he cited as in the national interest.
China accepted Samoa’s position in the same way other member countries in the region like Australia and New Zealand would do for their own national good as well.
‘If it is of national importance to Australia and New Zealand they too will go ahead and do what it takes to do so.”
Tuilaepa brushed aside the reported tension between the bigger countries over the Solomon Is. security agreement as the normal run of big power politics trying to drag in the Pacific Family members.