former Vanuatu ombudsman and current president of TI Vanuatu, whose position as corporate director was terminated. Both had been critical of changes to the composition of the VMA including the appointment as chair of Christopher Emelee, who as manager of the Tuna Fishing Agency faced a conflict of interest. In August 2003 Timbaci Bani, the VMA’s acting commissioner and Roosen’s former counterpart, was suspended reportedly for resisting efforts by the new board members to prevent their rivals from sailing and favouring their friends and allies.8 Bani was initially replaced by Donald Hosea, who admitted misappropriating VMA money in early 2002, and was removed from the post. As a result of continued reporting of the VMA story in the Vanuatu Daily Post, publisher Marc Neil-Jones was assaulted outside its
office in September 2003. The following day Emelee’s lawyer filed for an injunction in the magistrate’s court to prevent the Vanuatu Daily Post from publishing anything about the VMA or Emelee and his family. A court initially granted this injunction, but the supreme court overturned the decision several days later. The VMA saga appears to demonstrate numerous aspects of political interference, although prior to the dissolution of parliament it appeared that the government might be taking steps to rectify problems. Emelee was removed as chair, and the post of commissioner was advertised to allow for a politically neutral appointment. However, the future of the VMA appears to depend on the outcome of the next election, and whether the next minister responsible for the body resists political interference. Anita Jowitt (University of the South Pacific)
Further reading Anita Jowitt and Tess Newton Cain, National Integrity Systems, TI International Country Study Report: Vanuatu (Transparency International, 2004), www.transparency.org.au/nispac/ vanuatu.pdf Notes 1. Public Prosecutor v. Sope Maautamate [2002] VUSC 46. www.paclii.org 2. Details of the supreme court and court of appeal decisions can be found in Sope Maautamate v. Speaker of Parliament [2003] VUCA 5. www.paclii.org 3. Immediately after Sope’s imprisonment there were calls for him to be pardoned – and threats of protests if he were not – on the grounds that the trial had been an example of ‘neo-colonialism’, and that Sope had been victimised by Australia and New Zealand. See Pacific Islands Report, 24, 25 and 30 July 2004. A recent TI study on Vanuatu’s National Integrity System indicates that one of the major contributors to a lack of public outrage in response to corruption by leaders is the lack of personal connection to events within the political system. (Anita Jowitt and Tess Newton Cain, National Integrity Systems, TI International Country Study Report: Vanuatu, TI, 2004). 4. Vanuatu Trading Post, 14 January 2003. 5. Jowitt and Cain, Country Study Report: Vanuatu. 6. Port Vila Presse Online, 28 April 2004, www.news.vu/en/news/national/nalo-election.shtml 7. Vanuatu Daily Post, 23 April 2004. 8. Vanuatu Daily Post, 19 August 2003.
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