United Future
Hon Peter Dunne

Peter Dunne's speech in the House on Pacific policy

In recent years we have endured the consequences of a coup in Fiji. We now face considerable unrest in the Solomon Islands, with Tonga likely to go the same way if continuing anti-democratic trends prevail. The Geneva Small Arms Survey tells us that there are some 3.1 million small arms in the possession of citizens in the Pacific Islands, which is something like 14 greater than the number of arms in the combined military forces of those islands. Over the last 30 years we have seen some $50 billion of US foreign aid dedicated to the Pacific Islands, yet cumulative growth rates are around 1 percent only at the present time. The economic breakdown in the Pacific is leading to a civil breakdown, and that needs to be of concern to this country because it is our part of the world that this is happening within. I know that the tradition, which we are now seeing repeated, has been to let the so-called Pacific Way solve those problems. The Biketawa Declaration, which has been entered into, is an attempt to foreshadow, or forestall, that ongoing lethargy in terms of dealing with those crises, but, frankly, it is not working. I am concerned when I see the situation in the Solomons today, where there are warlords like Harold Keke running rampant and the Government of Sir Allan Kemakeza almost on the point of collapse, and where we have New Zealand playing a role in terms of trying to restore some civil order.

Hon PETER DUNNE27 I then look at what is happening on Tonga where we see an anti-democratic and potentially corrupt royal family doing its most desperate actions to retain power by subverting the constitution of that country by removing rights of free speech and the right of appeal to the courts in certain circumstances. New Zealand timidly says that it is not happy, but that it will not do too much more. I worry about the consequences of that instability so close to home, particularly when we see the Government of the People’s Republic of China making significant diplomatic approaches to Tonga offering assistance and aid to bolster its position in this part of the world at the same time as its rival the Republic of China on Taiwan is making similar diplomatic entrees into the Solomons. The conflict across the straits of Taiwan does not need to be replicated in this part of the world. I am very concerned that in this country we are not doing enough to deal with the potential upheaval that lies ahead. I know that the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade is due to meet his Australian counterpart at the end of this week or next week. It is important that action be initiated as a result of those discussions and that we do not simply rely on the Pacific forum meeting to be held in New Zealand in August to convey some diplomatic niceties to these offending states and basically let things go on the way we are. There has been controversy about whether our head of State should attend the birthday celebrations of the King of Tonga. The decision has been made that she should go, and she goes with our blessing and our goodwill, and I hope that she is safe. The point is that in a symbolic way that is giving succour to the anti-democratic provisions of that regime and giving succour to the intentions of this country to appear to stand quietly by while this instability mounts around us. A few years ago New Zealand took a very strong stand against undemocratic moves in Fiji. At the time we were criticised by some for intervening, but by others we were criticised for not going far enough. We face the same dilemma today. New Zealand and Australia have a role to play. We need to be concerned about our well-being in a strategic sense. Some have referred to a benign strategic environment. I believe that that is no longer the case, if it ever was such. The situation that we face with mounting concern in the Pacific requires attention from this Government. In question time this afternoon the Minister of Foreign and Affairs and Trade was quick to point out the steps that New Zealand has taken with regard to what is seen as an anti-democratic regime in Myanmar. That is fair enough, but let us come closer to home and recognise the threat that potentially exists on our own doorstep, especially if the economic and social breakdown in those countries leads to greater super power involvement, greater rivalry if we see the Chinese come in and start to play a significant role in Tonga. It is only a while before the United States joins in, then it will all be on.