Archive - Feb 24, 2012

Registered voters in Vanuatu should be content that they are citizens of a nation that allows for absentee voters to have an opportunity to vote through proxy.

There are countries within the region where proxy voting is not practiced.

However, this privilege has been misused.

In 2012, the electoral office must be able to professionally manage voting by proxy in the national election and the four provincial elections.

The Pacific Islands Trade and invest officials were in Luganville yesterday to run a three days workshop to farmers on how to invest in overseas markets.
A total of 25 participants, mainly farmers, expats, agriculture officers and consultants, took part in this workshop.

Pacific Islands Trade & Invest is the international trade and investment arm of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat based in Fiji.

This was one of the first ever workshop to be held in Vanuatu and particularly Luganville by the Pacific Trade & Invest on how to help farmers on oversea markets.

The Efate Rural Member of Parliament (MP) and Minister for Lands, Steven Kalsakau, said Australia is a classic example for women in politics and national positions.

He made the statement immediately after his arrival from Australia with other three MPs after their visit to Canberra.
“Vanuatu has to change its political mindset. And politicians and political parties must also change their political mindset and support women candidates to run for Parliament.

Father Walter Lini’s vision about the freedom of the colonized people of West Papua when Vanuatu gained its independence has changed after Vanuatu formed diplomatic ties with Indonesia.

According to Deputy Opposition Leader, Edward Natapei, this was why Vanuatu could no longer “say anything we want in United Nations meetings”.
This is Natapei’s clarifications concerning why he could not bring up the Wantok Bill that was passed unopposed in Parliament during the United Nations General Assembly when he was Prime Minister.

Air Vanuatu has decided to respond to allegations made by Mr Mark O’Brien in his Santo Beef column.
Below is Air Vanuatu’s response.

“Air Vanuatu does not generally engage in tit-for-tat public arguments through the media, however the relentless, misguided and factually incorrect columns written by Mark O’Brien in recent weeks warrant correction.

“Firstly, Mr. O’Brien’s beef with Air Vanuatu began when the company removed his ‘staff travel’ privileges (please note Mr. O’Brien has never been a member of our staff).

The famed Kiwi chef Robert Oliver calls Votausi Mackenzie-Reur, Vanuatu’s Queen of Cuisine. With good reason.

Votausi Mackenzie is not just a good cook. She is a highly trained nutritionist and well aware of the huge advantages of a traditional island diet over the foods people supposedly enjoy in the two towns.

MV Big Sista’s Management has confirmed it will be lodging an interlocutory injunction with the court before filing proceedings for the specific performance of the legality of the Big Sista contract shortly.

P R D Trading came out to respond to Internal Affairs Minister George Wells comments in Saturday’s headline in the Daily Post titled “Wells puts Amendment before ‘reinstatement’ where the minister picked Big Sista as the classic example in a situation where all the former Municipal Council Mayors cannot be individually branded for the council’s Vt1.4billion debt.