THE PRESS TUESDAY, AUGUST 5, 1980. P.M. in Western Samoa

Press, 5 August 1980, Page 16

THE PRESS TUESDAY, AUGUST 5, 1980. P.M. in Western Samoa

The visit of the Prime Minister, Mr Muldoon, to Western Samoa, as measured by the response of the Western Samoans, appears to have been highly successful. For some reason that seems far from clear, considering New Zealand’s involvement with Western Samoa before independence, it has taken 18 years before a New Zealand Prime Minister has made an official visit to Western Samoa. Mr Muldoon went there earlier, in 1977, to the celebrations of the fifteenth anniversary of independence, but the present extended visit is in response to an invitation. Some Western Samoans appear to have regarded Mr Muldoon as a chief and he does not appear to have been reluctant to accept that role. At the very least it would be discourteous to decline the honour. After 18 years the visit shows every sign of being, memorable.

In New Zealand’s relations with Western Samoa since independence three constant themes have, been aid, trade, and emigration, with education thrown in as an aspect of the emigration theme. Mr Muldoon has touched on all these points during the visit. The annual report of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs says that during the last year about two-thirds of New Zealand’s total bilateral aid was shared among 11 countries of the South Pacific, especially the Cook Islands, Niue, Fiji, Western Samoa, Tonga, and Papua New Guinea. Included in New Zealand’s aid to Western Samoa were contributions to a large afforestation scheme and to the School of Tropical Agriculture, which is part of the University of the South Pacific. Mr Muldoon, in a comment designed for Pacific, not Asian, ears, said that the New Zealand taxpayer got better value for his money when it was spent in the South Pacific rather than in “some remote country in Asia.” New Zealand’s total aid vote has remained almost static for the last three years so that it is not surprising that the Prime Minister would like the money that is provided to be seen to be effective.

Mr Muldoon has ruled out the possibility of further amnesties for

overstayers in New Zealand from the Pacific islands. It is true that, if the New Zealand emigration quota remains fixed, those who emigrate to New Zealand and stay beyond the legal limit hoping for an amnesty on illegal residence have found a way of jumping the queue of those seeking to emigrate legally. Hunts for overstayers' are bad for relations within New Zealand and for the country’s relations with the Pacific islands and it ■is much better that they be avoided. By ruling out any further amnesties Mr Muldoon is probably doing the most sensible thing to avoid the illegal residence by Pacific Islanders in New Zealand. This leaves open the possibility that some have foreseen vastly increased emigration from some Pacific islands to New Zea- >. land and Australia. Pressure to increase emigration quotas, should this occur, should be kept separate from questions of illegal residence. The other aspect of emigration, the education provided for Pacific Islanders in New Zealand, which became a contentious issue because of the use of the Latos language tests, appears largely to have been sorted out, at least as far as it was a political issue.

■The new South Pacific agreement on trade, SPARTECA, signed at the recent South Pacific Forum meeting, should serve the interests of Western Samoa well. Trade is generally much more satisfactory than aid. Western Samoa signed the agreement and should be able to export a reasonable range of produce and goods to New Zealand. Most of the South Pacific countries signed the agreement. One which did not was Fiji, which objected to New Zealand import restrictions on orange juice. The restrictions, are designed to protect the orange juice industry of the Cook Islands. The irritation shown by Fiji over the orange juice imports may continue to complicate relations between Fiji and New Zealand for some time. Fiji will be unable to benefit from SPARTECA until it signs the agreement. In the meantime, the trade agreement should sort out one of the aspects of the relationship between New Zealand and Western Samoa which has caused friction in the past.