“Vanuatu ‘time’ is killing us. Let’s fight it!”

You may be wondering what on earth this post is about. Well, you’ll find out soon enough. But firstly, let me tell you something about Vanuatu.

Vanuatu is an archipelago of some 83 islands covering a land mass of approximately 13000km2. It is located to the East of Australia, West of Fiji and North of New Zealand – yeah, in the South West Pacific. The indigenous people are dominantly melanesian in blood and mentality. The natural environment is so peaceful and relaxed that people living here have come to think of it as paradise.

White sandy beaches, tropical birds and insects, cool and hot springs, volcanoes, beautiful and bountiful marine life, friendly people and the prettiest of natural flaura and fauna – all these and heaps of others not mentioned here are the identifying marks of Vanuatu – which was recently (2006) ranked as “The Happiest Place on Earth.”

Now, keep all that in mind and let’s get back to the topic.

I saw this striking title in a church (Tapua) board a few Sabbaths back. It caught my attention and has been stuck in my brains ever since. So what is Vanuatu “time”?

Well, based on the brief intro to the Vanuatu above, you can be sure that the lifestyle in this paradise is very relaxed. Almost everyone treats life in a laid back manner. Those who don’t actually live the laid back life are the uptight, stiff-necked few who have let the outside world influence their way of life.

Anywhosoever, the term “island time” might be more applicable, but it is claimed by almost every country in the region that it doesn’t sound unique to Vanuatu when used in Vanuatu’s context. So people in Vanuatu have replace “island time” with Vanuatu “time”. 

So what is Vanuatu “time”? Here’s a few examples:

• Work starts at 7:30am but you arrive at 9:00am
• The notice on the church noticeboard says that services start at 8:00am but in actuality, it starts at 8:50am
• You are angry at people for arriving late at your function, but you do the same when going to someone else’s function
• On the way to work, you meet a long time friend and you talk about stuff with no consideration to time or work
• The teacher exhorts the students to come to class on time but he/she can spend the first half of the class chatting with friends on the mobile phone
• A distant relative dies and you just have to skip work to attend the funeral
• You can clock in to work at 7:30am then turn around and go back home to do some private business then return to clock out at 11:30am
• Morning tea is like mini-lunch
• Lunch is an affair not spoken of… people take time to sleep until 2 hours into the afternoon
• The receptionist is pissed because you disturbed her in her conversation with whoever is on the other side of the phone
• While the preacher is preaching, the congregation keeps its eyes on the clock and when the sermon is over, everyone lingers outside the church house not willing to go home
• To prove their allegience to the company’s policies on time, the successful applicant comes to work on time for the first two weeks
• A one-hour meeting might take three hours
• Or a three-hour meeting might take one hour
• And so on….

The notice in this particular church was pointing out the fact that church services don’t start at the appointed time. They usually start LATER than the time stated on church notices. It is rare that you’ll find any church services in some Port Vila churches commencing on time or earlier. 

But if you ask me, I’d rather stick to my Vanuatu “time”. By doing so, I can, at least, be on the way to fighting against the many clutches of the western society on my way of life.

Don’t take me wrong though. I’ll still try my best to go to church on time. And go to work on time, etc. But if there was a choice at all, I’d stick with Vanuatu “time”. It fits well with the environment – creating a timeless feel to this paradise.

See y’alls in paradise.

TBV – sorry excuse of a TV station

Well not actually stammer in the real sense of the word, but rather as in pronouncing the word wrong. It happened last ngiht, Wednesday 26 November, 2008. I as sitting in front of the TV watching the news and feeling a bit cynical about TBV’s sorry excuse of a news broadcasting setup when I was jolted out of my contemptous reverie by the news presenter stumbling over several words. The folks sitting outside were surprised when I gave out a really loud guffaw.

The presenter (which I’m not gonna name) stumbled for a while when trying to pronounce “vaelens” and “juvenael” – the Bislama equivalents of “violence” and “juvenile”. After several attempts, he managed to get them right but got them mixed up again after a few sentences. By this time some of the folks sitting outside had joined me and we were laughing hysterically at the poor news presenter. The object of our laughter by this time, was the presenter’s face – which had been screwed up into an expression of frustration – probably for not being able to get the words right. It was a laugh indeed!

As much as we might laugh at TBV’s poor services, I could understand the news presenters frustrations. Television Blong Vanuatu (TBV) has been broadcasting news on the mostly Port Vila and Luganville TV station for the past eight years. And you would think that by this time they would have improved their services. Compared to other TV stations in the region, TBV ranks last on the list. It is disgusting – even at the best of times. Why do I say that?

For starters, the reception is so poor that the population of Port Vila have experienced snow on their TV screens more than they would have done so otherwise. Even on clear days, some people don’t get clear pictures. At times you are greeted with an elongated period of a blue screen – which some have referred to as the “blue screen of death”, similar to Microsoft’s blue screen of death when your PC is undergoing some internal conflict of some sort or other, then crashes anyhow.

And then you have those filthy French programs. Oh for the love of God, please when will TBV start producing its own programs???? A lot of the people who are fortunate enough to receive a good signal have to switch the box off anyhow, because almost all of the programs are in French – RFO, TV5, TNC and crap! The only decent French programs worth watching are the French-translated Latino soap operas like the current “Marina”.

Every once in a while a certain regional program is aired featuring cultural or economical developments around the Pacific. Or a documentary featuring local content is aired, but these are mostly the works of foreign video journalists. And then – almost as an apology for airing mostly French filth – some local advertisements are aired, but these are almost as crazy as the French crap itself.

And then there’s the boring ABC shows. For crying out loud, this is Vanuatu. The children’s programs being produced by ABC television are boring our kids to death and yet they put it up. Don’t the producers have brains to think up local equivalent? And those freaking Australian news updates, can’t TBV make their own research? What are they there for? Aren’t they journalists? If “In Focus” is soooooooo important for the people of Vanuatu, can’t they produce it in Bislama – giving it a local flavor and helping the grassroots to understand at least half of what those anchors are talking about?!?

Of course there are excuses to throw up – like lack of finances – well mostly that anyways. But VBTC (Vanuatu Broadcasting and Television Coorporation), the parent organization of TBV, has been in existence for long enough to pull its socks right over its ears and stop listening to the boo that’s being shovelled at them by the people who say there’s no funds. If the management and staff are serious enough, maybe they can stop giving excuses and actually WORK to make VBTC (and for that matter TBV) to provide better broadcasting services to the population. (Well actually, the population that can access the services.)

Ah but therein lies a problem. From observation, VBTC is one of those bodies that spends more money than it makes money, therefore it runs on a deficit mostly. Due to that, those who are willing to make a difference cannot make it because there is no money to fund their good intentions. It just makes one ponder on the obvious – that bodies like VBTC should hire well-qualified, well-experienced people who can manage the work AND fiscal policies of such bodies with transparency and sustainability being at the core of their yearly plans.

Let’s go crazy!

The forgotten province

The people of Torba Province, the northern most province of Vanuatu, have a common saying when asked about anything relating to government support. The response you get most often than not is; “oli fogetem mifala bageken”. What a shame!

The province consists of over 20 islands divided into two groups, the Torres Group which is almost part of Solomon islands, and the Banks Group which is just north of Santo up in Sanma province. 

There has been whispers of autonomy, but the province is not united enough to react in that direction. There have been sarcastic remarks in the Vanuatu media by the people of Torba, hinting that the government should let go of the northern province and give it up to the Solomon Islands. The government, turning a blind eye to these pleas has kept silent and not done anything.

The government representatives from these two group of islands have been flaunting themselves before heads of political parties praying that they’d be given a government portfolio – in the remote hope of helping their province. However, in the general mess of Vanuatu’s politics, they are swept away by the ever present stench of corruption and eventually flop on their promises (of a better life) to their voters. (Although this is a personal observation, time will tell.)

On average, ships travel to the northern ports (excluding the Torres group) once every two months. For the Torres Islanders, if they are lucky, they’ll see a ship twice in a year. It is that remote! They can be out of essential household goods for up to six months. And to them, it is just a way of life. They have accepted that the government of Vanuatu has forgotten about them.

Fuel prices are high, telecommunications is below standards, copras are rotting in the copra dock, medical supplies are expired and building materials are rotting to smithereens on Santo wharlves waiting to be shipped to Torba Province.

The people can’t do much to help the situation. The only real help to hem are the churches who provide mostly spiritual and medical resources to the people. The Anglican Church, under the Torba Diocese have helped the people up to now. Other faiths are getting into the Anglican stronghold including the Seventh-day Adventist Church. And although these churches are seen to be helping the people, they cannot provide compulsory services like infrastructure, economy, shipping, etc.

If the people of Torba had the means, they would have indeed rallied for autonomy a long time ago. Maybe it’s about time the governmet of the day did some serious studies in providing adequate services to the province. Then again, it might take years… it’s up to the will of God.

Devil’s havin’ a party in Vanuatu!

The devil is havin’ a partay in Vanuatu right now. Amidst the global financial crisis, the local high unemployment rate, inadequate service delivery to the 80% (majority) of the population, increased crime rate and high inflation, the government decides to pass an Employment Ammendment Act that increases the minimum wage from VT20000 to VT26000. This seems like a logical move and understandable to the average employee (and probably employer), but it doesn’t stop there. The Act was further ammended such that employees can be entitled to 2 months severance pay for every year worked. That is an increase of 400% – from the 2 weeks stated in the original Act.

Business houses and the general private sector voiced their concerns over an FM107 talk-back show (hosted by Godwin Ligo), addressing the mentioned ammendments. It appears that a lot of businesses will lay off the majority of their staff if they have to keep to the conditions of the said ammendment. An article to the Vanuatu Daily Post observed that these ammendments will be the death of Vanuatu as an economic nation. The title of this particular observer’s article was “Vanuatu closed for business.”

And then, as if that was not enough, the Prime Minister Honorable Edward Nipake Natapei declared in an emotional moment – live on national television – that “God blong mi i no failem mi yet”. The reason for this unmanly show of emotion stemmed from his government’s defeat of a motion of no trust against him – passed during parliament – one day after the Employment Ammendment Act was debated – althouth the ammemdment was not the reason for the motion (the opposition actually supported the employment ammendment act). The motion of no trust agains Hon Natapei was a continuation of two previous motions against him, claiming that the methods he used to garner the numbers to support him in his second term as Prime Minister were unconstitutional.

The motion’s predecessors did not go through due to lack of support from opposition – not enough members to get the motion through. The motion was defeated with 26 members of parliament voting against it, 24 voting for it and one member abstaining. The reason for the abstention is yet to be revealed to the members of parliament and Vanuatu as a whole.

The emotional Hon. Prime Minister declared that his God had not yet failed him, thanking those who had been praying for the motion’s defeat and Papa God. In an ironic turn of events, the leader of opposition MP Maxime Carlot Korman, speaking as the mover of the motion, said that only God would reveal the truth behind the PM’s actions – in His divine will. Hon. Korman gave his speech during inside parliament while the emotional PM thanked the same God after the motion had been defeated. 

Meanwhile, MP for Port Vila, Mr. Ralph Regenvanu has submitted a list of “written” questions to Hon. Raphael Worwor (MP for Ambrym) concerning the issue of three “cautions” launched against the government for building the much talked about Fish Processing Plant at Blacksands. The three “cautions” were raised by three different parties – implying that the land on which the fish processing plant is being built might be under dispute. Lord help us!

The women have voiced their concern over the appointment of a man to look after the department of women’s affairs. Like the chief’s wife observed in “Vot long pati ia”, a film by Wan Smolbag Theatre, “ol man i no save lukaotem kijim blong olgeta nomo… hao nao bae oli save lukaotem gavman?” or something to that effect. Prior to that, the former President of the Vanuatu National Council of Women (VNCW) (Mrs. Jenny Ligo) was in a row with the current VNCW president, Mrs Lesline Malsungai, the subject of their public grappling was some mobile phones donated to VNCW by a similar organization in China.

And on the mention of China, I winch at the thought that Vanuatu might soon be run by the Chinese governments. This country has been receiving so much aid from the Chinese that Australia is becoming restless and Taiwan is probably fuming at Vanuatu for switching allegience to the One-China policy. Indonesia is trying its best to convince Vanuatu that the Melanesian brothers (and sisters) under its rule are safe and sound. Some West Papuans under Indonesian rule are seeking refugee status in Vanuatu, after Papua New Guinea decided to send them back across the border – to certain death, said a spokesperson.

The chiefs have not issued a statement about anything yet – a sure sign that the Malvatumauri council of chiefs is on the brink of extinction. The religious observers would say that the devil is having a party in this “untouched paradise”, rated as the “happiest place on earth.” Some will be quoting texts from the Bible prophesying the fall of a nation and the world as a whole. Others will be praying for deliverance while the unbelievers will be making cynical remarks about His deliverance.

We are indeed living in the end times! Jisas, Yu kam bak hariap!

Tug of war

I had nothing to do today so I decided to upload this photo. Photo of the famous tug-of-war at Eton Beach during Easter holidays.

People holding the rope are:

Johnson Aru (Blue shirt), Isaac (White shirt), Kenny Josiah (behind Johnson, facing Isaac), Roderick Gairo (Red shirt), James Wilfred (cyan and black shirt), the lady is a mother from seaside.

If you happen to come around Port Vila in your journeys, stop over at Portoroki SDA church and meet the friendly church members.

Blessings