SYDNEY, Australia – The Pacific Islands’ main regional body is on the verge of collapse after a dispute over the election of a new leader prompted the nation of Palau to abandon the organization and announce the withdrawal of its embassy from Fiji.
Other Micronesian countries may follow Palau from the group, the Pacific Islands Forum, which could be hampering momentum in tackling climate change. The forum has long been the region’s megaphone, crying out for action on the world stage, as those who live on hundreds of islands are engulfed by rising seas and ravaged by more catastrophic storms.
“They’ve said in the past that the relationship in the Pacific is unique – it’s like a family,” said Jonathan Pryke, the director of the Pacific Islands Program at the Lowy Institute, an independent think tank in Sydney. “To make a family member leave altogether is just a really bad sign.”
The forum was established in 1971 as a representative body for the South Pacific, and expanded to include the North Pacific in 1999, and divisions within the 18-nation organization (now 17 and smaller) are not uncommon. Fiji was expelled from the group after a 2009 coup and returned in 2015. Six years ago, a dispute over who would lead the group as Secretary General was only resolved after a walk and long conversation with a handful of influential leaders.
But this year, that was not possible due to the pandemic. Covid kept the Pacific family apart: the annual forum was held above Zoom, and the dozens of face-to-face meetings that usually preceded the meeting did not take place.
Mr Pryke said lack of connection seemed to have contributed to the explosion of long simmering frustrations.
In general, the countries of Micronesia in the North Pacific – with smaller populations and economies – have complained of being sidelined by the larger countries of the south, including Fiji, New Zealand and Australia.
To help that, the forum developed a tradition of rotating the position of the Secretary General among leaders from Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia.
This week, that protocol broke down into a heated free-for-all.
A flurry of candidates emerged in the early votes, and in Thursday’s last election, a former Cook Islands Prime Minister, Henry Puna, was elevated to the role of Secretary General. In simple terms, it was Micronesia’s turn, but its candidate, Gerald Zackios, the Marshall Islands’ ambassador to the United States, lost the last count by one vote.
Publicly, the forum said its decision was motivated by strong support for Mr Puna.
Surangel Whipps Jr., the president of Palau, described the result as an act of disrespect.
“The process regarding the appointment of the Secretary General has made it clear to the Republic of Palau that unity, regionalism and the ‘Pacific Way’ no longer lead the forum,” he said.
Mr. Pryke of the Lowy Institute called the absence of consensus “a step backwards” for the group at a time when unity is particularly important.
“The Pacific is facing major existential crises, the most important of which is climate change,” he said. “They have been outspoken advocates worldwide, far beyond their size and stature, and that’s largely because of the unity you see in the Pacific – which seems to be diminishing rapidly.”