To whale or Not to whale

Offensive Allegations - David Stevenson, Nuku‘alofa, Tonga
Editor,

It is unfortunate that M. Havea chooses to reinforce the offensive allegations that more than two dozen small island and developing nations voted in favour of the sustainable use of the world's whale resources at the recent IWC meeting in St. Kitts and Nevis because of financial incentives from Japan.

Is it not enough that these nations have to suffer the annual economic threats of tourism boycotts without accusing them of perpetual corruption as well? Have we lost sight of the possibility that these nations vote the way they do each year because they actually believe in the principle of sustainable use?

People in two of the Caribbean nations accused of taking bribes (St Vincent and the Grenadines and St Lucia) actually consume cetaceans themselves, just as some people in the Solomon Islands consume small cetaceans on a sustainable basis.

Havea also commends Tonga's delegates to the IWC for refraining from taking the alleged bribes. In fact, Tonga is not a member of the IWC, and thus does not get a vote.

It would be a wonderful day when the peoples of the world's island and developing nations can support each other without repeating the offensive allegations made by powerful self-interested NGO groups based in developed western nations.

David Stevenson

Allegations - M. Havea, Honiara, Solomon Islands
sincerely apologise for mistakenly thinking that Tonga is a member of the IWC and that it had the ability to vote in the recent meetings. As Whale watching is a growing and profitable industry, I incorrectly assumed that Tonga was involved in the IWC and to have a say in the fate of these magnificent animals.

Stevenson, the point of my letter is that two Ministers of Fisheries and Marine Resources from the Solomon Islands have been sent to the IWC meeting with clear directions from Cabinet ‘to abstain from voting’. Mr Paul Maenu last year disobeyed that directive, voted with the pro-whaling faction and was subsequently sacked from his post as a result. This year, Mr Nollen Leni was also given the same instruction from Parliament to abstain, however, in the last round of voting, he too voted with the pro-whaling nations.

Why would a government minister go against the direct orders of his Prime Minister and Cabinet knowing full well that he is acting against his country’s best interest as determined by his Prime Minister and Government, and disobey in such a public and controversial manner?

I don’t know but maybe you can have a shot at letting us know, why.

Thank you

M. Havea