Forum fest fizzles out (again)
-Little evidence of bang for bucks
-Forum concept past its use by date, new structure needed

The 2011 Pacific Forum Leaders meeting in Auckland this week ended with a whimper not a bang.
The only real bang came from the World Rugby Cup fireworks preceding the opening game between the All Blacks and Tonga where more than $9 million in gunpowder went off in about 10 minutes.
Lobbyist groups like Civil Societies and various NGOs looking for commitment to contentious issues and to voice their concerns directly with Leaders, will have been disappointed. They did not make it to the top table and were shut out.
Where were the bold, innovative, cutting edge decisions? What about the Fiji crisis? Where was the agreement from the major nations to remove the stranglehold on climate change funds so Tokelau, Kiribas and Tuvalu can die with dignity? Why must our brother Tahiti Nui endure more of the French colonial boot when that nation was responsible for giving the world liberty, equality and fraternity? Women make up over half the Pacific peoples but where was the commitment to their issues? Where was the roadmap to sustainable economic development?
As with these meetings, the final communiqué shows at best a commitment to consider the contentious issues further at the next get-together.
Even Barroso, the EC President joined in the feast of delivering warm, fuzzy assurances. Instead of bringing Tuvalu and Kiribas some good news about removing the mass of red tape entangling the climate change funding process, he urges them to “keep talking. “
For these poor nations, the end is perhaps inevitable. They may be past the point of no return already.
Now the latest talk from the Kiribas leader is about creating artificial islands. He says he would prefer some of the under unoccupied islands in NZ and Australia. It gives the impression major nations don’t want thousands of new immigrants.
American President Obama, facing looming elections plans to double US exports to the Pacific in five years to help provide more jobs in America. How does increased imports help Pacific nations? Surely the idea is to accept more exports from Pacific nations so their people have jobs and do not migrate.

Perhaps what this latest leader’s get together shows, is that this Forum concept may be past its “use-by-date.”
The world has changed, attitudes have changed, so the Leader’s Forum needs to change if no real changes are being achieved.
Perhaps the time has come to consider a new concept like a “Pacific Parliament” or “Pacific Commission” or “Pacific Union.”
Melanesia has its Melanesian Spearhead Group. Perhaps Polynesia and Micronesia should consider something similar.
Perhaps the first Pacific Parliament could be established in New Caledonia based loosely on the EU model with a Pacific Commission (similar to the European Commission) based in either Palau or Samoa.
A sub regional group, a Polynesian Forum could be based in Rarotonga.

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