PNG honours ‘Chief’ Malcolm Fraser

In this autocue age so many political leaders are ‘presenters’ rather than premiers or prime ministers and genuine leaders are as rare as philanthropic bankers.

So it was heartening yesterday to see Papua New Guinea’s High Commissioner to Australia, His Excellency Mr Charles Lepani, honour former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser for his leadership during PNG’s fledgling days as an independent nation.

Acting on behalf of his nation’s Governor-General, Mr Lepani conferred PNG’s highest honour on Mr Fraser: Grand Companion of the Order of Logohu, which carries the honorary title of Chief.

Mr Lepani explained that logohu is the Motu word for bird of paradise, PNG’s national emblem. He said the award recognised Mr Fraser’s services to PNG, particularly in its early years of independence.

Mr Lepani recalled that he was the head of his country’s planning department at independence and that his country faced a potential financial crisis as it made the transition from colonial control to national independence.

When Mr Fraser assumed the prime ministership in 1975, he was greeted by blunt advice from his Treasury: now that PNG was an independent nation, Australia should treat it as it did other nations and only give it project-based aid, rather than the budgetary support it had previously given.

This prospect caused panic in the PNG government and bureaucracy. They knew they did not have the fiscal and structural depth to withstand such a drastic change in support. The new nation would have been stillborn.

Malcolm Fraser overrode his treasury advice and maintained the budgetary support, allowing PNG time to stabiles and grow. It was a gesture that has lived long in Mr Lepani’s memory.

Speaking after the award, Mr Fraser said he was well aware of the consequences of following the hardline treasury advice. “It wasn’t the only time I rejected treasury advice in those years,” he added with a smile.

Mr Fraser called on PNG and Australia can work together to continue to be a force for good in the Pacific region.

Japan’s POW apology may shed light on Montevideo Maru mystery

It’s taken almost seven decades but yesterday Japan’s Foreign Minister, Seiji Maehara, finally apologised to a small group of former WWII prisoners of war in Tokyo for their treatment at his country’s hands while they were in captivity.

 The long-awaited mea-culpa will give some measure of closure to the dwindling band of surviving veterans who endured and it heightens the prospect of securing Japanese Government assistance in finally solving the 69-year-old mystery of who was aboard the Montevideo Maru, which had its holds chock full of Australian Diggers from Lark Force and civilians when it was unwittingly sunk by an American submarine in 1942.

The Australian POWs who received the apology showed superhuman forgiveness in accepting it. One Thai-Burma Railway survivor, Harold Ramsey, 89, said he believed the apology was “sincere”. Prior to meeting the Japanese Foreign Minister, Mr Ramsey had said: “If you go through life full of hate, the only person you hurt is yourself.”

At the meeting, Mr Maehara also said that Japan would return to Australia historical records of former Australian POWs held by Japan during World War II. Ironically, these records – believed to be an extensive set of index cards - were originally offered to Australia by the Japanese Government in 1953. The Australian Government of the day chose not to take up the offer, saying it did not believe that they would not contain any new information.

On the contrary the Rabaul and Montevideo Maru Society has been asking the Australian Government to intercede with the Japanese Government to seek access to the records because it believes it may unlock the mystery of the fate of the POWs and civilians who perished on the Montevideo Maru.

Australian War Memorial Wins Funding Battle

The Federal Government has bowed to community pressure and committed to an additional $8 million a year funding boost for the Australian War Memorial.

 The decision follows a year-long public campaign by AWM supporters, including Council Chairman, General Peter Cosgrove, who last month said the hallowed institution faced “inexorable decline” and would be forced to close one day a week, cut staff numbers and reduce Anzac Day commemorations.

Prime Minister Gillard announced the funding increase today. It included a one-off payment of $1.7m for the redevelopment of the memorial's WWI galleries and would be in addition to the memorial's regular annual funding of around $38m.

Ms Gillard conceded that the AWM had been forced to dip into capital reserves to pay for daily running costs.

"The new funding will ensure the memorial can adequately respond to increased demands for these events as well as supporting general inquiries, multimedia and educational programs, research centre services and professional historical advice," she said.

AWM director, Steve Gower, only found out about the additional funding this morning. He said it would prevent staff layoffs and would be applied towards the return of open days, exhibition upgrades and more stands for veterans on Anzac day.

It would also mean that at least 20 AWM staff would now keep their jobs.

"I think everyone's aware that cuts in staff were projected over the next few years. So that won't occur,'' he said. "We can have more public activities, plaque dedication programs for units, more activities in the galleries to attract people we want to engage.”

So, once again it took concerted community pressure and potential public embarrassment before the government faced up to its responsibility to adequately fund one of the nation’s most respected institutions.