The Government Ad Hoc Committee for the proposed $35 billion International Airport Project on Efate has welcomed the Vaturisu Council of Chiefs’ confirmation that its 10th conference in Pango Village this week, has officially approved of the project to be built on Efate.

The main reason is that essential infrastructure including water, electricity, roads, telecommunication system and hotel rooms are already in place on Efate.

Ad Hoc Committee Acting Chairman, MP Joe Natuman, explains that the new airport document is still confidential until approved by Parliament and that any issues with land will be dealt with strictly between the Government and the Singaporean company.

The Acting Chairman says it is clear from the document that the land will be compulsorily acquired and a 50-year lease handed over to the company.

“The Ad Hoc Committee does not go into detail on land matters surrounding the proposed airport site so it may become necessary for the Vaturisu to discuss any issues that it has with the Government at a time of its choice,” he says.

Chairman of Vaturisu Land Reform Commission, Levi Tarosa replies: “The Vaturisu has resolved for the new airport to be located on Efate and the next question is; okay the airport will be built on Efate but will the landowners and their chiefs reap the financial benefits for the use of their lands? Will they have access to direct financial benefits for their lands?

“The Commission’s fear is that compulsory acquisition of the land by the Government then transferring it to a private company to own for the next 50 years may result in obstacles because landowners may not go along with such an arrangement between the Government and the private company”.

Chairman of South Efate Council of Chiefs Chief Andrew Kalpoilep says if one of the potential new airport sites at Eton is accepted, the concern is who is going to be responsible for any (aircraft) accident in the communities surrounding the airport?

Once the company is ready with the money, one of the conditions is that the $35 billion must be transferred to a local bank in Port Vila and it must be clean money and not dirty money. The conditions must be satisfied before work can proceed. But the suitable site for the airport must be approved of by the company.

MP Alfred Carlot says the Ad Hoc Committee has seven members comprised of four Government MPs and three Opposition MPs. The Chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee is MP Robert Bohn (who is absent from the meeting).

“Let me assure this meeting that even though we come from two different camps, we work as a solid team in the best interest of the country. What the Government wants is an international airport and the focus is on the proposed site in the South East of Efate (in the Eton area),” MP Carlot says.

“We have consulted with technical persons and the two main obstacles in the area are cross-winds and swamps while they point out that Pekoa is the most suitable site except that it lacks the essential infrastructure which is in line with Vaturisu’s approval for it to be built on Efate. Even the Prime Minister is also of the same opinion.”

The Government wants the Ad Hoc Committee to report back on its findings on June 13 while any issues to do with land will be dealt with by the Government.

MP Carlot suggests for the Government Task Force on the new airport project to consider going down to the communities to listen to their views on it.

Ad Hoc Committee Opposition MP Charlot Salwai says, what the chiefs of Efate need to look closely at is how they plan to deal with the impacts of economic prosperity whereby one million tourists are likely to arrive by air every year to stay for more than one night.

“Tourists who arrive by boat for one day then leave again, arrive with their pockets already broken because they have already visited other countries so they spend their loose coins while here. But we are going for those visitors who arrive their pockets still filled with money to spend over many days during their stay in our hotels and bungalows while they go out to buy our products,” MP Salwai says.

“Chiefs, you are in charge of our customs and culture and what are you going to do and how are you going to help our people to cope with potential negative impacts of foreign influence on our young people?

“How are you going to help our people to continue to maintain our unique smiling faces while also practising our custom dances and songs and languages?”

Government member MP Silas Yatan says as an MP from Tafea Province, economic development down South depends on economic development at the ‘gateway’ which is Efate. “My people therefore depend on Efate and a new international airport here will also benefit my people in the South. Efate’s economic prosperity is Tafea’s economic prosperity also”.

With the Government’s major economic development projects currently in the pipeline to be built on Efate, which includes the proposed International Airport, Wharf Project on Lelepa and Fish Processing Plant (which has already been built at Black Sands) and others, the Vaturisu Council of Chiefs knows it has a huge challenge on its shoulder to plan ahead how to deal with the impacts of those projects on its people and communities.