SECTION B - ESSAY QUESTION (15 Marks)

Conflict in the Pacific Islands Forum: Five Micronesian countries threatened to leave.

The five Micronesian member states of the Pacific Island Forum have decided to quit the organisation in response to the appointment of a Cook Islander as the new Secretary General.

The presidents of Nauru, the Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands and Palau issued a joint communique, saying they agree to start to initiate the formal process of leaving the Forum.

The leaders collectively expressed disappointment with the appointment process, which overlooked the Micronesian candidate Gerald Zackios.

They say a gentleman's agreement to rotate the Forum's top position among Polynesia, Micronesia and Melanesia was not honoured when a majority of Forum leaders chose Henry Puna of the Cook Islands.

The membership was clearly divided on the matter last year as some Polynesian and Melanesian countries put forward candidates, despite an understanding that it should be Micronesia's turn at the post.

Micronesian leaders first threatened to leave the Forum over the matter months ago

Their departure reduces the Forum to 12 members, all of them in the South Pacific.

'Regrettable'

New Zealand's foreign minister Nanaia Mahuta attended last week's Forum Leaders meeting where she said they were aware the sub-regional group felt strongly about their nominated candidate getting the secretary general's post.

Holding the long-delayed Forum Leaders summit via online video conferencing made for a different kind of meeting to which the regional body is accustomed.Consensus on the appointment of a new secretary-general to succeed Papua New Guinea's Dame Meg Taylor could not be reached by usual discussion.

But Mahuta said she believed the voting process was geared towards getting consensus on the best person for the role.

According to her, it was not until after the meeting that it became evident Micronesian leaders were intent on leaving the Forum altogether.

"It's regrettable that the Micronesian states have signalled that they intend to pull away.

"I expect that there'll be a high level of conversation amongst leaders to see whether or not we can work to bring everybody into the regional collaboration through the PIF."

Meanwhile, Palau's president Surangel Whipps Jr, who was the first to declare his country was leaving the Forum last week, said the Micronesian leaders' joint decision to leave was a show of unity and solidarity that the rest of the Pacific could learn from.

Question 1(15%)

The Case study is about the recent impasse between the Micronesian countries (Palau, FSM, Marshall Is, Nauru and Kiribati) and the rest of the Pacific Islands Forum members, over the election for the General Secretary, Henry Puna from Cook Is. This resulted in the Micronesian block threatening to exit being members of the PIF.

Assuming you have been appointed as the envoy of the PIF to solve this conflict. Using your knowledge on "Conflict Management Style" (Chapter 14 Communication and interpersonal skills) .Write an essay of2 to 2.5 pages of how you will solve the problem using any of the 5 Conflict Management Styles. Justify your answers. Use information on the case study as background information, and also do some research on this issue to back you with some evidence to support your arguments.