Last week, the Pacific island state played host to the leaders of the Group of 77.

It was almost like Penang in the early 70s.

The sea was green-blue in the distance but crystal clear near the shore, the beach was pure white, and bright stars filled the clear sky at night.

On the road along the Coral Coast to the nearest small town there was hardly any traffic – quite like the small winding road in Penang’s northern coast to Batu Ferringhi, before the coming of the high-rise apartment blocks and the big hotels.

The people have a natural charm and a warmth that says they are happy with their beautiful environment and simple way of life.

“Bula” is the hearty word of welcome they proclaim, their version of our Selamat Datang.

Natadola in Fiji was the wonderful tropical beach venue for a brainstorming meeting last week of a small group of leaders and thinkers about how developing countries can cooperate among themselves in the future.

Why in Fiji? Because for the first time a South Pacific island state was elected to be leader of the Group of 77, the alliance of over 130 developing countries that operate in the United Nations and beyond.

Its government decided to host “eminent personalities of the South” to reflect on the state of the developing world and on South-South cooperation.

The theme may not be original, but the personalities discussing it were colourful, most of them being presidents or prime ministers, and mainly from the South Pacific island countries.

The host, Fiji’s Prime Minister Josaia Bainimarama, dressed informally in a batik shirt and sulu (similar to a knee-length sarong), gave the rationale for the meeting.

“The past decade has seen the decline of North-South cooperation.

“Negotiations in trade, environment, and funding of development have stalled, and the rich countries are attempting to modify the principles of development cooperation and their commitments to it.

“But meanwhile, there has been unprecendented growth in developing countries, and new dynamism in South-South cooperation through tr­a­de, finance, technology and sha­red ma­nagement of natural resources.

“The time has thus come to rethink existing development patterns, and realise the full potential of South-South cooperation,” he said.

The chief guest, Bolivia’s President Evo Morales, said he is the first Bolivian leader to visit the South Pacific and wanted to share his experiences from the other side of the Pacific.

Morales is the first indigenous person to become a recent leader of a South American country and his pa­ssionate speech made a deep im­p­ression.

He spoke about the respect for humanity and life, and the importance of reclaiming land and natural resources for the nation.

Bolivia did this through some nationalisation of oil resources and the re-negotiation of contracts with foreign companies in order to get a bigger share of revenues.

The greatly increased revenues were used to fund social development, enabling poverty and child mortality to decline.

Bolivia has ensured that the poor have access to essential services like water, electricity and health care.

For Morales, these services are human rights that the government must provide and should not be privatised, a message he wants to share with the South.

He criticised the failed model of the North, where finance and banks were given priority over people’s interests, and called for the South to collectively seek new pathways in which people are given the priority.

Morales’ focus on getting the most out of resources resonated with the Pacific island leaders, whose countries are also resource-dependent.

Kiribati’s President Anote Tong spoke about how the region’s fishery resources were so exploited that it obtained only 5% of the revenues.

“Developed countries consume far more than their fair share of the world’s depleting resources.

“There is a need for fair allocation, and this is made more acute by the threat of climate change.

“There is a need to address the ownership, rationalise the rights and use of resources – the South should form alliances to find solutions,” he said.

Prime Minister Gordon Darcy Lilo of the Solomon Islands said the South was the source of raw materials used in the North, but developing countries do not have power over the prices and revenues that they receive.

Leonel Fernandez, the former Pre­sident of the Dominican Republic, referring to Morales’ policies, said there has been a change from the old paradigm that the markets can regulate themselves.

Instead, an alternative model is developing in which social policies are in the centre and governments ensure that there is a balance between the state and the market.

With the North in decline, South-South cooperation is now more important.

Fernandez highlighted the role of speculators as a new element, causing high volatility of commo­di­ty pri­ces – an issue that the South should collectively address.

The Prime Minister of Vanuatu, Moana Carcasses Kalosil, called for an even more fundamental change – that of lifestyles.

China’s special envoy to the Pacific Islands Li Qiangmin said South-South cooperation was different from North-South aid as the South-South relations are based on equity and mutual benefit.

The meeting concluded with the adoption of a formal document giving proposals on how to advance South-South cooperation but it was the free flow of ideas and reflections of colourful leaders that made the lasting impressions.

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