The key ethical and governing issues, which can be identified from Vanuatu’s Broken Dream video mainly revolved around tourists’ negligence towards the locals of Vanuatu. It was expected that the cruise ships, which were visiting the island should have been beneficial for the local residents but it is not actually the reality. On ethical grounds, it can be hoped that the emergence of tourists in the island might allow free flow of dollars but the truth was not as shiny as it seemed.
Pacific islands are mostly dependent on tourism and they look forward to the entry of tourists as they might be bestowed with ample resources (Dinnen and Walton 2016). This particular video is based on the confused people of Wala in Vanuatu who have no clue where the large amount of dollars is moving. Thousands of dollars are taken as a landing fee but the islanders did not get a glimpse of those. Dateline took the responsibility of enquiring the islanders about the little benefits and the facilities meant for the tourists are remaining restricted to them.
Peter George was responsible for collecting information on behalf of Dateline and focused on the role played by the politicians of the countries in neglecting the islanders. The irony was that the politicians experienced a life of total luxury but the locals of the island led their life in poverty. Corruption was considered as a major ethical and governing issue in this regard. However, it was required to counter corruption and the fight has begun. The struggle to combat corruption was getting popular but there is a question lurking around the corner of this issue (Forsyth and Batley 2016). Will the locals be able to win the battle of turning the economy in their favor?
Peter George took a recent voyage in a cruise to find out about the issues that are faced by the local islanders. On his trip, he found out that the emergence of foreign cruise is a routine activity in the Pacific islands but that does not change the routine life of the local residents. According to the video, the Prime Minister has also mentioned that corruption in the tourism industry is beyond control. This video has considered the situation of Vanuatu where there are numerous visitors coming to the island. When PO started sailing to the island, it seemed that a gold mine has opened for the islanders (Forsyth 2015).
It was the right of the Wala inhabitants to get the major share of the landing and anchoring charge, which would amount to thousands of dollars. They were supposed to make money from selling souvenirs and trinkets and the most popular intoxicating brew in the entire pacific region. PO was an exceptional case as it had contributed more than $800,000 for the benefits of the local people (Rose-Ackerman and Palifka 2016). This amount was meant for enhancing the facilities of the people of Wala and other two islands that are visited by PO.
PO was not an exception that acted ethically for the benefits of the islanders. Wala had experienced the advantages in the form of cyclone- proof public toilet block with the provision of running water and septic system mainly for the tourists. However, the facilities were not meant for the local inhabitants and they were used by the visitors only. The money earned from the tourists were not utilized properly from the initial days and the only development was in the form of providing basic water facility. Their dreams of living a privileged life have shattered with the incoming of foreign dollars (Nimbtik 2016).
The chief of different communities residing in the island should be responsible for rectifying the issues. This is because they are accountable for providing a better livelihood to the islanders. As there is no specific person for using the money, therefore the individual chief of communities must come together for this holistic approach. The community chiefs must take the initiative for providing sufficient space to the residents but they seemed very casual about it. For instance, one of the individuals mentioned that he has to stay in a tiny room with his entire family including two sons and nine grandchildren.
Moreover, the individuals of the community should be united to protest against this corruption. They should complain about the negligence and ill treatment that they are facing. They should draw the attention of the chiefs towards misuse of the foreign dollars offered by the tourists. The chief of the community should escalate the issue to the local governing body for taking proper action. On the contrary, the condition of corruption was so worse that the Prime Minister was also unable to take any action even after being aware of the same. It is unlikely that the political body will be interested in coming up with any kind of probable solution.
On a final consideration, the NGOs working for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders community can be approached for looking into this severe issue. They will be the appropriate persons, as they will not be biased while coming up with a solution to this issue. Being a non- profitable organization, there is minimum scope of falling into the chain of corruption, which is most likely on the top hierarchy of politics. They will be suitable for providing the islanders with the adequate basic amenities of daily life by finding a resolution to corruption.
There were different ways by which the government of Vanuatu and Australia could have taken a step forward against corruption but they seemed to be very careless about the issue. The primary reason behind this is that most of the politicians were involved in the trap of corruption. The foreign dollars that were earned from the visitors resulted in providing a luxurious life to them whereas the poor and the helpless continued to live in poverty. Dateline has taken up a unique approach to bring this issue into limelight for a probable solution (Walton and Dinnen 2016).
The government could have stopped corruption by implementing legal policies. As the Prime Minister was aware of the persisting corruption in the country, then he could warn and impose penalty on his ministers if anyone was caught for being corrupted. At this point, the behavior of the government was extremely unethical and they did not do their work on a moral ground. Neither did they take any step to improve the life of the islanders nor did they let the foreign dollars do any good. They were extremely selfish in consuming the resources by themselves rather than bestowing the distressed people with those.
The demands of the islanders were not something that was unable to achieve. They had only wanted those facilities, which were provided to the tourists. It was justified on their part as the tourists were only seasonal visitors but the local people had to stay there for 365 days. The government could easily build a proper infrastructure for providing the residents with a healthy and hygienic life. They could probe into the matter of corruption to find out its roots and pluck in the basic level. Total negligence and carelessness of the government was responsible for the unwanted growth of this issue (van Trease 2017).
This negligence issue can be avoided in the future by employing ethical people on the resolution of this matter. It needs to be ensured that they act on a moral ground with the intention of improving the life of the unfortunate people. There should be a change in the political system in a good and positive manner. The higher authorities need to understand that there is no one apart from them who will help the islanders. There should be an end to the traditional culture of corruption, which can be done only with the improved mentality of the governing bodies.
It can be further recommended that an NGO should immediately be given the charge of looking after the welfare of this island. It will be effective as NGOs have a particular way of working and reaching out to the poorer sections of the society. With their innovative approach, they will be able to find out the real cause as well as find an effective solution to avoid future issues. The islanders will feel free to open up in front of the NGO people rather than complaining to the governing bodies.
It is not possible to eradicate corruption from every nook and corner but it can be suggested that one small step towards a brighter future is always considered as a fresh beginning. Punishment and penalty should be incorporated in every sector so that the corrupted people get scared to commit such crime in the future. The politicians should remove their election winning strategies and think of efficient remedies to help the unfortunate people of Wala.
References
Dinnen, S. and Walton, G., 2016. Politics, organised crime and corruption in the Pacific. Australian National University.
Forsyth, M. and Batley, J., 2016. What the Political Corruption Scandal of 2015 Reveals about Checks and Balances in Vanuatu Governance. The Journal of Pacific History, 51(3), pp.255-277.
Forsyth, M., 2015. ‘Fourteen Jailed’: Politics and Justice in Vanuatu.
Forsyth, M., 2015. Understanding judicial independence in Vanuatu. Australian National University.
Nimbtik, G., 2016. “Worlds in Collision”: an inquiry into the sources of corruption within Vanuatu government and society.
Rose-Ackerman, S. and Palifka, B.J., 2016. Corruption and government: Causes, consequences, and reform. Cambridge university press.
van Trease, H., 2017. Vanuatu. The Contemporary Pacific, 29(2), pp.361-373.
Walton, G. and Dinnen, S., 2016. The dark side of economic globalisation: politics, organised crime and corruption in the Pacific.
Essay Writing Service Features
Our Experience
No matter how complex your assignment is, we can find the right professional for your specific task. Contact Essay is an essay writing company that hires only the smartest minds to help you with your projects. Our expertise allows us to provide students with high-quality academic writing, editing & proofreading services.
Free Features
Free revision policy
$10Free bibliography & reference
$8Free title page
$8Free formatting
$8How Our Essay Writing Service Works
First, you will need to complete an order form. It's not difficult but, in case there is anything you find not to be clear, you may always call us so that we can guide you through it. On the order form, you will need to include some basic information concerning your order: subject, topic, number of pages, etc. We also encourage our clients to upload any relevant information or sources that will help.
Complete the order form
Once we have all the information and instructions that we need, we select the most suitable writer for your assignment. While everything seems to be clear, the writer, who has complete knowledge of the subject, may need clarification from you. It is at that point that you would receive a call or email from us.
Writer’s assignment
As soon as the writer has finished, it will be delivered both to the website and to your email address so that you will not miss it. If your deadline is close at hand, we will place a call to you to make sure that you receive the paper on time.
Completing the order and download