Fiji Needs Lasting Solutions and Compassionate Neighbours
Thakur Ranjit Singh, Waitakere City, New Zealand
If there are any lessons to be learnt from the previous coups, hurriedly-prepared elections and token changes to rules do not usher in real democracy.
As New Zealand Air Force Boeing 757 descended on Port Moresby on the night of 26 January, 2009, carrying New Zealand Prime Minister John Key to attend Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) meeting, we had hoped his first trip to the Pacific since coming to power would make a difference.
However the outcome of the PIF meeting was a big disappointment. We had expected and hoped for some change with a new bloke in control. But it appears that despite his right arm in plaster, John Key was still using the other arm to cling on to Helen Clark’s petticoat when it comes to determining his stance about Fiji.
For those of you who are unaware, New Zealand Prime Minister John Key suffered multiple arm fractures after a fall at Auckland’s Greenlane ASB Showgrounds to mark Chinese New Year on 17 January, 2009, just over 2 weeks before PIF meeting. He attributed his tripping and falling down the small flight of stairs to “…..momentary lapse in concentration, I was looking out instead of looking down."
While we are sorry to see this happen, at least some thought that there was a brighter side to this unfortunate incident - with one arm already pre-occupied, he would be less tempted to snatch at Labour’s petticoat. There are indications that National Party was still copying and pasting the non-compromising foreign policy of Labour Party and its former leader Helen Clark who is reported to be National’s de facto advisor on Fiji matters.
In my past writings, I have already enumerated the fundamental problems with Fiji, but today, the biggest problem on election issue is an unfair electoral system and arrangement that hits at the heart of democracy.
There is a need to remove the race-based politics and election and have an electoral system and process that gives same weight and importance to every vote. The current system in flawed in this respect where some provinces with only 6000 people have a seat while others with three times more people still have one seat. Fewer rural population have greater number of seats while urbanites miss out.
United Nations and internationally recognized principles of democracy dictate that each person's vote is to be of equal importance; hence Fiji’s electoral system is in breach of these. In addition, some twenty percent of voters in 2006 either did not vote because of a rigged and ineffective system with many names not on the roll or had their votes declared invalid because the system is too complicated for many to understand.
Is John Key aware of this major flaw in Fiji’s electoral system? Are other Forum leaders aware of this? Would they tolerate this in their countries?
The adage that age brings maturity was aptly displayed by the host of PIF meeting, Sir Michael Somare. Despite their economic richness and advancement, Key and Rudd were rendered mere dwarfs by the sensitivity, reason, humility, compassion and generosity flowing from this eminent person.
It is hoped Australia and New Zealand bureaucrats in the Beehive (Parliament and offices) in Wellington can teach this lesson to their leaders that I have been echoing for years now and Sir Michael summed it very aptly: “If there are any lessons to be learnt from the previous coups, hurriedly- prepared elections and token changes to rules do not usher in real democracy.”
In true Pacific way, PNG gave NZ and Australia a lesson in diplomacy, neighbourly love and maturity in pleading that the Forum owed it to the people of Fiji not to commit the same mistakes of the past. He suggested need for dialogue and realistic timelines to establish a durable democracy in Fiji. Sir Michael promised financial and logistic support, and volunteered to provide all the assistance that Fiji required to carry it towards path to a long-lasting democracy.
Sir Michael’s pronouncement should echo for a long time and reverberate in future Forum Meetings: “… Forum leadership is not about imposing our will, but about listening and extending a helping hand in ways that bring about long term solutions.”
New Zealand can continue to ignore the advice of migrants like me and others, but they need to heed the advice of their own former diplomat who suggested that a team of experts should be sent to Suva to establish the broad outlines of new constitutional requirements.
His advice to his own government was to reflect on the observation: There's only one thing worse than a coup, and that's a failed coup.
On that fateful day when John Key stumbled and fell in Auckland, he blamed it on momentary lapse in concentration as he was looking out instead of looking down.
John Key needs to learn from his experience. He once again stumbled and fell in Port Moresby and further fractured the relations that NZ Labour Party had failed to mend.
My advice to John Key is to start looking down and closely at Fiji before looking out at far away countries, to avoid future falls, like his stumble in Auckland followed by the one in Port Moresby.
He may end up being the fall guy of NZ Labour Government’s failed and non-compromising foreign policy on Fiji.
He may, hence end up copping the blame for a failed coup and the resulting dictatorship in Fiji!
(About the Author: Thakur Ranjit Singh is an Auckland-based political commentator)
[NOTE: This article was originally written in February 2009 ( before the abrogation of Fiji’s 1997 Constitution) and was given to NZ Herald perspectives for publication, but ended up in NZ Herald’s editor’s trash bin. Among others, their excuse is that my writing style does not match their style, whatever that may be.]
6 comments:
It is the removal of Batley that has caused Key to rethink their policy on Fiji. It was Batley all along who was making the neo-colonial policies (on Fiji and other Pacific islands)that the two countries have been following. This is obvious when you see that Batley was involved in getting Sogavare removed when Sogavare would not let Australia dictate to him, refusing to let RAMSI operate in the Solomons.
Also, Batley seems to be great pals with Richard Naidu. Australia wants to dictate to the small Pacific nations. The best thing Fiji did was to kick Batley out. In fact, they should have kicked him out long ago.
Yes, it was disgusting to see how Helen Clark behaved towards the Fijian govt. But Australia is the real dictator here.
Do the Aussies and Kiwis treat their cancer patients with band aids? Will a tick on a piece of paper take care of the cancer that started in 1987? This is just like saying to the neurosurgeon " Hurry up, you are taking too much time, who cares if the patient lives or dies". Perhaps the major difference between the past surgeons and the current one is that, the current one has identified the cancer and is well on track to remove it forever.
Criticisms of Batley should concern his political views and actions as they affect Fiji. It is cowardly and irrelevant to comment on his presumed personal life. Anonymous, please re-post with personal references deleted. Meanwhile, I have deleted your otherwise useful comment.
Croz, I don't mind you reposting with the offending comments deleted. I happen to think such things are relevant when hypocrisy is an individual's leitmotif. Nevertheless, I accept censure as your right when I make the cyberspace equivalent of entering your own home. It was bad manners. My apologies.
This is the lamentable quality of Australian analysis on Fiji, comments from the man Frank Bainimarama drove out of the Fiji military for trying to incite a rebellion reported without question by the ABC and Australia Network. No wonder Australia gets it so wrong on Fiji when an idiot like this gets to stare down the bleeding obvious on the taxpayer funded national broadcaster. Pathetic. Jone Baledrokadroka is a fraud, a puppet of his high chief in Naitasiri who sleeps with his sister and was one of the prime instigators of the 2000 coup, A 24 carat shyster now leaching the Australian taxpayer and posing as an independent commentator when the truth is that he cannot return to Fiji because of his military insubordination and political chicanery.
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Former military head denies softer NZ stance on Fiji
PHOTO
The former head of the Fiji military's land forces says interim Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama is the one who has changed his stance. [AFP]
Last Updated: 11 hours 13 minutes ago
The former head of the Fiji military's land forces denies New Zealand has softened its stance against Fiji.
Last week Fiji coup leader Frank Bainimarama welcomed New Zealand prime minister John Key's request for dialogue.
Mr Key revealed he was writing Commodore Bainimarama a letter asking his to start talking to New Zealand again.
He said his country is in no position to tell Fiji what to do.
Commodore Bainimarama accepted the offer only 24 hours after it was made and told Radio Tarana Fiji would like to continue dialogue with New Zealand and Australia.
He also suggested re-establishing high commissioners.
The former head of the Fiji military's land forces, Colonel Ratu Jone Baledrokadroka says it's a change of position from Suva, not Wellington.
"What else can New Zealand do except, you know, offer dialogue?" he said.
"Bainimarama, he's the one that is actually changing his stance. He's coming into dialogue. As far as Bainimarama was concerned up until this point it was all monologue."
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