Short Briefs Monday 8.2.10

NZ has put some conditions to Fiji before finalizing the appointment of Councillors.

Foreign Minister Inoke Kubuabola described the talks as constructive, mutually beneficial, and another step, towards restoring starved diplomatic relations.He said a change in climate on diplomatic relations is on the cards.

Steve Ratuva suggests "innovative diplomacy."

Peter Thomson has been confirmed as Fiji's permanent representative at the UN. Click link for short biography.

The Fiji Live poll on whether NZ should continue sanctions while trying to improve diplomatic relations remains constant with 72% saying No.

Following on from Government's ban on its monthly and divisional meetings, the Methodist Church has urged members to comply with the law. PM Bainimarama says Government is still watching seven ministers he claims are backed by corrupt politicians.

The Ministry of Works has started work on reforms to comply with Government instructions to improve efficiency.

Seventeen new lawyers have been admitted to the bar. Chief Justice Anthony Gates urged them to treat their clients equally, no matter what their social station.

PM Bainimarama has been accepting and then returning tabua (whale's tooth) at recent traditional ceremonies. Civil servants who have received tabua as part of their job have been told to follow suit.

Following the confiscation of tabua from Suva pawn shops, the  Department of Environment has ordered that anyone wanting to sell tabua should register to do so, setting the fee at $1,050.

LandForce Commander BrigGen Pita Driti has announced that 90 Fiji soldiers for the next UN mission will leave for Iraq next month. They will be responsible for guarding UN personnel in Baghdad, which they have been doing since 2006.

The Citizen's Constitution Forum quarterly newsletter Tutaka Online, Vol 4, Jan 2010 can be downloaded by clicking this MediaFire link. It contains several items on recently declared Decrees.

Qarase's Philosophy Supported the 2000 Coup. Click here for Subhash Appana's article in the Auckland-published Indian Weekender.

The Government Information and Referral Centre opened last July in downtown Suva to provide better access for the public to government information, services and departments has so far answered 1,000 enquiries.

Sunday Feature: An Insider's View from the Outside

Nesian is a pseudonym for a moderate, Fiji-born, part-Fijian,Hindi-speaking, sky-blue passport-carrying, former Fiji-resident. An Insider's View From the Outside is the result of years spent thinking about all that has happened since the 2000 coup.   Photo: Earth from space. Oakfieldmedia.com.

Defining Moment

IN the lead-up to the 1999 elections, I was part of a tour into the heart of the then Fiji Intelligence Service headquarters in Berkley Crescent.

Outside, we walked past officers undergoing martial arts training under the guidance of Major Dong Jin Kim.

The centre of the room where the National Security Council met was dominated by a sizeable round table. There were chairs for the members of the council: the Prime Minister (Sitiveni Rabuka) and Minister for Home Affairs, the Commander of the Fiji Military Forces (Ratu Epeli Ganilau), the head of FIS, and others I can’t now recall.

Heavy light green curtains lined the walls of the room and one of these had been drawn aside, perhaps for the benefit of the visitors, to reveal photos of various weapons that were still missing from the 1987 illicit arms shipments.

A curtain on another wall had inadvertently slipped open. The resulting crack revealed a map of Fiji, and highlighted on the map were Fiji Labour Party campaign meeting details, the party’s strongholds and the names of party members.

The campaign that spawned May 19, 2000 was in motion.

P.S. No suggestion is made that those named were part of the "campaign that spawned the 2000 Coup" but what was seen on the wall certainly suggests some FIS involvement in the 1999 election. The FIS was disbanded when Chaudhry's FLP won the election, only to be ousted one year later by the Speight-fronted coup. Photo: Earth from Space.

Wellington Sevens

Fiji wins! An exciting game.  Samoa was so very close. Congratulations to both teams.

Lockington's Everyday Fiji ... Life Goes On

Allen Lockington is a self-employed customs agent and business consultant who has regular articles published in www.connectme.com.fj/news/opinion. I thank Allen and Connect for permission to reprint some of them in this political blog. They remind us that life goes on, whatever the political situation. And it's good to know that.

Water Issues

Most parts of Lautoka get water from around 5 to 9 am then it comes on again around 4 pm and is turned off again at 8 pm. In a day we get 8 hours of water. In a day we get only 8 hours of water. We store water for cooking, drinking, and sanitary purposes. Our home looks like a water bottling factory. If we have a family function we either request the water authority to bring a tank of water or just made do with what is available and the garden. Yuck.

Many people have said that with the new water authority things will get better. But where will they get the water from if there is no rain? And with the increase in city population resources will be affected. Not to mention the leaking old pipes

However, I hope the authority can adopt FEAs policy on billing. When a consumer vacates and moves to a new home and goes to get the meter registered in his name they should be asked to produce the bill for their last residence and any outstanding monies are transferred to the new account. Many times landlords or new tenants have their water meter cut because of outstanding bill incurred by former tenants. The new water authority doesn’t need to reinvent the wheel - FEA has a full proof method of collection.

I have one question – will the water problem be ever solved?

(o) Assassination Plot Trial

The most dramatic news from Suva this week is the start of the High Court trial of Naitasiri High Chief Qaranivalu Ratu Inoke Takiveikata (photo) and seven others charged with plotting the assassination of PM Bainimarama, Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum Khaiyum and former PM and at the time Minister of Finance Mahendra Chaudhry in 2007.

The other accused are Feoko Gadekibau, Barbados  Mills, Sivaniolo Naulago, Metuisela Mua, Eparama Waqatairewa, Kaminieli Vosavere and Pauliasi Ramulo. Fiji-born NZ businessman Ballu Khan who was arrested, beaten and deported a year ago, is implicated but not charged.

State Counsel, David Toganivalu, asked the then head of Military Intelligence Unit, Major Isireli Narawa, about his first meeting with Ratu Inoke.  He said he met the first accused, Ratu Inoke, at the Sofitel Resort in Nadi in 2007 where the plans to assassinate the commander were made known to him. The Major told the Qaranivalu he did not want Ballu Khan at the meeting, and this was agreed.

Ratu Inoke said the plotters had the backing of the vanua, a number of [Methodist?] churches in Kinoya, Nabua and Cunningham (Greater Suva) had been organised to carry out a rally on the day of the assassination, and an interim administration had been planned. "We basically need to get the prime minister out, to kill him," he was told.

Major Narawa said the military first heard rumours of an assassination plot around February-March 2007, and in a bid to draw out elements planning the assassination, had "released intelligence officer Lance Corporal Peniasi Kuli into the community to gather information undercover."

Kuli, the first State witness, had told the court he posed as a disgruntled senior army officer, willing to support the removal of Bainimarama, when he has first visited Ratu Inoke in a Nadi hotel room on 24 October 2007. He gave the chief his support and an assurance that “he could arrange for the entry of the assassination team into the army barracks on the execution day to carry out the plan”.

Major Narawa said he informed Bainimarama and the Police Commissioner the following day about the situation and the matter was referred to the Military Council. The police were not informed at that time because the military were unsure of the loyalty of the Police Special Branch and Police CID unit.

Further evidence was given by Lance Corp. Kuli that former Fiji nationalist politician Apisai Tora would supply the weapons. Defence counsel Iqbal Khan asked Kuli where he got this information, and Kuli said that he heard it from one of the accused. Khan then questioned Kuli about his statement to the Police on the 11th of September, 2007 that one of the accused Barbadoes Mills and businessman Ballu Khan would provide the explosives/ Kuli said it was another accused, Sivaniolo Naulago, who had told him about the explosives, and that he had a "dry run" of the plan at a training session with four other men at Wailase in Naitasiri. Altogether he had attended 14 meetings with the accused to plan the assassination.

Major Narawa said that Ratu Inoke told him that former politician Peceli Rinakama was out in the highlands gathering ex-military personnel for the cause, and that money had been sent to New Zealand to purchase the arms and weapons.

Ratu Inoke also told Major Narawa he had the support of the international embassies including NZ, Australia, USA and the British embassies and Ratu Inoke alleged that the Australian Embassy had given $1 million to kick-start the economy if something happens. Fiji Live wrongly reported the sum as one billion dollars. Major Narawa said Commodore Bainimarama, the then Chief of Staff, Colonel Samuela Saumatua and the Commissioner of Police, Commodore Esala Teleni were briefed on the plan by him. 

The trial continues on Monday. Photo: FijiLive.

With reluctance but in fairness, I have accepted the advice of several readers not to publish comments while the trial  is still in progress. Comments already published have been deleted.

(-) Fiji and the The Epoch

Military Ruler Tests the Boundaries

I'm forever amazed at where news on Fiji turns up, and what it too often says. Reporter Julia Huang in NY-based The Epoch made at least eight errors or unsupportable statements in her recent report.
1. The military is planning to oversee any newly elected government. Could be, but only by keeping government to the Constitution.
2. Bainimarama has exiled many of his critics. A small number of foreigners and Fiji-born critics who have renounced their Fiji citizenship have been deported or refused entry. But exiled and not many.
3. He intends to draft a new constitution. Along with many others!
4. Regions opposed to Bainimarama have been forced to apology. Fijian custom, no force, and one or two tikina (districts) not the four main regions.
5. He has cancelled the pensions of those opposing his government, including form PM Rabuka. These are parliamentary pensions funded entirely by government, not the general contributory pensions paid to civil servants and others on retirement. So far only one pension has been cancelled: Rabuka, who led the first Fiji coup in 1987 and ceased being PM over ten years ago.
6. Rev. Yabaki said this would cut off people's food line and starve those against Government.  The statement was a reaction to false news spread by Fiji media misunderstanding and anti-government bloggers.
7. Ms Huang repeats Apolosi Bosi's dated, biased and exaggerated statements made on behalf of Amnesty International.
8. She quotes American Professor of Political Studies (not History) Steve Hoadley who thinks Leweni's nomination is Bainimarama "trying to provoke a fight" with NZ. Sounds good for the media but hardly an academic's evaluation.

And who and what is Epoch Times?

American reviewers see it as Falun Gong in disguise and "somewhat paranoid". Virulently anti-Chinese government, it is published in 30 countries and 11 languages. It claims the 2008 Sichuan earthquake was caused by a Red Army nuclear explosion, and the Shenzhou 7 Spacewalk was filmed under water to distract attention from the babies' Milk Scandal in which NZ company Fonterra was unknowingly implicated. If you believe this, you’d believe anything – even on Fiji. But, more times than not, the world’s mainstream media, ensures it’s in good company. Source: Google, Epoch Times.

One Small Step? Australia Lifts Travel Ban

Three Wise Men?

Several readers have expressed the opinion that the lifting of the travel ban by Australia signals a breakthrough in its relations with Fiji. I would like to think so also, because there can be no improvement in relations without dialogue and if the ban remains lifted, more capable people will apply for senior government positions -- and this can only be good for dialogue and democracy.

There are four reasons why I am less optimistic:

• First, the ban had to be lifted to allow Foreign Minister Ratu Inoke Kubuabola to meet with his Australian and NZ counterparts, Stephen Smith and Murray McCully  in Canberra;
•  Secondly, it is a qualified "case by case" lift, that can be revoked at any time, but this is probably the best that can be expected in the circumstances.  It is a pity family exemptions were not explicitly mentioned but this may the next call.
  
• Thirdly, ABC interviewer Linda Mottram in the report seen by some readers says Ratu Inoke Kubuabola carries little weight with the Bainimarama government. She cites no sources, but given the Government's record of allowing different spokesmen to say different things only to have them "corrected" later by Bainimarama, her comment is at least credible. Kubuabola's mention of Parmesh Chand to McCully at their Nadi meeting  and the subequent nomination of Neumi Leweni is a specific example.
  
• Fourthly, and most importantly, Smith signaled the action represented no change in their basic position: 1) Fiji must "return to democracy on a much shorter timetable than the interim government is currently indicating." 2) "There must be full and free and fair participation in the political process in Fiji which, in our view, is not occurring," 3) "We  (Australia and NZ) propose to let our views about the current arrangements in Fiji continue to be known to our neighbours and friends in the Pacific and in the Commonwealth." Link to Joint Press Conference.

Middle Ground

One can only hope this a mix of principle and expediency with a large pinch of face-saving. The South Pacific's "superpowers" can't -- and won't -- give in to Bainimara, and for the same mix of reasons Bainimarama can't -- and won't-- give in to them.

There is, of course (because there must be) a middle ground that would revolve around multi-lateral, one-step-after-the-other, concessions to speed up the process: Speed is at the centre of the issue. Speed fast enough to satisfy AusNZ, and convince Fiji citizens that real progress is being made, but not so fast Bainimarama has insufficient time to at least embed, if not fully achieve,  the changes he desires

What steps can be taken?
Fiji could accept some members of the old political parties into the citizen dialogue process (and later constititional and electoral dialogues) on the understanding that they publically accept the priniciples of the People's Charter and the need for electoral reform, including the abolition of race-based parties.  Once the Media Decree is in place the PERS emergency could be lifted, and some reasonable accommodation sought with the Methodist Chuch in exchange for their oath to permanently refrain from party politicking, and desist from misinforming world-wide Methodism about the causes for their present position.

In return, AustNZ could offer legal, technical and financial help to speed up investigations into corruption, and assist with legal reform, media reform, civil service reform, land reform and land use, and other items of the Roadmap.

Of symbolic but no less important, AustNZ would send out really good vibes to Fiji if it asked the Commonwealth (which acted in the first place on their prompting) to readmit Fiji into the Commonwealth Games because "progress" was being made.  One sanction less will not ease the pressure on Fiji but this one could well be the "test of sincerity" Fiji says it wants.

Further concessions should see AustNZ actively encouraging Fiji's participation in all the regional institutions and processes from which it has restricted access or been totally excluded. At some stage the Commonwealth and the EU could also  be persuaded to resume their aid and othe assistance to Fiji. We could also reduce pressure on the UN on Fiji peacekeepers.

If most or many of these steps could be taken, Fiji should be able to bring elections forward to 2013 or even 2012.

Before then, each positive step taken by Fiji should be taken as "progress" by AustNZ leading to further steps and, with each step taken, Fiji will see we really are their friends in need and deed.  Once a firm election date is set, all sanctions should be lifted with Fiji returned to its rightful place in the community of nations.

Other Players, the First Move, a Special Committee?
There are, of course, other important players, in Fiji and overseas.  In Fiji, the most influential include the media, the Methodist Church, the more moderate politicians, chiefs, trade unions, and non-government organizations. If they are seen to be supporting the steps forward, success is assured and the  more extreme elements will become irrelevant to Fiji's future.  The AustNZ media, that for the most part has made the situation worse,  also need  to be better informed and more supportive of positive change.

Who makes the first move? AustNZ with the Commonwealth Games, Pacer Plus, the regional organizations mentioned by Richard Herr? Or Fiji by lifting PERS, being more inclusive and tolerant of constructive debate and criticism, by retracting its latest restrictions on the Methodist Church, by revoking no further pensions, and improving its PR and speaking with one voice. One stray public remark could seriously set the process back.


A Special Diplomatic Committee?
The ball is probably already rolling behind the scenes, but until more senior diplomats are installed in Suva, Wellington and Canberra, a special diplomatic committee representing the three countries, housed at the Forum headquarters in Suva, with hot lines to their respective ministers, could help push things forward and, just as important, ratchet up each step and stop it sliding back.

Update: That the Ministers have reported some progress and have agreed to meet again may seem an anti-climax but we may be assured discussions will continue at different levels. This "feels" more like the end of the beginning than the beginning of the end.

Reflections on the Naidu-Walsh Debate

Between Politics and Poetry 

by Sudarsan Kant

Your recent debate with Nick Naidu on the political situation in Fiji unwittingly exposed a fundamental divide between the different interlocutors around the Fiji question and the proper course of action to pursue in solving the crisis. You have for sometime now insisted that substantive solutions must be congruent with the reality on the ground, and to pretend otherwise will not alter what has happened, and is happening in Fiji.

Neither you nor I suggest that we ought to elide over the hash that people have made of politics and society in Fiji for a very long time, but trying to wind the clock back to 1987, or 2000 or 2006 is certainly not moving forward.

(B) Electoral Reform for Fiji

 Electoral Reform for Fiji: the Importance of Speedily Ending Malapportionment

by

Scott MacWilliam

The current regime in Fiji has correctly identified one vote one value as an important democratic principle which should underpin electoral reform in Fiji. The system used under the 1997 Constitution for the 1999, 2001 and 2006 elections grossly distorted the weight given to votes as between different constituencies, which is malapportionment, but not gerrymandering. (The latter involves the specific drawing of electorate boundaries to benefit a particular party or individual candidate, and was not a major feature of the Fiji electoral system.)

Malapportionment is usually initiated when conservative parties, with their bases in rural areas have most influence. In federations, where there is an elected upper house or Senate, there is often constitution derived, deliberate malapportionment which favours states or provinces with small populations. In the US, each state has two Senators, whether the population is large – California, New York etc. – or small – Alaska, Wyoming, South Dakota etc. In Australia there are twelve Senators per state, with each seat in Tasmania allocated per approximately 27,000 voters and in New South Wales and Victoria allocated on the basis of about 330,000 voters. That is, a senator from the two most populated states represents more than ten times as many people as a senator from Tasmania. A former Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating was in part referring to this disparity when he described members of the Senate from all parties as ‘unrepresentative swill’.

However for much of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries lower house seats for the national and sub-national legislatures have been malapportioned as well, usually reflecting the continuing power of rural interests in the major parties or coalitions. It was not until 1974, that malapportionment was removed for House of Representative seats in Australia and the practice remained at the state level until recently. It has often been the case that the Australian Labor Party has campaigned hardest for reform, but in seeking to become the dominant force in conservative politics in Australia the Liberal Party – or at least some its members – also favoured the end of malapportionment. One vote one value is a cause with political as well as moral imperatives.

This is the case for Fiji too: the malapportionment of the old electoral system played a major part in keeping the country’s political economy mired in its rural past, even as the population shifted to the urban areas. Along with this shift educated, skilled workers and professionals formed a larger proportion of the labour force. While communal electorates are widely regarded as conservative, being important for keeping Fiji’s politics race-based, malapportionment should also be credited – if that is the right word – with reinforcing this and other anti-democratic features.

(+) Impressions of Fiji

Fiji Now: February 2010

By Subhash Appana*

I’ve just come back, much weakened through over-recharging, after a much-anticipated three week stint in Fiji. The very first thing that struck me was the fact that so many things had changed, yet so little had really changed. I’ll tell you about this as we go along. The main issue that I wish to address is a recurrent question that virtually everyone asks: "So how is Fiji?"  Read more...

Nik Naidu and Croz Walsh on Radio Australia

 This is the link to Radio Australia's Pacific Beat programme when Bruce Hill hosted an off-the-cuff  "debate" between  Nick Naidu, spokesperson for Auckland-based Coalition for Democracy in Fiji, and myself. The programme was recorded on Friday 29 Jan. 2010. To listen, you will need Windows Media or a similar programme.

(o) Coupfourpointfive Continues to Mislead

Coupfourpointfive is an Auckland-based anti-government blog published by anonymous journalists.  Other than publishing the occasional rumours that later proved false, it used to be generally well informed and reasonably balanced. Lately, the number and quality of its postings have sharply declined, suggesting a change of editors.

Cafe Pacific, commented on my earlier post under the heading:

Fiji Blog Cops a Blast Over 'Treason' Law Makeover Misrepresentation

This is what it  wrote: Blog Coupfourpointfive has had its credibility challenged over a report claiming any "Negativity against regime treated as treason". The shallow item was attributed in the first paragraph to "sources". Former University of the South Pacific Development Studies academic Crosbie Walsh, whose own Fiji blog is increasingly looked to for informed and accurate analysis, has condemned the website, run by journalists, for misrepresentation. The original "treason" blog posting has now had a hasty title change to "New Criminal decree brings worry". Read on...  Cafe Pacific then reprints my posting.

Title Change But No Retraction and Equally Incorrect Comments Allowed

The blog has since accepted and published nine comments from readers -- except mine that merely asked for a copy of the decrees. I reprint the comments, partly to show how misrepresentation multiplies, but mainly to demonstrate the thinking of those commenting. I have underlined the most revealing thoughts. Readers will note the absence of constructive comment on how to resolve the situation other, of course, than that proposed by Wellington anti-government blogger, Sai Lealea.

Mark Manning said... "Might this be the last straw ? To expect others to suffer a prison sentence for Sedition at the hands of an illegal entity, for criticising the very person who himself was about to be arrested for sedition, is hypocritical to say the least.The difference and stark contrast is, Frank Bainimarama was guilty of Sedition against a " Legal Entity " .

Anonymous said...Here we go again! Frank and Khaiyum are consolidating their positions so that they will be in power for the next 20 years. 
The worse part is that Fijians are lapping all these up and now starting to praise Frank the dictator as the saviour of Fiji!
From the beginning Fijians have always suffered from this weakness. They will yell and swear that democracy and elected govt is the only way to go. But if Frank persists for a short while and do some pysical development at the village level then Fijians will start turning around and praising him as if he is the lord Jesus Christ.Click on Read more...