Cogito, ergo sum. I think, therefore I am. (René Descartes, mathematician and philosopher,1599-1650)

Wednesday 31 March 2010

Media Talks, National Dialogue, EU Sanctions, Methodists, Corruption ....

 Short Briefs


Government has moderated its position on the Media Decree talks due to start on April 7th next week.   Contrary to the earlier announcement that the Fiji Times and FijiTV would not be included, the consultation will be open to all media
stakeholders.

This is a significant move  that will be welcomed by all who have urged government to be more flexible, more inclusive and more consulative on a number of issues. It is also good PR.  Consultations on the Media Promulgation Decree will be held in Suva on Wednesday, Labasa on Thursday and Lautoka on Saturday. It is expected the the emergency regulations (PER) will be lifted once the Decree is in place.
Photo credit: www.nunodassilva.blogspot.com

National Dialogue Forum. Citizens Constitutional Forum CEO Rev.Akuila Yabaki is one of many people waiting for government to announce a new date for the convening of the National Dailogue Forum delayed from last month due to Hurricane Tomas. “We are unaware of the reasons for the delay but can only hope the process will start as soon as possible because I think many people in Fiji and across the world increasingly agree that this is the one way forward,” he  said.

It is possible another cause of delay could be the search of an independent chairperson. The Forum has been described as a preparatory step towards a consultative constitutional forum in 2012, two years out from the elections.

EU extends sanctions. Citing the constitution, human rights and postponed elections, the 27-nation body announced a further six month extention of trade and aid sanctions against Fiji. This means withholding development aid worth about 30 million euros ($44 million) and subsidy payments to sugar farmers amounting to 115 million euros ($169).

Hurting thousands of ordinary Fijians. One can perhaps justify withholding aid money that goes directly to government, but withholding payments to farmers can only hurt them, and the thousands of people of all races employed or paid "downstream" from the sugar industry.  Solivakasama, one of the more outrageous anti-government blogs, however, welcomed the decision and said "Fiji needs more sanctions to bring the IG to its grubby knees."

Media continue to lie by omission: Rinakama again. Radio NZI reports that Peceli Rinakama is to appear in court today (Wednesday) charged with breaking the PER emergency regulations.  The report omitted two important pieces of information: as he was leaving the Court those charged with the Assassination Plot were found guilty, he shouted at soldiers saying the verdict was a sham, and was later arrested, in the company of several SDL figures, at the home of the convicted high chief. In other words, he had broken the regulations. Such one-eyed reporting further blemishes Radio NZI's already scarred reputation.

Church has failed the country
. PM Bainimarama has told Methodist Church leaders that work of reconciliation, fighting poverty and removing racism from Fiji has been taken up by the government, as the church has failed in doing this work as iot concentrated more on politics. In urging the the church to "get back on track" he repeated that some within their ranks, together with a number of chiefs were acting as if they were God – expecting to be served by the people."

Nawadra asks for proof. Methodist Church Assistant General Secretary Reverend Tevita Nawadra has called on the government to provide proof of their current involvement in politics, saying government was talking about the past. " There are so many allegations," he said. "We have been asking them to show us the proof that we are involved in that. If they are bringing old issues from a few years ago, that has passed.” [If the "old issues" have past, one must ask why the Church has not publically renounced them, and why those who caused them remain church leaders?]

Permanent Secretary contracts have been renewed for varying times. In  announcing the renewals PSC chairman Josefa Serulagilagi highlighted the importance of effective and visionary leadership.

Larceny 20 months jail. Former Revenue collector Inosi Tuberi has been sentenced to 20 months imprisonment after he pleaded guilty to a charge of larceny by servant. He altered the figures on a cheque and took over $1,200 for personal use.

Worms in the hardware. The Commerce Commission is investigating alleged unscrupulous practices by manufacturers, suppliers and retailers of the hardware sector'. Trade and Commerce Minister Sayed-Khaiyum said, “We have two or three major suppliers of hardware in Fiji and there is a lot of anecdotal evidence to suggest there is anti-competitive behaviour."

Who's Who in Government? This link provides photo of Government ministers and their portfolio responsibilities. They number eleven compared with about 30 Qarase ministers.

Government will support PAFCO. Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayeed-Khaiyum says government will support the ailing PAFCO fishing processing industry based in Levuka on the island of Ovalau. PAFCO employs about 1,000 workers. Women outnumber men five to one; almost all workers are ethnic Fijians, and man commute from villages all round Ovalau and the neighbouring island of Moturiki.

Vulgar announcers. Education Minister Filipe Bole has denounced radio announcers who use colloquial, low-grade expressions and vulgar and offensive terms on air citing with concern the way these terms had been picked up by school children and used in writing and conversation at school.  The Minister reminded announcers of the critical role they play in shaping attitudes and values and promised that action will be taken. "The whole nation cannot continue to stomach such filth from narrow-minded and egocentric individuals who would like to engage our children in nothing but absolute garbage."

Georgia and Fiji have signed a joint communiqué on the establishment of diplomatic and consular relations.

Partial privatisation. Cabinet has approved the partial privatisation of the Fiji Electricity Authority and the divestment of the Government Printer.

Hurricane damage costs are now estimated at $63 million, and are expected to rise further.

Tuesday 30 March 2010

Lutunacevamaca's End of World, The '600,000' Petition

Short Briefs

The end of the world is nigh.
Senior Pastor Laione Lutunacevamaca Dip Th., MABS, of the Kuriakos Christian Centre in Nadi claims to have been told by God that a disaster on a scale previously unknown will strike Fiji from all directions at 2:30pm on Friday 23 July 2010, and he has warned people to prepare themselves.

His warning, with numerous quotations from the Old Testament, is currently being re- and re-cycled around Fiji by email thanks largely to people taking time out from their government duties to use office computers for this "higher" purpose. I am informed the prospect of the disaster is causing fear and alarm among some sections of the population.

For this we must  thank people such as Mosese of the FICAC, Inosi of the Fiji Development Bank and Maraia of the Civil Aviation Authority. With only three plus months to go before the disaster, I suggest they -- and the many others using government time and equipment in this way -- ask government for unpaid leave to "prepare themselves." 

Tourism news.
Jetstar Australia to fly into Naqdi for the first time today setting what Tourism Fiji chairman Mr Patrick Wong says is a very encouraging new platform for the industry.  Continental Airways hopes to claw back the annual 22,000 Japanese visitors lost to Fiji when Air Pacific ceased direct flights last April. Continental direct flights from Fiji to Guam fly to eight Japanese cities and  offer travelers options of a further 22 other destinations.

Daylight saving ended on Sunday and clocks have now been wound back one hour making Fiji one hour behind NZ andtwo hours behind Sydney.

Government has again extended the Public Emergency Regulation
for another month, until the end of April. Under the regulations, police, military and public servants have the powers to stop events they deem to be a threat to the country’s security.Government has said once a new Media Decree has been released, the emergency regulations can be lifted.

The "600,000" petition. I thought the people claiming to have a petition signed by 600,000 people calling for a "return to democracy" would by now be hanging their heads in shame for being caught out by the hoax, but not so,the irrepressible Suliasi Daunitutu of the Fiji Democracy Now movement in Canberra, has sent  another letter to PM Bainimarama demanding elections this year -- and the letter is actually quoted in full by Coupfourpointfive that published nothing on the implausibility of the petition.

Last week we reported Rabi,
the home of Fiji's Banaban community, appeared to have slipped off  the Hurricane disaster management's radar. Rabi Island Council chairman Dr Paulo Vanualailai talked of imminent starvation.

There has been extensive damage to two of the island's four villages, food crops will take months to rfecover, but there's no starvation. Banabans from all over Fiji have rallied to support the islanders but the Commissioner Northern has already provided two weeks supply of food, and more assistance will come. No one would be allowed to starve in Fiji.

Fiji Reserve Bank Maintains Monetary Policy Stance. FRB Governor Sada Reddy says the country’s current monetary policy stance will remain unchanged. The policy is expected to assist economic recovery when partner economies rebound' maintain sufficient liquidity to support investment without jeopardizing inflation and the foreign reserves position.

Sugar payments not enough.
Sugar cane farmers in the Northern Division say the expected payment of $5.03 a tonne as directed by the Sugar Industry Tribunal leaves them with nothing after deductions by the Fiji Sugar Corporation, loan recovery deductions from banks, the Sugar Cane Growers Fund, and land rents. Cane Growers Association CEO Mohammed Rafiq has written to the PM (who also has the sugar portfolio) on behalf of the 5,000 growers, requesting his intervention. The Fiji Labour Party website expresses similar concerns in the other sugar cane growing areas.

(+) Just Back from Fiji

Author of Tears in Paradise, the 125 year story of Indians in Fiji, Rajendra Prasad, has just returned to New Zealand from Fiji.  This is what he had to say of his trip in Indian NewsLink, NZ's highest circulation Indian newspaper.
 
During my recent visit to Fiji, I was amazed at the widespread normalcy powerfully evident, in most urban centers, depicting the social, political and economic pulse of the nation.
Fiji has not escaped the impact of the global recession, and is additionally suffering the sanctions imposed by Australia and New Zealand against the Interim Government led by Commodore Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama.
The Reserve Bank of Fiji devalued the Fijian Dollar to sustain liquidity.
Fiji is struggling but not panicking. As Australia and New Zealand ease their sanctions and as tourism picks up, the country’s economic performance may be better this year.
Further, the expected high price for sugar may assist in restoring stability, notwithstanding the decline in sugar output.
The promise of 99-year farm leases to farmers could reinvigorate the agricultural sector, which was savaged when Indo-Fijian farmers suffered massive eviction, leaving the rich and productive farmland fallow.
After a decade, most farmlands are now covered by bush. Many villages are silent and somnolent, as those who once gave it life were herded out because they were Indo-Fijians.
There is hope that the Interim Government may restore these farms to productive use, securing the interests of landowners and tenants for mutual benefit. 

Improved race relations
Race relations have improved remarkably. The previous governments used racism to retain their dominance. The Bainimarama Government has doused the flames and if it continues on its path, the small embers would extinguish by itself, as sanity, reason and understanding nourish the hearts and minds of the people.
I traveled to Suva from Ba twice and met many people and none of them spoke against Commodore Bainimarama or his government. The radio talkback shows praised him and talk around the proverbial kava bowel was appreciation. But this is not to claim that there are no critics. Clearly, they are a minority and comprise supporters of deposed Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase or his SDL Party.
Few things were obvious, to which the public has responded positively. Civil service is being purged of corrupt officials. In the last two years, 50 officers from Works and Transport Ministry lost their jobs for abuse of authority, nepotism, fraud, corruption and bribery. Eleven other departments are under investigation. Those who indulged in corruption in the past have realigned with the dictates of the Interim Government, aware of the dire consequences.
The civil service has been reinvigorated and officials have awakened from their slumber, responding to the new era with pace and urgency.  
Mr Bainimarama visited Raki Raki and Ba rural areas to connect with the farming communities. Anyone can send him a text on 01 and raise their concerns. We complained about the bad condition of road that served our village and found roadwork undertaken in about two days.
The crime scene
Most people felt that crime was on the decline. For the first time in the history of our village, arsonists who habitually carried out the annual ritual of burning sugarcane plantations were restrained. Those village thugs, engaged in extortion, using strong-arm tactics or glib tongue, have largely been disabled.
The legal profession is being regulated by the Government, sending a strong message to practitioners that they cannot now dodge or evade, after dispensing their services recklessly.
However, organised crime including raiding service stations, business places and homes of business owners are of concern. The authorities continue to target the perpetrators of such crimes but with measured success.
Politicians are in forced hibernation. Many may never return to the pasture that they relished, as the El Nino effect on Fiji’s political landscape may continue until 2014. The Great Council of Chiefs was dissolved over three years ago and may never meet again.
The Methodist Church has been forced to retreat to the pulpit and its role restricted to the spiritual realm. It cannot hold its annual fête, collecting millions of dollars from its members and using the forum to indoctrinate them with the political ideology of the nationalists.
The Interim Government has taken some bold initiatives that no elected government would have had the courage to undertake. Hopefully, it would be able to restore the desires, dreams and aspirations of the people of Fiji – a country where all its peoples’ will look at each other as equal citizens, and not with the racial tag.
 raj.prasad@xtra.co.nz
Reprinted, with thanks, from Indian New Week.

Saturday 27 March 2010

(o) Media Censorship, Media Freedom, Media Ownership and Balanced Reporting

This post briefly reviews Professor Wadan Narsey' second paper in a week; then looks at how his paper was reported in New Zealand and by Australia's ABC, and concludes with information of the ABC's ownership and management that raises questions about media freedom and balanced reporting.

Wadan's second paper discusses relationships between the People's Charter and media censorship. On balance it's a worthwhile, thoughtful paper that deserves wide distribution. This is why this link is provided to the paper. I urge you to read it carefully.

I have only two comments on the paper. First, nothing that Wadan writes is "innocuous" (as he claimed of another paper) even when his opposition to the Bainimarama government is wrapped in  partial approvals. Wadan is a politician, a  polemicist, as well as an academic. Secondly, in pointing to contradictions between the Charter and a number of government actions, most particularly media censorship, he has moved the goalposts, blurring the difference between destination and routeway.

Government makes no claim to be observing the Charter. That is for later. At present, it is following a Roadmap, that involves media and other "emergency" (PER) restrictions it claims as necessary for it to "get on with the job."


What Wadan could have done
Wadan's attack would, I think, have been more usefully directed towards showing how media censorship and PER may be impeding the Roadmap. He would be on firmer ground and many people  supportive of the government would have agreed with him -- and these people could influence Government to lift PER and be more flexible towards the media.

For the record, this blog advocates lifting PER as soon as possible. Government says PER will be lifted when the Media Decree is in place, but it could take longer if Government thinks there is any substance to the recurrent blog threats of assassination and kidnapping. This blog also advocates the progressive lifting of media censorship, as the media acknowledges that freedom is not without responsibility. The Fiji Times in particular has a poor record in this respect.

A far greater measure of media freedom is needed if the people of Fiji, better informed by the media,  are to have a stake in shaping the "new" Fiji.  And the bigger their stake, the harder it will be for a future government to turn the clock back  and undo the many worthwhile things this governnment is doing.

The Foreign Media
It is interesting to see how the foreign media has received Wadan's paper. 

NZ's Cafe Pacific, Pacific Scoop and Coupfourpointfive published the paper without comment.  Australia's ABC wrote: "One of Fiji's most respected critics has used the internet to go public with criticism of the country's military-backed government .. Respected economic commentator Professor Waden Narsey used one of the Fiji Freedom Blogs to raise his concerns about censorship and the interim regime's actions."

ABC then went on to cite former Qarase Government Cabinet Minister (and now Australian resident) Ted Young as saying, "Knowing him he is not known to keep quiet when there is an injustice in the way, that's typical of him, to come out despite the harm that he may get into."

I don't think Wadan sees himself as a "Fiji" critic, however respected; I'm unaware of "Fiji Freedom Blogs" Inc. but I doubt Cafe Pacific or Pacific Scoop see themselves as members; and the "balance" of the post must be questioned when it had so little on what Wadan said, followed by an invited comment from a politican ousted in the Coup.

Ironically, by publishing this uninformed, unbalanced and obviously deeply biased report, the ABC has unintentionally demonstrated precisely why the Fiji Government is so wary of unrestrained media freedom.

Who Owns and Manages the ABC?
Media freedom should not be considered in isolation from media ownership and management.

The ABC is entirely funded by the Australian Government and members of its Board are all appointed by Government.  This is how they line up: Managing Director Mark Scott was previously responsible for the editorial content of the Fairfax newspapers; Director Keith Windshuttle thinks the degree of racism in Australia's history had been overstated; Director Steven Skala is also a director of the conservative think-tank Center for Independent Studies; Director Janet Albrechtsen is a columnist for the Murdoch-owned The Australian (that also owns the Fiji Times); and Director Maurice Newman is a personal friend of former Australian PM John Howard.

It is difficult to see how media "balance" can happen from such an assemblage. They don't write the news but their shadows shade the newsroom.

Information on ABC from Wikipedia.

Twists in the Tale of Two Cities

How Fiji media censorship backfired, how Wadan Narsey's article was not quite as apolitical as he claimed, but should have been published anyway;  and how Michael Field used what Wadan said or was thought to have said -- with a little bit added.

1. Wadan Narsey in Suva

Why on earth government censored at the Fiji Times rejected an article titled  "Fiji’s far-reaching population revolution" is anybody's guess, but it could be because it was written by well-known coup critic USP's Economics Professor Wadan Narsey. Or perhaps they were put off by the word "revolution" or thought population projections with political implications too dangerous a topic to publish at the present time.  If they read the article, which is by no means certain, I can't see where their objections lie. It's written by an academic for general readers. This is one of the benefits of having university researchers just down the road.

And the topic -- the causes, and political, economic and social implications of a Fiji population with  proportionately fewer Indo-Fijians -- is surely a matter of importance and interest. Everyone knows about Indo-Fijian emigration (5 to 1 emigrants compared with ethnic Fijians). Fewer will know about differences in ethnic differences in fertility, although well over ten years ago Wadan's demography colleagues Dr Kesaia Seniloli, Dharma Chandra and Dr Martin Bakker showed Indo-Fijian total fertility rates to be dropping far faster than those of Fijians, and fieldwork by my USP students as long ago as 1975 showed far less use of family planning by Fijians.  The students even suggested a reason: Fijian authorities were encouraging Indo-Fijians to use family planning, but not ethnic Fijians, for political reasons! These differences are not new, as Wadan claimed.

It's true Wadan highlighted what he thought to be political consequences of having proportionately far few Indo-Fijians, saying the changes sought by the Bainimarama government would happen naturally, as a result of demographic change, with no need for the 2006 Coup or further government intervention.

Thus, he argued, fewer Indian voters would make race a non-issue; better ethnic representation would occur in the public service; schools would be more ethnically mixed, and race relations improved; and there would be no need for Fijian affirmative action programmes.  These are Wadan's deductions.  They are not facts. Race is only one of the variables in play and society and social change are far too complex to infer  "inevitable" outcomes 20 years on.

Wadan's projections and their assumed implications can  also be challenged. For example, a 20-year population projection (to 2027) is unusually long. Five and ten year projections accompanied with "scenarios" showing maximum and minimum expectations are more usual. 2027 is a human generation away and even then Indo-Fijians will still comprise a not insignificant 26% of the population. NZ Maori comprise about 15% of NZ's population yet ethnic inequalities and racism persist and the Maori are significant politically. Numbers and proportions alone do not produce desirable changes.

But Wadan discussed many other -- non-political -- issues about which the public should be better informed.  They included discussion on the number of children, education and household wealth; patterns of household consumption; and the implications of an ageing population.

Unfortunately, the censors' action deprived other academics and the Fiji public of the opportunity to think and comment on the  important issues he raised. But having said that, Wadan could have been more circumspect without compromising his academic integrity. Some of his comments were unnecessarily adversarial -- including his parting shot that the 2007 census was taking too long to analyse. The 1996 census took just as long.

Whatever. The censors' action backfired. They should have allowed publication, with perhaps minor editing. Alternatively, they could have invited comment on Wadan's methods and contraversial points from a person from another academic discipline -- a sociologist, historian or demographer perhaps -- and a different political perspective.

2. Michael Field in Auckland

Michael's article, based on Wadan's article and the phone conversation, was published in Stuff, a Fairfax on-line paper with a large and influential readership. Here are some extracts that require correction or comment:

1.  The Indo-Fijian population is plunging, a fact that has been censored by the military regime, an economist has revealed. [Wadan did not say the Indo-Fjian decline was censored. He said the article was censored. The decline has been ongoing for at least 30 years. Government has made no secret of the decline, and figures showing this are available on the Fiji Bureau of Statistics website.]

2. Dr Narsey said his demographics paper has been banned but has circulated outside the country."The censors won't allow it," he said from Suva."I hope I don't get taken in, they have rung me and threatened me." He insisted on his right to discuss data of major significance. [The article was censored but is available on the USP website. The threats were a different matter altogether.  They occurred much earlier and had nothing to do with article.]

"If you want to live life like a human being, you have to live it... If we cannot do the things that are our responsibility then we are not fulfilling our responsibilities as teachers and elders." [Wadan did not give permission for these personal views to be published. He was not told he may be quoted. In the present Fiji circumstances, it was irresponsible of Field to publish them in this manner.]

3. Dr Narsey said for more than 50 years the racial balance has been Fiji's "politically explosive issue".  The issue was behind all four of Fiji's coups between 1987 and 2006. [Wadan's link between race and the 1987 and 2000 coups was less directly drawn leaving open the possibility of other causal factors, and he made no link with the fourth, 2006 Bainimarama coup. That was Field's inclusion.]

4. Commodore Bainimarama was trying by decree to create a multi-racial electoral system, but Dr Narsey said the numbers show that indigenous government is inevitable.[This conclusion is purely Field's. Wadan said nothing about an inevitable indigenous government, and there is no reason to believe that Fijian numbers will produce a Fijian government. Multi-racial governments seem far more likely.]

5. In education the population change was "remarkable and potentially revolutionary" with a majority of indigenous Fijian in Hindu schools. "It's a remarkable change, and they are fundamental changes taking place out in the country... it is going to have some marvellous impact on multi racialism in the country, much more so than these silly military decrees." [Wadan must have said this on the phone. Only the assumed impact of mixed schooling on race relations was mentioned in the article. Field was unthinking or unkind to quote him on silly decrees.]

6. "We are losing all of our intelligentsia ... anybody who is bright and had get-up-and-go, has gone. What we have left is pretty much intellectually rudderless."   [Wadan was far less sweeping in his article. I doubt he would have expressed this opinion had he known he would be quoted. I doubt USP is rudderless.]


Comment and Opinion
Facts are one thing, even when correctly stated; their interpretation and use is another. I am a population geographer just as qualified to analyse demograhic changes as Waden. My professional opinion is that Wadan's fixaton on race has led him to overlook other factors that will also influence Fiji's political future. General education levels are rising; more ethnic Fijians are engaged in the cash economy; economic class is now universally important; and the influence of chiefs and church is deceasing. Major social and cultural changes are happening in ethnic Fijian society. And this is without considering the changes sought by the Bainimarama government.  Wadan  overstates the recency of the demographic changes, over-simplifies their implications, and gives no credit to current institutional changes.

My personal opinion is that while we all select facts to support our personal political opinions, there are some who play carelessly with facts even to the point of deliberate distortion. I do not think Wadan is open to this charge but I am less sure about those who have used him in their writings.


The irony is that had the censors allowed the Fiji Times to have published Wadan's article, which in my opinon they should have done, the full range of Wadan's ideas would have been open for intelligent debate, and been less liable to misinterpretation by the international media.

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.

Win or Lose, We're Still Kings

Hong Kong, here we come. Let’s forget about Adelaide and move on. Fiji Rugby House and the Sevens team will know how we feel. It's only human that a time will come when we will fail, blame someone, bicker and find fault. It’s pretty hard to say, “Oops, sorry people, it’s my fault.” Now that the feelings of fans have been aired let’s get together once again, lets bind and move on.

Talk around the kava bowl in Waiyavi was that there was something bad going on in the Sevens contingent.  I suppose we don’t want to hear about it now. Let’s just move on. Because if we lift the cup in Hong Kong naturally we will all be singing praises – together that is. All the losses will be forgotten. So Kong Po or happy Valley will be a happy hunting ground for us. But if we do lose, well it's back to the drawing board, back to pointing fingers, back to finding fault, back to ducking the issue, and back to square one.

We are rated the best Sevens team in the world. We have been called kings of Sevens. Kings lose battles in war, yet they remain kings. This is the title they have, were born with, or which may have been given to them, but they remain kings.

Our boys remain kings in our hearts, even though we say that they could pull up their proverbial socks.

But come game time every rugby-loving person will have their fingers crossed that we will do better. So, go for it boys. Fiji is waiting. Make us proud. Bur first iron out the kinks in your armoury, make peace with the coach and management, and then go out and do your best.

Friday 26 March 2010

(o-) Open Letter to Police Commissioner Esala Teleni

Dear Commissioner,

I am informed the censors have again instructed at least two internet service providers (ISPs) , Kidanet and Connect, to block Fiji users access to blog sites, or face the risk of being closed down.

My informant writes:"Kidanet is blocking you – Connect isn’t. But then again, Connect are blocking sites that Kidanet are not. The end result is that between them they are blocking a fair swag of sites. I'm totally fed up with the hamfisted blocking of websites (including yours, by Kidanet) by both Connect and Kidanet. I have been told on good authority that Police Commissioner Teleni has threatened to rescind their licences if they don't block the sites."

Commissioner, we have not met and you will probably take no notice of my advice, but for what it's worth I think  blocking  blogs is mistaken on three grounds.

First, it alienates moderate opinion, in Fiji and overseas. As Fiji moves towards 2014, Government will increasingly need the support of these people to win more "hearts and minds."

Secondly, it is indiscriminate, blocking both friendly and hostile blogs. In writing on media censorship, I suggested a yellow and red card penalty system rather than have censors sitting in newsrooms. This system would not work for blogs but as a friendly blogger I think government has more to gain by allowing open access than by "killing" both friends and enemies.  

Thirdly, blocking is ineffective. It will not work. Blocking is only an irritant and delaying mechanism.  There are just too many means around the blocks. Your only way is to close ALL internet access in Fiji.

If you do not know already, let me show you how it's done. Would-be blog readers can access any blogsite by using a proxy server in one of three ways :

(1) Using translation websites, of which there are many hundreds, to disguise the blog address they wish to visit;
(2 Using  an URL redirection services, of which there are more hundreds, with even more coming on line daily; or 
(3) Using any internet search engine to direct them to an infinite number of proxy web sites.
And readers who have already "subscribed" to a blog, for example with Google or Atom or Technoti,  automatically receive posts and comments, despite  blockages.

Commissioner, I too am appalled by the hate and venom of most anti-government blogs but they are mainly read by those who will opposite your government whatever it does. These blogs sometimes have the opposite effect to what they intend. I know of people so disgusted with what they have read that they have become more sympathic to government.

Then there are two popular anti-government blogs that are usually more even-handed. They agree with much of what government intends but are opposed to censorship and want a speedy return to elections.

And then there are a few blogs like mine that could be labelled critically supportive. They are sympathetic to what government says it wishes to achieve; they are aware of the need for PER and some media censorship, but they are also critical -- like now -- when they think government actions unwise or wrong.

I respectfully ask you to reconsider the decision to block blogs, for the reasons given.

Croz Walsh

To Readers
To ensure future access to this blog, I urge you (1) to link to automatic postings through Google or some other browser. Click on "subscribe" in the left column;  (2) Copy the links below for use if the blog is blocked again, and (3) familiarise yourselves with more sites by writing "How to unblock websites" in Google search.

http://unblockandsurf.com 
http://tinyurl.com
http://shorturl.com
http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/snipurl-personalized-short-url-and-more/
http://www.prospector.cz/Free-Internet-services/Web-proxy/
http://www.bypassu.com/
http://fastesthiddensurf.co.cc/

(+) Whose Court Smells of Rotten Fish?


The normally "moderate" and well informed anti-Government blog Fiji Today has published what some could believe to be a subtantiated post on the Bainimarama assassination plot trial that claims the  verdict was staged. The post is titled "The Smell of Rotten Fish in the Courthouse."

The blog said in investigating the story it (presumably one of the four editors) held "several clandestine meetings with a senior serving officer in the RFMF" and  from these meetings with this one officer of unknown rank and unknown access to information on military personnel or court procedures, the blog claims it can confirm:
  1. The Chief Registrar of the High Court army lawyer Major Ana Rokomokoti is still listed as being on active duty with the RFMF. 
  2. The Chief Registrar nominated both the judge and the assessors for this case.
  3. Three of the five assessors in this case are serving or territorial members of the military.
  4. The lawyers concerned were in no position to argue against the choices of the Chief Registrar Major Rokomokoti as she is also the person who gets to decide if they are issued with a practicing license to be a lawyer.
The blog concluded that the trial was staged, making much of the statistical odds (1 in 2.7 million) of three serving soldiers being randomly selected as assessors.   My information, from legal sources, does not support most of their claims. 

Their first claim is accepted. It is no secret that many military people are currently performing civilian functions. Ana Rokomokoti is a qualified lawyer fully capable of performing the tasks of Chief Registrar.

Their second claim is false. The Chief Registrar did not pick the judge or the assessors. The High Court criminal registry has a system of random case allocation which is monitored by the judges themselves, and not by the Chief Registrar.

Their third claim is also false. No member of the military was an asssessor and defence counsel were specifically asked to verify that this was case.

Their fourth claim is speculation. Assessors are vetted by the prosecution and the defence in a pre-trial conference.

There is no objective way of knowing or testing the professional integrity of the lawyers, the judge or the Chief Registrar, although some I know who attending the trial thought the evidence pretty conclusive, and the assessors' guilty verdict was unanimous.

Disagreeing with their verdict is an insufficient ground to question their integrity.

Church Leaders Should Heed PM’s message: Fiji Sun

The  Sun's  editorial on the government and the Methodist church will be dismissed by some because of Fiji's several newspapers it is known to most favour government. But the message makes sense, and most of the points made are well known already.

Government is not opposed to the church; only its politicalization and use by extreme Fijian nationalists. The editorial, commenting on Bainimarama's meeting with church leaders on Monday, said: "All that the Prime Minister wants from them is to get away from politics. To instead serve the needs of their members as a church. We all know that the church was used by some in the past to push their own political agendas. Certain politicians used the church. Certain church leaders were politicians more than men of God. We all know there were divisions in the church over this."

The editorial concluded: "We pray and hope that there will be a positive reaction from all the church leaders to Commodore Bainimarama’s message. The way forward now is to build a better Fiji. The Methodist Church and all its people should be part of this."

Many others would hope so also, but it won't happen unless the two most political churchmen, Speight Coup supporters, the Revs Tomasi Kanailagi and Manasa Lasaro (photo), step down, and I'd be surprised if they will do so voluntarily.                                                                               Photo: Solivakasama.

STOP PRESS. Fiji Live reports that Methodist Church President Reverend Ame Tugaue and his General Secretary Reverend Tuikilakila Waqairatu have been asked to step down. A good start but  even if they agree, this still leaves Kanailagi and Lasaro.

Thursday 25 March 2010

Rinakama in 'Good Health'- Why Did We Not Know Before?

 Blog Coupfourpointfive released this statement citing SDL sources today, preceded by a post that details the charges against him. Rinakama is free and in good health, and has been for quite a while.

My opinion is that that the SDL and Rinakama have deliberately delayed news of his release because they wanted people to think he was still under arrest or dead. This in my books is a sin of omission. The blog posting, however, attracted a comment that it was the "junta" that let the story fester. This is not true. A police spokesman reported his release of 22 March but none of those who had commented on the detention believed him.

The blog comment went on: "it was to the junta's advantage to fuel people's imagination and fear by speculating and allowing them to conjure up all sorts of horrific images Rinakama may have undergone - if only to deter the aggrieved masses and keep them at bay." This is nonsense. Nothing of Rinakama's detention appeared in the local media. Had the government wished to intimidate the public, they would have made sure everyone knew of the detention. The only people who could possibly benefit from keeping his release under wraps were those who oppose government. And it is to their discredit that they did so.

But once again this incident illustrates how much government needs better PR.

Breaking News: Methodists Have Rethink

Radio Fiji reports that senior Methodist ministers have asked those named by government as "political" to step down.

Wednesday 24 March 2010

The Narsey and Field Story


This post consists of emails about an article written by USP Professor Wadan Narsey (photo) intended for publication in the Fiji Times that was censored  by government censors, and what was done with the article by Michael Field in an article published in Scoop and copied by several blogs. Hyperlinks are provided to both articles. I suggest readers look at the Field article before reading further, I will publish a longer, follow-up item on these articles over the coming weekend.

My email to Professor Wadan Narsey
 Hi Wadan,
I'm puzzled by the remarks attributed to you by Michael Field:
Dr Narsey said his demographics paper has been banned but has circulated outside the country. "The censors won't allow it," he said from Suva. "I hope I don't get taken in, they have rung me and threatened me."
Assuming he's referring to your paper "Fiji's Far Reaching Population Revolution," this is readily accessible from the USP website. 

Field also says:

The Indo-Fijian population is plunging, a fact that has been censored by the military regime.
But this information is readily available from the FBOS (Fiji Bureau of Statistics) website. It is only the detailed analysis that is missing.

Would you kindly clarify what you actually said to Field. I intend to use his article and your reply on my blog. Unless you say otherwise, I can only go on what Michael says you said. And I have found him on earlier occasions to be sometimes less than reliable.
Best wishes,
Croz

Wadan's reply to me
Croz
Whatever I want to say is said in my article.That article was banned by the censors at the Fiji Times. The threats are a separate matter.
Wadan

Wadan's first email to Michael Field after he (Wadan) received my email
Dear Michael
Please could you correct your story on your website as people do read it and will continue to quote from it.
Regards
Wadan

Wadan's second email to Michael
Dear Michael
You have got some of the facts mixed up in your reporting on the
conversation you had with me (by the way, you did not tell me that you were going to write on it).

The threats I received from the military was not over the population
article but much earlier over other information they had received.  My recent article on the media censorship clarifies that- perhaps you could put
a link to that on your web-site so that the public know the facts.

The military censors cut my population article from the Fiji Times- probably
because they saw my name there. Unfortunately, the other blog sites are using your reporting and continuing the misunderstanding.
Wadan

My second email to Wadan
Wadan,
Thanks for copying this to me.  How you were used by Michael is no surprise.
His article did not appear on his blogsite (where the damage would have been minimal) but in stuff.co.nz, an influential and widely read Fairfax on-line paper staffed by seven full-time journalists.
Cheers,
Croz

Wadan to me
Dear Croz
I don't think that Michael deliberately misused what I had stated. Conversations over the phone are notoriously difficult to transcribe and the context can be easily lost- which is why I have put my media censorship article out- in my own words ....
Regards to both of you.
Wadan

Unfortunately, Michael  cannot correct his errors on his blog. His article is now published in the national media. There are limited means of correction and by now the damage is done.


This is the prologue to "Twisted Tales of Two Cities," a longer posting, to be read at leisure at the weekend. I will publish it on Saturday or Sunday

Transparency, Land, Sugar, Abuse of Office, Rinakama, Methodists, Biosecurity

Brief Shorts
Photo: filipspagnoli
(+) Transparency lacking. Speaking at the corporate governance workshop on Monday, Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum  said he is worried about the way decisions are being made in some corporations because those decisions do not illustrate transparency.“I have noticed decisions being made before positions are advertised or before expressions of interests are called for service."  People, he said, talk about good governance but do not understand the real meaning of the word or apply it in their lives. The need for transparency and good governance was amply indicated in yesterday's post on the National Bank of Fiji and Agricultural scams, and is further illustrated by the following four  stories. Getting rid of abuse of office and the "culture of corruption" is part of the government Roadmap.

(+) Land a political football.
Landowners who failed to plant sugarcane on land they took back from mainly Indo-Fijian tenants now owe the Native Land Trust Board $3.6million in lease arrears. NLTB general manager Alipate Qetaki explained that rental payments were to come from cane payments made to NLTB by the Fiji Sugar Corporation through the Master Award. "When there are no cane proceeds due to non-cultivation or insufficient cane proceeds, NLTB rent is not paid. 

The Committee of Better Utilisation of Land was looking into unproductive cane farms and land, and Commissioner Western Commander Joeli Cawaki said landowners were being urged to lease land out to salvage the sugar industry when they were not using it themselves. He said most land was idle in the Western Division and could be put to good use if diverted for use for the sugar industry. The extent of unused land due to the non-renewal of leases to mainly Indo-Fijian tenants, from which no one benefits, is an indictment of the racially divisive practices pursued by some former NTLB administrators and politicans. 

(+) FSC chairman Gautam Ramswarup is also  urging farmers to use land lying fallow and plant new cane to help salvage the sugar industry, saying that production in recent years had declined to levels that threatened the very existence of the Fiji Sugar Corporation. Some 6,000 hectares of land are available for cultivation, which if used, would produce a sugar cane harvest in 2011 of 2.6 million tonnes, up one-quarter of a million tonnes from average production in the past three years. If land is made available, the replanting programme now underway could take production to 4 million tonnes by 2014. Land under production is not the only problem facing the sugar industry but it is certainly one of them.

(+) Abuse of Office? Former Commissioner Central Inoke Devo, charged with abuse of office, admitted in court today that he had authorized his staff to collect alcohol from various outlets and night clubs for their social function and an election workshop using the official government vehicle. He claimed, however, that some items were paid for and others voluntarily donated.

(+) Audit Discrepancies?
The Land Transport Authority CEO Etuate Koroi has been sent on leave while certain allegations made against him are being investigated following an internal audit raised a number of discrepancies.

(-) Rinakama situation still unclear. One of my readers says he say Rinakama in Marks Street last Saturday but another reader close to government said he tried to get information about Rinakama but "got a wall of silence. I am not sure what happened, or what the situation is now."

It is not sufficient, as two of my readers have said, to forgot Rinakama and move on because one person said he's alive and well. Why have others not confirmed this story? Why no word from the man himself?  Someone is not telling the truth. Who is it?

(o) Methodist Church leaders meeting with PM Bainimarama today produced nothing new. Annual Conferences and monthly circuit meetings will not be allowed until 2014. They were told today's meeting attended by 130 church leaders is where they should discuss issues about the church and their members. The situation is unlikely to change until the church replace ministers known for their extreme ethno-nationalist position and governmnent is convinced the church is apolitical.  One rather unkind wit described the church as the SDL party at prayer.

(o) Suva harbour biosecurity officers found a giant African snail in in-bound cargo recently. The snail which can grow to 30cm and weigh 1kg is one of world's most destructive pests of fruits and vegetables and a host to the lung worm parasite which can cause meningitis in humans. The snail, now found in many Pacific Islands, is an hermaphrodite and prolific breeder capable of laying 1,200 eggs per year.  The incident highlights the importance of Pacific-wide co-operation, presently undermined by PI Forum and other regional sanctions.

Tuesday 23 March 2010

Institutional Failure, Hurricane Relief, Sugar, US Report, Anti-Corruption Measures

Short Briefs
Institutional failure caused Fiji scams.    Institutional failure played a big role in two of Fiji’s worst scams – the National Bank of Fiji fraud and the Agriculture scam, former judge and workshop facilitator Nazhat Shameem  told a corporate governance workshop in Suva yesterday.

She said the National Bank of Fiji Scam (that cost the country over $220million or 8% of GDP with government raiding the FNPF to make good the financial shortfall)   occurred after the 1987 coup and the multi-million dollar Agricultural Scam (where agricultural equipment was used by the Qarase government to win votes)  occurred after the 2000 coup. In both situations "entities are neutralized ...There are no set procedures and policies ... and this is when the vultures come in.”

Both scams were eventually exposed by the media.  “Government ministries and corporate entities [had forgotten] to ask themselves, what really is their job? “It’s a situation where national interest is mixed up with political influence.” Scams occur when "there is either ... a lack of procedure on how to carry out functions or a failure to monitor and have a surveillance mechanism in place to avoid such scams from occurring at all."
      The illustration shows the cover of the book on the bank scam, available from the USP Bookshop,by Roman Grynberg, Doug Munro and Michael White

Auckland-based Indian station Radio Apna has raised over $132,600 for hurricane relief in a 40-hour Radio–Thon, according to general manager Shaiyaz Mohammed. The money will be transferred into a Fiji-based Punjas Ltd account, suppliers of basic food items to Fiji's hurricane victims, and Shaiyaz will be in Fiji this week to help distribute the produce. Over 2,000 people are expected to receive the relief supplies such as flour, rice, dhal, milk powder, biscuits, onions, potatoes, salt, tin fish, noodles, tea leaves, and washing and bath soap .

This is the second time since 2009 Fiji Flood Radio Apna has done the Radio–Thon. In 2009, the station raised around $200,000 and distributed basic food items to flood victims in Lautoka, Ba, Nadi, and other areas around the Western Division. This time victims are in the Northern and Eastern Divisions.

(+) Sugar. Six thousand hectares of land  will be opened up to new cane this season, as part of a must-do plan to salvage the sugar industry. The new cane is expected to push harvests to 2.6 million tonnes in the 2011 season. The $100m upgrade of three sugar mills is due for completion in May.

US Report inaccurate. The Attorney General, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, has questioned the credibility of the US Department of State 2009 Human Rights Report on Fiji where it talks about the court case in relation to the Fiji Times, saying the  report does not give a true picture and the full story in relation to the case. The A-G also challenged the report's statements on the Spectrum Decree, pointing out that no radio or TV licence had been revoked.

(+) Corruption. The FICAC has received more than 5,756 complaints since its establishment in April 2007.
 
(+) No more cash payments for Fijian landowners. From April 1st land lease rental money will only be paid into bank accounts or by arrangements with post offices. All money will be paid electronically.  Despite continous reminders, only 13% of landowners have so far opened accounts. This new measure will more efficient and more transparent than the old cash-in-hand method.

Rinakama Seen in Downtown Suva


This comment  is from "The Max."  I'd be pleased to learn of any more "sightings." If Max is not  mistaken, why hasn't Rinakama or the SDL not admitted he is no longer being held by the RFMF. 
Postscript. It now has. Rinakama is alive and well and was released from detention on March 10. See later postings.

TheMax said...
" Hi Croz,
I just noticed you still have the Peceli Rinakama missing story on your page when I surfed your blog today. I just wanted to put the matter to rest.

Last Saturday, I was standing near a church in downtown Suva and saw Mr Rinakama crossing the street just in front of me. He actually looked well wearing a pair of shorts, canvas/sneaker and a nice jersey (I think it was a Fiji Rugby souvenir jersey, must have worn the jesrsey in support of the Fiji 7s team).

I was even surprised to see him looking well and good considering I've been reading so much negative news about his arrest on the different blogs.

So please end this rumour mongering and let's move on. I'm pretty sure Mr Rinakama must have joined the RFMF guys at Nabua for a grog session after his "arrest" from the Qaranivalu's residence weeks ago.

BTW, you've been doing a good job. Keep it up and just like the passing of the health care bill in the United States congress yesterday, the naysayers will continue to lie about everything done to make lives better because they can't look beyond the tip of their ugly noses. Their narrow-mindedness stinks like the Kinoya sewerage treatment plant I get depressed reading their comments. I've decided to stop going to there sites."

Monday 22 March 2010

Rabi, Hurricane, Rinakama, Bole in NZ ....

Short Briefs
The map shows, from north to south,  Eastern Vanua Levu to Udu Point; the Tunuloa peninsula, Vanua Levu, with Kioa (home to Fiji's Tuvaluans) and Rabi islands; and the northern tip of Taveuni. 

Rabi island, home of Fiji's Banaban population, was in the direct path of the hurricane but as far as I can tell there's been no official mention of Australian or NZ reconnaisance flights, deaths, damage or relief supplies, although government apparently tried to make contact with the island before the hurricane hit.

We do have a report from Michael Field in Stuff ("Devastated Pacific island facing starvation") that the island is "facing starvation and disease." The report cites Dr Bauro Vanualaila, Rabi Council chairman speaking from Suva,  saying the island "is devastated". One person is dead, many houses are destroyed, "all the food crops and fruit trees have gone [and it] will take just another day or two [before] people will starve if no food arrives on the island."

We have not heard what government is doing but the Banaban community in Fiji and abroard seems likely to beat them to it. Thanks to them, food and medical supplies will have reached the island by now.See these Banaban web sites to see how quickly a community can be mobilised. Michael's article provides useful background information on how Banabans came to be in Fiji.

Bad as the situation must have seemed, I doubt there was any likelihood of imminent starvation. The roots of ruined crops like tavioka and dalo are edible long after their tops are destroyed, there are fish in the sea, and the villagers must have had some food stored.

None of the hotels or resorts in the Northern and Eastern Divisions belonging to the Fiji Islands Hotels and Tourism Association (FIHTA) says none of its members operating hotels and resorts in the Northern and Eastern divisions sustained major damages from the hurricane. Members in Savusavu, Taveuni and Labasa were coping well, said FIHTA president Dixon Seeto. "The hotels have their own water tanks and generators, so they are pretty independent," he said.

(-) The whereabouts of Peceli Rinakama, arrested by the military two weeks ago, is still not known and there are growing concerns about his safety. Government has issued conflicting reports, one saying he was released which seems unlikely because someone would have reported seeing him, the other saying he was still detained. Would some reader in or close to government or the military please try to find out what has happened to him, and let this blog know through a named or anonymous comment?

(o) Bole in NZ. Education Minister Filipe Bole has been allowed to enter NZ to attend an Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) ministerial meeting in Manukau today. NZ Foreign Affairs said "Our policy on travel sanctions has always been that we consider applications on a case by case basis, and in situations where we feel it is beneficial to the region as a whole to allow Fiji to participate in a regional meeting being held in New Zealand, we reserve the right to waive the restrictions in place."

Daylight saving in Fiji will end this Sunday 28th March at 3.00 am. Clocks need to be wound back one hour. Daylight savings will again commence from 24th October this year to March 2011. 

(+) Guarantee to FSC. Cabinet has  approved a Government Guarantee of $120 million to the Fiji Sugar Corporation to allow the FSC to borrow short term to meet its working capital requirements.

Ratu Sir Lala Sukuna Day and National Youth Day
will still be celebrated next year but not as public holidays.  government thinks the country has too many public holidays, and their removal should help productivity. Those remaining are New Year's Day, Christmas, Boxing Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Queen's Birthday, Diwali, Prophet Mohammed's Birthday and Fiji Day. The Fiji Broadcasting Corporation reports that some prankster or protester had "sabotaged the FBC news item, incorrectly twisting it to write that the Easter Friday and Easter Monday public holidays had been scrapped."

Map: Houses Totally Destroyed

(o) Eight Hundred Homes Destroyed or Damaged


Disaster Management operations officer Anthony Blake has confirmed that  376 homes were destroyed and 423 damaged by Hurricane Tomas. This is the breakdown by location:

Sunday 21 March 2010

Murder, Drugs, Threats, Methodists, Gold; Detailed Hurricane Updates and Lessons from the Past

  • Short briefs
  • Detailed Hurricane updates
  • Lessons from Past Hurricanes: Government Action Needed 
Photo. Vatukoula gold mine.


Conspiracy to Murder Trial. FijiVillage provides this useful link to numerous items on the Assassination plot to kill PM Bainimarama. It's also worth bookmarking for later reference. 

Fiji's suspension from regional and international bodies, including meetings of Pacific Police Chiefs, is proving to be an "overwhelming barrier" to addressing illicit drug issues, and their relationship with HIV and domestic violence.

The threats continue.  A warning from Tears for Fiji, an Anti-Government blogger, to Bainimarama: "Your children and your grandchildren will PAY! Mark our words...you may not be around to see them suffer the consequences of your selfish actions, but they WILL! God works in Mysterious ways!"

Some 130 Methodist senior ministers and officils will meet PM Bainimarama on Wednesday, when they will seek some lifting of restrictions on meetings. The restrictions were imposed because government said the church was being used for political purposes.

Gold used to be Fiji's third most important export earner, after sugar and garments, until production ceased in 2006. This year, with new owners, the revitalised Vatukoula mine sold more than 15,000 oz of gold, worth £4.6m, in the three months ending in February, up from 8,826oz in the previous three months. Ultimately, the company aims to produce at least 100,000 oz a year as the result of a major drilling and redevelopment programme.  The mine employs over 600 local workers and has a proven resource of over 4.3m oz. For a an aerial video around Vatukoula, click here.

Detailed Hurricane Updates

Bainimarama thanks foreign governments. "I wish to thank the governments of Australia, New Zealand and France for their assistance. I understand other countries have shown their willingness to assist in the rehabilitation and re lief work, which would be forthcoming once detailed assessments have been carried out."
Click  here.


The official death tolls is unchanged at three. Overseas tourists earlier deemed missing in the North and East have now all been accounted for.

Red Cross praises government. Fiji Red Cross's Alison Cupit  said she was "absolutely delighted with the way the public authority responded and worked with Disaster Management Committee. Since 1993 this is the best response and coordination effort I have seen."  She also commended the PM's declaration of a state of disaster in the Northern and Eastern Divisions [that saw a] swift response from our neighbors and donors alike.... Before on many occasions there was no communication between Red Cross and other relevant authorities and work would take ages to be finished," she said.

Hurricane Costs. The Disaster Management Office (DISMAC) expects an estimate of the cost of damage to be ready by next week.  The areas most affected were Cikobia, Vanua Levu, Lomaiviti, and Northern and Central Lau. Over 300 houses have been destroyed. The Works Ministry estimates that at least $3m will be needed to repair infrastructure damaged in the Northern Division. Extra earth-moving machinery has already been despatched to the North Division, and Vanuabalavu, Cicia and Lakeba in the northern Lau group.

A Hotline  (Phone 3683042) for Farmers has been opened by the Ministry of Agriculture from 8am to midnight daily. Permanent Secretary, Mason Smith, encouraged farmers to use planting materials they had while awaiting Government help. The Ministry is focusing on short-term crops to help normalize the food supply ASAP, and has started distributing seeds and planting materials to farmers affected by the hurricane that destroyed crops on Vanua Levu, Taveuni, Lomaiviti and Lau.

Thousands of damaged yaqona plants have been lifted for early sale at low prices in Vanua Levu. Yaqona can be harvested after one year but is best left for five or six years. It is grown over most of Fiji but in Vanua Levu most growers are in Cakaudrove tikina, that includes south Taveuni. The destruction will mean many families will be without a major cash crop for several years. Other food crops such as bananas and cassava will take 6-9 months to recover.
   
Australian and NZ relief supplies, including tarpaulins, tents, blankets, 10-litre water containers and water purification tablets, have been ferried to Vanua Levu by a Consort Shipping vessel, and to Lau and Lomaiviti by the government vessels Iloivatu and Raiyawa. Earlier, relief supplies on government vessel Kula eached Cikobia, to the north of Vanua Levu, which was the island first hit by the hurricane. Agriculture Officer Nacanieli Takele reported more damage to crops than to houses on island. A pleasing feature of the tragedy is the way Australia and NZ have worked closely with the Fiji government and the Fiji Red Cross. 

The local Cyclone Appeal had raised $68,543 by Saturday.  The total includes a donation of $50,000 by the ANZ Bank and $15,000 by the Fiji Times. Fiji Broadcasting and Save the Children Fiji organized a Concert of Hope in Albert Park, Suva, on Saturday to raise funds to help children affected by the hurricane.

Schools with no roofs. Students of Uciwai District School in Keteira, Moala, Lau will have to start school this week in a badly damaged building. Teachers and the School Committee have managed to rebuild one classroom and the restroom. Meanwhile the Education Ministry is sending stationery and school supplies to the Lau group where 21 schools were extensively damaged.

Disease Threat. With piped water damaged, freshwater supplied contaminated by sea water, and rain-soaked ground leaving higher water tables allowing seepage from damaged toilets and septic tanks in areas most affected by the hurricane, health inspectors have been on the ground from Day One attempting to ram home the message that safety of water supplies, general village cleanliness, boiled drinking water and personal hygiene are key factors in the health of hurricane-affected communities. An outbreak of disease will be catastrophic for the people burdened by rehabilitation work and health officials who must operate from damaged facilities with limited supplies.  With pools of stagnant water, piles of rubbish, fallen trees and leaves, the potential for dengue-carrying mosquitoes to breed is also enormous.

(B) Lesson from Past Hurricances:
Building Codes Need to Apply to Villages
"Jon's" valuable comment to an earlier post on the hurricane

"In the mid 80’s, after cyclones Eric and Nigel, Fiji’s National Building Code and the Fiji House Building Manual were drawn up in an attempt to mitigate the damage caused by future cyclones.

The Code and Manual are loosely based on the Australian and New Zealand building codes, including Australian wind and NZ seismic codes. Both are easy to read, liberally undispersed with sketches for easy understanding and, just as importantly, are cheap to buy.

The preamble to the House Building Manual notes “…we have tried to retain… the current local building practices. We have also tried to ensure that the use of the Manual does not contribute to any material increase in the cost of houses. Where there is marginal increase it will be substantially offset by an increase in the safety and durability of the house.”

However, we still read stories such as “Only cyclone proof homes left standing on Cikobia” – 20  years after the Code was introduced. The reason is simple – no government of the day has made it a requirement for the Code to be compulsory in Fijian villages. In fact in many acts relating to building, such as the Health Act and Environment Act, Fijian villages are specifically excluded.

If this government intends to make fuller use of productive land by way of its land reforms, one of the starting points will be to include all Fijian villages and squatter settlements in the legislation designed for everyone’s protectionBuilding Code, Health Act and Environment Act. District Officers should then be responsible for ensuring that all new buildings erected in villages are inspected to ensure compliance with the code.

In this way villagers (as most of us in urban areas already are) can be spared the trauma of losing their homes and having to start from scratch, which just reinforces the cycle of poverty." 

P.S. For readers less familiar with Fiji, formal and informal ethnic Fijian villages  are excluded from health and other regulations applied to urban areas, even when the villages are "urban" to most intents and purposes.

They have been excluded by the simple expedient of drawing town boundaries to exclude these urban villages. Nowhere is this better seen than in the string of villages between Nadi town and airport, and in Lami to the west of Suva, where town boundaries weave back and forth to exclude traditional and informal villages. -- Croz.


The Colours of Holi Shower a New Key of Hope for Fiji


New Zealand Defence C-130 on deployment. File image by Jason Dorday and courtesy of Scoop.co.nz.

 Pacific Scoop: Opinion 
 by Thakur Ranjit Singh

At the stroke of 6 am on Wednesday  March 17 2010, the silence of the, crisp and cool autumn Waitakere dawn at the Whenuapai Air force base was dethroned by the drone of an aircraft – a carrier of hope.

As the C-130 Hercules aircraft from NO 40 Squadron of the Royal New Zealand Air Force taxied out of its hangar, loaded with emergency relief supplies for the cyclone ravaged Fiji, it was a moving epitome of humanity and statesmanship in action.


It also strengthened our belief that every country, once in a while, needs a change in leadership where a relatively younger leader with a propensity to heal wounds, build bridges, and promote goodwill takes over the helm of the nation. Such a leader, with a fresh, liberal, and more pragmatic outlook, bereft of the shackles of old rivalries and unbridled ego, brings new hope to the nation.

Prime Minister John Key happens to be one such person. I had seen him last Sunday at Waitakere Indian Association’s Rang Barse Holi Festival (the showering of colours) at Waitakere Trusts Stadium. He was seen as a people's PM, coloured in the Holi rainbow colours, mingling freely with the old and the young, the Maori, the Pakeha and the Indians, after delivering a bonding powerful Holi message for us all. He has little hesitation in walking his talk on building bridges and improving international relations, especially with countries supplying a large chunk of its migrants.

As a new boy on the block, President Obama brought renewed hopes to the United States of America. Similarly, when John Key replaced the previous leaders both in the National Party and as the country’s Prime Minister, people had expected New Zealand to reach a higher echelon of statesmanship. Somebody who could bring the diametrically opposed parties of Act’s Rodney Hide and the Maori Party’s Dr Pita Sharples under one umbrella, was destined to make a difference in promoting regional goodwill and peace.

During last year’s Waitangi Day celebrations at Hoani Waititi Marae in Waitakere City, I had reflected on New Zealand’s stance on Fiji. I had complained that the experience curve of the lessons of conflict resolution from the Treaty settlement had gone begging when it came to bridging the political chasm with Fiji.

As the aircraft of hope dipped its nose towards the runway at Nausori Airport near Suva – a struggling neighbourhood in Fiji – it was perhaps the first time a New Zealand defence force plane had been in Fiji since the 2006 coup.
Foreign Affairs Minister Mr McCully was echoing perhaps what the Prime Minister desired. The situation in Fiji was a humanitarian situation and New Zealand was reacting to that situation. It was extremely commendable of New Zealand Government to have seen it that way, ignoring complications in relation to an estranged diplomatic situation.

They say adversity brings the best in people. That has been entirely true of the New Zealand Government’s leadership. With a pledge of a sizable amount of aid and, cooperation shown by NZ High Commission and NZAID in working together with Fiji authorities, this shows there are visible signs of a thaw in relations that hitherto had been strained.

The pledge of further help and another aircraft and other resources, that will be at the disposal of Fiji, has shown that the New Zealand Government can, if it wishes, behave like a first world nation to a third world country.

The most hopeful news has been that even Frank Bainimarama (Fiji’s military leader) has been thankful to New Zealand for its gesture. As a media student, the only problem I see is that New Zealand’s mainstream media is obsessed and possessed with its own brand of democracy and solution for Fiji. It refuses to behave like a first world media and exhibits a lack of real knowledge about the situation on the ground.

I was saddened to hear an interview on Radio Live with Murray Mc Cully where the reporter lobbed a leading and suggestive question to the Minister as to what he would do in a situation where Bainimarama was hindering improvements to health in Fiji and distribution of relief supplies. Such blinkered, ill-thought and jaundiced views brought shame and demonstrated a low standard of New Zealand’s mainstream media. This shows why there is need for greater diversity in the media in New Zealand and a commitment to better sensitivity and understanding of other cultures when reporting international issue, especially relating to troubled neighbours, Fiji in particular.

At least in this situation in Fiji, the C -130 Hercules with its capability and adequate supply of parachutes appears not to have taken aboard any parachute journalists.

This is because news coming out of Fiji so far is well-informed and of good quality, fitting in the model of development journalism that has generally been missing from the New Zealand mainstream media’s reporting on Fiji.
I am hopeful that relations between New Zealand and Fiji should improve because John Key is an independent thinker and his foreign policy on Fiji is less likely to be based on the editorial opinions of its mainstream press here, as was perhaps evident during the tenor of the past government.

Thakur Ranjit Singh is a post graduate student in Communication Studies at AUT University.

Saturday 20 March 2010

Hero Soldier Saves Villagers -

Hero soldier saves villagers - Fiji Times Online

Lockington's Everyday Fiji ... Life Goes On


Allen Lockington is a self-employed customs agent and business consultant who has regular articles published in Connnect.  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.



A Second Chance

Sinda Rela (not her real name) went back to school when she was 38. She lived in the interior of Vanua Levu and spent her primary school days there. Life was tough because there were many of them. Food was not plentiful and she walked six miles to and from school and what she loved about school was walking. She is still fit. But this is a real life story of one of our very own who struggled through life because of circumstances. She finished her primary school days in the village and then went with her dad to Viti Levu because he was a farmer and had bought a piece of land in one of the more fertile places near Suva. She went to a secondary school near the farm. A few years after she finished Form 6 her dad passed away. Life got even harder. They all left the farm to take their dad's body to Vanua Levu to be buried on their land. Unfortunately her schooling days came to an end.

She stayed back in the village and a dashing young man came a courting and they were married. Life for some is such.  How you cope with issues is what makes you what you are. They had children and they were soon walking the six miles to and from school that their mother knew so well. But this young woman had a plan, not a dream, not a mission and not a vision. Yes she had a plan.  

She planned that her children were going to get a better life then her. She bided her time and as they grew up she told them, “I will take you to Viti Levu so you can go to the good schools over there. And as soon as the eldest passed his FEYE they said good bye to the village and were gone. Her husband soon found a job in a security company and food was put on the plate and school fees were paid. They lived with relatives for a while because they had to. At night the children used the kerosene lamp because they couldn’t afford electricity.  Then she decided to get a job and worked as house girl in a neighbour’s home. The children were delighted because they could butter their bread. Sinda never cared about what  people thought and she told her children this. They were strong kids.

Then she got an offer to work in a supermarket mopping the aisles and cleaning the toilets. Yes, she was a cleaner. Sinda used to go and chat with the boss’s secretary but little did the secretary know Sinda was watching what she was doing and every day she learnt something new. One day the secretary was away and the telephone rang, “Hello, Nellas’ Supermarket, May I help you?” she gushed in to the mouth peace. She had answered her first telephone call. Then she watched the typist doing the spreadsheet and word documents and filing and answering customers' questions and even the stock cards. She watched how stock orders were made and kept it her secret. She was getting good. Then one day the typist had to go on leave, given by all good business to their employees. Sinda was asked if she would oblige. She sat in that seat just like it was made for her.

After a while, a new manager came along and saw her desire to learn and asked her to bring some qualification so he could promote her to office assistant. She brought her Form 6 pass from the village. It was not enough. The boss enrolled her in a tertiary institution to do a certificate in office management. The day she started she was out of place. Half the class were younger than her eldest child. But she didn’t care what anybody said. Her plan was in her mind. She fitted in well with the work because she had studied at the office.

Then one day when she got home her children said, “That’s right, now you know how we feel when we get home work. Hahahahahaha" and added, “That’s the problem. You never finished school and now you want to go back.”

She looked them in the eye and said, “Please listen to me carefully, children.” Brushing aside a tear that had so unkindly appeared in her eye, she said,“This is a lesson to you all. School properly so you can do better than me. If you go to school, do the work, don’t get distracted. Don’t follow the other children. If you drop out they will not care about you, and you may end up doing a cleaner's job

One child asked, “Mum are you crying?” She said, “Yes, Son, I’ve been given a second chance to get a certificate in office management and I am thankful to the Almighty for sending a good boss who saw my needs and my talent.” All the children were quiet for a while until their Dad walked in and smiled. “You should be proud of your mother," he said. "she is a good example to you guys. I earn $80 a week working twelve hours a day and I still put you through school, all of you. We ate badly and we never took lunch but we survived.”

Today Sinda and her husband have nine children in school, one is working in an up market hotel, one is a Man-of-the-Cloth, two are in tertiary school, and the rest in primary school. They live a life of contentment, not pleasure. The children will have better lives because of a plan their mother had. They don’t complain so much because they take their strength from their parents, especially their dear mother who said that her plan was going to be fulfilled and nobody would stop her.

You ask if this story is true. Believe me, reader, it is. She is my friend. I told her when she graduates I will make sure the TV people and the newspapers are there so that we can tell people like her that they too can be like her and they can take a page out of her life. To me it's like a Fijian fairy tale.

Sinda had a plan not a dream.