Sophie Foster's Censorship Survey and How Bainimarama Could Lose the Match

Several readers have queried Sophie's claim that 100% of journalists interviewed by her said they -- or their colleagues (and this is an important extension that was not generally reported) -- had experienced censorhip. The readers were concerned that Sophie said nothing about her survey methodology? How many were interviewed, and from which newspapers?

Sophie is the Deputy  Editor of  The Fiji Times, the most anti-Government and most heavily censored paper. Every journalist in Fiji knows Sophie and her opinions on censorship. From my own Fiji research experience, I know that who asks the question influences answers. Sophie's survey results are therefore highly suspect. But I'm prepared to accept her 100% because the statistic is meaningless. In today's Fiji I would expect most journalists -- or their colleagues -- to have experienced censorship. [ Photo:Sitiveni Sivivatu photo Fiji Times. Read on to see its relevance.]

Sophie's findings on what sort of articles journalists thought were more, or less, likely to be censored was more interesting. But even then, my primary concern, as  I stated in an earlier post, is not with how clumsy and often unnecessary censorhip impacts on the public's "right to know" (that, incidentally, the media and not the public decides) or on "media freedom" per se, but on how censorship (and the self-censorship that will no doubt follow the lifting of the Public Emergency Regulations) will impact on the Government's Roadmap.  Short of major derailment by "hostile" forces, the Roadmap holds the key to Fiji's future and, for those sitting in the Government's camp, it is the Roadmap that has to be protected, whatever the costs.

But the most important steps in the Roadmap will not be achieved without the co-operation of the media. Government has to bring the media on board if the attitudinal changes needed to achieve the Roadmap are to be achieved. 

And the only way to achieve this is to ensure those that implementing the Media Decree are intelligent, honest and respected people who will not allow Fiji to return to the media's previous abuse of media freedom or allow Government to impose measures inconsistent with its plans for a more democratic Fiji.

A hard ask, perhaps, but we shall be watching the appointees closely. In the months and years to come, Government has to ease up on critical dissent and accept that much of it is needed and well intended. Not everyone in the team is a frontrow forward.  There's a place for others with other skills. If they are not used, the final score will be Government 8 (from a penalty and a try); Qarase HasBeens 10 (from a penalty and a converted try). Bainimarama's failure to land a drop kick just before half-time lost the match.

Notice: There will be more extensive coverage on censorship and the draft Media Decree tomorrow Saturday. If you don't have access to a computer over the weekend, be sure to check the postings next week. Older postings tend to be buried by more recent ones.

Agricultual Scam, Chinese, Kai Solomoni Injustices, Fiji Helps Australia, Bio-Diesel, Girmit Announcement

AGRICULTURAL Scam 2001. The Court of Appeal has dismissed all nine grounds of appeal filed by former Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forests, Peniasi Kunatuba who is serving a four year sentence for his role in the $16 million agriculture scam of 2001. Judges Justices John Byrnes,  Paul Madigan and Priyantha Fernando all ruled that Kunatuba had been lawfully convicted and properly sentenced. Agricultural implements distributed in the "scam" were used to buy ethnic Fijian votes in the 2001 Election.

CHINESE Businessmen have expressed an interest in two FNPF projects, the Momi Hotel and the Grand Pacific Hotel in Suva.

KAI SOLOMONI Injustices. In February last year my post "Solomon Community Wants to Return "Home" described the terrible injustices done to the descendants of Fiji's first indentured labourers, from what is now Vanuatu and Solomon Islands. Yesterday I received this comment: "Thanks Walse for the blog. I am one of the decendants and what you have highlighted is true and I hope that one day we will be recognized and not seen as outsiders."

After six or more generations in Fiji, with no knowledge of their paternal ancestor's islands; with Fijian mothers and a largely Fijian culture, language and lifestyle, they are still seen as "visitors" and are not recognized as Fijians by ethnic Fijians. In pre-Contact Fiji they would have been "absorbed" generations ago. Their continued exclusion today is the result of the fossilisation of an idealised homogenous culture that did not exist. Traditional Fijian practices were far more flexible than the colonial-interpreted law used today.  Click here to read the original post.

FIJI Helping Australia. The Suva High Court  ruled last week that a child abducted by the father and now living in Fiji be returned to Australia and placed under the care of its mother. Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum pointed to the obvious irony: Australia made the application for the child's return to the very same courts they tried to undermine by placing Fiji judges on a travel ban.

BIO-DIESEL Has Teething Problems.Koro Island's Bio-Diesel Mill opened recently by the PM is having difficulty selling the new product to wary villagers. It's also likely the "strong" 20/80 blend with normal fuel will cause mechanical problems for newer vehicles that, without adaptation, require a 5% blend.  There's a bright future for copra bio-diesel in Fiji but the infrastructural "mix" is not yet right.

ANNOUNCEMENT. Indo-Fijians in New Zealand will be celebrating the arrival of their ancestors from the Asian, Indian and Afghanistan sub-continent at Fickling Centre, Three Kings, Auckland, on Friday May 14, 2010 from 7pm to 9pm.

Chiefly Disputes, No More Racism, Poor Accounting, NZ's Phillip Taula

CHIEFLY Money. Who should receive money from land leases and other entitlements is the main cause of chiefly disputes in the country, says  an official of the PM's office. Kisoko Cagituevei told FBC News that differences over who should hold chiefly titles should not happen, but money was causing most of the disputes to drag on. Cagituevei says it must be clear that a chief’s responsibility is to his or her people and not to money. He says officials from the Ministry of Indigenous Affairs are visiting districts and villages that are having chiefly title disputes to help solve the issue.

"NO Racism in Fiji After 2014."  The RadioFiji heading is not quite what PM Bainimarama said. Racism cannot be removed by government decree or elections. Overseas studies have shown that residual racism, affecting 5-15% of the population, remains whatever governments do to remove it. A similar proportion probably believe the earth is flat.

 The article went on: PM said that "the new government that will come into power after the 2014 elections must continue on the current multiracial path being forged for Fiji and not return to racism." The reforms being put in place will ensure that the incoming government does not divert from their vision for a  better Fiji. He says people not allow politicians to take them back to the racist discourse of the past.

This is a very different perspective to that of ousted Fiji Sun publisher Russell Hunter who claims the 2014 election will produce "a puppet parliament in thrall to the military." I've no doubt the military will ensure the new government keeps to the new Constitution but I can't see how this would make it a puppet government.

UNPAID Water Rates. As a further example of the need to improve the civil service, an assessment of the 2006 Auditor General's report on Infrastructure Services shows laxity by the Department of Water and Sewerage in the recovery of $36 million, $15.4 of which was outstanding for over five years.

FNPF (Fiji National Provident Fund) has  written off  $327 million worth of its assets in order to reflect the true value of members accounts. This is an auditing adjustment. The amount in individual member's funds remains the same.

RADIO Fiji Reports that Police took ten executives of the Van and Carrier Operators Association in for questioning yesterday during their annual meeting. No reason was given.

GOOD For Business. Fiji Ranks 85 out of 179 countries on a scale measuring the ease of doing business in a country. Fiji is ahead of other South Pacific countries except Samoa, which is rated at 84. Vanuatu is rated at 108, Micronesia 142, PNG 126, Kiribati 166, Tonga 127 and Solomon Islands at 170. Of countries in the Asia-Pacific region, Fiji ranks 14 out of 41. China ranked 124, India 134, Brazil 113, Russia 143 and Sri Lanka 120.

STANDARD And Poor aka Very Poorly,  the same ratings agency that gave many American financial instutions clean bills of health before they collapsed, says the quality of data emanating from Fiji has been declining in recent years. Kyran Curry says the outlook for Fiji is stable as the vital tourism sector is recovering from last year's global downturn, but figures are not as reliable any more because of the gradual militarisation of the bureaucracy. Well, to what else would they attribute as the cause!

NEW ZEALAND Acting Head of Mission Phillip Taula launched the Save the Children Fiji’s five-year strategic plan on Tuesday. Referring to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child to which Fiji is a signatory, he said "the rights of children transcend cultural and political traditions; regardless of gender, religion, economic status, nationality, or any other differences that exist. Save the Children's vision of a world in which every child attains the right to survival, protection, development and participation is entirely consistent with the Convention. Education is also the focus of New Zealand's key area of support for Save the Children Fiji.”

NEW ZEALAND Immigration in Suva will now require all immigration advisers and service providers providing advice about travel to New Zealand will have to be licensed by New Zealand Immigration.

Media Watchdog or Partner; Fijian Identity, Spies, Housing, Blog Poor Taste

MEDIA's "Self Appointed" Watchdog Role. Who Watches the Watchdog? 
Pacific Islands News Association (PINA) President Moses Steven was criticized again  criticised for a statement released on International Press Freedom Day, on Monday, which "appears to call on Pacific media to forego its watchdog role and instead become a partner with national governments."

Steven told Radio Australia's Pacific Beat that while in developed societies, participants knew how public debate should be conducted, "we in the Pacific are still adopting these (democratic) systems and a lot of our people don't understand them." That left the way open for "friction". He said opponents of governments should be reported, but the media itself should not seek "to change governments".

Comment. The watchdog role on government sounds great but the media has its own vested interests, it takes sides, and in many "democratic" societies it is part of the establishment it is supposed to watch. Two newspapers backing opposing political parties represents a sort of independence but with so little difference between the major parties, both are essentially backing the same horse with different jockeys.  What's happened in Fiji is that sections of the media from at least 1987 onwards, with a blip during the short Chaudhry Labour years,  have backed the government horse. But after the 2006 military takeover, both horse and jockey changed; the media continued to back the "old" horse and jockey; and the media-government link was broken because its continued to report biased reports about the newcomer.

There are, of course, legitimate concerns about media restrictions in Fiji even beyond government's legitimate concerns about the media, but Steven does have a point. One size does not fit all. Fiji is not Australia or New Zealand, or Samoa or the Cook Islands for that matter.  It is doubtful proposals by journalists from the latter countries to move PINA from Fiji because of censorship would have anything more than symbolic value. I shall post a more substantial piece on censorship on Saturday.

FIJIAN Identity.  Yesterday's posting has attracted important comments, not least of which is that the issue could open a hornet's nest at the time when everyone should be focusing on moving Fiji forward.  There's also a comment on the Moturiki qoliqoli.
 
FIJI Gets Spy Agency.  That's the latest  Radio Australia News heading on Fiji. It's not the first time, as the radio reports, but the choice of heading is a little sinister. All countries have similar agencies.  Check out Australian Secret Service Agency.

HOUSING Scheme Delayed. RadioNZI  reports "Housing assistance scheme in Fiji will not go ahead" but then goes on to say the government-funded plan to give first home builders financial assistance won’t go ahead, until prices in the under-investigation hardware sector are regulated." There is a big difference between "won't go ahead" and "won't go ahead until." Who writes these headings?  As previously reported: "USP Economics professor Biman Prasad has commended Government's new housing plan that will for the first time see collaboration with the private sector and banks. The plan will give up to $10,000 to first homeowners who are able to put down a 20 percent deposit. At an average cost of $100,000 a house the scheme will benefit 1,000 families, and put $100 million into the economy. Prasad called it a "smart way to help the low to middle income group buy houses,and increase economic activity in the construction industry which has suffered badly since the coup in 2006."

FILTHY Blog. The case of anti-government bloggers is not well served by this filthy post on RealFijiNews.

Fijian Identity, Tourism, Radio Oz, School Farms, the Provinces, Japan, Femlink, Anti-Govt Blogger

WHO Am I? Fijian Identity.  Fiji’s Attorney General says all Fijian nationals are Fijians, not just indigenous groups.  But Viti Landowners and Resource Owners Association's Ratu Osea Gavidi says the issue is very complex and the term should not be prostituted.“There are those people who immigrated to Fiji over 150, 200 years ago who even then, they are third and fourth generation of those, still have not been able to understand and practise fully what it takes to be a Fijian.” [Ethnic Fijians had no common name for themselves until the late 18th Century when Tongans provided this name to European explorers. i-Taukei is more authentic and appropriate.]

SO-CALLED Political Uncertainty is Not Fiji's Main Tourism Problem. If you think it's only Fiji having to offer ridiculously low tourist packages, read about the competition from Phuket, Bali, Vanuatu, Hawaii, and soon, the Cook Islands.

READING the Alphabet ABC-wise. "Unlike the rest of the ABC, which is funded directly from Treasury, Radio Australia and Australia Network get their money from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Is it any wonder that for all their protestations of editorial independence, they parrot the official Australian line?

Australian Network is under even more pressure nowadays as DFAT decides whether to renew the ABC's contract to provide a satellite service or give it to Sky News, which is owned by Rupert Murdoch and a gaggle of other Aussie media players. It's like the old saying; If you're Caesar's wife, you not only have to be clean but seen to be clean. With its external broadcasting, Australia is hopelessly compromised." -- This information from a reader who commented on an earlier posting.  Check out the Comments to individual posts. Most make good reading.

AUSTRALIAN Government-funded ABC has sent itself a self-congratulatory message, applauding its role in Fiji, on World Press Freedom Day.  I'd join them were it not for the "freedom" shown to my comments on Fiji by the ABC and RadioNZ.

FIVE Government School Farms -- at Ratu Kadavulevu, Queen Victoria, Adi Cakobau, Bucalevu Secondary and Vunisea District  -- have received tractors and other agricultural equipment valued at $330,000 as part of Government efforts to increase productivity. Fiji is now pushing 'buy Fiji made' produce.

REWA Province is grateful to government that many of their pending development projects will eventuate this year. Provincial Council Vice-Chairman Pita Tagicakiverata  said the Council has for many years discussed projects to be undertaken within the province, but the outcome has always been the same. No work was ever carried out.

NAMOSI Thanks Mining Company. Provincial Council Rt. Romanu Matanitobua thanked a mining company in inland Namosi, where there are "good" copper and gold prospects, for providing employment and helping with the education of many of their children.

MOTURIKI, Bau, Verata Qoliqoli. Moturiki Island, close to Ovalau, is concerned about the the extent of Bau and Verata traditional fishing grounds that leave the islanders with  little room to fish. Government is looking into their complaint.

JAPAN'S Ambassador in Fiji, Yutaka Yoshizawa, has  assured Fiji of Japan's ongoing bilateral and economic assistance but wants the country to return to democratic rule.

FEMLINK Pacific's Quarterly Report, click here. The NGO has a very impressive website funded by AusAid.

ANTI-G0VERNMENT Blog Hyperbole. A quick glance at anti-government blog FijiDemocracyNow had me thinking: Good! They are reading and may be influenced by my blog. If only. They wrote: "Crosbie Walsh's coup apologist site contains some interesting information about the termite threat that's threatening to cause houses across the country to crumble into dust. Allen Lockington has revealed that the normal ..."

They inferred wharf inspections have been less thorough since the Coup (which is not what Allen said), hence Government is responsible (which it is not) for the threat of houses crumbling to dust across the country (which they are not). The terminate infestation is localised and Government is taking steps so see it remain so). The bloggers  could not see the contradiction in their own argument: a coup apologist publishing an anti-government article. Such people would have us believe all of Fiji's problems started in December 2006. Oilei!

Election List, PR, Promises, Corruption. Mehodist Church, Sandalwood, Termites

WHAT Needs to be Done Before the 2014 Elections.  Foreign Minister Ratu Inoke Kubuabola  said Government had an unswerving commitment to holding general elections in 2014.

”The timeframe takes into account the necessary reforms needed to be carried out for the future good of Fiji; the drafting of a new Constitution, which will also contain new electoral provisions with the fundamental democratic tenet of one man one vote and removal of race-based constituencies; consultation with the people of all 14 provinces and Rotuma on the draft Constitution; the creation and demarcation of constituencies pursuant to the new Constitution; revision of the National Register of Voters on a house to house basis; new Constituencies Lists; all the preparations required for the conduct of the elections; and the actual holding of the elections.”

Referring to recent "unfortunate" comments by Samoa’s PM Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi about Fiji, he said notwithstanding the comments, the Fiji government “looks forward to the Pacific Way, continued cordial relations with the Prime Minister, government and people of Samoa”.

WANT a Laugh? Click on Namuamua Journal (left column, scroll down to Links to "Moderate" Blogs) to visit Tuilaepa Sailele's Facebook page.

NOT Idle PM Promises.  Commissioner Eastern LtCol Iferemi Vasu said everything promised to improve the lives of villagers during the PM's tour of the Lomaiviti islands  had to be delivered. Where individual ministries lack funding for community policies and development projects, government will find the funds needed. "The bottom line is that the work must be done.

Next stops on the PM's provincial tours are the Lau Islands to the far east and south of the main island of Viti Levu, and the single island of Rotuma to the far north.

IMPROVED Public Relations - at Last? Newly-appointed Acting PS for Information Sharon Smith-Johns is asking all government agencies to appoint media liaison officers to help "improve the government’s information dissemination machinery and ensure policy decisions, plans and programmes are accurately and quickly disseminated to the public in a systematic and consistent manner.”  She intends to use the MLO network as a means to train and develop the capacity of MLOs in the area of public relations; an area long in need of improvement. 

CUSTOMS Officer Jailed. Farzand Ahmed Khan, 29, was convicted of forgery and abuse of office and was jailed for six months for altering passenger Mohammed Aiyaz's records to help him leave the country while he had a court order against him restraining him from travel.

FIJI Sugar Corporation  reports another loss.

THE Methodist Church has already spent $40,000 on legal fees for 27 of its members despite the offer by some lawyers to represent them for free.

SANDALWOOD is Back. One of the reasons why Europeans visited Fiji in the early 1800s may again become an important trade item. Government, through the Ministry of Women and Social Welfare, is hatching up ways to revamp the industry. Minister Luveni said yasi (sandalwood) farming has a huge potential.  After 25 to 30 years one yasi tree can value $30,000; prices are good and there's a huge market. An expert from India in the country who will be helping the mnistry. She said the response from Kioa islanders had been positive. “This development will see the empowerment of men and women in rural and remote areas. It will generate economic growth and employment for our people,” Dr Luveni said.

TERMITES Operation Kadivuka, funded initially with $177,000,  set up to eradicate and prevent the spreading of the termite to other parts of the country starts this week.  Update.

Tourism

The Downturn in Backpacker Tourists. Last week's Fiji Islands Backpacker Association conference in Nadi heard president Error Fifer  attribute the backpacker downturn since 2007 to the "removal of Fiji as a free stopover by Air New Zealand on their round-the-world tickets, the slowly developing international financial crisis, increase in bed capacity, competitive airlines operating in NZ and Australia offering a choice of low airfares, negative comments by overseas media, and the inability to adequately market our product overseas and many of us, and not fully utilising the internet as a marketing tool". [Map:  Pink shows backpacker accommodation. Click and zoom (Crtl +) to enlarge.]

This followed the sharp upturn from 2004-06 due to "increased arrivals, the expansion of Awesome Adventures, the consolidation of FEEJEE Experience locally, political stability, the start of operations by Virgin Blue and industry activity during those years."Tourism Fiji has indicated its willingness to meet a unified Association on all marketing initiatives.

Another speaker at the conference, Dr Jeff Jarvis from Monash University's Tourism Research Unit told participants Fiji was facing tougher competition with other tourist destinations, most especially Australia (where Working Holiday Makers visas allowed tourists to earn up to $15,000 working in vineyards), New Zealand, and the Asian destinations -- Bali, Thailand and Vietnam -- that offer multiple country visits options. Limited awareness of Fiji in the market was also a reason for its perception as an expensive destination.  Fiji could piggyback on the Austalian WHM visas if it could maximise its advantage of airline links.

Growing Food for Tourists. Across the island, in Suva, Fiji Islands Hotel and Tourism Association president Dixon Seeto told a media workshop that 80% of food used by the tourism industry is now produced locally. The industry uses $500 million worth of imported food and beverages a year. The Ministry of Agriculture has been helping farmers to produce enough to meet the demand of the hotel industry, and hoteliers have been encouraged to prpeare menus using local produce.

Just an Idea. I wonder what the economics would be of a "multiple country visit" tourist airline route from Sydney to Auckland, Rarotonga, Niue, Samoa, Fiji, Auckland and back to Sydney, with tourists being able to stop off at two or more destinations? Two trips a week in both directions? With Christchurch alternating with Auckland?  Something like the old days when the Union Steamship cargo/passenger ships Tofua and the Matua linked Auckland/Christchurch, with Tonga, Samoa and Fiji.  That's when villagers poled bananas for export down the Rewa on bamboo rafts.

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.

Danger in Timber

The termite problem is one that many people thought would not happen. I worked for the Customs Department for many years and during those times dunnage - which is timber used in packing or propping cargo in containers, is usually taken by people who work on the wharf for their own use. I remember when I worked in Suva in the late 70s to the late 80s anyone taking timber out of the wharf had to get a permit. The “wood” would be inspected by a then Quarantine Officer and if he saw that the timber was safe, he would issue a permit or certificate allowing the person to take it. Timber that was deemed unsafe was not allowed to be taken would be incinerated by the Quarantine officers.

A time came when life started to be hard and people would take the timber out of the wharf without the authorities knowing. I remember one time back then a security guard at North Gate on Kings Wharf telling a dockworker to take the timber he was carrying and get a certificate. The dockworker said it was to help make a little extension in his house. If a person takes enough wood each day, in a year he can build a good home. But I will be bold and say that as time went on, there was no danger in the wood and security lapsed. Oh, don’t get me wrong, I have been on many cargo inspections with my then fellow Border Control associates and a lot of timber that was in containers as props and packing was brought back and burnt.

However, I wish to say that people do get desperate because some of this timber was dressed and looked good. But dunnage is supposed to be just that, timber used for packing but we have seen been putting it to good use without knowing that it can have danger lurking in them.

I don’t know how the termites in Tomuka Lautoka arrived in Fiji but the issue  of people taking pallets and dunnage to build their homes  is a reality. Let’s not deny this because it a fact. Timber used in these homes can be checked to see if they are parts of pallets or dunnage.

Security at the wharves has to be stepped up and let’s put up a sing that says, “The biggest threat to security is if you think there is no threat.”

Whether the timber was bought from hardware shops or from the wharf we have to take care.

There is another danger that has arrived at our shores – the giant African snail. If that pest was to hit Fiji we are doomed. Complacency has been a part of our culture let’s get rid of it together with the pests. Let’s keep Fiji green.
                                                                       **********

Also for your weekend reading, check out the humour on the  Namumua Journal.