Pacific Roving Ambassador, Big Plans for Health, New NZ Aid Policy, A Tick for FijiToday, and its Polldaddy Poll

N0312. NEW PACIFIC ROVING AMBASSADOR. Another indication of Government's intention of developing closer ties with its Pacific neighbours is the appoint of Mrs. Litia Mawi as Roving Ambassador/ High Commissioner and Special Envoy to the Pacific Island Countries.

Until recently a career public servant, Mrs Mawi was Fiji’s First Secretary then Counsellor at the Fiji Embassy in Tokyo under the Qarase government. and a Permanent Secretary and the Deputy Secretary for Foreign Affairs and External Trade under the Bainimarama government. She retired from the public service in late 2009 when she travelled extensively overseas for personal and professional reasons.  She has just returned from Tuvalu and a one-year consultancy for the UN as an International UN Volunteer Specialist in Aid Management and Coordination assigned to the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, Funafuti, Tuvalu. -- Based on No.776/MOI.

N0313. BIG PLANS FOR HEALTH. Fiji should have a facility within the next five years which will enable local surgeons to perform heart and kidney transplants. Permanent secretary for Health, Dr Salanieta Saketa, said  major reforms over the last two years such as the decentralisation of the General Outpatients Department at CWM and the current upgrading of their ambulance fleet have helped improve current services. The Ministry's plans for the future also include better services for non-communicable diseases such as heart disease, cancer treatments and kidney diseases. A dialysis unit is now available thanks to assistance from the private and public sector.-- Based on No.0781/MOI.

N0314.  NZ'S NEW AID POLICY. The New Zealand government has released its new International Development Policy that aims to support "sustainable economic development, particularly in the Pacific region." To receive a copy of "International Development Policy Statement: Supporting Sustainable Development" please email: aidcommunications@mfat.govt.nz.

N0315. CONGRATULATIONS TO FIJITODAY.  Thank goodness for another rational blog. Most political blogs on Fiji are so full of venom and hatred they cannot make  a useful contribution to Fiji's situation, or the way forward other than as advocates of violence and a return to the divisive racism and rampant corruption of Fiji from 2001 to 2006. Peter Firkins's FijiToday (I think the name is  a pseudonym) is very different.  It's anti-government, there's absolutely to doubt about that,  but many of its criticisms (usually contained in a long heading before a copied post item) are rational, thought-provoking and need to be made.  Recently it ran a poll asking readers to tick the statements with which they agreed on a wide range of government actions (see below).

Last Saturday it asked this question: "Leaving aside Political and Moral Issues, what actions of the current administration do you approve of?  I thought this comment and another reader's reply worth sharing with readers of my blog. I don't think Peter will mind.

Sugar and Water, Loan Okay But No More, Inflation Up, Policeman Jailed, PM in Jakarta, Supermarkets Fined

N0306. SUGAR AND WATER. What with the meteoric rise in the price of sugar, due to it being imported from Thailand, and Lautoka and parts of the West being without water for 37 hours,  it's not been good news from Fiji this week. The worst part, for those without water, seems to have been that the Water Authority did not keep them informed of what was happening once their announced original 14 hours shutdown for repairs went on and on. Engineers have been working round the clock to fix the problem.  With luck, water should be back on by now.  The shutdown was to allow work on the upgrade of the Kashmir Reservoir to ensure sufficient pressure to supply areas that had received intermittent supply over the past few years. Eight schools were closed and angry parents, inconvenienced by the shutdown, said the Water Authority should have ensured schools were not affected.

N0307.  USP ECONOMIST ON THE $500m BOND LOAN. The Fiji Times has published another short piece on USP's last week's panel discussion the bond issue. Economist Dr Tiru Jayaraman  thought Fiji wise not to have accepted the IMF terms for a loan because this would have meant the too-early closure of non-viable public enterprises, having a balanced budget, reducing debt levels and operational costs. The global global bond issue had spared Government and the IMF of all these. But the need for reforms is still there, he said, with Fiji needing self-regulation and self-control.

Fiji's total debt is 75.9% of the gross domestic product (as of 2010). Government's expenditure is about 28.5% of the GDP with capital expenses only making up 5.9%. The trade imbalance is about $726million.

The economist advised the country to draw a timeline on the implementation of the reforms, analyze the effectiveness of the first (Qarase) global bond issue, and  independently analyse the Asian Development Bank and IMF loans once projects were completed. He also recommended the strengthening of external debt recording management system.

He said the repayment of the $500m second global bond issue in 2016 should be from Fiji's own foreign exchange reserves and not by another bond issue or an IMF loan. "The second bond should put an end to all bonds," he said. "Second bond should be the mother of all bonds."

N0308. INFLATION ROSE in February to 7.6%, mainly due to the increase in fuel and wheat products and the higher Value Added Tax rate.

N0309. COP JAILED FOR TWO YEARS. A Labasa police officer has  been jailed for two years four months for corrupt conduct, having been found guilty of seven counts of obtaining corrupt benefits in the sum of $307 from a Labasa businessman.

He is the fourth officer to be sacked in the Northern Division over the past week. The other officers were dismissed following convictions for assault.

N0310. PM IN JAKARTA. The PM will open the new Fiji Embassy in Jakarta today. The initiative is part of Government's Look North policy which is intended to reduce it dependence on traditional sources of aid, investment and co-operation such as Australia and New Zealand.

N0311. DIRTY TRICKS.  Three Suva supermarkets, taking advantage of the shortage of sugar, have been fined for forcing customers to buy groceries if they wanted to buy sugar from their shops.

Unscheduled Postings on the Reserve Bank's Monetary Policy and the Economy

N0304. MONETARY POLICY STANCE REMAINS UNCHANGED. Following the meeting of the Reserve Bank of Fiji Board held on 31  March 2011, the Acting Governor and Chairman of the Board, Mr. Barry Whiteside, announced that the current monetary policy stance remains unchanged, with the overnight policy rate maintained at 2 percent.

On international economic conditions, Mr. Whiteside said that the global recovery is expected to continue in 2011, led by favourable outturns in emerging and developing economies. However, possible threats to this outlook include inflationary pressures from higher food and oil prices, escalating debt levels in Europe and the ongoing civil unrest in the Middle East and North African regions. For our major trading partners, the devastating impact of the recent natural disasters in Australia, New Zealand and Japan have led to downward revisions to their 2011 growth rates.

Domestic economic outcomes were mixed in the review period. The Chairman highlighted that while consumption indicators registered some positive growth, the increase in VAT collections were largely attributed to the higher VAT rate, which rose from 12.5 to 15 percent in January. On investment, construction-based activity remained subdued. However, resource-related investments, particularly in the mining, fishing, forestry and mineral water industries, are expected to strengthen in the coming months. On the external sector, Mr. Whiteside stated that latest data revealed an improvement in the trade deficit by 18.4 percent, due to higher growth in exports relative to the expansion in imports.

Inflation rose further in February to 7.6 percent, mainly reflecting the impact of the increase in fuel and wheat product prices as well as the higher VAT rate. The year-end inflation projection for 2011 remains at 6.0 percent.

The Board Chairman added that the level of foreign reserves was $1,277 million on 31 March 2011, adequate to cover 3.8 months of imports of goods and non-factor services. Importantly, the Chairman noted that there are possible risks to the outlook for foreign reserves and inflation, including higher international crude oil and food prices. Furthermore, there may be a dampening in export demand and inbound tourist travel from our major trading partners Australia, New Zealand and Japan, following their reduced growth forecasts for 2011.

In light of the prevailing modest demand conditions in the economy while keeping in mind the possible risks to our monetary policy objectives, the Board decided to maintain the current monetary policy stance. In the meantime, the Reserve Bank will continue to assess the impact of any major changes in international and domestic economic developments and align monetary policy accordingly.

N0305. RESERVE BANK OF FIJI TRANSFERS $38.9 MILLION TO GOVERNMENT. The Reserve Bank transferred $38.9 million to Government today. This amount comprises the Bank’s entire profits of $21.5 million for the financial year ended 31 December 2010 and $17.4 million which represents one fifth of the balance of the Revaluation Reserve Account. The Board of the Reserve Bank decided not to set aside any profit to General Reserves but instead transfer the full amount to Government. The transfer to Government in 2010 for the 2009 financial year was $39.2 million (profit was $16.6 million and one-fifth of the Revaluation Reserve was $22.6 million).

The Acting Governor and Chairman of the Reserve Bank of Fiji Board, Mr. Barry Whiteside said that the Bank’s financial performance in 2010 was achieved in a challenging global environment as interest rates were still relatively low. The financial outcome in 2010 was significantly better than what was originally budgeted. This was due mainly to the higher than expected level of foreign reserves, which was $1.3 billion at the end of 2010 compared with $1.1 billion a year ago.

The audited accounts and operations report of the Bank for the 2010 fiscal year were submitted to the Minister for Finance on 31 March 2011, in accordance with the Reserve Bank of Fiji Act. The Board would like to thank the staff of the Bank for this achievement and also extends its appreciation to the Bank’s stakeholders and counterparts in assisting the Bank meet its objectives in 2010.

Beware Palm Oil, Chinese Investment, Equip Police, No Sugar

N0300. BEWARE PALM OIL. The Malaysian Trade Mission visit concerning  the possible development of a palm Oil industry in Fiji should, in this writer's opinion,  be viewed with extreme concern. Oil palm estates I've seen in Johor, Malaysia, and Sumatra in Indonesia showed total replacement of native forests and lost habitat for indigenous animals, and large swathes of exposed sub-soils. Government wishes to bring more land into production in a sustainable manner is, of course, highly commendable, but if SE Asia's record is anything to go by, oil palm is not the way to go without extreme caution and a mountain of safeguards. There are safer and more sustainable uses to which Fiji's presently unproductive land can be put.

A Government release on Wednesday (No:0760/MOI) said "The core land area [the Malaysian] investors are looking at this to begin their business and achieve economies of scale is 30,000 hectares of land, probably in Lomaivuna. “I don’t see any problem with that given that we have land bank with the department of land,” said a Government spokesperson. “They are not only looking at bio-fuel, they are also looking at other downstream processes, to use the product from palm oil for other things. This an opportunity for Fiji to generate income and of course with the incentives we have, we will attract more investments in Fiji.” The semi-permanent of lease of land under land bank legislation raises further concerns: What incentives? What monitoring of the use of the land during the lease period? Lomaivuna has a rich agricultural history. Is there no better and safer use of its land than oil palm? See also this critical article in the Fiji Times.

N0301. CHINESE CASH AND LAND SETTLEMENT. In what must be a record, barely one month after application.  China's Quantum Fiji Limited has been granted rights to proceed with property and property development in Fiji, that includes timber logging and processing, hotel operations, and commercial farming.  The investment project is  estimated to be worth F$60 million with F$35 million allocated for the first phase of development which involves the purchase of land, development of infrastructure, construction, planning and promotional activities for hotel operation.

 The second stage of F$25 million investment will be geared towards the development of the commercial farm.The investors are expected to collaborate with the China Agricultural University in Beijing and experts in agricultural to set up a service organization that will provide modern commercial agricultural technologies and related services to its clients. Other developments expected to be undertaken by Quantum Fiji Limited include a hotel, residential area, and biological farm area.

The new operation is expected to boost investment in the Agriculture, Tourism and Services sector and provide employment to locals.

N0302. GIVE POLICE THE TOOLS TO DO THE JOB.  This comment from a reader about the absence of information on the law:

"How may the Fiji Police apply the Law if they do not know what it is? Why are there not copies of these decrees available in each and every Community Police Post and Police Station? With these decrees should be the Section of the Crimes Decree which applies to Arrest Procedures, Court Procedures and - just as important - a copy of the Fiji Police Regulations which each officer must show he fully knows and understands. No copy of the regulations is available at our local post in the West. We checked three days ago. The Domestic Violence Decree requires considerable Police discretion. The Child Welfare Decree is Mandatory for reporting in certain sections. It is binding on many professionals and even on individuals in particular places: government departments, Health Centres, Social Welfare etc. If children are abused, it is no longer good enough to "walk on by". It is MANDATORY to report that a child is being abused. All Police Officers must now and fully comprehend their role.

The Fiji Public must be diligent in knowing the law. Crimes against Humanity like rape are not reconcilable and they are to remand those charged. We happen to know of at least three persons charged with rape who are on bail. One has not reported on bail conditions since May 2009. He is working at Denarau Island when last located. No Bench Warrant has been issued and the local police have been trying to "Pass the Buck" (to the Magistrate who bailed him - no longer serving). THIS WILL NOT DO.

N0303. SAVE OUR SOULS SUGAR. The Fiji Sugar Corporation has negotiated a sweet deal in sugar sold to UK buyer Tate and Lyle, paving the way and providing a powerful incentive for growers to invest in the crop.

FSC Executive chairman  Abdul Khan said Tate and Lyle had agreed to a "price is significantly better than what has been paid in the past. Negotiations with the UK buyer began over a month ago with the FSC adamant that if a better price was not achieved, Fiji would be looking at other markets such as Japan and Korea who are very interested in Fiji sugar. A surge in global demand for has resulted in an increase in the global sugar price increasing by as much as 50%. It is hoped grower confidence in the industry will be boosted with the increase and the announcement that 40% of mill maintenance work has been completed.

Incredibly, Fiji has had to import 10,000 tonnes of sugar from Thailand this year to meet local demand before the crushing season. The price  paid was around $2,000 per tonne.FSC exports this year averaged less than a $1,000 per tonne.

An unscheduled posting on the Reserve Bank's monetary policy and assessment of the economy will be posted at noon tomorrow,Tuesday.

April Fools, the Roadmap and Bainimarama's Speech to the Nation July 1 2009

CHECK OUT WEEKEND READINGS, FRIDAY'S POSTINGS AND THE NEW QUOTE FOR THE WEEK.

N0297. APRIL FOOL.  My April Fool's Day joke on Friday "Breaking News!!!!!!! Bainimarama Regime Toppled" produced opposing responses from readers depending on their sense of humour and political standpoint. They ranged from "Good one, Croz" and "You caught me" to "Not a very funny joke Croz. Nor was it very funny when the elected government was toppled by men with guns in 2006. Please be careful in picking up the ill intentions of other sites to not lose focus.There are plenty of other reports that have proved un true - for example the promise of elections in 2009. The promise of the PER being lifted."  It would seem Anon was disappointed the news was false. But, for the record, the "  promises"  were not rumours. They were announced by Government. Both events have been fully covered in this blog.

And here's  another in similar vein: "If only is was true? What a day of celebration that will be!!"
There's no need to second guess how this person voted in 2001 and 2006 assuming, of course, he lived — and still lives — in Fiji.

N0298. ROADMAP.  Another reader, Enough already, left this comment on the post "Australia's Policy Not Working..."

"I am starting to get a little tired of these constant calls to see the roadmap and repeating the lie that it has not been shared with the Fijian people. Bainimarama went through the broad outlines of the roadmap in a public address to the nation on TV on July 1 2009 in a speech titled "A strategic framework for change". 

"Some may argue that they would like to see more detail, but you cannot say that the roadmap has not been shared with the Fijian people.

N0299. SO HERE IT IS.  Bainimarama's speech on July 9 last year, a few weeks after the Abrogation of the 1997 Constitution, and nothing —absolutely nothing—  about Fiji's intended direction has changed since. Read it here or copy the link below to read it at your leisure. My underlining.

Transcript from Radio Australia.  [My emphases]

Commodore Frank Bainimarama Speech to the Nation  

July 1, 2009 

The following is the full transcript of Fiji's interim Prime Minister Commodore Frank Bainimarama's speech to the nation titled 'A strategic framework for change'

Bula vinaka and a good morning.

My fellow citizens, your Excellencies, members of the diplomatic corp, members of the judiciary, employees, employers, NGOs, ladies and gentlemen.

After the abrogation of the 1997 constitution by his Excellency our president he mandated me and my Government to carry out and continue with the reforms as directed by him in 2007.

The mandate also requires my Government to ensure that true democratic, non-communal, equal suffrage based elections for parliamentary representation are held by September 2014.

From now until September 2014 a number of measures including reforms shall be implemented to give reality to the mandate of His Excellency our President and the Peoples Charter for Peace Change and Progress.

It is also imperative that our citizens, employees, investors, business houses, our trading and development partners, multilateral agencies and the international community at large are fully cognizant of what my Government shall focus on from now until 2014

This morning I appear before you to set out the strategic framework for Fiji and the objectives of my Government until 2014, within the context of the Presidential mandate and the World economy. Today I shall set out the key principles and certain time frames.

People's Charter. Pillar 5 and Chapter 6 State of the Nation Report on Economic Growth: For Discussion

The text of each Pillar of the draft People's Charter (and its more detailed attendant State of the Nation report chapter) is published for discussion each week.To read  the text and discussion on earlier Pillars, type Pillar 1, etc, in the Search facility in the left sidebar.    


Since this Pillar and chapter were published, a number of events have occurred which have made some of their aims difficult, if not impossible to achieve, at least in the short term. These include the Global Recession and drying up of investment, two devastating hurricanes and a major flood, the boycott of Fiji in many international fora, the imposition of sanctions, and the withdrawn of foreign aid and major problems in the sugar industry.  Some observers have also blamed the policies of the Fiji government.  


The intended time-frame for the implementation of each Pillar should  be considered. It was not expected all would be achieved immediately or even in the short-term. Some goals would take much longer. The Charter mentions 2020 and in another place over 40 years.

In reading and commenting on Pillar 5, I invite readers to critically and fairly consider the steps government has taken towards achieving the Charter aims; to give credit where credit is due, to criticise where needed, but most of all to write with realistic and helpful suggestions on what could and can be done, or done better. 

Is the PNG Land Grab Relevant to Fiji?

The New Land Grab in Papua New Guinea

By Colin Filer, Australian National University

This article by Colin Filer  is of particular importance to Fiji because it shows what could happen if Government's Land Bank initiatives go pear-shaped.   The Land Bank was established by the Land Use Decree 2010 in which the state actively looks for available land and prospective tenants and acts as an intermediary by leasing land from the owners and  sub-leasing to farmers and investors. Leases are normally for 99 years and rent payments are guaranteed by the state. It seems like a win-win arrangement, but ...

Filer's  article opens ...

It is still commonly asserted that 97 percent of the land in Papua New Guinea  remains under customary ownership, just as it was when PNG gained its independence from Australian colonial rule in 1975 . Indeed, some commentators believe that this abiding reality is a major constraint on the country’s economic development. But there is now some cause for these commentators to celebrate a new reality. Between the beginning of July 2003 and the end of January 2011, almost 5 million hectares of customary land (11 percent of PNG’s total land area) has passed into the hands of national and foreign corporate entities through a legal mechanism known as the ‘lease-leaseback scheme’.  This is twice the amount of land which one international study found to have been ‘grabbed’ by corporate interests across five different African countries over a comparable period of time.

Now read on

Lockington's Everyday Fiji ... Life Goes On

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

Sugar Price Hike

The price of sugar in Lautoka supermarkets skyrocketed on Tuesday 22 March. I was at the Lautoka market at around 11 am when the wife of a market vendor showed me the cash receipt which read $6.75. One unusual thing about the receipt was that it did not give the unit price or the quantity bought. It just had Sugar and the total amount. And the receipt was not very clear. Someone wrote an article sometime ago about cash register receipts that are printed on thermal paper. Was it done like that so that the price of the items would disappear in a short time?  Receipt need to be in ink that is readable for a long time.

At around 6 pm I was at the Lautoka market and met juice sellers who told me that the price of sugar had increased. Some of them had bought sugar in the morning and it had cost them around $4 for 4 kilograms, those who went a few hours later had to pay $6.75.

There a few questions that I’m sure the rest of the citizens —and the juice vendors— would like to ask:

• How did the price go up without any prior indication in the media from authorities?
• Is the sugar they bought imported or local?
• If it is imported, will the price come down again if local sugar is once again sold?

Many people are feeling the pinch of price hikes yet their income has not increased. The price hike of sugar may force juice vendors to increase the price of the juice but they see this as a barrier to their business.

One vendor mentioned that the Previous Prices (PIB) and Income Board used to have a column in the newspapers where the PIB would show the price of basic food items and if there was going to be an price increase in any item.

Something is amiss in the sudden price hike of sugar and I’m sure all shoppers would like to know what happened to cause it to skyrocket  in just one day.

Discussion in Fiji, Silence in NZ; Police Getting Serious; Election Groundwork Needed Now; Focus

WEEKEND READING ♦ Allen Lockington Column  ♦ People's Charter Pillar 5 (Achieving Higher Economic Growth): For Discussion  ♦ Is the PNG Land Grab Relevant to Fiji?

Photo: The University of the South Pacific Laucala Bay campus was built on the RNZF base for Sunderland flying boats which were then the only way to reach many islands in the region by air. The road on the left is Queen Elizabeth Drive that now dissects the upper and lower campus,  and the one from top to bottom of the photo is Laucala Bay Road.

N0292. PUBLIC DISCUSSION IN FIJI .  Restrictions on open debate could be improving in Fiji despite the retention of PER, the emergency regulations.  On Wednesday, USP held a public forum on the large loan recently taken out by Government, Fiji’s Second International Bond Issue. Speakers included Filimone Waqabaca (Ministry of Finance), Dr Mahendra Reddy (Fiji National University), Prof. Warden Narsey (USP), Norman Wilson (ANZ) & Dr. T.K Jayaraman (USP). Notable is the inclusion of Prof Wadan Narsey, a well known  government opponent. The audience would have heard more than one side of the argument.

My understanding is that the Fiji Times taped the debate so we may see something of what was said in the print media. They published a short item today with arguments for (Waqabaca) and against (Narsey). Hopefully, more will follow. 

Biased Reporting in New Zealand
Radio NZ International, however, mentioned only Narsey's position: "Fiji's interim administration is being criticised for burdening future generations with debt after raising about 250 million US dollars in foreign bonds."   This overtly biased reporting on Fiji is now standard fare (unfair) for RNZI. Witness Johnny Blades's report on the Melanesian Spearhead Group meeting published earlier today (N0290) that made no reference to the leaders' support for Fiji's reforms and elections in 2014, and compare with the report by Radio Australia.

Radio NZI and its reporters need to remind themselves that New Zealanders pride themselves on fair play. On-going, one-eyed, biased reporting is not fair play. One wonders why they are doing this? Is it because the State broadcaster, in today's difficult economic environment, fears funding cuts unless it kowtows to government policies?

N0293. POLICE GETTING SERIOUS ABOUT CLEANING UP THEIR ACT. Three policemen have been sacked in the Northern Division  this week. A Police headquarters spokesman said: "The consequence of abuse of power by law enforcers shows how serious the new administration is about the rightful use of power vested in the officers.We want to make Fiji a safe and secure place. We want people to place their trust and faith in the Police Force. We can't have the same people in the Police Force who have threatened and abused people. We will not condone such cases."

Fiji Today, the only moderate anti-government blog, had this heading today: "Rumor says that the Police Force has set up an Internal Investigation Unit that is operating behind the scences to reduce curruption in the police force. This force needs to be cleaned up if it is to have any credibility in the eyes of the public."

N0294. CRITICAL GROUNDWORK FOR ELECTION 2014 DATE MUST START NOW.
The Citizens’ Constitutional Forum is encouraged by the confirmation of the 2014 election timeline by Government (Fiji Village 30/3/11) and wishes to highlight that even prior to the event, the State, Civil Societies and all the key stakeholders need to start addressing the critical preparatory groundwork now.

“Going by best practices experiences of recent history of transitional governments similar to our experience, it has shown that prior to the elections itself critical landmarks such as dialogue on key issues including the Constitution, Electoral Reform and ongoing public consultation and dialogue at all levels needs to start now for a sustainable transition,” states Reverend Akuila Yabaki.

He added that, “All stakeholders need to be engaged in some critical dialogue on the processes and the content of the Constitution.”

With regard to “ironclad assurances” by the Foreign Minister, Ratu Inoke Kubuabola, on the timelines towards 2014, Reverend Yabaki “finds this warmly reassuring and strongly recommends that a good first step would be the lifting of PER.” -- CCF Press Release.

N0295.  FOCUS is the Government newsletter published in English, Fijian and Hindi. The latest issue has, as might be expected, a swag of articles on government's development initiatives,  but it also has letters to the editor, an extensive list of government job vacancies, information on the Order of Fiji, and lots of photos.

If you are interested in  having a look, it may be downloaded from the Government website by  clicking here.

Australia's Policy Not Working; Rule of Law, McCully's Carrot; MSG Leaders Endorse Fiji's Plans, Oppose Exclusion; McCully Leads Rudd

N0287. CALLS FOR POLICY CHANGE MOUNTING.  In the last few days we've had Australian Foreign Minister Rudd saying that Australia will not change its approach to Fiji; NZ Foreign Minister McCully wave the carrot of Rugby World Cup attendance if Fiji showed it was serious about elections in 2014; and three Melanesian countries accept Fiji's Roadmap and call for  its re-entry into the Pacific Forum and PACER discussions (see N0290, below).

Now we have Julie Bishop, the Australian Opposition spokesperson on foreign affairs, saying Australia's policy of exclusion is not working, and that it should follow the example of the United States and other European countries and review its policies.

'I believe it's time, she said, 'for the Australian government to review its stance on Fiji, particularly time to assess  whether the sanctions imposed on Fiji are working or whether they are potentially counter-productive. We must  consider the impact of the sanctions on the Fijian people. I am urging Foreign Minister Rudd to refocus his  efforts in the Pacific, particularly on Fiji, to see if there's a better way to restore democracy and the rule of law in Fiji.'

Last week's NSW election routing of Labour and its slender one-seat majority in the Federal parliament seem to indicate that Rudd's Labour is as much out of touch with realities in Australia as it is in the Pacific.

N0288. THE RULE OF LAW. These snippets from a reader's email: "The new Commissioner of Police is very pro-active ...

"We are seeing a great improvement in the courts now ... the Sri Lankan judges and magistrates are helpful and professional.

"I am told we now have five High Courtrooms. Before there were only two and BOTH leaked.  We have six judges  there now. There was a time when there were only two. Imagine: two judges to serve the entire Western Division of Fiji. No wonder we were in trouble."

The reader pointed to the sort of assistance needed from overseas: "We need targeted assistance – especially with the Police Force, violent crime, serious organized crime and transnational crime.  Also with the operation of the Fiji Courts and Judicial System, such as Court recording and remote TV to allow women and children separation from their attackers in courts.

N0289. MCCULLY'S CARROT.  Another reader left this comment: "The fact that McCully even considered dangling the World Cup as a carrot indicates the low regard with which he and his government consider Fiji and the depth of their ignorance of indigenous Fijian history, values and psyche. Is NZ offering to buy the Fiji Government's integrity with the World Cup? What is the World Cup but a piece of silver? Of much greater value is that Fiji does not sell its soul."

N0290. MSG MEETING ROUNDUP.   A TV first marked the Melanesian Spearhead Group  Leaders Summit on Thursday with two hours of live coverage beamed to thousands of viewers from around the region in English, Fijian,  Hindi, French, Pidgin and sign language.

The highlight of the meeting from Fiji's perspective was the unanimous support received from the Melanesian governments. All the leaders recognised the proposed People’s Charter for Change, the Roadmap and the Sustainable Socio-Economic Development and the accompanying reform agendas as credible for Fiji’s development. All the leaders also called for the end of Fiji's exclusion by the international community.  

Solomon Islands Foreign Minister Peter Shanel  called on the Melanesian countries to lobby the Pacific Islands Leaders Forum and the Commonwealth Heads of Governments to support Fiji in its efforts to hold elections in 2014. These institutions, he said, must now recognise Fiji’s sovereign right to decide its own destiny.

PNG Foreign Minister Don Poyle called for Fiji's inclusion in the Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations (PACER) Plus negotiations, and said,  "What Fiji does internally is Fiji's business."

Vanuatu PM Sato Kilman supported PM Bainimarama's call for solidarity to complement efforts at the national level in individual member states. He had earlier said "the Vanuatu Government like other Melanesian Spearhead Group and Pacific countries recognises the importance of maintaining a diplomatic representation in Fiji.We cannot go alone. We need Fiji.”

Solomon Islands PM Danny Philip had to leave early due to political developments in his country overnight that saw the opposition in Honiara to try to dislodge his seven month old government with a no confidence motion. Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare has sent his Foreign Minister Don Polye, as he had to step aside for two weeks on Monday in line with a leadership tribunal ruling.

Radio NZ International, reporting on the MSG meeting from Suva:

 “Melanesian leaders have endorsed a broad vision on the future MSG economic integration. It involves the possible creation of a common market through the expansion of the MSG Trade Agreement into provisions for trade in services as well as a labour mobility scheme. The Closer Economic Relations agenda also includes a strengthening of the Trade agreement by addressing inconsistencies with other regional trade agreements, while the leaders have approved a timeline to conclude the long-running negotiations with the European Union on the Economic Partnership Agreements, or EPAs, by the end of this year.The MSG leaders have also come out strongly in support of the re-inclusion of Fiji in all regional trade discussions, issuing a broad threat of pushing for a change in the location and management of the EPA negotiations if Fiji continues to be excluded.”

Fine. But there was no mention, no mention at all,  of the Melanesian leaders' political support for Fiji. Not even a whisper.

Compare this with Radio Australia reports "Melanesian Leaders Endorse Bainimarama plans".
No comment!

 N0291.
FIJI: McCully leads Rudd in treatment of pariah regime by Alex Perrottet in Pacific Media Watch