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Last Week in Fiji I : Fact and Opinion

• Aftermath Forum Decision
• Aftermath Fiji Times Publisher Expulsion
• Employers concerned about new minimum wages
• Commonwealth Urges Local Government Elections
• The Sunday Ban - Revived
• Announcement on President's Political Dialogue Forum (PPDF)

Meanwhile, estimates on the cost of flood damage increased; more flooding is forecast for Navua; Waisale Serevi was sacked as coach of the Fiji Sevens (and his supporters threatened to burn down Rugby House ... and Fiji slipped off the radar in New Zealand.

Aftermath Forum Decision
The Interim Government continues to say it will not be pressured; its opposition demands immediate compliance; and some in Fiji and overseas are asking for tougher measures. So, as expected, there's little new to report, onlyto repeat: pressure must be applied, inside and out of Fiji, on all parties, not just on the Interim Government.

Fiji Times Publisher Expulsion
The Pacific Concerns Resource Centre's (PCRC) Peter Emberson is the latest voice condemning the expulsion of Fiji Times publisher Australian Rex Gardner. In a separate post, I called the expulsion unwise but it does bear repeating that the FT defendants admitted guilt and the judge, generously, did not pass sentence on Gardner only because of its visa and work permit implications. Emberson called the expulsion "appalling" but the accusation can only apply to the severity of the judgements, not the judgments themselves.The FT abused its privileged position, and broke the law, not for the first time.

Employers concerned about new minimum wages
Surpise! Surprise!

The Sunday Ban - Revived
Village chief Isei Vosadrau of Cawaro, Udu Point, has banned Sunday travel because villagers are leaving church early to catch boats. Methodist President Awe Tugawe said that while "work" was not allowed on the Sabbath, this did not apply to visiting the sick, travel and helping the poor. Rev Akuila Yabaki, Citizen's Constitutional Forum (CCF), said the right to freedom of travel had been violated and he was appalled at a ban which forced people to attend church. The incident brings to mind the infamous Sunday Bans of the early 1990s when the Rabuka government included Fijian nationalist and religious extremists, not unlike the situation with the Qarase government. It serves as a further warning of the dangers of linking church to state.

Our human prejudices overwhelm the universality of our religious teachings. We use it to denigrate and demean each other. The way of the cross is love, forbearance, forgiveness, compassions and gentleness ... It is a quantum leap to apply these tactics to advocating a Christian State or to demonise other faiths.
Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi, Fiji Times, April 2006

Commonwealth Urges Local Government Elections
The Commonwealth Local Government Forum has urged the Interim Government to hold municipal elections no later than October. This followed the Government's dismissal last week of all municipal council preceding a "clean up campaign." An earlier review report had recommended councillors stay in office until a new election, and that mayors be elected by voters, not councillors. It was hoped this provision would meet Government's concern at the amount of party politics in municipal affairs. ( For more information on Fiji local government, see Walsh: An Encyclopaedic Atlas, pp384-387, and www.unescap.org/huset/lgstudy/country/fiji/fiji.html and www.answers.com/topic/fiji-municipal-elections-2005)

President's Political Dialogue Forum (PPDF)
The Forum, proposed by the President last year, will be facilitated by the Commonwealth and UN, with Forum representatives invited. The Forum is likely to be held soon, following a meeting of all political parties to discuss its terms of reference and an agenda. Electoral reform and the adoption of a new political system will be high on the agenda. The announcment would be good news except that PM Bainimarama has reservations inviting parties strongly critical of the People's Charter and electoral reform, and former PM Qarase and his SDL party insist there should be no pre-conditions. Bainimarama, he said, should come to the meeting with an "open mind." (One might add, and so should Qarase). The PPDF offers a way forward, especially if the international community offers its support, but for the present the signs do not look too promising.