Suva (RF Online/Pacific Media Watch): Appearing at a congressional hearing in Washington, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is again urging Fiji to restore democracy as soon as possible. But yesterday when the subject of democracy came up again. American Samoan Congressman Faleomavaega Eni Hunkin came to the defence of the Fiji government. In a question to Clinton, he said regional heavyweights Australia and New Zealand had been painting an inaccurate picture of Fiji’s political scene. Returning from talks in Suva, he said the democratic system in the country had been unfair for years, and Fiji was not ready for proper elections. He told Clinton the situation in Fiji was complex, and for too long Canberra and Wellington had been allowed to take the lead. He said:
"It makes no sense, Madame Secretary, for the leaders of Australia and New Zealand to demand early elections for the sake of having elections in Fiji, when there are fundamental deficiencies in Fiji's electoral process."
Update: For a much fuller account, with comments from David Robie, click here.
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