Netani Rika, Editor of The Fiji Times
Photo: The younger Netani when interviewed for the USP student journalism paper Wansolwara in April 2002, several years before the 2006 military coup.
Before you read the whole interview and the posting that follows, here are three answers he gave to the student journalist's questions:
How do you reconcile having an opinion column and being deputy editor of your own newspaper?
A good journalist is able to separate himself or herself from personal opinion and the newspapers, and also what is hard news and what is opinion. And you should be able to write a hard news story even though you disagree with the opinion of those who are stating their opinion in your story--2002.
What kinds of responses do you get from different people, people on the streets, politicians, other journalists?
Hate, fear, envy, respect. Over the course of writing there have been threats against me, threats against the newspaper, and threats against my family.
What motivates you to write your column?
Social justice, intense desire for a unified nation. For people to be united we must, I think, realise first that we are different. We are different, there’s no denying that, but in these differences there should be unity in diversity.
(+) Signs that Fiji Media Censorship Easing for Some
RNZI reports that daily censorship has ceased on all daily papers other than the Fiji Times. Given editor Netani Rika's continuing hostile comments about the Government, and his totally unsubstantiated claims that past and recent personal threats come from the Government, not to mention the Fiji Times' record of hostility and biased reporting (see my other posts by using "Search this Blog" Fiji Times), I would expect the censorship to continue.
His latest claim is that a threat written by a visitor to a pro-government blogsite was from Government. It is far more likely Government knows nothing about the threat. It could be by a Government supporter -- or even by an anti-Government person seeking to incriminate Government. If readers wish to peruse blogs for really venomous personal threats, try the anti-government blog sites.
Read more...
I sympathise with Rika but he needs to find a new way of holding to the principles he espoused in 2002 and be able to persuade Government to remove censorship altogether. Going down the same road is getting nowhere. He talks of support from his readership and lack of support from colleagues in other media. A good start might be to talk with these colleagues and personally to play a more positive role in defusing the situation. His continuing crusade against the Government, waged at home and overseas, is doing nothing to restore freedom of the press.
The sooner censorship is totally removed, the better, but it will not come until the Fiji Times displays a higher standard of reporting than it did before the Emergency Regulations. The media hold a strong hand. The Government desperately needs the media if it is to build a better Fiji on a foundation of dialogue and general support. But even a strong hand needs to be played with skill. It remains to be seen how skillful a player Netani Rika is.
P.S. Sept. 7 2009. All Government departments have been instructed to stop subscribing to the Fiji Times.
Fiji Methodists Thank World Council of Churches
Rev.Tevita Banivanua, the Methodist deputy general secretary, has thanked the World Council of Churches for its support, and hopes it will have "an effect on the Government's attitude...We have been trying to establish dialogue with Government ... We are indeed very happy that government is showing a sign of openness towards that, but time and again they come in with some little hiccups on the way, which is sort of stopping us from engaging in dialogue that we would like to do and to carry on with the discussions about Fiji's future." Asked whether he thought the government would pay attention to the WCC and international support, he responded, "That's a good question ... They don't seem to be paying any attention to anybody. But I think ... they have at least to listen now, because otherwise we will continue to go down the drain. I am hopeful that with greater understanding, if they love Fiji, then hey have to be influenced by such moves." [Note: The Church has still not addressed the issue central to its confrontation with Government: its anti-Government political stance, and particularly its failure to condemn the extreme Fijian nationalism of senior ministers the Revs Lasaro and Kanailagi. I suspect dialogue will not improve until it has done so.]
(-+) Tourism Industry Almost Certainly Affected by Australian Negative Portrayal
The Bureau of Statistics reports there were 36,000 visitor arrivals in March, down 22.3% compared with 2008. Australia, that accounted for 40% (14,462) of arrivals, was down 25%. The only increases were from Taiwan and continental Europe. While "visitors" are not the same as "arrivals," a comparison with NZ for the year ending July shows NZ arrivals up 5.7% from Australia, and down down 8.3% from the Americas, 16.8% for Asia, and 2.8% overall.
Notwithstanding the global economic turndown, the higher proportion of business and citizen-returning arrivals and swine 'flu, the negative portrayal of Fiji's political situation, particularly in Australia, does seem to have been a major cause of the decline in numbers. Given that tourism is Fiji's major industry, Australia's so-called "smart sanctions" have had a not-too-smart effect on ordinary people and done nothing to change the Government's stance. To minimise future impacts -- and perhaps even persuade Government to move faster to elections -- Australia and NZ need to assure their public that travel to FijI.
(-+) The Anti-Government blog Discombobulatedbubu reports that Howard's Law Office was broken into last week. The thieves seem to have been professionals, and their search seemed to be confined to "Fijian" records. The blog thinks Government or the police are responsible. Maybe, but the explanation is more likely to be along the lines I suggested above with regard to the Netani Rika threats. Why break in when an official search warrant could easily have been obtained?
Did censoring the story stop the public knowing about Government's abuse of the law? Or did it stop anti-government thieves and their backers from using the media to "persuade" the public that Government broke the law? Only the thieves can answer that, but taking only "Fijian" items seems a little obvious -- like leaving behind the green army hat after another break-in we reported some months back. Who would gain most from this incident? Certainly not the Government. Then who?
1 comment:
It is interesting to note what has been stated by Rika. The fact is that he has a history of 'running' with those who espoused terror back in 2000 when hostages were taken in Parliament for 56 days. If that is not terrorism - then what is? I have just listened to the children of Beslan, now five years older than they were when taken hostage for three terrible days in their school. Over two hundred people died including many children when the Russian military broke in to free them. The memories of these children and young people are etched with pain at the recall of what took place and how innocents were made targets. Does Rika never think of this effect? Has he ever seriously analysed what took place in Fiji in May and November 2000? He was a conspicuous supporter of all those contributing to terror. He needs to acquire more circumspection and more honesty in his writing - even now. He owes most of the people of Fiji a profound apology as do all his ideological fellow-travellers. Only then will he free himself from the taint of siding with terrorists who profited from their crimes by stealing elections with the use of public funds. No pie-in-the-sky attempt to paper over the role he has played will suffice. And his conviction for gross contempt of the Fiji judiciary and the Courts of Justice in Fiji only serves to reinforce the slippery ground he treads. No threats of personal insecurity should have to be made to someone so morally confused. But he does need to take an audit - a profound one - of his stance over many years and so must all those who chose to ride with him.
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