NZ Trade Com, Kadavu Fiasco, PM's Advice to i-Taukei, China Reaffirms Support,, Exports Fall

NEW ZEALAND Trade Commissioner. As talks on restoring full diplomatic relations continue behind the scenes, a new Trade Commissioner will take up office in Suva by next month. This can only be good news.

GROSS INCOMPETENCY and SDL Abuse of Power. Kadavu House in Suva is owned by the Kadavu Development Company of which the Kadavu Provincial Council (and hence the people of Kadavu) are substantial owners. The multi-storeyed buildng was financed by provincial fundraising and a $14 million "affirmative action" loan from the Fiji National Provident Fund. The loan was supported by the former Qarase SDL-led Government which also guaranteed it would tenant the building, and Government paid $880,000 in advanced rents for a building they would never tenant. Photo: vitia.com

In 2007 the Bainimarama government said the rent was too high; it found the company was not registered; had not held an AGM for 20 years, and that several SDL parliamentarians were Board directors.  Government asked who was benefitting from building ownership, and whether the ordinary people of Kadavu would ever benefit. It is likely these questions will be raised again when the PM opens the Kadavu Provincial Council meeting today.
Note: Kadavu, 88km S. Suva, pop. 10,000, 411km2, volcanic archipelago, Fiji's 4th largest island. Administrative centre Vunisea, airport, high school, hospital, govt.station. Part of "outer islands" Eastern Division. 
 
PM AGAIN URGES Ethnic Fijians to take more individual control over their destiny and work together to achieve their dreams and goals. We are too well-known for our relaxed attitude towards development, education and improving living standards in the villages, and need to change our mind-set, work harder and support our young people if they are to be successful in life. One-third of our people are below the poverty line, too many are prison inmates, and the majority of  youths that smoke marijuana are i-Taukei. Speaking to the Tailevu Provincial Council at Korovou on Monday, he  said the voice of youth is not heard in village meetings: they feel that they are not wanted in society.

Blessed with abundant land and surrounded by the ocean,"We need to work together as a family, mataqali, tikina, village, and [with] our brothers and sisters who now call Fiji their home. We need to change our mindset. It is time that we work together for a better Fiji." [One of the more rabid anti-Government blogs says these comments by Bainimarama are "condescending." They could also be true.]

CHINA REAFFIRMS Support for Fiji. When Chinese Foreign Minister Xie Xuren met PM Bainimarama at the ADB Annual meeting in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, he said China would continue to  render support for Fiji through their representatives at multilateral institutions such as the ADB, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank to "progress re-engagement of these institutions with Fiji."  The PM thanked China for its continuous support and assistance "particularly during a period when engagement by some of our development partners have been strained." Discussions included bilateral relations on trade, infrastructure development, structural reforms and technical assistance that aim to improve living standards and build a better Fiji.

TWO CHINESE Businessman charged by the corruption commmission (FICIC) have taken a guilty plea in exchange for a lesser a charge. They were charged with bribing officials to procure and to obtain a contract for the water and sewerage upgrade work in Savusavu.

EXPORT EARNINGS Fell by 16.4 per cent in 2009 attributed to declines recorded in both re-exports and domestic exports.


FIJI RE-ELECTED to UN  International Seabed Authority.