Fiji needs to keep its election promise and talk to Pacific neighbours
The Citizens’ Constitutional Forum (CCF) calls on Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama to honour the commitment he made to have democratic elections by 2014.
“Fiji cannot sit in isolation from the rest of the world. Bainimarama promised the people of Fiji and our regional and international stakeholders, that elections will be held at the latest by 2014. Bainimarama needs to honour that promise,” CCF Chief Executive Officer Reverend Akuila Yabaki said.
CCF also calls for renewed dialogue with its regional partners and neighbours.
“The Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) is a sub-group within the Pacific Islands Forum and it is meant to be used for positive engagements for good governance. Fiji should not use the MSG sub-group for it own self-interest as it would undermine the solidarity and unity of the Pacific Islands Forum. Fiji should communicate with all neighbouring countries, rather than focusing on the Melanesian countries as this could be divisive for the Pacific region,” Rev Yabaki said.
“We call on the Fiji government to ensure that the people of Fiji will not suffer because of its deteriorating relationship with regional partners and neighbours. We are further concerned that the progressive development plans made under the Charter process have faced serious setbacks,” Rev Yabaki said.
CCF calls on the Forum Island Countries to remain committed to dialogue with Fiji as the current impasse could seriously damage regional cooperation and hurt the people of Fiji. Fiji is still an important partner in regional cooperation and constructive engagement could be discussed at the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders meeting to be held in Port Vila next month.
For further information, contact CCF on ph: 3308379 or fax: 3308380
4 comments:
Yabaki is correct and it is a shame Bainimarama chooses not to listen to his advice. As the military junta further isolates itself from the world it will have a long term destructive effect on Fiji. It would be foolish to underestimate this impact.
The strategy (if you could call it that) to try and pit the MSG against PIF was always going to fail. To blame Australia and order the acting high commissioner to leave was to walk straight into a trap. Is there no one in the regime who can offer sensible advice or is it that Bainimarama is not listening? If it is the latter perhaps he should stand down and allow a caretaker PM to take over and constructively negotiate a way forward with regional neighbours? The current leadership in Fiji appears incapable of doing this.
@ Time for New Leadership....
Looking for honest leadership in Fiji today is like looking for a needle in the proverbial haystack. You speak of leaders as though they might grow on trees. It is honest leaders, smart leaders that must be sought. Is there an honest person left? What price for 'smarts'? Public money is being stolen and converted every day - still. These taxes are to be returned to the people of Fiji before any lasting progress will be made. It is the taxpayers who must call the shots. Short-changed and divested of what is rightfully theirs they must demand accountability NOW.
A Clean Pair of Hands: that is the requirement for substantive and productive talks. Who has hands clean of the taint of converting Public Money to their own use? Demonstrate for the world to see that they are clean. Only then present yourself as a worthy representative of those whose money you have stolen and diverted from development.
Declare your conflicts of interest - openly and publicly and divest yourselves of any that remain.
Else, be pinned to the wall: Spread-Eagled and 'Sent to Coventry'.
@anonymous, what about public money that was looted by the same characters currently i this regime?? No observations? or are you quick to let just forget and move on , how convenient. The regime has done very well out of this if the other websites are to be beleived and are very well informed. There will be definately no investigation into this will there.... who knows what you will find. Honest, i hardly thinks so given they are all the same people, same families, different portfolios and ever changing loyalties, except to themselves.
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