Pn12.
Last weekend I published Fr Barr's article on poverty and announced a new focus for the blog in which each weekend I'd provide thoughts on a major issue. Prompted by the parliamentary petition on the Great Council of Chiefs, I selected chiefs as the issue for this weekend. But on Thursday, after months with no proper rain, we had a deluge with flood water a metre deep in the Porirua CBD and the roof of my recently constructed patio leaking buckets. I've spend the last two days redesigning the roof and the job is still not finished. Old bones get a little unsteady at the top of ladders.
I'd started to take notes on the promised article and re-read chunks of Ratu Jone Madraiwiwi's A Personal Perspective, but the finished article is a long way away. Here's some of my notes to date. Perhaps you'd like to help by adding comments that I can use in the article.
Who are the actors? The Great Council of Chiefs, the Paramount chiefs, other chiefs, the Taukei, non-Taukei, parliament (government and opposition) Government in the wider sense. and legal Taukei parallel and complementary administrative structures such as the Land Trust Board and Provincial Councils, and perhaps also the military.
What are the issues? Tradition and identity in the modern world, the need and capacity for change, ethnicity particularism and 'privilege', the need to build national unity, threats to national unity, government claims to represent all so no need for GCC, lack of consultation (by government and by the chiefs), is democratic participation possible in a Taukei context? And most of all POWER, its use and possible use by the main actors, and what this might mean for almost everything else.
Fiji's post-colonial past was dominated by a Taukei hierarchy comprising the GCC, some other chiefs, an urban elite, Methodist Church leaders, and in a fall back position, the military. Hence the 1987 and 2000 coups when the predominantly Indo-Fijian Fiji Labour Party briefly became government. What was the role of the GCC in the 1987, 2000 and 2006 Coups?
The 2006 coup/military takeover meant different things for its main protagonists. Early idealism was generally replaced by pragmatism. Holding power and the nation together was achieved by limiting the media, free speech and the labour unions, and supporting business. The support of rural grassroots Taukei (generally the less educated and worldly Taukei who supported the chief and church) was won by promoting infrastructure development and women's initiatives aimed at increasing household incomes. Military support was achieved by removing possible dissident officers. The outcome, with respect to the former Taukei hierarchy, was that the Bainimarama Government progressively weakened and silenced the chiefly hierarchy and the Church.
Ro Teimumu and SODELPA want to see the reinstatement of the GCC for probably mixed reasons. Government sees a resurgent GCC as a potential threat to its control of power.
Are compromises possible? For example, a GCC dealing only with traditional issues (land, inheritance, ceremony, succession) but no political input? Provincial Councils with non-Taukei representation?
For almost all of the players and factors one needs to start with clear definitions. For example, who decides who is Taukei and who is not; how paramount are the paramount chiefs in the West and how important are they when one of the three positions has been vacant for many years? Is it favouritism if Taukei get special First Nation treatment, and extra help to bridge the business ownership, employment and education gaps, or will this enhance national unity in the longer term?
As you can see, my thoughts are still unorganized. Your input would be most welcome.
7 comments:
The GCC should not be brought back,however we do need a upper house.We should be moving forward and forcusing on more important issues like the creation of jobs to reduce unemployment rates,increasing the working wage to lift people out of poverty,investments on infrastructure,reducing the country's deficit,improving health care and investing into our manufacturing sector so that we can have more domestic products rather then imports that cost a fortune.
Dear Croz,
I think your scope on this topic is too diverse to generate meaningful comment. How about providing some focus by putting together a concise outline of the legal status and designated function of the GCC before it was demolished; and what constitutional steps should have been required for its role to be changed.
An even more interesting and topical issue would be to provide some comment on the following matter published by the Australian Broadcasting Commission. Does it mean that Fiji's current democracy is in a terminal decline??
" Prasad's removal as PAC chair saddens law expert
Professor Bill Hodge, constitutional law expert at Auckland University, says Biman Prasad's removal as chair of Fiji's Public Accounts Committee is a very sad development.
He says the government should not prevent an independent voice from being in charge of such an important committee. "
Agree with Vijay. Thanks for drawing it to readers' attention. To all readers, please keep adding your comments. Other readers will find them interesting and, hopefully, they could write also. Meantime, my apologies. I'd intended to launch a new topic each week but personal circumstances have so far made this difficult
Dear Croz,
While preparing your next post would you have any thoughts you would care to share on the following?
Do you see a concerted effort by a lop sided parliament to silence any opposition by any means, fair or foul??
Update: 3:28PM OPPOSITION parliamentarians walked out of Parliament this afternoon before the day's sitting was officially closed by the Speaker, Dr Jiko Luveni.
The Opposition members stood up and walked out as soon as the motion to suspend National Federation Party parliamentarian Roko Tupou Draunidalo was passed.
Roko Tupou called Dr Reddy an idiot during a heated exchange in Parliament on Wednesday when the minister repeatedly said he could not "see any toppers on the other (Opposition) side".
The Parliamentary Privileges Committee's recommendation to suspend Roko Tupou was put in Parliament and after a heated debate, 28 MPs voted in favour of her suspension, 16 against and six MPs abstained from voting.
Dear Croz,
In response to your request to keep adding comments, please refer to the following article published in the Fiji Times.
What are your thoughts????
I see it as one step forward and two steps backwards. It is encouraging to see that Fiji Times has the confidence to publish the item, but the silencing of parliamentary opposition by unlawful brute force is showing how undemocratic the Fiji First government really is.
" AMNESTY International, a global movement in the lead campaign to end abuses of human rights, has called on the Fijian Parliament to rethink its decision over the suspension of the president of the National Federation Party and Opposition member, Roko Tupou Draunidalo.
Director for South East Asia and the Pacific, Rafendi Djamin said the Fijian Parliament must overturn the suspension of the Opposition MP for merely exercising her right to freedom of expression.
"Parliaments can only be worthy of their name when all members can speak freely on all issues. Unless this suspension is immediately reversed, the Fijian authorities are proving they are intent on silencing critical voices," Mr Djamin said in a statement yesterday.
The suspended NFP president is the second Opposition MP in as many years to be banned from Parliament for the remainder of the term.
Last year, SODELPA's Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu was banned after allegedly making a slur against the Speaker outside Parliament.
"If Fiji is serious about its bid for the UN Human Rights Council, they must demonstrate they are serious about upholding human rights at home," said Mr Djamin.
"Letting Draunidalo take up her rightful place in Parliament, with all due protections for her right to freedom of expression, will be an important first step," he said. "
Keep up the good work Mr Walsh,it is way more balanced and informing than the anti government blogs.I stumbled upon coup4.5 blog and was shocked to see the comment section filled with hate,racism,incitement and bigotry.Its like every comment is posted by the same person.Glad to see you monitor and engage with your audience,much respect.
We can have a newly structured august body that has as its members all installed traditional tribal leaders-Liuliu Ni Yavusa.A Liuliu ni Yavusa rules his /her subjects who are landowners and qoliqoli owners.Most District chiefs do not command the ownership and power that Liuliu ni Yavusa's do.
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