From a long time back, I've been reading that Aiyaz Syed-Khaiyum controls Bainimarama, that Qorvis calls all the shots, that nepotism and corruption are rife, that Parliament is a farce, that the media is stifled, that people are bribed and prepped to say they support FijiFirst, that Wednesday's elections will not be free, that the justice system is not independent, and ...
Nothing, absolutely nothing, is right in the State of Fiji.
I've expressed concerns in this blog about alleged abuses of human rights and limitations on media freedom. I think the old military decrees now part of the Constitution should be removed and repealed. And I still think some restrictions are very real. BUT no longer am I convinced by the "umbrella" statements made by those opposed to the FijiFirst Government.
Last week we had all the political parties given extensive air time and TV time to state their case, and even the pro-FijiFirst FijiSun devoted them each a column. Small rents in the accusation's umbrella.
Today, we had two events that showed big rents in the umbrella. Firstly, the Speaker has released a document detailing the workings of Parliament in a move to increase transparency.
Second, the Chief Justice Anthony Gates has found SODELPA leader Sitiveni Rabuka not guilty of the charges made against him by the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption. Rabuka is free to stand in Wednesday's national election, and the SODELPA opposition is greatly strengthened as a result.
Would a Speaker in the pocket of an autocracy, or a Chief Justice who twisted the law in the service of his masters, behave in this way? I think not.
Fiji may have some way to go before it meets all the Western criteria for a healthy democracy. But it's better than it was after the 2006 Coup, better than it was in 2014, and arguably better than before 2006. Some might even argue it's more democratic with far less nepotism than Trump's America.
I'd like to hear from those who think me wrong.
--ACW
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