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THE FIJI PEOPLES CHARTER
My role on a Better Fiji for All
by John Samy
Reviewed by Jone Dakuvula (first reviewed in the Fiji Times in October. Reprinted with permission from the reviewer).
John Samy, economist, one of the brightest graduates of the University of the South Pacific has published a book focussed on an event in Fiji’s history that has faded from people’s memory. The book provides a sort of factual “torch light” for understanding the beginning of what has happened in the last 14 years.
This is the book that
riverted well known columnist Nemani
Delaibatiki’ s attention last month but he
could not review it decently and frankly in his column, of May 19th
2020, for obvious reasons. (see footnote).
John Samy and I became friends when we were the first groups of students at USP in the early 1970s. After the 1987 coup, he and his acknowledged mentor economist, the late Savenaca Siwatibau, the first Reserve Bank Governor and first iTaukei Vice Chancellor of the USP, left the country. Samy became a very senior manager at the Asian Development Bank and, soon after his early retirement in New Zealand, came to Fiji. From the ADB, he had been closely following events in Fiji that he regarded as his home. It was to attempt to get the 2006 Coup leader, Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama, and his Military Council on a path of progressive reforms back to a better Parliamentary democracy as a unified nation, as soon as possible. He and I as students were involved in Rev Akuila Yabaki’ s Students Christian Movement (SCM) at USP and we were the first in Civil Society NGOS that he contacted and asked to work with him on the Peoples Charter and the National Council for Building a Better Fiji (NCBBF) that Bainimarama agreed to in 2007. For us at the Citizens’ Constitutional Forum (CCF) one reason we agreed to help John Samy was because the Coup leader had not abrogated the 1997 Constitution. This was an opportunity for improving the Constitution through a Constitution Review Commission with broad public consultation and support of the people of Fiji.
John Samy’s concern was that of an economist, but it was broad because economics is inextricably related to other issues. There was an incident in the book when another friend from early USP days, economist Professor Wadan Narsey, swore at Samy for asking him to be part of his NCBBF Secretariat team. Wadan was outraged by the 2006 Coup and his reasons as an economist concerned with the position of the iTaukei became clear only in a recent article he published in the Fiji Times. He had been a secret economics adviser to the late Laisenia Qarase government.
A Fiji Times, Editorial of 16 May 2007 stated:
“the interim governments efforts to set up a national council representative of the people is to be welcomed and has the potential to serve as concrete steps towards a return to democratic rule; the first real effort by the Interim Government to involve the wider community. Our people need to get this off the ground”
In the first Consultation Document produced by the NCBBF Secretariat the following “critical questions” that needed to be addressed regarding the overall situation in Fiji were stated:
i) The country was wrecked by political instability in the wake of successive coups and the overthrow of elected governments.
ii) The level of trust between major communities was low
iii) Corruption and the abuse of power had been on the rise
iv) The savings and investment levels were low with the economy stagnating
v) Both unemployment and poverty had risen sharply
vi) The number of people forced to live in squatter settlements had increased, a situation made worse by the non-renewal of sugar leases
vii) There was lack of access to land, both for productive and social purposes;
viii) The country suffered greatly from the loss of valuable skills, experience and expertise, this is due to the high rates of emigration
ix) The standards of service delivery in both the public sector and the level of communities had been declining
x) The government debt level had been increasing …
xi) The poor and dilapidated state of the country’s infrastructure
The Bainimarama government had of course tried to address some of these critical issues in the last 14 years with heavy borrowing from China.
There was a critical incident in the book that I believe was the turning point against the direction that all of the 200 well-meaning citizens who had been involved in the work of the NCBBF, had desired for the interim government to take, moving forward. There was an emergency meeting on Tuesday 21st October 2008 in the Cabinet Office Conference Room between Bainimarama, Saiyad Khaiyum and members of the Military Council. On that occasion, Khaiyum categorically sided with the Military Council to call off the proposed meeting with leaders of Fiji political parties, that had been planned to begin discussions towards agreement on the reforms path spelt out in the People’s Charter and the State of the Nation and Economy Report (SNE). That was early elections within 6 months (March 2010), return to Constitutional democracy after a Constitutional Review Commission and under a different electoral system recommended by the NCBBF. It was not the one we have now.
This meeting with the Military Council happened just after the successful public consultation on the draft Peoples Charter. The Report of the NCBBF showed that of the 424,600 citizens of above 18 years that had been out reached and consulted, a total of 342,592 (80%) responded in filling in the response forms. 92% indicated full support for the Charter way forward, 11,300 (3%) partial support with amendments, 14,481 (4%) opposed and 3,938 (1.1%) were undecided. Khaiyum rejected this transparent, accountable way forward.
The NCBBF folded, having completed its work in December 2008. Samy had at least persuaded Bainimarama to continue holding meetings with leaders of political parties, that included Laisenia Qarase. I became the Secretariat of that process as John Samy had returned to Auckland, after refusing the offer to become Minister of Finance.
There are a lot of facts mentioned in John Samy’s book that I did not know and that have only now, upon reflection, enabled me to fill in my knowledge. In October 2009, for example, after the Court of Appeal ruling in favour of Laisenia Qarase, I had presented to the Interim Cabinet and the Military Council argument for keeping on track the Peoples Charter way forward and for Elections within 6 months after a Constitutional Review Commission. Unlike in the earlier meeting, where Khaiyum had had confronted John Samy head on, Khaiyum was absent from this meeting. He avoided a confrontation on the law as he was assured that “abrogation” of the 1997 Constitution that he had recommended, would remain. His way forward was the way. In both meetings, Bainimarama had pretended that he was steering a middle way, still open to the rule of law and the charter way forward, when in fact he agreed with Khaiyum.
This book clarifies that right from October 2008, Khaiyum had won the argument for remaining in power without election, with the Military Council support for as long as he wanted. People do not know that my relationship with the Khaiyum brothers was rooted earlier in time, especially the 2000 coup. Riyaz Khaiyum tricked me to a Fiji TV interview that resulted in the smashing of the TV station by George Speight’s group, the murder of a Policeman, and led to the Military Coup against the President Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara. Aiyaz Khaiyum was once a member of the CCF Steering Committee as representative of the Fiji Young Lawyers Association. We though he could be useful to the cause of CCF.
The book has provided an opportunity for Samy to clear up many misconceptions about his role and to correct many personal and false accusations that were made at the time. it is indeed a good book for the critics because it contains all the internal papers and other communicated advice he gave to Bainimarama, Khaiyum, Mahendra Chaundhry and others including the Peoples Charter. These documented facts answer all questions and doubts about his honesty and integrity. My old school friend Delaibatiki in his column said that he had found these documents fascinating.
This book has been published to raise funds for the NGO Samy founded in 2009, FENCE FIJI to help children of poor parents put their children through school. Samy came from a very poor background who got his advances in education through the sacrifices of his parents and assistance of people unrelated to him. Just like his mentor, the late Savenaca Siwatibau.
This NGO used to be part funded with government grants of over $200,000. FENCE FIJI has lost this grant and is now desperate for support to survive. I urge people of good will to buy this book and attend the launching. Buy many copies as gifts to your friends and children. The CEO of FENCE FIJI, Priya Priteeka Lata, can be contacted at Phone 3100660, 20 Matuku Street, Samabula. Email: ceo.fencefiji@gmail.com
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Footnote. Nemani Delaibatiki is a senior Fiji Sun journalist and a vocal Bainimarama and Fiji First supporter.
RELATED. Wikipedia gives further background on those who favoured the Charter and those who disagreed, many of whom while agreeing with its principles, opposed it because it had not been passed by parliament or approved by a referendum. Click here,
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