(o) Tarte Retirement: End of an Media Era

CORRECTION. SEE NOTE BELOW.
Pacific Freedom Forum has a brief tribute to Daryl Tarte (photo) who recently resigned from the Fiji Media Council, after 13 years service in what became one of the most difficult jobs in the country. The FMC attempts to improve media quality and "provide a neutral and trusted link between media houses and a public complaints process" but since 2006 the Council has had the unenviable job of mediating between a generally hostile media and a short-fused Government. Striking a balance that called for media independence and freedom of the media on the one hand, and responsible reporting on the other hand was a particularly challenging task.

(o) The Fiji Media Council and Government

The Fiji Media Council has 19 members comprising a representative of each contributing media organisation, an equal number of public members appointed by the Council, and an independent Chair. The Government is represented through the Department of Information. In February this year the FMC commissioned Australian Jack Herman, and Fiji citizens Suliana Sitawibau and Barrie Sweetman (l-r, photo) to review its work and make recommendations for improvement. The Review team received written submissions from 26 media, government and non-government organizations; interviews were conducted with a further 16, and an extraordinary meeting was held with the Media Council attended among others by Riyaz Sayed Khaiyum, CEO, Fiji Broadcasting Corp., and Peni Nonu and two associates of the Department of Information. Government representation is deliberately stressed. The Review report was released last week. (see full report here.)

The critical question was whether the media should be self-regulated or regulated by some arm of government. The Report concluded "The media have to be free to be critical of government and, while a media council is not the same thing as the media, it too needs to be free of government control. Any media regulatory body controlled by government runs the risk of government appointees who will see themselves as responsible to the government, not the people."

Most recommendations referred to the Council itself : the need for a higher profile; to be more active in promoting media standards ("it has appeared more frequently to be vocal about the need for media freedom, without a concomitant voice on media responsibility."); more commitment by media organizations ("need to commit themselves to a stronger observation of the Council’s pronouncements on questions of ethics and standards and to publish or broadcast outcomes of the Council’s complaints process promptly, and with due prominence.") The Report complimented FMC Chairperson Daryl Tarte and other unpaid volunteers for their excellent work in trying circumstances. It recommended the apointment of a paid administrator; the leasing of an office of its own; and the retention of both industry and non-industry representation on the Council.

The Review’s recommendations for the retention of, and improvements to, the Media Council are based on its understanding of the importance to civil society of a free and a responsible media. It believes that all campaigners for human rights should support a media free from government or other interference and free to report on matters of public interest and concern, as long as that media are subject to a regime of ethical principles that will ensure that their journalism is carried out in a responsible fashion, and that efforts are made constantly to raise those standards to a level commensurate with the place of the media in a free and civil society.

See also Josephine Latu's (Pacific Media Watch) commentary on the report.

Government and Media Need to Work on Relationship: Report Extract

"The relationship between a government and a free media is never an easy one. The adversarial nature of the relationship is exacerbated in Fiji where political instability has been a feature of the environment over the past twenty-five years. There is, as a result, a heightened sense of hostility between the government and the media, particularly when the media are seen as vocal opponents of government proposals.

"It is not the job of a media council to be a partisan of either side in this relationship. While it is connected to the media industry through its funding and membership, it has to be seen to be independent of it, arguing for both the freedom and the responsibility of the media. To achieve its object of keeping the media free, a media council needs to cultivate relationships with the executive, the legislature and the bureaucracy and use those relationships to be a strong advocate of press freedom. It needs the continued cooperation of the media industry to further its aim as a proponent of media responsibility.

"As an independent media council represents both the media industry and the general public who consume the media, it needs to be seen as a genuinely independent voice. To the extent that it may not have projected itself as a truly independent voice, pressing for both media freedom and an improvement in media standards, the Media Council has been perceived as not projecting itself sufficiently as a credible advocate for a free and a responsible media.

"Despite the level of the rhetoric from partisans on either side of the media-government adversarial relationship, it is the view of the Review that the Fiji Media Council has maintained a proper relationship with government. Certainly it has made strong comments when it has seen threats to press freedom emerging from government sources - but that is an important part of its brief, a fact that government needs to recognise.

"Given that the Department of Information, as a publisher, is a constituent member of the Media Council, the government has a direct voice in the development of policy within the Council. There is a suggestion that the Department has not used this opportunity to the extent that it might. This has meant that the government has not fostered its relationship with the Media Council to the extent that it might have.

"Both the government and the Media Council need to work on the relationship and it would be unfair of this Review to say that the Council needs to take the initiative. It is the Review’s belief that the government has no place in the regulation of the media and should encourage as far as possible, through its existing membership of the Fiji Media Council, the improved profile and more active attention to press responsibility recommended in this report."

(o) Comment: What Fiji Needs is a Real "Period of Silence"

There's a pattern in Fiji kick-boxing. In each round one side (or the other) says something to which the other side reacts. Reaction follows reaction, until most gaskets are blown, exhaustion sets in -- and then it starts all over again. Nothing very new is said in these exchanges, no one modifies their previous position, no one feels any better, friends and enemies remain unchanged, and Fiji is not a better or happier or safer place. But that's the way it is as attitudes harden. In Fiji. In late March 2009. Over two years since December 2006. 

 

It's often difficult to identify the original  triggering comment because everyone's "luggage" is carried forward from the previous round. This week, if we take repeated finger-pointing against the military (as those behind the fire-bombings) as the starting point, Col. Pita Driti (photo) fired back with  threats to ban the SDL, NFP and certain NGO's from  Forum participation and close down the Fiji Times. "There is no place in the Forum for people who want to take Fiji backwards," he said, calling the repeated criticisms of the military and IG "incitement" and a threat to national security. 

 "...all the military is trying to do is  prevent Fiji fall(ing) into the abyss of lawlessness and disorder with mass genocides, ethnic cleansing and battle between warlords, let alone civil war now that is a national security angle that I am speaking from on behalf of the military as the final bastion of law and order". [Hey,where is this place? Ruanda? Bosnia? Afghanistan?] 

He was supported by acting PM Ratu Epeli Ganilau in more moderate words: "By criticising the media [Driti] is looking at what the media can influence in ensuring there is a stable and secure environment in the way they report ... If it is biased, obviously that has security implications that can create an atmosphere that will be inevitably hostile as we progress."

NFP president Raman Pratap Singh launched the first counter-attack, calling Driti's remarks "uncalled for". Mike Beddoes and Laisinea Qarase said they would comment later (and they did!). Media Council chairman Darryl Tarte (who earlier had said IG and military views were fairly reported) said he was unaware of any complaint.  "I thought the interim Prime Minister said they uphold media freedom as provided in the Constitution so how come Driti is talking about closing down the biggest media organisation in the country?" Fiji Women's Crisis Centre co-ordinator Shamima Ali asked on what authority is Driti threatening NGOs and political parties.  Driti told her to "stop getting involved in politics  (sic!) ... concentrate on tackling the rise in sex related offences, and stop blaming the events of December 2006 for the increasing statistics."

Rati Epeli and Darryl Tarte spoke reasonably, but you don't need to be very clever to see that all this gets Fiji absolutely nowhere. The only "wise" words in the whole round appeared to come from Col. Driti who called for a "period of silence ... to ensure the political Forum is successful."  I thought for one brief moment he'd seen a blinding light on the road to Nabua. But I was wrong. Insert the words "from the politicians and NGOs" between the ellipses ( ...) Only the IG's opponents were to be silent. 

Take your seats, ladies and gentlemen. The next round is about to commence. -- Crosbie Walsh [Based on items culled from all Fiji online newspapers.] 

Fiji Last Week III: Second Week of February 2009

[Flashback: New Zealand and Fiji lost out in the Wellington Rugby Sevens last weekend. John Key and Voqere Bainimarama declined to comment. But these are not the times for political humour.The kerfuffle over the Elections Office's possibly humourous but unwise video skit on democracy in Fiji, major headlines last weekend, with Elections Supervisor Felicity Heffernan's job reportedly at stake, appears, thankfully, to have blown over.]

* Check Out Three Major Posts during the Week
Bainimarama's about-face on wages and bus fares
Qarase's abuse of office charges
Facts and opinions on the 1997 Constitution

A Letter from a Friend. "The UN/Comsec team of four officials are here this week to talk to the regime and other worthies about the President's forum and the process of political engagement. This is probably the best opportunity we have for a dialogue. The regime 's attitude will be critical because the political parties are waiting on it to take matters forward. The Commander has said he wishes to consult the political parties and the chiefs further on the draft agenda put forward by the two independent interlocutors (Messrs Nair and Halapua). It seems to me that this will take yet more time. The lack of urgency on the part of the regime is a matter for concern, because it raises questions of their motives and their commitment.

"Our economic situation cannot have been improved by the floods. I think that losses probably are in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Add to that the global financial crisis and our own circumstances, and you have a sense of our plight. But if it causes us to grow more in our backyards then it might have had some benefit. I do not mean to sound negative but cannot quite bring myself either to agree with Aiyaz Saiyed Khaiyum there is no crisis (told to the media in Port Moresby). It all depends on which side one takes."

The visiting UN/Commonwealth joint technical team, that will facilitate the President's Political Dialogue Forum, met all interested parties during the week, and left on Saturday. The Attorney-General expects the Forum will be held in the first or second week of March, and Interim PM Voqere Bainimarama hopes more sections of civil society, including churches, will join those already involved.

(-)Two worrying events occurred the week that bring no credit on the Interim Government: the reversal of the minimum wage rates and bus fares decisions (see separate posting) and the dismissal of municipal mayors (see below).

(-) Citizens' Constitutional Forum chairperson Rev. Akuila Yabaki says municipal reform did not require the dismissal of municipal mayors. Calling the decision "undemocratic", he asked Government for a firm timetable to return to democratically elected councils.

(-) The Military Involvement: One View.... Former military second-in-command Lt Col. Jone Baledrokadroka, dismissed before the 2006 coup for "subordination" or opposition to the pending coup, depending on your viewpoint, said in a FijiLive interview on Thursday that the "military (could) be part of our political landscape for some time."

The "military exit strategy is based on the implementation of the Charter”, he said, but "what happens when the Charter is not implemented or not implemented fully according to their wishes? Government militarization at all levels, from ministerial down to the permanent secretaries and even in all departments, adds to this fear. Perversely, a statement from Bainimarama adds weight to this claim.' He told visiting Vice President PRC Xi Jinping that the military will only stay in power until all its objectives are achieved.

.... And (+) Another. “The military", said Bainimarama, "essentially assumed control of the Government with clear objectives to eliminate corruption, racial discrimination policies and practices, and to bring about necessary reforms in the area of public service, governance as well as the electoral system in an effort to build a better and more progressive Fiji ... (it) did not intervene for the purpose of remaining in control and power beyond a reasonable time than what would be required to achieve the above objectives.” FijiLive 12 February 2009.

(B) Methodist Church to Decide on Annual Fundraising. The church's annual choir competitions, fundraising and two-week round of meetings has been a major event for the past 40 years. This year's meeting will be hosted by Roko Tui Dreketi Ro Teimumu Kepa in Rewa in August but whether it will include fundraising (at least on the scale of former years) will be decided by divisional heads in March. Fundraising, in which from village to province, participants seek to outbid each other, has, on the one hand, been criticized as imposing an excessive burden on poorer Fijians, and, on the other hand, as evidence of the unity of lotu (church), vanua (land) and matanitu (state) in Fijian thinking.

[I was once called all sorts of names -- a fly-by-night expert, ignorant, insensitive, offensive, communist, atheist -- by church minister and senator Tomasi Kanailagi (Fiji Daily Post 27 July 2002) for supporting MP Mike Beddoes who'd said church fundraising greatly added to the burdens of the poor.]

(B) Traditional Fishing Grounds. Fiji Police are monitoring Navala and Nanoko villages in the interior of Ba following a dispute over traditional fishing grounds. A Police spokesman said a bure had been torched and a man hospitalised following a fight involving knives, spears and stones. Land, inland waters and sea ownership boundaries are disputed in many parts of Fiji. One of the reasons Bainimarama gave for the 2006 Coup was to stop the SDL Government's Qoliqoli Bill (on Fijian mataqali [clan] foreshore and coastal rights), saying it would turn Fijian against Fijian in many parts of the country News item: Fijilive 12 February 2009.

(G) Raising the Flag. Interim Education Minister Filipe Bole has instructed schools to conduct a weekly flag-raising ceremony and sing the national anthem to instill patriotism. This is one of the recommendations of the People's Charter.

Media Council Review. A media review team comprising Australian Press Council executive secretary Jack Herman, senior lawyer Barrie Sweetman and community activist Suliana Siwatibau will address problems of funding the council (presently largely funded by the media owners), complaints procedures, the media code of ethics, and improving media standards. While funding is the most immediate problem, Council chairman Daryl Tarte also hopes the review will help improve the sorely-tested relationship between the interim government and the media industry.Condensed from http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=114147 Comment on this item http://www.pacificmediacentre.blogspot.com/

NZAID offers $2 million. Sugar Cane Growers Council (SCGC) CEO Surendra Sharma confirmed to Fijilive (13 February 2009) that NZAID is preparing a $2 million relief package to assist the sugar industry. Australia has declined help (it is also a sugar producer) and the EU has not yet responded.The SCGC hopes the interim Government will also help more. “Sugar needs a lot of assistance and the sooner the key decision makers acknowledge this fact, the better,” Sharma said. The sugar industry needs $60 million to salvage a potentially bankrupt industry. [Good on you, NZAID]

NZ Waitangi Day and Fiji. The Treaty of Waitangi in 1840 established relations between the British Crown and Maori, something similar to Fiji's Deed of Cession. The Treaty, celebrated on Febuary 6, is the topic for Thakur Ranjit Singh's weekly column in the Fiji Times. For the full column, see http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=114159

This is his conclusion:
"The message coming out of Waitangi Day celebrations is that visionary selfless leaders with an abundance of goodwill and humility can overcome insurmountable racial and ethnic problems besetting a country, and all gets achieved by the Pacific way of talking and dialogue that we call talanoa.It is time for a change in political leadership in Fiji.

'I note Biman Prasad in his opinion article just days ago called for Chaudhry and Qarase to change their visions and agenda and join in dialogues of the President's forum. I disagree. You do not teach old dogs new tricks. They do not need to change; we need to change them, out with the old, in with the new. We can overcome our problems by rejecting divisive leaders and their narrow visions. Throw those out who have failed Fiji and get leaders of the new generation to make a difference."

(B+-) Issues Raised in Old Debate on People's Charter Still Valid. In April last year a public debate was held on the pros and cons of the People's Charter. Things have moved on but the issues they raised still need to be addressed if Fiji is to "move forward". Text and video may be accessed on http://www.fijitimes.com/peoples-charter-debate.aspx Affirmative speakers were Joseva Serulangilagi, then Chair of the Tailevu Provincial Council; Lorine Tevi, President of the NGO FCOSS, and Pundit Kamlesh Arya, Nat. Pres. of Arya Pratinidhi Sabha. Negative speakers were Dr Waden Narsey, Prof. of Economics at USP; Richard Naidu, a prominent Suva lawyer, and Tupou Draunidalo, a former V-Pres. of the Fiji Law Society.

(o) Deportation of Fiji Times Publisher
Opinion: Crosbie Walsh 27 January 2009

The deportation of Fiji Times publisher Australian Rex Gardner has been widely criticised by many parties in Fiji. Media Council chairman Daryl Tarte said the action sent a "damaging message to foreign organizations." The Law Society questioned the "process". The Pacific Islands News Association (PINA) claimed further evidence of attacks on a "free press." Citizen's Constitutional Forum chairman Akuila Yabaki said the act was "unreasonable and ineffective" (no improvement in media reporting had occurred after three previous deportations.) And a Fiji Times editorial asked who was offering such "dubious advice" to the Interim Government . "It is inconceivable", it said, "that a government would take such drastic action on the eve of a regional forum to discuss the nation's future."

One cannot but agree with these judgments, whatever their motivations. Gardner was deported in the wake of a High Court decision fining his paper $100,000 for contempt. Its editor was given a suspended three months jail sentence but Justice Hickie made no judgment against Gardner because a judgment would have visa and work permit implications. The IG, however, thought otherwise, arguing that in pleading guilty to contempt of court Gardner had automatically breached work permit conditions. Immigration Director Viliame Naupoto said "It is consistent with other foreign nationals that were deported. Once they are in breach, they leave.”

Whatever the rights and wrongs of this incident, it provides the IG's critics with more fuel for their fires, and is another example of the IG's diplomatic ineptness. The Government desperately needs wise advisers and spokesmen who think very carefully before they speak. If its cause is just, as it believes, it is certainly not winning any friends by Gardner's deportation.

The irony is that Gardner's work permit expired in a month's time and he was returning to Australia on Saturday, anyway.

For the court decision, see http://www3.paclii.org/fj/cases/FJHC/2009/8.html