Breaking News. Ratu Inoke Sentenced

N0183. Photo: FijiVillage.
Naitasiri high chief Ratu Inoke Takiveikata has just been sentenced to eight years imprisonment by High Court Judge Justice Daniel Goundar after he was convicted of inciting the 2000 mutiny at Queen Elizabeth Barracks. He is not eligible for parole.

Justice Goundar said Ratu Inoke was given the title of Qaranivalu to bring honour upon his people but instead he has brought them nothing but disgrace.  The judge said that by turning the soldiers against their own Commander, eight soldiers were killed, 18 were wounded and two civilians were wounded by stray bullets outside Queen Elizabeth Barracks.

Justice Goundar noted that Ratu Inoke had showed no remorse except for a plea of mercy for hnimself, and that after being released from an earlier successful appeal, he had embarked on another dangerous venture to kill the Commander. He said, “Ratu Inoke, you pose a threat to the public safety and you will continue to be a threat to the safety and welfare of the public at large”.

Concerns about defence evidence
The Judge then raised serious concerns regarding the evidence given by Shane Stevens during the trial.

Justice Goundar said that Stevens who is serving a life sentence for mutiny was obstructive and was in contempt of court while giving evidence. Judge Goundar said that observing Stevens demeanor in court, Stevens expressed anger towards the institution of justice and has shown absolutely no remorse for what he had done.

The Judge has ordered that his ruling in the Ratu Inoke Takiveikata trial and his concerns over Stevens demeanor be handed over to the Commissioner of Prisons for consideration when and if Stevens applies for parole or pardon in the future.

Ratu Inoke will serve his sentence concurrently with the current 7 year term for the charge of conspiracy to assassinate the Commander and others.

All the five assessors and Justice Goundar had earlier found Ratu Inoke guilty of inciting mutiny.

Thank You, No Thank you, Ratu Naiqama; Revisiting the Lease Payment System

N0104. THANK YOU, NO THANK YOU, RATU NAIQAMA.
Coup 4.5 has released a statement from the Gone Turaga na Tui Cakau dated 3 January offering to help Government.

These extracts capture its essence:

“The Tui Cakau wants to open a dialogue with the PM to show him “the reality of what is happening in Fiji, [assist him] with an alternative set of advice from that which he is receiving at present [and impress upon him the] “the folly of disregarding the role of the Great Council of Chiefs and its role in national affairs in times of distress:- eg. 1874, 1987, 2000 and the present.” [my emphasis]

Comment

The Tui Cakau, Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu, seems to think all the Cakaudrove vanua are behind him (which is certainly not so) and that the only way forward is to reconvene the Great Council of Chief, several of whose members were party to the 1987 and 2000 Coups.

The GCC was so politicised during the time of the Qarase government that it did nothing to warn against or stop the divisive and racist legislation that was a major factor in causing the Bainimarama coup. Indeed, Ratu Naiqama held several portfolios in the Qarase government including Fijian Affairs and he personally was instrumental in advancing the proposed legislation.

Ratu Naiqama was also a leader of the ultra-nationalist Conservative Alliance (Matanitu Vanua) party that included prominent Speight coup supporters and chiefs.

Its policies called for Fiji to be a declared a Christian state and for the offices of President and PM to be held solely by ethnic Fijians. Many members also thought the British government should repatriate Indo-Fijians to India!

To avoid splitting the ethnic Fijian vote (and because it was deeply in debt with legal costs arising from defence of the 2000 coup plotters), his party dissolved after the 2001 elections in which won six seats. Its more prominent members joined the Qarase's SDL party.

In 2003, while a Cabinet Minister in the SDL government, Ratu Naiqama is reported to have called for an overhaul of the country's constitutional institutions, saying that political authority should be returned to the chiefs. As a first step, he called for the abolition of Senate and its replacement by the Great Council of Chiefs.

So last month's statement is not the first time he's made the same incredible suggestion.

Ratu Naiqama is head of the Tovata Confederacy (Qarase is one of his subjects) and one of Fjii's three paramount chiefs. In early 2006 some chiefs wanted him to become President or Vice-President but the Great Council of Chiefs, wisely on this occasion,  re-elected Ratu Iloilo and Ratu Madraiwiwi.

His latest public statement should fool no one of his true intentions.

N0105. LANDOWNER PAYMENTS SYSTEM SHOULD BE RE-VISITED. Two readers have raised concerns about the NLTB new system of distributing rent money.

Rusi Baleisale says "It would not take much for each family of a tokatoka or mataqali to have a bank account for family members and this is how most landowners read Frank's [earlier] announcement. Giving a lump sum to each trustee account is only  continuing the past problems but shifting it from chiefs to trustees. Tinkering with the problem does not solve it. I already know of two trustees who are going to forward the normal percentage to their Ratu. The rest of the trust members are too timid to protest and claim their share."

Cicero raises the question of the NLTB 15% administration charge: "Can you think of anywhere at all in the world where 15% would be considered a 'reasonable' rate to deduct for admin costs? Those responsible would be sacked then and there! Outsourcing should be imperative and it should be done NOW! 3% MAXIMUM for administration. Who is creaming off this fat? It would merit a riot anywhere else.

I take back my hasty comments on this issue, apologize to Fiji Today, and urge government to address these very legitimate concerns. Why can't money be paid into family accounts, and how inefficient — or grasping — is a government rental agency that it charges this exorbitant 15% admin charge?

Government Directs NLTB to Implement New Land Rent Distribution Formula

The Government has directed the Native Lands Trust Board to immediately address matters that may impede a decision on the equal distribution of all money’s received by the board on all native land.

In a letter to NLTB senior management, the Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama stressed the importance of the board complying with the Government decision.

“Please ensure that all matters are immediately addressed and that Government’s decision on equal distribution of all moneys received by NLTB is implemented with due dispatch,” Commodore Bainimarama said.

Lottery Scandal, No One Indian People, Schools Name Change, Mai TV, Land Bank & Mining, Scholarships & Manpower Training, Roads, Apostolic Whoops!

N0010. LOTTERY FUNDS MISUSED. Several serious allegations have surfaced in the Commerce Commission Report in relation to the Fiji Rugby Union lottery case. The Commission says the FRU lottery bank account showed it had $104,000 The Commission findings, however, showed that as at 30th December the  balance in the FRU lottery bank account totalled only $104,000. With lottery sales  the  balance should have been  $350,000.

Some money could still be coming in from vendors but it appears that only half the tickets were sold. It also appears ticket money has been used for  airfares, accommodation, visa application and game tickets for the 2010 Hong Kong 7s for a senior FRU Lottery Director. Government  has asked the FRU Board and Executive to resign.

STOP PRESS. Bill Gavoka  has resigned as FRU chairman but remains on the Board. Rafaele Kasibulu, who will lead talks with Government to discuss its demands, is effectively the interim Chairman.

N0011.WHEN IS AN INDIAN NOT AN INDIAN.  My  article on this topic published on Saturday in Weekend Reading was republished by AUT's Pacific Media Centre.The photo, courtesy of PMC, is Indo-Fijian girls performing a Pacific dance item.  The article drew this (slightly edited) comment from a reader:

"This is interesting and a helpful discussion on a subject which has been fraught with far too much emotion in the past.

My advice has always been: strive for cultural understanding, but guard against cultural stereotyping. I believe the word "Indian" describes only one's nationality. In the Fiji context it has overtones which lead directly to ethnic stereotyping and profiling. Otherwise educated analysts tell us that the "Indians" want one or other political solution, or that they want to preserve their cultural identity. Who are these "Indians" who think in such a homogeneous way? The same mistake has been made about the  i'taukei. That they should be united and think as one.

"Really? The best situation for Fiji is that we accept that all individuals regardless of culture and ethnicity should be able to pursue their individual dreams. Not to be driven by the narrow walls of what they ought to believe. In fact in the current political situation in Fiji, there are persons of all ethnicities which oppose the government just as there are persons of all ethnicities which support it.

"There is no Indo-Fijian way of thinking,  just as there is no "European-Fijian" way of thinking. When the British tried to codify custom in the Fijian Administration, the most significant mistake they made (apart from creating new "customary" institutions such as the Fijian courts) was to assume that there was one homogeneous Fijian way of life. Nayacakalau wrote of this in the most gentle  way. There is no one Fijian people, just a number of individuals who share some cultural characteristics. And they all think differently from each other.There is no one Indian people in Fiji or elsewhere.

It is time to grow up and to stop defining people's thoughts, politics and aspirations in terms of their ethnic origin.I liked your article very much. Thanks, Nitesh."

N0012. SCHOOLS CHANGING RACE-BASED NAMES. All schools with race-based names are now being changed.

N0013. MAI TV has launched a free 24 hours web channel aimed primarily at overseas Fijians. Besides the news broadcast at 7pm you will be able to watch a range of popular programmes and more will be launched over the coming weeks. All you have to do is register with an email address and password on the Mai TV’s home page www.maitv.com.fj  Note, however, that the company reserves the right to charge for services sometime in the future.

N0014. LAND BANK & BAUXITE MINING at Nawailevu in Bua is expected to start by March according to the Ministry of Lands and Mineral Resources on an area of Native land previously leased to Fiji Pine. Aurum Exploration Fiji paid Fiji Pine $1m so that the land could revert to landowners from the Mataqali Nalutu, Mataqali Noro and Mataqali Naicobo.

In turn, the mataqali offered the land to the Government Land Bank, and last week the PM designated the first parcel of  land for bauxite mining.  Aurum will have a 99-year lease on the land and a surface mining licence is expected to be issued in March. The Land Bank is a government initiative aimed at giving leasees more secure tenure, landowners an assured income, and bringing more land into productive use.-- Based on 2011, No:0025 /MOI.

The PM said “The significance of the activation of the Land Bank is that many of our idle lands could now be leased through the Land Use Decree 2010 and be made productive for the betterment of landowners, investors and the country as a whole. Landowners who willingly choose to have their lands leased through the Land Use Decree will now be in a position to reap fair and just returns. They will also receive the full quantum of the premium and land rent. I know that this is one of the key issues that landowners have been calling for in the past decades." Government will also ensure the investors security of tenure. -- Based on 2011, No:0023 /MOI.

N0015. MINING PREDICTED AS TOP EXPORTER EARNER. In an ABC broadcast chairman of Fiji's Mining and Quarrying Council, Harvey Probert,  predicts mining will be Fiji's main export earner within five years.

N0016. SCHOLARSHIPS & MANPOWER TRAINING. Some $14million has been allocated for Government Scholarships and Training, under the Public Service Commission and Multi-Ethnic Affairs Scholarship Programme for 2011.  The money will assist about one thousand continuing students in Fiji and overseas, and about the same number of new students.  The fund will be administered by the PSC which also coordinates training programmes funded by bilateral partners.

PSC PermSec Parmesh Chand said there will be a completely new set of criteria in place next year as required by virtue of principles enshrined in the People’s Charter for Change, Peace & Progress and the Roadmap for Sustainable Economic Development & Democracy. Government's focus is on capacity building, and the PSC will ensure a prudent use of resources to enhance the knowledge, skills and expertise of the civil service, as well as the private sector.  -- Based on 2011, No:0010 /PSC.

Mr Chand emphasised that a professional, committed and ethical workforce can only be achieved through on-going capacity building, and for this reason, a supportive training culture is encouraged, so that the training needs of the nation can be effectively addressed.

N0017. ROAD WORKS. Potholes may be a thing of the past on major roads if government manages to complete current and intended road works by 2014. The Ministry of Works  is concentrating on tourist areas, along with the main roads and farm roads. The Nadi Back Road is half complete and work will soon commence in Ba, Sigatoka and Rakiraki.

N0018. WOOPS! FIJI SUN IN ORBIT. The heading read "Apostolic congress hailed by Catholics." But  it wasn't.  The article was about the Catholic Apostolic Church that originated in England in the 1830s.  The (Roman) Catholic Church is just a little older. You can't always believe what you read in the press.

When is an Indian Not an Indian

By Crosbie Walsh 

(a Causasian, once English New Zealander with Maori, Pacific and Indian overlays) 

Note: editorial changes have been made to this article since it was first posted.

The Bainimarama government recently decreed that all Fiji citizens would be known as Fijian and ethnic Fijians as i'taukei.  The move, in line with Pillar 2 of the People's Charter*, which is intended to help nation-building, was understandably objected to by many "Fijians," not because they were not i'taukei — which they demonstrably are — but because they had got used to this name, bestowed on them by Tongans, as exclusively theirs. All other citizens, excepting Rotumans,  were vulagi (visitors) no matter how long their ancestors had lived in Fiji. 

CCF Workshop, Provincial Meetings Roundup, NZ Law Society Accepts Invite

URGENT NOTICE. CCF workshop on 'Dialogue on Land Use 2010 and beyond', Waterfront Hotel, Lautoka this Thursday and Friday. CCF Chief Executive Officer Rev Akuila Yabaki said, “The land issue is fraught with serious stumbling blocks which we must overcome in order to reach a solution for future generations,” CCF Chief Executive Officer Rev Akuila Yabaki said. “We need to recognise that land is a divisive issue not only between communities but also among the iTaukei, because the distribution of productive land among the iTaukei is uneven and changing circumstances have placed significant pressure on those families and mataqali that lack sufficient land to sustain a livelihood."

Reports on Provincial Council Meetings

 

 Common themes emerging from recently held provincial council meetings are the need:  ♦ to take full advantage of government development funding; ♦ to encourage local economic efforts; ♦ to push education; ♦ exercise caution over the proposed village bylaws,♦ and for chiefs to listen to their people.

Overriding these specifics is general support for Government's development initiatives. The most welcome and most surprising is the support from Burebasaga Confederation and Rewa High Chief Ro Teimumu (photo) who until now has distanced herself from Government and been a rallying point for opposition to Government.

This, of course, does not necessarily mean that Ro Teimumu fully supports Government.  This is most unlikely. But it does show that she is gracious enough to give credit where credit is due and is prepared to work with Government on provincial development work — which is a giant step forward.

LOMAIVITI has asked Lomaiviti Holdings and Lomaiviti Shipping chairman Dr Isoa Bakani to step down from his position. Council chairman Ratu Jolame Lewanavanua says the two companies have not been operating well and were more or less defunct for a number of years. He says many excuses have been made on the company’s non-performance — hence the need to introduce new leadership to grow the company.

PM Bainimarama assured those attending the meeting that changes to lease money arrangements which will see the money distributed eqally to all landowners — with no bigger share to chiefs and heads of landowning units — will not adversely affect the status of chiefs. He again urged chiefs to have frequent meetings with their people to map out development work that needs to be carried out.

SERUA High Chief and Vunivalu Ratu Peni Latianara has made a plea for greater commitment to developing the province.Roko Tui Serua Setefano Osonamoli said that government representatives had briefed the council on the status of government services in the province, including education, village bylaws, vacant traditional title holders and the provincial levy.

REWA. Opening the Provincial Council meeting at Lomanaikoro Marama na Roko Tui Dreketi Ro Teimumu Kepa said:"We should always show our support to any Government that comes into power". Ro Teimumu said the Government should be commended for the development works it has carried out in the province in the past three years.This includes the repairing of classrooms and the teachers quarters, repair works done to the church residence at Naililili, the construction of new roads and improvement done to the existing ones, the provision of safe water supply to the villagers and the construction of sheds for the public at Nabua village and Nasali landing.

Speakng at the Rewa meeting Acting Commissioner Central Samuela Saudranu spoke of some "disgruntled" people in the province who had refused to cooperate with the Government in development work carried out in the province.  He said development work and projects carried out by the Government were meant to bring the people together and not to cause division. Let us hope they now follow Ro Teimumu's new lead.

RA. Earlier in the month the PM opened the Ra Provincial Council meeting with words of encouragement and well wishes as the support for his Government gains momentum. He told the meeting of similar backing from provinces like Tailevu, Naitaisiri, Cakaudrove and Namosi to assist Government move the country forward with its vision for a better and new Fiji for all under the People’s Charter for Change Peace and Progress. The PM spoke of work being done to bring all of Fiji's ethnic communities together, and development work consistent with the aims of People's Charter, such as the deregulation of Telecommunications, food and hardware price controls, education assistance, assistance for poor families and for small businesses, land reforms and remedial work on the sugar industry. -- Based on 2010, No:1840/MOI.

NZ LAW SOCIETY ACCEPTS. NZLS President Jonathan Temm says he will probably accept Solicitor-General Christopher Pryde's invitationto attend the 12th annual Fiji Attorney-General’s Conference next month. Mr Temm said he wanted to observe how the law is being applied in the country.

"It’s a fact-finding mission to be fair. We want to go up and support the Fiji Law Society. It’s gone through a very difficult period and we’d like to go up and try and support those members of the profession that are practicising law in Fiji and I think at a practical level we’d like to be able to offer something like continuing legal education courses which we run here in New Zealand.” Mr Temm says he will only have time to meet members of the Fiji judiciary, lawyers and academics connected with the Attorney-General’s conference.

Na Sala Cava Cakaudrove? MSG: Bruce Hill, Usaia, Natapei, IDs: Bruce Hill, Akuila Yabaki, ID Official Release, Complaints Against Lawyers, Rice Back?

THE CAKAUDROVE QUESTION MARK. The province still seems to be divided in its support for government which is understandable given the political record of its Paramount Chief the Tui Cakau Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu (photo).  But the Roko Tui Cakaudrove Ratu Aca Mataitini has confirmed that the Tui Cakau will open the Provincial Council meeting at Somosomo, Taveuni, on Wednesday, and this is a good sign. The  Bose Vanua (meeting of chiefs) meets today. Ratu Aca said proper utilization of land for agricultural purposes is one of the issues to be discussed in the two day Provincial Council meeting. He hopes the people of Cakaudrove will follow plans set by the Government which is covered under the People's Charter for Change. We hope it will also be supported by the Tui Cakau.
 

WHO RINGS WHO FIRST, BRUCE HILL OR USAIA? Usaia Waqatairewa of the Australia-based Fiji Democracy and Freedom Movement seems to get an extraordinary amount of time on Radio Australia.  He is urging the Melanesian leaders to "open their eyes to the obvious divide and rule techniques Commodore Bainimarama is using to get the leadership of the sub-regional bloc" and deny Fiji the chairmanship. I thought it was Vanuatu's Natapei who was the odd man out. Read on ...

VANUATU NO-CONFIDENCE VOTE. Opposition leader, Maxime Carlot Korman, said he has the backing of 27 of the 52 MPs and is calling for PM Natapei to resign. Yesterday Carlot Korman accused Natapei of causing division in the Melanesian Spearhead Group by cancelling July's summit in Fiji. Korman says if the Speaker accepts his request, the vote could be taken as early as Monday.

YABAKI ON ID CARD. Radio Australia's Bruce Hill tried to get CCF's Rev Akuila Yabaki to condemn the proposed ID card. Click here. Yabaki's lack of concern is interesting because one would have thought he'd be among the first to express concern if he thought the card would be misused. Read on ...

OFFICIAL ID UPDATE RELEASE. The proposed national identification card is essential because it will provide and carry vital personal information. Ministry of Defence, National Security and Immigration official, Mr Joji Washington told a consultation forum the proposed national ID card was to help curb cases of false identification.

He said there had been cases of passports and birth certificate falsifications. “This is why the Ministry of Defence has taken this proactive approach to introduce the national ID card,” Mr Washington said. “Government will include a bio-metric feature, which will be encrypted into the card to add to its value otherwise it will be just an ordinary card.”

Mr  Washington said most countries had adopted this concept because of its ability to interface with e-passports. He said the global approach was for Fiji to introduce a card which had bio-metric security features. “The project runs concurrently with the e-passport platform. Fiji needs to look at it holistically and each government department and ministry has its own input into the introduction of the card,” Mr Washington said. He said the project would benefit the Ministry of Education, Elections Office, Fiji Police Force, (BDM) Births, Deaths and Marriages, FIRCA, Immigration, FNPF, LTA and many more. -- 2010 No: 1712 /MOI.

COMPLAINTS AGAINST LAWYERS. The Independent Legal Services Commission (ILSC) was established under the Legal Practitioners Decree 2009 to hear complaints against lawywers, relieved the Fiji Law Society of this role following complaints that the FLS had not dealt effectively with complaints. The main purpose of the the ILSC, according to the Commmission Justice John Connors, is to protect the public from lawyers who misbehave, hear their complaints against lawyers and, where applicable, discipline the lawyers.

Justice Connors says having a transparent and an independent system in place to look into complaints against lawyers has been well received by the public and he is "hopeful that by dealing with complaints in a timely manner and the imposition of appropriate penalties will hopefully encourage more lawyers to behave appropriately," The ILSC has so far dealt with and handed out verdicts on seven complaints and another six cases are pending.-- Based on 2010 No:1678/AG.

RICE. Fiji used to grown much of its rice consumption, mainly in the Dreketi (Bua) and Navua areas. The removal of import duty on milled white rice in 2008 changed all this.  Fiji Rice Company CEO Ram Bajekal hopes that with government now promoting more locally grown rice, rice production will increase and and its mill will be once again put to full use. FRC has been importing 30,000 tonnes of rice a year at a cost of about $40m.

ECONOMIC TIDBITS.
    FMF Group announces $11.6M   profit
    Lautoka Sugar Mill kept like a  junkyard, says PM
   Acting CEO FSC recommends closure  of Rarawai (Ba) mill

Wharf Heist, PM Talks Priorities, Ro Teimumu, Ratu Inoke Takiveikata, Drought Fears,

INSIDE JOB? Half a million dollars in $20 notes intended for the Reserve Bank were stolen from Kings wharf, Suva, last weekend.  The thieves cut into a container to remove the money, and some notes are already circulating in Fiji. People in Fiji and overseas readers are urged to watch out for $20 notes with serial numbers between EB 450,000 and EB 500,000. Fiji readers may ring the police toll free on 919 or 917.

(WEDNESDAY 8th SEPTEMBER 2010 No:1412/FP) POLICE UPDATE ON MONEY THEFT . The Fiji Police have confirmed that the recent theft of money form a cargo container did not occur in Fiji. After preliminary investigations it can be confirm the theft was committed offshore. Fiji Police are working closely with overseas authorities and liaisons in this investigation. Further details cannot be revealed at this stage as it may hinder the investigation as it has now become multi-jurisdictional. Investigation is ongoing.

BAINIMARAMA TALKS ON EDUCATION, CHIEFS AND CHURCH. In the open session that followed the Naitasiri imatanigasau, the PM urged the chiefs to see that their people send their children to school, and warned parents would be "taken to task and even charged in a court" if they did not.

He also urged chiefs and church leaders to get their priorities right and focus on things that will develop and bring progress to the community. He said he did not want to speak ill of the church but church leaders and chiefs should get water and electricity in their villages and upgrade their schools before devoting resources to building churches or spending money on church activities.

CHARGE DROPPED AGAINST RO TEIMUMU.The charges of conspiracy to cause disorder in law and order against the paramount chief of Rewa province, the Marama Bale the Roko Tui Dreketi, Ro Teimumu Kepa, have been withdrawn with no reason given by the Director of Prosecutions Office.The charges relate to her statement last year that the Burebasaga confederacy and the province of Rewa would welcome Methodist church members to their annual conference to be held in  Rewa.  Government had earlier banned the conference. Ro Teimumu was originally  charged with the offences noted above. The  one remaining charge, now withdrawn, was one count of conspiracy to disobey an unlawful command. Charges against Methodist church ministers who gathered unlawfully to plan for the Methodist church conference remain.

RATU INOKE... Meanwhile, it is  announced that Australian Queen's Counsellor Peter Maiden will arrive on Sunday to represent Naitasiri Paramount Chief, Ratu Inoke Takiveikata when his November 2000 mutiny re-trial proper begins on Monday.

DROUGHT EMERGENCY.The National Disaster Management Council is  meeting  today to discuss whether it should advise the PM to declare national state of emergency due to ongoing drought conditions.  With no rain forecast, it is thought a solid month of heavy rain is needed to relieve the conditions that are seriously affecting homes and farms in the West and North. So far the drought has lasted four months and it expected to continue for another two to three months.

Sad When Domestic Violence Turns Political, Tovata Support But Where's the Work on Ethnic Interaction?

WHEN EVEN DOMESTIC VIOLENCE TURNS POLITICAL.  In what seemed to be a stand-off slinging  match, the Fiji Womens' Crisis Centre Shamima Ali claimed the Domestic Violence Decree promulgated last December was not in force and is not being implemented. Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed-Khiayum disagreed, saying the decree is in force and is being implemented and Ali is misinforming the public.

To which Shamima replied: "You should check with the courts before slandering us. I never lie about these things. Why don't you talk to me? You all should get your facts right, right hand should know what left is doing ... the Womens' Crisis Centre has more integrity than most. We will never let our women down for our personal gains."

To which Aiyaz responded  that Shamima's information was incorrect. The Decree is very much in operation.  For example, the number of restraining orders that have been issued at all levels. "But if the FWCC believes the Police are not doing their job, they should inform them and or the Ministry of Women, and take a collaborative approach rather than making pronouncements through the media in the first place."

To which Shamima said they are not able to protect their clients as the courts and the police are not implementing the Domestic Violence Decree and are not aware of it.

To which Aiyaz replied: There has been extensive training conducted with various stakeholders which included lawyers, prosecutors, police, members of the judiciary, government officials and NGOs to ensure its successful implementation to protect women and children against domestic violence.

And that is how two highly educated people resolve or attempt to use (depending on your standpoint) even straightforward black and white issues in Fiji today. One must wonder  just how much of the dispute was political. The Decree either is, or it isn't, or isn't (being implemented) all the time.  It shouldn't take a slinging match to find out.  What hope is there for "genuine" dialogue on other important issues?

VANUA LEVU AND LAU SUPPORT GOVERNMENT. The Tovata Confederacy that comprisesthe provinces of Cakaudrove, Bua and Macuata in Vanua Levu, and the islands of the Lau Province to the east and south, have expressed support for Government putting development work before elections as its number one priority. The current government says it has put a focus on rural development and on effective service delivery to people in rural areas.

[Ed.note: I cannot understand why Government continues to present these issues as alternatives, with development having to come before work on elections can even start. Nor am I persuaded that physical and infrastructural development is any more pressing than work on social development, most especially with regard to initiatives aimed at helping inter-ethnic understanding. What work is going on in schools, the public service, the military, the churches and other religious institutions, and among the general public, to develop basic languages skills in Fiji Baat, Hindi and Fijian, and help improved understanding of Fiji's many cultures and cultural values?   Unless these at least start to change before 2014, what value is the elections?]

NEW FEATURE.   In response to the request of a reader, we have included a

Countdown to Elections 2014 feature at the top of the right sidebar.

Tupuola Speculates, Naitasiri Tailevu Support Govt Work, Coconut Reseach, Marist Forum, The Grand Old GPH

PACIFIC SCOOP  & TUPUOLA. Pacific Scoop has a well earned reputation for solid journalism. When it publishes opinions they are invariably reasoned and supported with evidence and insight. Until two days ago. When it published a purely speculative article (supported by not a shred of evidence or any indication of the reliability of  unnamed sources) about a supposedly looming Fiji coup-within-the-coup.

The article was written  by Tupuola Terrence Tavita, the Editor of the Samoa Government newspaper Savali. It is not Tupuola's first trip into virtual space and I doubt it will be his last. Stories are easy to write when you can pull them out of the air. Investigative journalism takes longer.

I draw the article to readers' attention, not for its content, but for the flood of comments it generated. I urge you to read them by  clicking here. At my last count, no one agreed with him.

The article does, however, raise the possibility of a coup-within-the-coup. This is nothing new. It has always been a possibility. Support for what Government is doing and trying to do seems to be increasing (see next two items) but Fiji remains a divided nation with enough "loose cannons"  to cause immeasurable harm.

The longer overseas governments, most especially Australia and New Zealand, continue to act in ways that work against Fiji's economic recovery and internal stability -- and fail to support the government's much needed reforms --  the longer the possibility of another coup will last.  This prospect should cause Australia and NZ serious reflection: if the 2006 Coup is unable to establish the conditions for long-term stability, it will not be Fiji's last coup, not by a long chalk. As one reader observed:

The next coup d’etat will sink the Ship and all of those on board.  Without a shadow of a doubt. It will be violent and many people will be killed.  That is what the International Community’s fiddling and stand-off is bringing on.

NAITASIRI CHIEFS visited the PM today to show support for the work Government is currently undertaking. Roko Tui Naitasiri Peni Sokia said their visit had been agreed to by the Provincial Council and the Bose Vanua.

TAILEVU CHIEFS. Last week, chiefs of Tailevu also visited Bainimarama to show their support. Provincial Council chairman Josefa Seruilagilagi said the people of Tailevu wanted to thank Commodore Bainimarama for the developments that have taken place in Tailevu since his Government took over in 2006. He said some of the projects that were planned by previous governments over the last 30 years had not been completed or even started.

SAVUSAVU COCONUT RESEARCH STATION. Government's decision to establish a new Coconut Research Station in Wainigata, Savusavu, has been well received by the Copra Millers of Fiji. Coconuts provide an income for over 100,000 people in Fiji. Chairman Ilisoni Taoba said the station would help to boost, improve quality and add value to production in Vanua Levu which produces 65% of Fiji's coconuts.  Ilisoni said it takes 6,000 nuts to make one tonne of copra that sells for $650. The same number of nuts make 500 litres of virgin oil that sells for between $2 - $5 a litre, or $1000-5000, double or more what can be earned from making copra. -- Based on 2010 No: 1346/MOI.

PM WELCOMES MARIST FORUM DISCUSSIONS. PM Bainimarama is hopeful that the Marist Brothers Old Boys Mobilized 2010 Forum in October to be held from 23-31 October will send a strong positive message about our country. He said contributions towards Fiji in anyway by former Fiji citizens and locals shows that individuals still care and respect Fiji. He added that the Forum (and the workshop on "Good Strong Government Structures" as a means of institutional structuring which he will be opening) will provide an opportunity for robust discussions on many issues pertaining not only to the school but to the nation as a whole.

THE GRAND PACIFIC HOTEL. Empty for 18 years, Suva's jaded and near derelict icon, the historic Grand Pacific Hotel, is set to be restored and refurbished at an estimated cost of $90 million when the PNG National Superannuation Fund purchase the building from the Fiji National Provident Fund in the next few days.

WEEKEND READING. Allen Lockington's column, Bringing Fiji Back from the Cold, Australia's Meddling Part of Agenda to Dominate Fiji, Akuila Yabaki's From Paramountcy to Equality (conclusion), Curse of the Soli, Media Ethics and Media Freedom Issues in Fiji.  

Normally published on Saturday morning, this weekend's readings, other than Allen's column, will be published at 3:45pm this afternoon to allow those without a computer at home to have a quick look. Allen's column will be published at the usual time.

Comment Quality, Dorsami Naidu, Rural Electrification, Poverty, Land Safe; Forget Elections

CRITICAL BUT HELPFUL. Thank goodness. The quality of comments to postings has improved  with critical but helpful and forward-looking comments once again outnumbering the  totally negative and unhelpful. Thinking... Not Sleeping again leads the pack with the observation that those commenting on "progress" or the lack of it are talking past each other because they are talking about different things. Top Five Top Spin Items also makes what I think is a valid criticism of Government, and comes up with what they could say.

Both these readers are, I think, basically supportive of what Government says it intends to do.  They are just not very impressed with some of the ways they're going about it. The saddest and most disturbing feature of the present political scene is that Government has given very little indication that it welcomes the opinions of people who, with only a little encouragement,  could be its friends.


DORSAMI IRONY. Fiji Law Society president, former MP and anti-government critic Dorsami Naidu  has been fined $1,500 and $1,428 costs by the country’s Independent Legal Services Commission for professional misconduct and unsatisfactory professional conduct. The irony is that he has also been ordered to undertake ten hours of study in conveyancing, real property and practice management with the syllabus to be approved by the Chief Registrar. This ruling was due his being found guilty of overcharging in billing an estate failing to inform a buyer that the land he was purchasing was co-owned. Justice Connors said Naidu’s conduct calls for a “small monetary penalty rather than a public reprimand in the light of the position he holds within the legal profession ...[his]  conduct is in many respects concerning and whilst it does not display dishonesty it shows a lack of appreciation of practice management principles and the obligations of legal practitioners under the Trust  Account requirements.There is also displayed a disturbing lack of understanding of conveyancing and real property principles."

VILLAGE ILLUMINATION. Two remote Naitasiri villages with 182 families  switched on their lights for the first time last night. Taking electricity to the villages cost $145,000 and is part of the Roadmap.

HEALTH RECOVERY. Some health charges will increase soon to help recover costs and improve health services. Health Minister Dr Neil Sharma said " We also need to upgrade, so all of these issues need to be factored in. The fact is that nothing comes free in this world. We have to be able to provide quality services at all costs.” Increases have been made to the Medical Certificate and Report fees, dental fees, X-Ray fees, and laboratory charges.

POVERTY ALLEVIATiON.The Poverty Alleviation Ministry is waiting for submissions from minority groups to finalise the definition of poverty in Fiji’s context. Poverty Eradication Unit head Tokasa Leweni says the minority groups were not well represented during the consultation in the central, west and the northern division.Leweni says they anticipate finalizing the paper for Cabinet approval next month.

LAND SAVED. Speaking to the Lau Provincial Council yesterday, the PM assured the i-Taukei community that no one is going to take their land away from them. The new Land Use Decree is intended to make more land available for productive and social purposes. Landowners will benefit as more land would be utilised. "Government is also mindful of improving its service to maritime islands," he added.

Earlier,  Commissioner Eastern, LtCol Ifereimi Vasu urged Lauans to help find answers to the ongoing out-migration that could see the islands' population decimated.He acknowledged that out-migration cannot be stopped but can be minimised, even though the driving force for the movement seems to be the quest for higher education. The challenge, he said, is to convince those in the villages to remain there and use the abundant natural resources to lift their standards of living. Funds allocated for development in Lau would depend entirely on population and demand.

Forget elections, Bainimarama told

http://www.radiofiji.com.fj/fullstory.php?id=30094 Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Taken from / By: FBC News

The people of Lau have told the Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama to forget elections and concentrate more on development.

The province indicated their support to Bainimarama and urged him to continue developments for the country as they have witnessed the work and promises fulfilled by the Government for the people.

FBC News reporter Sekope Toduadua filed this report during the Provincial Council meeting which started yesterday.

"Lets forget about elections and lets focus on more and more development.

Those are the words of encouragement and support from the people of Lau province to Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama as he officially opened the two day Lau Provincial council meeting yesterday.

Speaking on behalf on the people of Lau, the Turaga Tui Ono Waisea Davuiqalita from Onoi-lau Island says they feel their cries have been heard.

He says the people of Lau are satisfied that Fiji is back on track and they have witnessed the development and what government is doing right now.

Davuiqalita says promises by government have been fulfilled and projects which were in the pipeline for 4 years have been completed.

He says now – the people of Lau look forward to and support government’s corporate plan to move the country forward to 2014 - according to the Strategic Framework for Change.”

The Lau Provincial Council meeting is being held at the Arts Village in Deuba and ends today.


Prime Minister,  You should immediately quash this report.  If you don't, it will be distorted  like the Lomaiviti comment.   You should use the opportunity to reaffirm your decision to hold elections no later than September 2014.


And News Reporter Sekope Toduadua, you should be more precise. Who exactly said "forget about elections"? One person, several, the people of Lau, or just those attending the Provincial Council meeting?  Or is this merely what you read into the Council's support for Government's development activities? Your report makes the Prime Minister a sitting target for the overseas media and those who say he does not want elections in 2014.

The meaning is clear but just about everything else is wrong about this cartoon posted on the ozfiji. com website.  The cap is not a RFMF one, the palms are not coconuts, hardly anyone lives in a bure any more (under 4% in 1996, or 4,800 Fijians and 465 Indo-Fijians!) and  not many bure have so many windows. Ling Ling should visit Fiji to see what things really look like.

As for the message, my understanding is that  ethnic Fijians have always been i-taukei and Fijian, and they always will be.  The only change is that now  all citizens  are legally Fijian.

Just as in New Zealand where there are Maori New Zealanders, Pakeha New Zealanders, Chinese and, yes, Fijian New Zealanders, Fiji will now have i-taukei Fijians, Rotuman Fijians, Solomoni Fijians, Kailoma Fijians, and so on.  In some situations Maori will say they are Maori; and in others New Zealanders. Ethnic Fijians will be i-taukei or Fijian as the situation demands.

The Decree is about promoting national identity and a sense of belonging for all Fiji citizens. No one loses anything. All should gain.

What Reserve Bank Doing to Help Small Business

An extract from Reserve Bank Governor, Sada Reddy's, address to last week's Indigenous Business Council meeting.

Now let me briefly highlight some of the work that the Reserve Bank is doing in the areas of small and micro enterprise development. Most of the work in this regard ties in with your Council’s role in developing Fijian businesses.

In April 2009, we made some institutional reforms within the Reserve Bank which resulted in the establishment of a Group called the Financial Systems Development and Compliance (FSDC) Group. One of the major roles of this Group (amongst others) was to ensure the development and provision of microfinance services to the greater Fijian community. After a little more than a year of its establishment, we have witnessed a lot of exciting developments.

NZ Trade Com, Kadavu Fiasco, PM's Advice to i-Taukei, China Reaffirms Support,, Exports Fall

NEW ZEALAND Trade Commissioner. As talks on restoring full diplomatic relations continue behind the scenes, a new Trade Commissioner will take up office in Suva by next month. This can only be good news.

GROSS INCOMPETENCY and SDL Abuse of Power. Kadavu House in Suva is owned by the Kadavu Development Company of which the Kadavu Provincial Council (and hence the people of Kadavu) are substantial owners. The multi-storeyed buildng was financed by provincial fundraising and a $14 million "affirmative action" loan from the Fiji National Provident Fund. The loan was supported by the former Qarase SDL-led Government which also guaranteed it would tenant the building, and Government paid $880,000 in advanced rents for a building they would never tenant. Photo: vitia.com

In 2007 the Bainimarama government said the rent was too high; it found the company was not registered; had not held an AGM for 20 years, and that several SDL parliamentarians were Board directors.  Government asked who was benefitting from building ownership, and whether the ordinary people of Kadavu would ever benefit. It is likely these questions will be raised again when the PM opens the Kadavu Provincial Council meeting today.
Note: Kadavu, 88km S. Suva, pop. 10,000, 411km2, volcanic archipelago, Fiji's 4th largest island. Administrative centre Vunisea, airport, high school, hospital, govt.station. Part of "outer islands" Eastern Division. 

(+) Tailevu and Powerful Bauan Chiefs Apologize to Bainimarama

  The Tide is Turning

The province of Tailevu led by the powerful Bauan chiefs today presented a tabua to  PM Bainimarama to show their support to Bainimarama's leadership and to the government of the day.

Speaking on behalf of the Cakobau family which included Ratu Epenisa Cakobau, Ratu George Cakobau, Adi Samanunu Cakobau and the other Tailevu chiefs,  Ratu Tu'uakitau Cokanauto assured the PM that his [Bainimarama's] province is totally behind him to support what he has planned for the nation until the next general election in 2014.

Ratu Tu'uakitau (generally known as Ratu Tuki)  told Bainimarama to be strong as he said that Rome was not built in a day and if there are elements within the government who are trying to rush changes in his leadership they should be told to try and be patient.

He said everyone wants a change and a better Fiji and his chiefs have decided to present the tabua today to show their son that they will stand with him in the decisions he will make. Based on Fiji Village; Photo: Fiji Village.

Note: It was from the northern part of this province, where the population is overwhelmingly ethnic Fijian and where most voters would follow the direction of their chiefs, that George Speight drew much support during the 2000 Coup. The apology therefore has even more significance.

Fijian Identity, Tourism, Radio Oz, School Farms, the Provinces, Japan, Femlink, Anti-Govt Blogger

WHO Am I? Fijian Identity.  Fiji’s Attorney General says all Fijian nationals are Fijians, not just indigenous groups.  But Viti Landowners and Resource Owners Association's Ratu Osea Gavidi says the issue is very complex and the term should not be prostituted.“There are those people who immigrated to Fiji over 150, 200 years ago who even then, they are third and fourth generation of those, still have not been able to understand and practise fully what it takes to be a Fijian.” [Ethnic Fijians had no common name for themselves until the late 18th Century when Tongans provided this name to European explorers. i-Taukei is more authentic and appropriate.]

SO-CALLED Political Uncertainty is Not Fiji's Main Tourism Problem. If you think it's only Fiji having to offer ridiculously low tourist packages, read about the competition from Phuket, Bali, Vanuatu, Hawaii, and soon, the Cook Islands.

READING the Alphabet ABC-wise. "Unlike the rest of the ABC, which is funded directly from Treasury, Radio Australia and Australia Network get their money from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Is it any wonder that for all their protestations of editorial independence, they parrot the official Australian line?

Australian Network is under even more pressure nowadays as DFAT decides whether to renew the ABC's contract to provide a satellite service or give it to Sky News, which is owned by Rupert Murdoch and a gaggle of other Aussie media players. It's like the old saying; If you're Caesar's wife, you not only have to be clean but seen to be clean. With its external broadcasting, Australia is hopelessly compromised." -- This information from a reader who commented on an earlier posting.  Check out the Comments to individual posts. Most make good reading.

AUSTRALIAN Government-funded ABC has sent itself a self-congratulatory message, applauding its role in Fiji, on World Press Freedom Day.  I'd join them were it not for the "freedom" shown to my comments on Fiji by the ABC and RadioNZ.

FIVE Government School Farms -- at Ratu Kadavulevu, Queen Victoria, Adi Cakobau, Bucalevu Secondary and Vunisea District  -- have received tractors and other agricultural equipment valued at $330,000 as part of Government efforts to increase productivity. Fiji is now pushing 'buy Fiji made' produce.

REWA Province is grateful to government that many of their pending development projects will eventuate this year. Provincial Council Vice-Chairman Pita Tagicakiverata  said the Council has for many years discussed projects to be undertaken within the province, but the outcome has always been the same. No work was ever carried out.

NAMOSI Thanks Mining Company. Provincial Council Rt. Romanu Matanitobua thanked a mining company in inland Namosi, where there are "good" copper and gold prospects, for providing employment and helping with the education of many of their children.

MOTURIKI, Bau, Verata Qoliqoli. Moturiki Island, close to Ovalau, is concerned about the the extent of Bau and Verata traditional fishing grounds that leave the islanders with  little room to fish. Government is looking into their complaint.

JAPAN'S Ambassador in Fiji, Yutaka Yoshizawa, has  assured Fiji of Japan's ongoing bilateral and economic assistance but wants the country to return to democratic rule.

FEMLINK Pacific's Quarterly Report, click here. The NGO has a very impressive website funded by AusAid.

ANTI-G0VERNMENT Blog Hyperbole. A quick glance at anti-government blog FijiDemocracyNow had me thinking: Good! They are reading and may be influenced by my blog. If only. They wrote: "Crosbie Walsh's coup apologist site contains some interesting information about the termite threat that's threatening to cause houses across the country to crumble into dust. Allen Lockington has revealed that the normal ..."

They inferred wharf inspections have been less thorough since the Coup (which is not what Allen said), hence Government is responsible (which it is not) for the threat of houses crumbling to dust across the country (which they are not). The terminate infestation is localised and Government is taking steps so see it remain so). The bloggers  could not see the contradiction in their own argument: a coup apologist publishing an anti-government article. Such people would have us believe all of Fiji's problems started in December 2006. Oilei!

Tourism

The Downturn in Backpacker Tourists. Last week's Fiji Islands Backpacker Association conference in Nadi heard president Error Fifer  attribute the backpacker downturn since 2007 to the "removal of Fiji as a free stopover by Air New Zealand on their round-the-world tickets, the slowly developing international financial crisis, increase in bed capacity, competitive airlines operating in NZ and Australia offering a choice of low airfares, negative comments by overseas media, and the inability to adequately market our product overseas and many of us, and not fully utilising the internet as a marketing tool". [Map:  Pink shows backpacker accommodation. Click and zoom (Crtl +) to enlarge.]

This followed the sharp upturn from 2004-06 due to "increased arrivals, the expansion of Awesome Adventures, the consolidation of FEEJEE Experience locally, political stability, the start of operations by Virgin Blue and industry activity during those years."Tourism Fiji has indicated its willingness to meet a unified Association on all marketing initiatives.

Another speaker at the conference, Dr Jeff Jarvis from Monash University's Tourism Research Unit told participants Fiji was facing tougher competition with other tourist destinations, most especially Australia (where Working Holiday Makers visas allowed tourists to earn up to $15,000 working in vineyards), New Zealand, and the Asian destinations -- Bali, Thailand and Vietnam -- that offer multiple country visits options. Limited awareness of Fiji in the market was also a reason for its perception as an expensive destination.  Fiji could piggyback on the Austalian WHM visas if it could maximise its advantage of airline links.

Growing Food for Tourists. Across the island, in Suva, Fiji Islands Hotel and Tourism Association president Dixon Seeto told a media workshop that 80% of food used by the tourism industry is now produced locally. The industry uses $500 million worth of imported food and beverages a year. The Ministry of Agriculture has been helping farmers to produce enough to meet the demand of the hotel industry, and hoteliers have been encouraged to prpeare menus using local produce.

Just an Idea. I wonder what the economics would be of a "multiple country visit" tourist airline route from Sydney to Auckland, Rarotonga, Niue, Samoa, Fiji, Auckland and back to Sydney, with tourists being able to stop off at two or more destinations? Two trips a week in both directions? With Christchurch alternating with Auckland?  Something like the old days when the Union Steamship cargo/passenger ships Tofua and the Matua linked Auckland/Christchurch, with Tonga, Samoa and Fiji.  That's when villagers poled bananas for export down the Rewa on bamboo rafts.

Short Briefs: More Apologies, Charter Progress, Somare, Poverty, IMF Visit

(+) Nadroga/Navosa Apologizes. Noting that the province was the first to oppose the People's Charter, Chairman of the Provincial Council Ratu Sakiusa Makutu, speaking in Sigatoka  yesterday, asked  forgiveness from the Government. Ratu Makutu said he has changed his stance with his people behind him and he will now support the People's Charter. Meanwhile, the Turaga Na Kalevu said they are now awaiting word from the government on the proposal to separate the two provinces.

(+) Gau Apologizes. The villagers of Lovu, Gau Island, presented a traditional apology to the Prime Minister as he started his tour to the Lomaiviti Group  yesterday.The villagers said they now support the government’s initiatives and the People’s Charter.

(+) People’s Charter Meeting Underway. The third National People’s Charter Advisory Council (NPCAC) meeting, delayed because of Hurricane Tomas,  is currently underway in Suva. It will be reviewing reports submitted by various ministries into their operations.

NPCAC Chairman Josefa Serulagilagi said  “What we will now do is go down and do physical checks based on the reports to ensure that whatever has been given in paper is really happening on the ground.” He said these are all part of Government reforms.

(o)  Somare and Bainimarama. PNG PM Sir Michael Somare  offered PM Bainimarama some support as he continued his New Zealand tour. Asked about the media “crackdown” in Fiji, he said it could be taken in two different ways. The media must  "try to really interpret what the real thinking in the minds of Island people are and ... look at things in a different way than you in the West look at it ... you’ve got to understand the Pacific people ... and try and translate and report on what they believe.”

Asked about elections, Sir Michael said: “He's made up his mind, he’s going on 2014 ... I’m hoping that the time will come when he’ll come good and tell us when the elections are going to be held.”

Speaking of the Melanesian Spearhead Group that refused to follow the Forum initiative to expel Fiji, he said people said the  MSG had failed, but "we kept the dialogue going. I mean I can pick up a phone, talk to Bainimarama tonight if I want to, he can talk to me on the phone."

(o) How Many Live in Poverty? Hassan Khan, CEO of the FCOSS NGO,  says the notional poverty figure of 45% (360,000 people)  mentioned at a Poverty Eradication Unit-World Bank workshop last week is dated. It was based on a still to be published Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES)  held in 2008-2009.  Since then Hurricane Tomas and rising prices have made the situation worse. Khan's guestimate is that 500,000 live below the Poverty Line. 

Ideally, HIES are held every ten years. The last survey to  be published was held in 2002-03 (urban) and 2003-4 (rural), analyzed by Wadan Narsey  and published in 2006. The survey was based on a geographic and stratified sample of about 5,000 households, and  dollar values were imputed for subsistence produce. The basic needs poverty line (BNPL) differs between rural and urban communities, and in the past was set by an government-NGO advisory committee. I will write more on the new survey when (and if) I can sight a copy. If you can't wait and would like some more wild guesses, and accusations of government complicity, you know where to look.

(o+) The IMF Mission Team in Suva from 7-21 April discussed Fiji's economic reforms (and possible IMF financial support under a stand-by arrangement) with Government, donors, private sector and public enterprise representatives. The Mission "greatly appreciated the authorities' openness and the frank discussions of the economic challenges faced by Fiji."

The mission, that included World Bank and the Asian Development Bank representatives, commended Government for the manner in which fiscal and monetary policy was conducted to counteract the severe effects of the global financial crisis and the massive destruction to infrastructure after the January 2009 floods. They noted that despite a 7 percent reduction in revenue, Government maintained its deficit within the targeted level. They also commended the timely action to protect foreign reserves through devaluation.

The IMF will continue to discuss policy measures required to ensure fiscal sustainability and specific structural reforms to underpin Fiji's medium-term growth while protecting the vulnerable.  It looks for  further progress toward these ends to ensure external stability and help catalyze donor support for Fiji's reform efforts.