Snippets: Dialogue Forum, Cyclone Mick,Femlink, Diabetes, Prison Reform, Anonymous Comments, Needy Children, Tourism

There are 12 Comments on this posting. See "Comments" at end..

The National Dialogue Forum on Fiji's future will convene on February 1st and pave the way to the Consultative Constitutional Forum starting in September 2012. Government has urged leaders in the church, vanua, civil groups (but not the old political parties) to participate. Prerequisites for attendance include:

• Interest must focus on Fiji’s future
• Views must not be inconsistent with the principles of the People’s Charter
• Participants must not have any pending criminal charges
• Participants must not represent political organizations based on communal representation.

It is especially important, with the old political parties excluded, that Government appoint as chairperson someone well known to the Fiji general public even if (perhaps especially if) that person does not otherwise support Government.


No good will be served with the appointment of an unknown or a person seen to be a Government stooge.   Full story.


The Disaster Management Committee estimates the financial cost of Cyclone Mick will be about $25 million, much less than the $200 million cost of January's floods.


The NGO Femlink has had its licence to operate its mobile "suitcase" radio station renewed. Radio 89.2FM uses a low powered transmitter that reaches a 10 kilometre radius. 


Diabetes great concern
A Fred Hollows Foundation survey found 40% of adults had diabetes, one of the highest rates in the world. The survey claimed the cost of medication alone will outstrip the present resources of the Fiji health system. Full story.


Readers' Copmments: 
"Prison reform part of Roadmap"
A reader commenting on this post wrote:"This is true. During a working trip to Naboro about 3 months ago, we were taken around the hills at the back of the complex to see a vast commercial enterprise being undertaken by the Prison Services. There were roughly 80,000 dalo plants already planted and they are still clearing more hillside for this big undertaking. We were told that as this commercial enterprise rolls, the Prison Service will be self-reliant and the government will not need to fund their food supply anymore. I also heard that they will then start supplying the major hospitals which seems to drain a lot of funds for the government, and so forth. This is an amazing undertaking and I was very very impressed." Another reader (Lol, Laugh Out Loud) thought we were making it all up (See Comments). It is unfortunate that people like this Doubting Thomas won't change their minds until their hand can feel a hoe wound  in one of the 80,000 dalo. 



... and another reader commenting on the cyclone, suggested a regional disaster relief organization should be a priority for the Pacific Islands Forum.


... and while on Comments, there is no security risk in signing your comment with a pseudonym. Bebe, Beka or Bulumakau included with your comment is just as safe as Anonymous without.


Reader "Wetsie": Thanks for the greeting to "Croz and team." Other people do help occasionally -- mainly in informing me of news releases I could have missed and in providing ideas on what to publish -- but there is no team. I wish there were.  

Pacific Sun's first flight to Vanuabalavu in the Northern Lau Group and new services to Gau and Cicia in the New Year will probably see the airline add pilots and aircraft to its operations. Full story. Photo: Fiji Village.

A Tamara McLean article in the NZ Herald/AAP provides readers with a rehash of what was once news, and "fresh" comments from "an Auckland University academic sympathetic to Bainimarama" (Prof.Hugh Laracy) countered by three "Pacific specialists (Dr Jon Fraenkel, Jone Baledrokadroka and Prof. Brij Lal) at the Australian National University" who are not." The use of "academic" and "specialists" tells readers where Tamara is coming from, but it's neither subtle nor accurate for all four are academics and specialists.

The article makes no mention of any recent happening in Fiji (this blog has been full of them; not even Bainimarama's response to John Key's Radio Tarana interview -- which, incidentally, the NZ Herald did not even bother to report!), and most of what the trio said resonated like echoes from one or another earlier media source. Click here to add "Forty Foot Echo" ringtones to your cellphone.

For the record, former Land Force Commander Baledrokadroka did not "reject the regime." He was send on leave (suspended) by the military prior to the 2006 Coup before resigning and leaving for an ANU scholarship in Canberra. And Tamara's account of Brij Lal's deportation was predictably light on contextual detail.


Most disturbing, though, was  Fraenkel's unscholarly guesswork in interpretating happenings in Fiji. He speculates government reshuffles are "squables behind the scenes"; thinks 90 percent (sic!) of ethnic Fijians oppose Bainimarama; and that Government's policies are contradictory in providing free school buses (a "socialist" policy) and a business-friendly ("right wing) budget. His imposed left wing-right wing framework does not sit well in the Pacific -- and even in New Zealand we've had free buses for country children and business-friendly budgets for as long as I can remember. 


Supporters of The Foundation for the Education of Needy Children in Fiji (FENC), a group of mainly Indo-Fijians in the Brisbane area, have donated  $8,000 to the Foundation, run by Irshad Ali, formerly of Save the Children Fund.


Tourism target $900m earnings
Tourism Fiji chairman Patrick Wong says the industry is targeting $900m. in direct tourism earnings, and 600,000 visitors, in 2010. Earnings in 2008 were $892m. Wong thinks the targets achievable because of improved marketing, a "good geographic mix, targeting markets of UK/Europe, Russia, China and the Gulf region," new airlines and new routings that increase capacity and provide better connectivity opening up new markets and regions with better market penetration... V Australia and Jetstar [also] give better access from non-mainstream ports, like Western and South Australia. Broadening our markets with a geographic will spread the constant flow of visitor arrivals throughout the year, levelling out the trough and low season periods," he added.

Fiji Rugby Union Chairman Bill Gavoka has confirmed that  the Cibi will be performed by all national rugby teams before international test matches, thereby overturning Coach Samu Domoni Junior's decision to drop the Cibi because it is a "throwback to the days of heathen cannibalism and  not indicative of modern Fiji." Domoni  is wrong on both counts.Full story.

Happy 2010 Everyone. 

May the New Year bring Fiji As It Was and Is appreciably closer to 
the Fiji it Can Be.

 Drawing: Kids Art. www.squidoo.com

Snippets: Sugar and Cyclone Mick, Economy now "Stable," Tourism - New Planes, Transport, Ex-Prisoners, Lau is Part of Fiji

 Sugar industry suffers (another) massive blow
Most sugar cane to be harvested and crushed this season was damaged by Cyclone Mick and the floods that followed. Full story. The Lautoka mill and Rarawai mill (photo) at Ba were also badly damaged. Reports indicate that there has also been a substantial damage to cash crops in the Western Division. Once Fij's main overseas money earner and major employer,the sugar industry has been long overdue for restructuring. Problems with land leases, the optimal size of farm units, transportation, and outdated machinery, have been compounded by falling world sugar prices,  uncertainty over preferential prices under the Lome Convention and Cotonou Agreement (that gives former European colonies the same price as subsidized European farmers) and, more recently, the withholding of EU and Commonwealth assistance -- for political reasons -- to modernize the industry. If anyone needs a visit from Father Christmas, it is the sugarcane farmers of the Western Division, and the thousands of ethnic Fijian and Indo-Fijian labourers they employ. And if NZ, Australia, the Commonwealth and the EU are really concerned about Fiji, now is the time to show it. Speak now or forever hold your peace.

Fiji economy now rated "stable"
Reserve Bank of Fiji Governor Sada Reddy (photo, NZ Herald) says the revision of the outlook for Fiji from negative to stable by Standard and Poor’s Rating Services augurs well for Fiji’s international credit ratings.  Full story.

Tourism: V Australia
V Australia, part of the Virgin Blue airline group, commenced its daily Sydney-Nadi service on Saturday. Tourism Fiji’s regional director Australia Paresh Pant said "V Australia will be a game changer for the conference and incentive market, its full service Business and Premium Economy products will undoubtedly prove a catalyst for an increase in the top end leisure travel market.” Pant said there had been a drop in Australian arrivals early in the year, but the upsurge in recent months “had been nothing short of breathtaking”, with a new arrival record of 26,000-plus Australian visitors in September.  Competition on the Fiji-Australia route will heat up further when Qantas subsidiary Jetstar begins daily services between Nadi and Sydney from March.

Tourism: Air Pacific
This competition is the probable reason why Fiji Government and Qantas-owned Air Pacific (re-dubbed the "The World's Friendliest Airline") fleet will soon complete a $15m interior refurbishment; establish "a global contact centre in Fiji where local and overseas customers get a Fiji experience from the first contact, new meals, wines and beverage selections in-flight, increase in baggage allowance to 23 kgs per person, expansion of Pacific Sun's domestic services and launch of the new Nadi-Hong Kong and Apia-Honolulu services.  Air Pacific operates a fleet of Boeing jet aircraft and ATR42-500's to 16 destinations in 11 countries. Pacific Sun services domestic routes also has flights to Tonga, Funafuti and Port Vila." Full story.

Tourism:Continental Micronesia celebrates inaugural flight
Continental Micronesia, part of the giant Continental airline group, had its inaugural flight from Guam in NE Micronesia to Nadi on Friday. The Boeing 737=800 aircraft, with 14 business and 141 economy class seats, will operate on Mondays and Fridays.  Full story.

Vehicle Certificates of Fitness
Buses over 25 years old and taxis, at present inspected yearly, will soon be inspected every six months.The Fiji Taxi Union and the Fiji Bus Operators Association are consulting their advisers on the announcement by the Land Transport Authority. I thought their argument that public transport is not the major cause of accidents a weak one. Their transport must be safe, and seen to be safe, and customer safety should rank at least equal with their desire to maximize profits.  Full story.

Civil service to accept ex-prisoners
Ex-prisoners will soon be accepted into the public service if they meet the qualifications and skill requirements of advertised positions, according to PSA chairman Josefa Serulagilagi (Fiji Village photo). He said the Yellow Ribbon Programme, an innovative approach at rehabilitating prisoners by increasing public awareness and acceptance of ex-prisoners and their issues, was a breath of fresh air which took Fiji by storm. Serulagilagi also congratulated the prison service for its work on capacity building, the commercialisation of prison industries and the enhancement of public engagement ..."in accordance with government’s vision to reform the civil service." Full story.
   
Lau is part of Fiji
Irregular and unreliable shipping has long been a problem for people in the Lau group, nearly 300km east of the main island of Viti Levu. Full story. Last week punts(long open canoe-like vessels with outboard motors) took three trips from Nayau to Cicia, 35km away, to to catch a boat to Suva. The last vessel to visit Nayau was MV Sealink under the Government franchise in early November.The islanders have heard that there will be no ship to Nayau until late January. This leaves them with little choice but to punt to Cicia and other islands for supplies and to get their students to school on Viti Levu. Improved transport to Lau is a Government priority but little can be done until more boats are available -- unless, unless, Commodore Bainimarama, at least for the school children, authorised naval vessels to assist. This would match Government's transport assistance to urban children!  Photo punt in calmer waters: photographersdirect.com Read what readers say. Click "Comments" below.

(o) NZAid Gives More for Flood Relief

NZAid is adding $3 million to the $600,000 already given for Fiji flood disaster relief and rehabilitation. The money will be directed to "reconstruction, providing social services, and helping to mitigate the impact of future disaster events in Fiji. Support will be channelled through local, regional and multilateral organisations working on the ground in Fiji ... [there will also be]...scope for partnering with other donor governments providing assistance." For more information, contact Richard.Dirks@nzaid.govt.nz

Last Week in Fiji II: Fact and Opinion

[Flashback: This weekend Fiji (and Serevi) are in Wellington for the Rugby 7's. Remember Trevor Mallard's embarrassing comment that he hoped the Fiji team wouldn't get very far in the competition (because of the 2006 coup)? And then Fiji went on to thrash NZ in the finals. A double embarrassment.]

Does anyone know why the Fiji Human Rights Commission website cannot be contacted?

• Floods First, Forum Later
• Help Sugar Now -- or Else
• Singh and Beddoes Speak Out
• People's Charter
• Samoan and Ni-Vanuatu Commentary
• Litigation: Qarase and the Interim Government
• Wages Up, Fares Down - Helping the Poor
• Minimum Wages
• Mischievous or Just Bad Reporting - Fiji Daily News
• The Good News: 3000 New Jobs?
• And from NZTV 7 Robie, Dreaver and Khan

(G) Attention Floods First, Forum Later
Interim PM Voqere (Frank) Bainimarama has called for sacrifice in the face of suspended EU loans and further sanctions following Fiji's possible suspension from the PI Forum later this year. “Every now and then we need to make sacrifices for the betterment of our future generations,”he said. "“Maybe we lose some now, but in the long run, we are more independent, confident and our children will have a lasting multi racial, cultural and tolerant society they can develop in.” He said discussion on the Forum resolution will take place after the flood victims are taken care of but, according to FijiLive, he was adamant about changing the country’s race-based voting system.

The Floods
The final cost of the Floods is not yet know but costs so far include an estimated $30m for the Sugar industry and at least $8m for Nadi rehabilitation. Meanwhile, according to Fiji Village, over 17,000 people received rations in January, and more than 147,000 people still need them, all in the west and north of Viti Levu, approximately 18,000 in Nadroga, 8,500 in Navosa, 70,000 in Nadi, 13,000 in Lautoka and Yasawa, 9,600 in Ba, 10,000 in Tavua, 5,000 in Nadarivatu and 12,800 in Ra. Overseas donors include PNG $1 milion, India $185,000, N Z about $600,000. The Government is distributing water purification tablets to affected areas.
This is the worst environmental crisis Fiji has endured in recent years. One might have hoped NZ would have put politics aside and been considerably more generous.

(o) Help Sugar Now or Else, Aid Donors Told
FijiLive 6 February 2009
Fiji's main sugarcane farmers' organisation has warned aid donors to front up now with badly needed assistance or face the consequences of salvaging a potentially bankrupt industry.Sugar Cane Growers Council CEO Surendra Sharma said aid donors should take heed as they will all be implicated if the industry fails."Aid donors will all have to spend a lot more to try to salvage the industry as well as deal with the wider implications when poverty levels spin out of control," Sharma said. The SCGC has written to the EU and the NZ and Australian governments for assistance, so far to no avail. NZ is playing a major role in tying up EU aid. Hitting cane farmers and workers will not "restore democracy".

(-) Movement for Democracy in Fiji chairperson Attar Singh appealed to the Interim Government to "return to democracy" so that the EU's $350 million aid to the ailing sugar industry will be paid.

(-) Former General Voters MP, Mick Beddoes, asked how the interim government will amend the Constitution without breaking the law. This followed Interim Attorney General, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum's statement that the constitution will be amended to allow electoral reforms, the end of racial voting and the introduction of the a one man one vote system. (Fiji Sun).

(G) People's Charter Paper is Out
The Fiji Daily Post reports (5 February 2009) that the 42-page People's Charter for Change, Peace and Progress has now been accepted by the President, Ratu Josefa Iloilovatu Uluivuda, and is being widely distributed. Translations into Fijian and Hindustani will be available soon The Interim Government's Information Department said the Charter process was a national level initiative which was inclusive and participatory, representing Fiji’s own way of addressing its deep-rooted, complex and fundamental problems.

“Integral to this process has been the firm commitment of all stakeholders as well as the interim Government towards the restoration and sustenance of true parliamentary democratic governance, stability and peace in Fiji,” the statement said.

The Ministry of National Planning has been tasked to integrate the Charter into the Corporate Plans of various ministries.“The general public is therefore encouraged to make an effort to read the Charter and contribute to the interim Government's endeavour to rebuild Fiji into a non-racial, culturally vibrant and united, well-governed, truly democratic nation that seeks progress and prosperity through merit-based equality of opportunity and peace,” the statement said.

(-) Samoan leader, Tuilaepa Malilelegaoi says unless the armed force in Fiji is removed there will be no peace in the country. Major Neumi Leweni replied that Fiji was a sovereign county and asked that it be left alone to attend to its problems. [Unfortunately, it could well be that it will be left alone.]

(o) Vanuatu Finance Minister, Sela Molisa, chairperson of the Monitoring Group for the People's Charter, speaking of the Forum's ultimatum to Fiji, said "I don't believe that it is the best option for the countries of the Pacific.

(+) Abuse of Office?
The case brought by the Interim Government against Former PM Laisenia Qarase, adjourned until 5th March, has been transferred to the High Court in Suva.

(-) In a counter move, Qarase's SDL party is challenging a ruling by Justice John Bryce which allowed the People's Charter process to continue, over-ruling an earlier injunction by Justice Jitoko that would have stopped the use of civil servants and government funds in promoting the Charter. [Tit-for-tat litigation is about the last thing Fiji needs at the moment.]

(+) Help for the Poor
Whatever its faults, the Interim Government is showing concern for the poor. This week it has increased minimum wages by 20% (see below), ordered a reduction of bus fares by 10%, and taxi flagfall prices by 50c, following the recent drop in fuel prices.

Minimum Wage Increases
Fiji Employers Federation chief executive Ken Roberts said federation representatives at the council's board argued against the wage increase that will give low paid workers increases of between 20 and 50 cents an hour. He said employment creation in the country will be hindered and those business affected by the flood would suffer further. National Wage Council Chairman, Fr Kevin Barr, had earlier said some employers had refused to raise wages despite generating huge profits through increased productivity, and added that when asked many employers refused to show their financial records to the Council. (Fiji Times).

The wage regulation order was gazetted in November last year and came into effect February 1st. Minimum hourly wage rates: Garment industry $1.36 ($61 weekly, assuming a 45 hour week. The urban poverty line in 1991 was $101!); most unskilled workers $1.65 to $2.08; Hotel and Catering workers from $1.84; Mining and Quarrying from $2.57. http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=110204

In 2003 the bottom 30% of urban households had 10% of urban incomes, while the top 20% had 47%,, and the top 10% had 30%.(See Walsh 2006:357-359)

(-/o) Mischievous or Just Bad Reporting
(-) Fiji Daily News: "Democracy Still Elusive in Fiji".

Whoever wrote this article should get their facts right and not infer Prof Brij Lal said things that he did not.

FDN: "The military-man has ... suggested he’d like to keep the top job for another 10 years."
The Facts: Bainimarama actually said “I want to reform electoral laws and change the constitution to remove discrimination against Fiji’s large ethnic-Indian minority. The reforms will come before elections - even if the process takes five to ten years.”

FDN: "...he has replaced many key government figures with military officials"
The Facts: Yes, this is worrying -- but it is at least partly because of the difficulty in filling these position due to Australian and NZ travel bans.

FDN: (He has) "repeatedly broken promises to hold an election to return the country to democracy."
The Facts: Not repeatedly. Two "promises" were made, the first in April 2007 by Chaudhry, Nailatikau and Sayed-Khaiyum to the EU; the second in October 2007 by Bainimarama to the PI Forum in Tonga, and then only made after Tonga said they'd support a later date if this became necessary. Being pressured to say something is not a promise. Opponents say the promise was broken because of the date change (March 2009) but that was only one part of the promise. The other part promised "free and fair elections." [The "six million dollar" question is how this can be achieved. All parties -- the Interim Government, its opposition, the Forum and international community -- need to lift their eyes from dates and focus hard on possible answers to the far bigger question.]

DN:"The reason for the delay, he claims, is the need to reform the current communal voting system that assigns votes along ethnic lines, giving indigenous Fijians an advantage over the Fiji Indian minority."
The Facts: Yes, but not for the reason stated. The majority Fijian population has long had that advantage. What the Interim Government wants is a system that gives all votes an equal value. [Note: The present system makes (rural) Fijian, General and Rotuman Communal votes far more valuable than those of urban Fijians and Indo-Fijians. A case can be made to allow over-representation of Rotumans and General voters.]

Municipal Councils Dismissed
The Local Government Association will legally challenge the Interim Government's decision dismissing all councils to facilitate municipal reform. Their case will be heard on 13th March.

And the Good News? 3,000 New Jobs for Nasinu?
FijiLive reports that Cayman-based ICT call centre business, Mindpearl Ltd., could create 3,000 fulltime jobs over two and a half years, starting this September, following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the Fiji Islands Trade and Investment Bureau. Mindpearl provides full contact centre facilities and services to a consortium of 11 airlines, flying globally to over 400 destinations across all time zones. Wages are likely to be between $12,000 to $15,000. Fiji was chosen because of its "neutral" English accent and Southern Cross Cable access. Mindpearl, to be located in the TaxFree Zone at Nasinu in Greater Suva, will enjoy a 13-year-tax holiday.

And from NZ TV7: (o+) Robie, Dreaver and Khan: Fiji Needs Help by its Powerful Neighbours
New Zealand's TV7 (unfortunately only accessible on the internet or with Freeview) offers programmes that rarely pander to the "lowest-common-denominator" audience typical of most progammes on other TV channels. There seems to be an intent to inform and educate, the kind of TV we were promised when we first had TV in the 1960s. Thursday's 9:10pm slot was a disccussion on Fiji between three people with Fiji experience: journalist and educator David Robie of AUT, TV1's Pacific reporter Barbara Dreaver, and Radio Tarana owner Robert Khan (www.tarana.co.nz/fiji-news/fiji-news/index.htm).

I hope, but doubt, that someone in the PM's office or Foreign Affairs was tuned in. The main message: Fiji needs help, not confrontation, from its more powerful neighbours. Things are very wrong that need to be fixed if Fiji is to have a genuine democracy.

You can listen to what they said on http://tvnzondemand.co.nz/content/media7/ondemand_video_skin?tab=&sb=date-descending&e=media7_2009_ep2#ep_media7_2009_ep2

Postscript 17.2.09. The NZ Media7 programme on Fiji is now available on the Pacific Media Centre YouTube site so it can be seen in Fiji http://cafepacific.blogspot.com/2009/02/media7-bares-all-on-fiji.html

The second item, on Waitangi, is also pertinent. My thanks to David Robie's Cafe Pacific for the link. See also my posting "Fiji Needs Lasting Solutions and Compassionate Neighbours" by Auckland-based journalist Thakur Ranjit Singh. Fiji Times 5 February 2009. http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=113597

(o) Sir Michael Somare Pleads with Forum leaders not to suspend Fiji PacNews 27 January 2009

[Sir Michael, with some support from Kiribati, Tuvalu and possibly others, may have persuaded Forum members, pushed by Australia and New Zealand, not to expel Fiji from the Forum. But the "ultimatum" finally agreed upon will be hard to meet unless pressure is also put on those opposing the Interim Government. And unless Australia and New Zealand can comprehend and adopt something of Sir Michael's "Pacific" spirit and heed his wise advice, underlined. ]

Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare has made a strong plea to Pacific Leaders not to suspend Fiji from the Forum bloc. He made the plea at the Special Forum leaders meeting underway in Papua New Guinea. In his speech, Sir Michael seemed to accept Fiji’s interim Prime Minister Commodore Frank Bainimarama’s position that Fiji will not return to democratic rule soon.

He said now its not the time for the Forum to isolate and take punitive action against Fiji. “We must therefore engage the interim government fully and help the political dialogue in Fiji to succeed. I am of the strong view that adopting an isolationist strategy would be unhelpful. I urge that we do not ignore the plea from the Fiji people, as expressed by the coalition of political parties, not to take punitive action against Fiji,” Sir Michael told the leaders

Sir Michael believes the Forum leaders are genuine in finding a long-term solution on Fiji political woes and a roadmap to democratic rule. “We are meeting because we value the inherent good that comes out of participatory democracy. “And I believe that we are meeting because we are genuinely interested in finding a long term solution to the coup culture that has unfortunately taken strong roots in the politics of Fiji.

“If there are any lessons to be learnt from the previous coups, hurriedly- prepared elections and token changes to rules do not usher in real democracy."

He said the Forum leaders owe it to the Fiji people and not to make those same mistakes.

• “Let us help Fiji fine-tune a roadmap with realistic timelines to return her to a durable democracy.
• "Let us identify specific areas in the roadmap where we can provide financial and logistical support to Fiji.
• "Let us not take any decision that might have the potential to undermine the efforts of the United Nations and Commonwealth at facilitating political dialogue towards a consensus on a way forward."
  

Sir Michael said PNG stands ready to help Fiji conduct its election.“Papua New Guinea is ready to print the required ballot papers for the elections. We are ready to second officers from our Electoral Commission to the Office of the Supervisor for Elections to assist with preparations. We are prepared to consider funding specific aspects of the President’s political dialogue Forum process. Those that promote real consultations to build consensus amongst all stake holders in Fiji."

Sir Michael said Fiji is a delicate issue and the meeting today will represent a watershed in the Forum’s approach to conflict resolution. “It will also test the solidarity of the Forum. The choices before us are difficult."

“Varying degrees of sanctions against Fiji have been imposed. The impact of these and the damages caused by heavy rains and flooding on the lives of ordinary Fijians are devastating. Fiji needs us now more than ever before,” he said.

He reminded the leaders the Forum must show leadership on the Fiji issue.
"I would like to think that the Forum leadership is not about imposing our will, but about listening and extending a helping hand in ways that bring about long term solutions. I would like to think that leadership is not about abandoning our brothers and sisters in their hour of need.”

(o) No wonder Fiji looks to China
Dominion Post Letter to the Editor 19.1.09

The grant of $100,000 to Fiji for the floods that have devastated the lives of thousands, with hundreds fleeing their homes, is another example of the Foreign Affairs and Trade Ministry’s childish and pathetic response to anything Fijian.It is not even enough to buy a bottle of water for those affected by the floods.How much did New Zealand give to Indonesia?We gave more in special aid to Tonga to buy its support for dismissing Fiji from the Pacific Island Forum. No doubt, Niue will be offered a substantial amount to support New Zealand when Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully visits it.I thought that, with the change of government, our dealings with our Pacific neighbours would rise above being childish, but I was wrong. Nothing has changed at the ministry. Our minister obviously has the strength of a wet bus ticket so there is little prospect of change.Is it any wonder Pacific nations are turning to China for assistance and advice?
Stuart Keene (Tauranga)
[Ed.Corrections: Tonga did not, and could not, dismiss Fiji from the PI Forum. NZ Govt flood assistance remains surprisingly low but now exceeds $100,000.]

(-) DominionPost Editorial: Floods offer way back for Fiji
The Dominion Post Friday, 16 January 2009

[A typical example of the media's bias and lack of knowledge. The floods were the worst in human memory. Many towns and cities are without drinking water. Thousands of people are homeless. Sugar and food crops have been ruined, and roads and bridges damaged. Damage in Nadi alone is estimated at $100 million. And all the editor can see is an opportunity to force Fiji's Interim Government to toe the NZ line. Do what we say and we'll give you more aid.]

Every once in a while, catastrophe has its uses. To borrow a cliche, every cloud has a silver lining, even a cloud that has delivered rain of biblical proportions across the Fiji islands since last Friday, The Dominion Post writes.

Flash floods have forced Fiji's people out of their homes, caused officials to urge them to head for higher ground and ruined tourists' holidays. At least 11 people are believed to have died because of the weather and at least 9000 have been displaced.

The miserable weather might just, however, provide New Zealand and Australia with an unexpected opportunity to reconnect with a renegade Fiji regime led by a military figure who seems incapable of grasping why both neighbouring governments find his illegitimate.

This week, the National-led Government announced it would donate $100,000 to the Fiji Red Cross to assist locals to cope with the emergency and its aftermath. Pointedly, the sum went to an aid agency, not to interim Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama, who has appealed worldwide for cash for a disaster relief fund that he controls.

Nevertheless, the message sent was that, though tensions bedevil the relationship, old friends can still be relied upon in an hour of need. Sentiment has its value.

The donation is a gesture that, if Commodore Bainimarama is smart, his administration will capitalise on because it says, in essence, that though New Zealand disapproves of his pretence of a government, its door is not closed to Suva. The next move is his.

New Zealanders might sometimes wonder why this Government and its predecessors have bothered themselves so much with the antics of the succession of bullies that have subjected the Fiji islands to four coups in 21 years. The answer is simple they comprise the largest nation in the Pacific and, like it or not, what happens in our backyard affects New Zealand. Take the migration here of hundreds of Indian families who fled Fiji after the first Rabuka coup of 1987.

The commodore's approach since he seized power in December 2006 does not make maintaining a relationship easy, however. Before Christmas, he crossed unnecessary verbal swords with new Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully over this country's refusal to extend the student visa of George Nacewa, whose father works for the Fijian president, and thus fell foul of New Zealand's travel ban.

In retaliation, Fiji expelled our acting high commissioner, Caroline McDonald, saying she had indulged in "undiplomatic behaviour". Such a claim, the returning diplomat said, was "arbitrary and unwarranted".

Young George and his father no doubt feel aggrieved. But their wrath should be directed at the proper target their interim prime minister, who might have had good intentions when he ousted what he saw as a corrupt government, but whose blatant lie about when new elections would be held and oppressive style lost him much of any empathy felt around the Pacific, within the Commonwealth, and by the United States, the European Union and the United Nations.

Nonetheless, natural disaster sometimes brings together the unlikeliest of people. If the awful Fiji floods encourage that, some good will come out of bad.

(0+) Fiji Floods Coverage -
What Happens when the Cameras Leave?
James Murray's blog: www.3news.co.nz/Default.aspx?TabId=1038

[See especially the underlined comments by Robie towards the end of the interview.]

AUCKLAND (TV3/Pacific Media Watch): Fiji has been under the media spotlight in recent times following the expulsion of the New Zealand High Commissioner and the ensuing diplomatic row and more recently the devastating floods which have seen thousands displaced from their homes. The intense media coverage of these stories has no doubt assisted in bringing much-needed aid to Fiji – desperate for basics such as blankets and rice because the interim government can only budget for one major storm a year. But what happens when the cameras go home? Do we in New Zealand concentrate too much on disaster and damaged democracies and as a result miss important stories from the Pacific region that need to be told?I asked Dr David Robie, associate professor in journalism and director of AUT’s Pacific Media Centre, whether New Zealand media was doing a good job in the Pacific region. “Of course the disasters need to be well covered – and the appeals running in support of Fiji at the moment are great, thanks to media coverage,” he says.“However, as soon as the parachute reporting of whatever the current disaster or crisis ends, the regional reporting drops away and becomes almost negligible. It is one of the ironies of our technological information age that regional Pacific coverage today is often inferior to what it was a couple of decades ago.To my mind this is not for want of trying on the part of journalists at the coal-face. Correspondents such as our own Sia Aston and Michael Morrah have been energetic in bringing some very interesting news stories from the region in recent times. I am sure they would jump at the chance to be able to report more thoroughly from the area. TVNZ’s Barbara Dreaver is another example of a journalist with good local knowledge providing in-depth coverage of the region – often with the disapproval of undemocratic regimes like the interim government in Fiji.”Disaster and coup stories need to be seen as stepping stones to a greater amount of coverage of the Pacific Islands. These stories are often fascinating and are certainly relevant to our population – Statistics New Zealand estimates there were around 300,000 Pacific Islanders living here in 2006 and the figure is rising steadily.“You would think that a neighbouring country that has had a history of four coups in two decades would warrant far more comprehensive coverage in NZ than it gets,” says Dr Robie. “Fiji politics is very complex and needs journalists who have a better appreciation of the history and cultural contexts while reporting the nuances and twists in development.”

Dr Robie criticises the mainstream media’s simplification of the issues in countries like Fiji.

For instance, how many people are aware that the military government currently residing in Fiji actually ousted a government that was accused of being racist and corrupt?

Early elections will not solve Fiji’s problems, according to Dr Robie. “Without fundamental changes in the Fiji electoral system such as abolishing the communal-based electoral system and ensuring that politicians have strong cross-cultural support, for example, we'll end up with a similar government to the one ousted by the coup. And the same coup cycle will start all over again.”It is imperative to our understanding of the region that this kind of detail is reported in our newspapers and television stories.

The New Zealand media is well placed to become a leader in reporting Pacific Island affairs even if our budgets cannot hope to match those of the Australian media, who channelled a lot of resources in this area some time ago. But according to Robie, many of the Australian media’s stories are, unsurprisingly, told from an Australian perspective and the region should also be covered through a New Zealand “prism”. He says we would do well to focus on niche reporting and cites the example of Papua New Guinea. It is a goldmine of “developmental and human interest stories”, the largest land mass in the Pacific region, the largest population and has a significant expatriate community in New Zealand with aid and business links – but only a handful of “bizarre-type” stories get published each year. It is important though that the Australian and New Zealand media does not dominate the media organisations of the Pacific. They should be encouraged to thrive through mutually beneficial relationships that foster rigorous journalism in the region - by people who know the region.Let's hope that as the floodwater recedes our attention is not entirely directed elsewhere. We should take a deep interest in our neighbours' affairs – to not do so neglects many people’s need for representation but also ignores many an interesting story. * Dr David Robie is associate professor in journalism and director of AUT's Pacific Media Centre www.pmc.aut.ac.nz His blog is Café Pacific: http://cafepacific.blogspot.com/