Short Briefs: Govt Appointments, Charter Update, Small Business, Melbourne Storm, Gender Equality, Corruption, What Hassan Khan Actually Said on Poverty

Musical Chairs. The New Acting Permanent Secretary for Information is  Sharon Smith-Johns, former CEO of the Telecom subsidiary  Connect Ltd. She replaces LtCol Neumi Leweni who has been moved to the Ministry of Lands and Mineral Resources. The PS position will be advertised soon. Sharon is the current chair of the Fiji Audio Visual Commission. The on-off moderate anti-Government blog Coupfourpointfive says she was "dumped" from the Connect position, despite her presumed pro-Coup status, amid claims of poor performance. Others said expatriates were being replaced by locals wherever possible. (Photo: FBL)

Third Meeting of National Charter Advisory Council: Update. Chairman Josefa Serulagilagi revealed that 23 ministries and departments had submmitted  reports on their progress towards meeting targets of reforms as required in the draft People's Charter, but four government departments have failed to do so.

The NCAC is currently focusing on three sectors -- Good Governance, Growing the Economy and Social and Cultural issues -- up to 2012. It is tasked to be a watchdog for government to ensure there is real progress on the reforms mapped out in the People's Charter.

The Council Secretariat will now conduct investigations to verify whether departments have actually carried out the work claimed in their reports, and brief the PM on their findings sometime next month. A Monitoring Centre has been established which will grade ministries and departments on their progress. Those graded in the red or amber zone will have to explain to the PM why targets were not met.

Small Business Expo. About 100 small businesss enterprises will display their products and services in Suva's Sukuna Park next Wednesday and Thursday. The Expo is organized by the National Centre for Small and Micro Enterperise Development. Government, in several ways, is supporting small enterprises. These include access to microcredit, technical support for food production, general support to buy local products, and of course support for the small enterprise national centre.

News Limited's Melbourne Storm in Trouble.  Three blog comments: Scandal monger said..."One thing is certain right now about the Fiji Times. The top echelon of its parent, News Limited, will have little time to devote to its problems given the rugby league scandal that has rocked the company this afternoon. The disclosure that the News Limited-owned Melbourne Storm have been deprived of two previous premierships because they paid their players secret amounts above the NRL's salary cap has rocked the whole of Australia. And if you think I'm exaggerating, check out the major Australian news websites. For the sports-mad Aussies to find that the top team in their beloved rugby league got there by cheating is devastating. News Limited is embroiled in a major crisis that will make the prospect of losing the Fiji Times seem like a minor inconvenience."
  
Proud Fijian said ..."Just saw that - Melbourne Storm's stripped of its title in 2007 and 2009 and cannot accrue points this year. Prize moneys retrieved and fines. Just shows the ethics of these corporations." He was corrected on one important detail by Fair's Fair who pointed out the owners, News Ltd., knew nothing of the deception. He advised Proud Fijian and all readers not to be taken in my biased coverage. "Unfortunately your derogatory, throw away remark will only go to foster the media’s evident belief that we’re all unthinking idiots who will accept whatever they chose to put in front of us."

Corruption in the Post Office. The case against three senior Post Fiji executives heard in the High Court yesterday has been adjourned to June 21. They are charged with aiding and abetting, abuse of office and conspiracy to defraud. All have plead not guilty.

FICAC - The Rot Within. Tui Turaga Vunibola, a former officer with the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption [sic!], was found  guilty in the Labasa Magistrates Court yesterday of using $8,000 belonging to the Kavugalei Youth Club, earmarking to start a prawn and piggery business, to renovate his house. He was sentenced to 18 months jail.

Women, Gender Equality and Political Governance. UNIFEM Pacific is hosting a ten-day workshop in Nadi on Gender Equality in Political Governance. The workshop, from 19-30 April, has participants from Fiji, Niue, Kiribati, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. UNIFEM is the women’s fund at the United Nations. It provides financial and technical assistance to innovative programmes and strategies to foster women’s empowerment and gender equality. Placing the advancement of women’s human rights at the centre of all of its efforts, UNIFEM focuses its activities on reducing feminized poverty; ending violence against women; reversing the spread of HIV/AIDS among women and girls; and achieving gender equality in democratic governance in times of peace as well as war.

Poverty: What Hassan Khan Actually Said.  The media has been quick to pick up the FCOSS CEO's comment that poverty could be as high as 60%, more than Government's estimate of 45%  but it failed to include all he said. Speaking on RadioAustralia's PacificBeat, he said the situation was "serious but not desperate" because of "a number of measures put in place by Government" such as food vouchers, the family assistance programme, and by civil and religious organizations.

He thought there were probably some "pockets of poverty" that help has not reached, but Government and the CSO's were doing "as much as possible to relieve the situation."  The media "omission" would have left many readers thinking the dastardly Government was responsible for the increase in poverty, when in fact it has done more for the poor than any earlier government, and plans (I think, rather unrealistically) to reduce poverty to 15% by 2014. Photo: FijiVillage.

The Link to Croz's Radio Interview

http://www.radionz.co.nz/audio/national/ngts/2010/01/25/south_pacific_report
 It was a bit rushed and I missed out on completing my last point but, thanks to Bryan Crump, the interviewer, we covered a lot of ground.

There are two errors.  I should have said Parmesh  Chand, not Paresh Singh. And Bryan spoke of the appointment of High Commissioners. The posts are for Counsellors (a much lower position), and later, hopefully, Deputy Heads of Mission, then Heads.

(-+)The Leweni Nomination, Fiji after 2014, and Fiji's Poor PR.

Having spend 20 minutes on RadioNZ last night arguing a case that the Leweni (Photo FBC) nomination is not provocative, I read that Brig.Gen.Pita Driti says Fiji is "testing" New Zealand's sincerity. This is provocative. If NZ also decides to "test" Fiji's sincerity, the good work of the countries' Foreign Ministers will have come to nothing.

Meanwhile, PM Bainimarama has again said the proposed regional trade agreement PACER Plus, advocated by Australia and New Zealand, will not benefit Fiji. He may be right but this is not the time to say it.

His speech in Kadavu (see previous post) was also not helpful, leaving the impression of the military leaning on any future government not toeing the line. He presumably meant if it departed from the principles of the People's Charter (that few can disagree with, and which will will provide the framework for the new Constitution) but this was not made clear.

Diplomacy is about building bridges, not threatening them when construction has hardly begun. It is also about tact, timing, keeping your eye on the long term goals, and good PR, and being misunderstood only when intended.

I can't see how Fiji can possibly benefit if NZ does not accept LtCol Leweni as Fiji's senior representative in Wellington, good man that he might be.

Driti was right in one thing, though. He said Jone Baledrokadroka's claim on Radio NZ that Leweni was to go to Wellington to "spy ...is childish."

(o+) Leweni's Nomination: Why NZ Should Accept

Read also the many informative comments on this post. Click on "Comment" at the end of the post. 
To those making comments, another PLEASE. If yo wish to remain anonymous, sign off with a pseudonym and then click on Anonmous.
 There's a background to this story. NZ website Guide2 thought (and many others agreed) Leweni's nomination was "provocative." I replied saying travel bans result in heavy reliance on military in Government. FijiToday, one of the very few reasoned anti-Government blogsites, said there were plenty of competent civilians who could have been nominated. I replied, then Scott MacWilliam sent this very perceptive comment.  If anyone in a position to influence our Government reads this, please pass it on.

Scott: "There are political reasons for NZ accepting the Fiji government's nomination of Lieutenant Colonel Neumi Leweni which also deserve consideration.

The first is that as one of the regime's most senior people, what he conveys to NZ and commits the Bainimarama government to, is most likely to represent the latter's actual position. There is little point in negotiating with a minor official who carries no weight and constantly has to refer back to Fiji for instructions.

The importance of this point was demonstrated recently at Copenhagen when the Chinese government sent a person/people of little substance to deal with US President Obama and other countries' leaders. These Presidents, Prime Ministers and others were continually frustrated when the Chinese official kept leaving negotiations to get instructions from Beijing. If Commodore Bainimarama sends one of the regime's senior people to NZ, it probably means he is serious about negotiating.


Secondly, any opportunity to influence one of the regime's most senior people should be taken. Let Lt Colonel Luweni live in NZ, see directly how much better things could be in Fiji if the process of democratisation is advanced more rapidly. Isolating one of the regime's top people will only feed paranoia and insularity. Show the Lt Col what the NZ government, administration and people have to offer and let the process of osmosis work on his attitudes to NZ. This applies particularly to letting him see first-hand the economic and political virtues of robust democratic processes.

Thirdly, South Pacific people regularly, and quite often justifiably, complain about the behaviour of ANZ governments when it infringes national sovereignty. 'Bullies of the South Pacific' is a commonly used expression. Why start serious negotiations by behaving in a manner which can only encourage this perception."

See also Scott's views on the travel bans on Pacific Scoop.

*** 

Meanwhile veteran NZ diplomat Terence O'Brien  thought NZ should "keep its powder dry, no overreaction and quietly if necessary inform the Fijians the appointee is not acceptable to us." For the reasons spelt out, I hope we won't consider it "necessary".

And over the Tasman, former Landforce Commander, Bainimarama critic and ANU scholarship holder Jone Baledrokadroka, was once again sought for his independent opinion on events.

Fiji-Australian Graham Davis emailed me saying: "It's extremely annoying how the NZ and Australian media keep using Jone Baledrokadroka as some kind of independent commentator on Fiji affairs. JB took on Frank at the camp on behalf of the Qarase government and lost. By Frank's account ( in my interview for Sky) he had to intervene to stop his supporters from shooting Baledrokdroka.

He's also closely aligned with one of the key figures of the 2000 coup, the Qaranivalu of Naitasiri, Ratu Inoke Takiveikata. In fact, JB's sister is Ratu Inoke's common law wife. So he's definitely a protagonist  and how he can be regarded as an impartial observer of the Fiji scene within the comfortable confines of the ANU is quite beyond me."

So, for the collective reasons given, I hope my country rises above what some take as provocation, and accepts Leweni's nomination. Similarly, I hope Fiji will accept NZ's nomination, whoever than should be.

Postscript: Congratulations to Fiji-Australian-New Zealander Peter  Thomson on his (yet to be officially announced) appointment as Fiji's representative to the United Nations.  The commendable absence of racism in this kaivalagi appointment just would not have happened under the Qarase regime.

(+) Moves in Fiji-NZ Relations

Government has nominated Permanent Secretary for Information and Military Spokesperson Lt. Col. Neumi Leweni to take up a counsellor's post at the Fiji High Commission in Wellington. The nomination of a military person is seen by one  NZ website as "provocative" but as I commented on their website, Government has had to rely on military people to occupy many top positions precisely because the NZ (and Australian) travel bans have prevented many suitably-qualified civilians from applying. Seen in this light, the "provocation" is of NZ's making. Lift the bans (or at least apply them more flexibly), and Fiji may be in a position to nominate a civilian for the Wellington post.

Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand, followed on from Apolosi Bose's AI earlier report, renewed its call for the NZ Government to ensure human rights are included in any dialogue with Fiji. Improved dilomatic relations, they wrote, provide a new "opportunity to raise concerns about the recent intensified crackdown on opponents of the Fijian regime."

We all know that human rights will be restricted in Fiji until the Public Emergency Regulations are lifted (a move Bainimarama says will take place once the new Media Decree is in place) but AI's portrayal of minor events like Imrana Lal's summons as major assaults on civil liberty and the use of phrases like "intensified crackdown" do the organization no credit -- and neither does the employment by Amnesty International of Apolosi, a Fiji national and son of a former politician, who clearly finds it difficult, and most times impossible, to keep his personal views out of his Fiji reports.

(o) Fools Rush In Where Angels Fear to Tread: Not FNPF Pensions

The pensions the PM was talking about were entitlements under the Parliamentary Retirement Allowances Decree 1989, the Prime Minister's Pensions Act 1994, the Judges Remuneration and Emoluments Act and the Pensions Act.  They were not the universal contributory pensions administered by the Fiji National Provident Fund.
Fiji Village.

An alert contributor to my earlier post on this topic pointed this out in "Comments" and I amended the post immediately.   It will probably take those who rushed in to condemn the decree a while longer to correct their error -- and some, quite deliberately, will never correct it. Damage done is damage won.

The PM, however, cannot escape responsibility for allowing his vague off-the-cuff remark on pensions to be misinterpreted. He should have anticipated the misunderstanding and been more precise. He should also not have allowed the error to fester and spread for two days before correction and clarification. The inaction has played into the hands of his opponents.

Readers commenting on my initial post identified statements by Leweni, Khaiyum and the PM, all made in the last few days, as publicity disasters, and all said Government is in desperate need of a good public relations officer. I agree.                  Cartoon: Sportszone.gif

Footnote: a reader (see Comments) said it was the journalists who reported the interview and not Bainimarama who was "vague." If so, my apologies to the PM but the main point still stands: Government must improve its public relations or risk continuing misunderstandings and loss of support, nationally and overseas. Croz

(+) Media Restrictions: Like it or Not, the Government Does Have a Point

Breaking News: Radio NZI reports that the Fiji Government will soon sign an agreement with Fiji TV for a government channel to broadcast from two to seven hours a week. Government also plans to sign an agreement with the Fiji Sun to include a 12-page weekly report on Government policies and programmes. A new media law decree is also likely to be introduced when the emergency regulations expire next month.

Government stands internationally condemned for its "infamous" Emergency Regulations -- and restrictions on "media freedom" that were the main purpose of the regulations. Pacific Freedom Forum (PFF) would even like to see the Pacific Islands News Association (PINA) remove its offices from Suva because of current press censorship.

There is no question that, in normal circumstances, the media should be free, and no question either that in all circumstances the media should publish fair, honest, informed and balanced reports. Anything less is media negligence, media licence or sheer propaganda, not media freedom. It is not enough for people within the media to protest. Freedom has to be earned. Others, outside the media, will decide where the pendulum rests between "freedom" and "licence."

My crude "contents analysis" of the Fiji media since this blog started is that it often fell short of its stated goals. Its idea of balance, as stated in earlier posts, was usually to publish one statement from the Government and one each from up to five Government opponents, making the tally not 1:1 but 1:5. Its selection of news was also biased, focusing far more frequently on what someone said Government got wrong than on what the Government was trying to do.

While not in agreement, I have some sympathy, therefore, for Permanent Secretary of Information Lt. Col. Neumi Leweni when he said: “If I was given the choice, I’d leave [the censorship controls] there for the next five years, ” thereby making it clear that Fiji media should not expect to go back to reporting the "irresponsible" way they did prior to April 10 when the Public Emergency Regulations were enacted. He said the controls would be lifted if media organizations agreed to willingly follow the direction that was being set by his ministry.

While this may seem Orwellian and outright draconian, Leweni does have a point. Much reporting, he said, "constantly focused on the negative ... [and] carried one-sided and sensationalized stories in its coverage of politics, crime and most other events.'

"The government’s position," he said, " is you feed the public with bad things and it registers. In some instances it could lead to people doing whatever is being published. You’d be surprised if you asked the police for statistics on people breaking the law. They’ll tell you it’s dropped tremendously in the past month. It’s to do partly with the media. You feed the public good things and shape public perception with positive things, they will react accordingly. When you dish out negative issues and a lot of other things like crime, etc, it gets to people and in the end they produce those sorts of activities themselves.”

“From my discussions with people on the streets, they actually appreciate the news more now with a lot of positive issues being addressed,” he said. "... and it’s also come from government departments that they’re now getting calls from reporters on positive stories whereas before, a lot of them were reluctant to answer questions because it was based mostly on negative issues.”

“It [is said] bad news sells [but] the media is still selling their newspapers....and there are a lot more positive issues being addressed in the media now."

(o) Fiji Media Free to Operate But with Responsibility: Leweni Clears the Air

Fiji Government and military spokesperson Major Neumi Leweni today said that the call for the closure of The Fiji Times is indicative of how serious Government views the need for the media to report with greater responsibility. “This Government has pleaded with the media industry for better understanding of our situation, and to help move the nation forward by reporting fairly, accurately and with greater responsibility given that we are dealing with matters of significant national interests. However, some sections of the media have continued to take a hard-lined approach. In any case, neither the Government nor the military intends to shut down the media here in Fiji,” he said.

He said the International Federation of Journalists and its Asia Pacific director, Jacqueline Park, can therefore rest assured that the media in Fiji will continue to operate with freedom because this is enshrined in our Constitution. Government's position on the media as formally conveyed to the recent Media Review Team sponsored by the Media Council of Fiji is that Government does not seek to control nor gag the media.

“The freedom of the media has been enshrined in all our Constitutions since 1970. In the 1997 Constitution, it is guaranteed under Section 30 of the Bill of Rights. In view of this Constitutional guarantee, Government wishes to pursue a cordial relationship with the media; a relationship which is both professional and objective, and which at the outset is complemented by Government's obligation to protect and uphold the public's interest. This is Government’s official position which was formally communicated in its submission to the Media Review Team. Having said that, I wish to emphasise that while Government is not against freedom of the media, it is however against the use of this freedom in a manner which is irresponsible, and not conducive to a stable social, economic and political environment. This is Governmen's principal concern,” he said.

“The Media Review Team has submitted a report which is now currently under scrutiny by a sub-committee of the Media Council. I can only ask that this committee study the Report and put emphasis on measures that will guarantee reporting that is fair, balanced and devoid of political leanings.

Major Leweni said the comments made earlier by the Military's Land Force Commander, Colonel Pita Driti, therefore need to be taken in proper perspective. His comments echo serious concerns about the fact that the media has often abused its freedom and acted irresponsibly ahas been noted by numerous submissions to the Media Review Team. “The local media therefore has nothing to fear as long as they use their freedom guaranteed under the Constitution, with greater responsibility,” Major Leweni said. -- Source:Ministry of Information.  www.fiji.gov.fj/publish/cat_press.shtml/www.pacmediawatch.aut.ac.nz