April Fools, the Roadmap and Bainimarama's Speech to the Nation July 1 2009

CHECK OUT WEEKEND READINGS, FRIDAY'S POSTINGS AND THE NEW QUOTE FOR THE WEEK.

N0297. APRIL FOOL.  My April Fool's Day joke on Friday "Breaking News!!!!!!! Bainimarama Regime Toppled" produced opposing responses from readers depending on their sense of humour and political standpoint. They ranged from "Good one, Croz" and "You caught me" to "Not a very funny joke Croz. Nor was it very funny when the elected government was toppled by men with guns in 2006. Please be careful in picking up the ill intentions of other sites to not lose focus.There are plenty of other reports that have proved un true - for example the promise of elections in 2009. The promise of the PER being lifted."  It would seem Anon was disappointed the news was false. But, for the record, the "  promises"  were not rumours. They were announced by Government. Both events have been fully covered in this blog.

And here's  another in similar vein: "If only is was true? What a day of celebration that will be!!"
There's no need to second guess how this person voted in 2001 and 2006 assuming, of course, he lived — and still lives — in Fiji.

N0298. ROADMAP.  Another reader, Enough already, left this comment on the post "Australia's Policy Not Working..."

"I am starting to get a little tired of these constant calls to see the roadmap and repeating the lie that it has not been shared with the Fijian people. Bainimarama went through the broad outlines of the roadmap in a public address to the nation on TV on July 1 2009 in a speech titled "A strategic framework for change". 

"Some may argue that they would like to see more detail, but you cannot say that the roadmap has not been shared with the Fijian people.

N0299. SO HERE IT IS.  Bainimarama's speech on July 9 last year, a few weeks after the Abrogation of the 1997 Constitution, and nothing —absolutely nothing—  about Fiji's intended direction has changed since. Read it here or copy the link below to read it at your leisure. My underlining.

Transcript from Radio Australia.  [My emphases]

Commodore Frank Bainimarama Speech to the Nation  

July 1, 2009 

The following is the full transcript of Fiji's interim Prime Minister Commodore Frank Bainimarama's speech to the nation titled 'A strategic framework for change'

Bula vinaka and a good morning.

My fellow citizens, your Excellencies, members of the diplomatic corp, members of the judiciary, employees, employers, NGOs, ladies and gentlemen.

After the abrogation of the 1997 constitution by his Excellency our president he mandated me and my Government to carry out and continue with the reforms as directed by him in 2007.

The mandate also requires my Government to ensure that true democratic, non-communal, equal suffrage based elections for parliamentary representation are held by September 2014.

From now until September 2014 a number of measures including reforms shall be implemented to give reality to the mandate of His Excellency our President and the Peoples Charter for Peace Change and Progress.

It is also imperative that our citizens, employees, investors, business houses, our trading and development partners, multilateral agencies and the international community at large are fully cognizant of what my Government shall focus on from now until 2014

This morning I appear before you to set out the strategic framework for Fiji and the objectives of my Government until 2014, within the context of the Presidential mandate and the World economy. Today I shall set out the key principles and certain time frames.

Australia's Policy Not Working; Rule of Law, McCully's Carrot; MSG Leaders Endorse Fiji's Plans, Oppose Exclusion; McCully Leads Rudd

N0287. CALLS FOR POLICY CHANGE MOUNTING.  In the last few days we've had Australian Foreign Minister Rudd saying that Australia will not change its approach to Fiji; NZ Foreign Minister McCully wave the carrot of Rugby World Cup attendance if Fiji showed it was serious about elections in 2014; and three Melanesian countries accept Fiji's Roadmap and call for  its re-entry into the Pacific Forum and PACER discussions (see N0290, below).

Now we have Julie Bishop, the Australian Opposition spokesperson on foreign affairs, saying Australia's policy of exclusion is not working, and that it should follow the example of the United States and other European countries and review its policies.

'I believe it's time, she said, 'for the Australian government to review its stance on Fiji, particularly time to assess  whether the sanctions imposed on Fiji are working or whether they are potentially counter-productive. We must  consider the impact of the sanctions on the Fijian people. I am urging Foreign Minister Rudd to refocus his  efforts in the Pacific, particularly on Fiji, to see if there's a better way to restore democracy and the rule of law in Fiji.'

Last week's NSW election routing of Labour and its slender one-seat majority in the Federal parliament seem to indicate that Rudd's Labour is as much out of touch with realities in Australia as it is in the Pacific.

N0288. THE RULE OF LAW. These snippets from a reader's email: "The new Commissioner of Police is very pro-active ...

"We are seeing a great improvement in the courts now ... the Sri Lankan judges and magistrates are helpful and professional.

"I am told we now have five High Courtrooms. Before there were only two and BOTH leaked.  We have six judges  there now. There was a time when there were only two. Imagine: two judges to serve the entire Western Division of Fiji. No wonder we were in trouble."

The reader pointed to the sort of assistance needed from overseas: "We need targeted assistance – especially with the Police Force, violent crime, serious organized crime and transnational crime.  Also with the operation of the Fiji Courts and Judicial System, such as Court recording and remote TV to allow women and children separation from their attackers in courts.

N0289. MCCULLY'S CARROT.  Another reader left this comment: "The fact that McCully even considered dangling the World Cup as a carrot indicates the low regard with which he and his government consider Fiji and the depth of their ignorance of indigenous Fijian history, values and psyche. Is NZ offering to buy the Fiji Government's integrity with the World Cup? What is the World Cup but a piece of silver? Of much greater value is that Fiji does not sell its soul."

N0290. MSG MEETING ROUNDUP.   A TV first marked the Melanesian Spearhead Group  Leaders Summit on Thursday with two hours of live coverage beamed to thousands of viewers from around the region in English, Fijian,  Hindi, French, Pidgin and sign language.

The highlight of the meeting from Fiji's perspective was the unanimous support received from the Melanesian governments. All the leaders recognised the proposed People’s Charter for Change, the Roadmap and the Sustainable Socio-Economic Development and the accompanying reform agendas as credible for Fiji’s development. All the leaders also called for the end of Fiji's exclusion by the international community.  

Solomon Islands Foreign Minister Peter Shanel  called on the Melanesian countries to lobby the Pacific Islands Leaders Forum and the Commonwealth Heads of Governments to support Fiji in its efforts to hold elections in 2014. These institutions, he said, must now recognise Fiji’s sovereign right to decide its own destiny.

PNG Foreign Minister Don Poyle called for Fiji's inclusion in the Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations (PACER) Plus negotiations, and said,  "What Fiji does internally is Fiji's business."

Vanuatu PM Sato Kilman supported PM Bainimarama's call for solidarity to complement efforts at the national level in individual member states. He had earlier said "the Vanuatu Government like other Melanesian Spearhead Group and Pacific countries recognises the importance of maintaining a diplomatic representation in Fiji.We cannot go alone. We need Fiji.”

Solomon Islands PM Danny Philip had to leave early due to political developments in his country overnight that saw the opposition in Honiara to try to dislodge his seven month old government with a no confidence motion. Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare has sent his Foreign Minister Don Polye, as he had to step aside for two weeks on Monday in line with a leadership tribunal ruling.

Radio NZ International, reporting on the MSG meeting from Suva:

 “Melanesian leaders have endorsed a broad vision on the future MSG economic integration. It involves the possible creation of a common market through the expansion of the MSG Trade Agreement into provisions for trade in services as well as a labour mobility scheme. The Closer Economic Relations agenda also includes a strengthening of the Trade agreement by addressing inconsistencies with other regional trade agreements, while the leaders have approved a timeline to conclude the long-running negotiations with the European Union on the Economic Partnership Agreements, or EPAs, by the end of this year.The MSG leaders have also come out strongly in support of the re-inclusion of Fiji in all regional trade discussions, issuing a broad threat of pushing for a change in the location and management of the EPA negotiations if Fiji continues to be excluded.”

Fine. But there was no mention, no mention at all,  of the Melanesian leaders' political support for Fiji. Not even a whisper.

Compare this with Radio Australia reports "Melanesian Leaders Endorse Bainimarama plans".
No comment!

 N0291.
FIJI: McCully leads Rudd in treatment of pariah regime by Alex Perrottet in Pacific Media Watch

China Helps Towards Energy Sustainability, Into Potatoes, Housing, Squatters, Labour Reforms

N0280. CHINESE-CONSTRUCTED HYDRO DAM at Nadarivatu in the upper Sigatoka River valley that commenced construction in 2009 is 90% completed and should be finished this year. The dam will be able to store a billion litres of water which will travel through a 2km tunnel to the power station on the river. Power capacity is 41.7 megawatts, equal to an estimated saving of F$50million a year in fuel costs. The construction by the China based Sino-Hydro Corporation.  The dam cost will cost about F$283.2 million (US$155million).

N0281. 90% RENEWABLE ENERGY BY 2015? The Fiji Electricity Authority hopes new renewable energy initiatives will help it to meet this target, that would cover a peak daily demand of 217 MW (1045 GWh per annum), by 2015.

The projects include the waste-to-energy power generators by iVITI Renewable Disenergy Power Plants, and Pacific Renewable Energy's wood-fired Lautoka plant.

FEA is also investigating wind-farm possibilities for Ovalau, and the use of bagasse from the Fiji Sugar's Rarawai Mill. There is also a proposal by a new Independent Power Producer for an 8.5 MW biomass-fired power plant for Labasa, to be phased in over five years.

N0282. SWITCHING FROM SUGAR TO POTATOES. A landowning unit (and farm co-operative) at Mataso in inland Ra province that has been farming sugar cane for 50 years is switching to potatoes and vegetable farming. They say they are cheaper to produce because of quicker maturity and they are cheaper to transport.From two hectares of land the co-operative earns between $12,000-$20,000 a year, and the money has already helped improve the lives of the villagers. They have been assisted by the Ministry of Agriculture in the new new venture and Government has provided a tractor.

N0283.N0284. WIDE CONSULTATION ON HOUSING POLICY.  Fiji has a major housing problem with up to one-fifth of its population living in squatter areas and many more unable to afford present housing prices.

Work towards a resolution of the problem and the formulation of a national housing policy commenced in June 2009. A steering committee of key stakeholders was appointed  and broad-based consultations were held to examine options on public and social housing. UN-Habitat assisted with advice based on its global experience and lessons learnt from international best practices.

The Ministry of Local Government, Urban Development, Housing and Environment launched the National Housing Policy earlier today. The policy is designed to provide a new strategic vision to achieve the goal of affordable housing for all.  -- Based on No.0733/MOI.

N0285. MORE ACTION ON URBAN SQUATTING. A delegation from the Asia Coalition of Housing Action was in Fiji recently to discuss squatter upgrading projects with town and city special administrators as well as officials of the Ministry of Local Government and Urban Development. According to the Director of Housing and Squatter Settlement, Kolinio Bola,  the parties agreed "that 15 squatter upgrading programmes will be undertaken over the the next three years with a total budget of $1.2 million.”

N0286. LABOUR REFORMS. Fiji is well in advance on its labour reform programmes and is being recognised as the role model on labour reform for Pacific Island countries. Labour permanent secretary Taito Waqa  said yesterday Fiji's Occupational Health and Safety reforms were recognised by the ILO which is using the Fiji's reform model in other Pacific Island countries.

People's Charter, Pillar 4, Public Sector Efficienccy, and Chapter 7 State of the Nation paper: For Discussion

P4.

PILLAR 4. ENHANCING PUBLIC SECTOR EFFICIENCY,

PERFORMANCE EFFECTIVENESS, AND SERVICE DELIVERY

[For the detailed recommendations and proposed implementation actions, see the Report on the State of the Nation and the Economy, at the end of this posting.]

Readers' comments on what has been done and is being done on the proposed reforms 
are especially welcome.

N0263. 

Critical Problems and Issues:

• Our Public Sector which includes the Civil Service is inefficient and ineffective in terms of both its capacity and performance.
• In its service delivery role, our Public Sector often fails to meet the expectations of the people of Fiji; and this adversely affects the peoples lives, in particular the poor in our communities.
• The Public Sector is characterized by a lack of established service standards,\ ineffective work systems, ineffectual leadership, lack of transparency and accountability, and low productivity.
• The Civil Service is too large for a small nation.

The Way Forward:

The following key measures and actions must be taken with due priority and urgency :

Revise Travel Ban List, MSG Meeting this Week, Corrupt Lawyer, Women Leaders, Rural Electricity and Roadmap, Tourism Record

Scroll down to Weekend Reading and see new Quote for the Week and a link to 

the latest CCF newsletter in the right sidebar

 N0236. TRAVEL BANS, RUGBY SEVENS AND NETBALL. Three members of Fiji Rugby Sevens team are unlikely to obtain visas to take part in the Adelaide Sevens  because they are in the army, and four members of the Fiji Netball team are still waiting for news on their visa applications.  The PM said if Fiji cannot send its best team, it shouldn't send a team at all. His comment follows the Fiji Rugby Union saying it will probably drop its top players after the Hong Kong 7s next weekend because the three are unlikely to get visas to go to the Adelaide tournament. The PM said the FRU  should stop playing politics and fight for the right to send the best team to the IRB-approved tournaments.

In this writer's opinion, if Australia and NZ insist on maintaining the travel bans,they should be targeted at those at the top end of the Fiji government and military services, not at their families, career public servants and the lower ranks of the military. Jobs are not easy to come by in Fiji. If the three Sevens players left the army, they would probably be unemployed, with not even money to look for employment in Australia.  If it would have them.

N0237. TRAVEL BANS AND CAREER CIVILIAN CIVIL SERVANTS. The new Permanent Secretary for I'Taukei Affairs, Savenaca Kaunisela, joined the public service in 1977. He was promoted to Public Service Commission deputy secretary in 2001, and made Commissioner Western in April 2006, under the Qarase government.  He served as High Commissioner to India from December 2007 to December 2010.

Photos: Savenaca Kaunisela (top), Filimoni Kau (bottom)

The new Permanent Secretary for Lands and Mineral Resources, Filimone Kau, joined the public service in 1989. He was promoted to principal information Officer in 1997, senior executive service director in 2000, and human resource management director in 2000. He served as Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations from 2003 to 2006. All this took place under the Chaudhry and Qarase governments.

In 2007, after the Bainimarama Coup, he was made Director of Information. In 2008, he was head of the public relations and media team of the National Council for Building a Better Fiji and became acting deputy secretary Ministry of National Planning in January 2009. By November 2010 he was the acting permanent secretary for Lands and Mineral Resources. 

Both three-year positions were widely advertised and both appointees seem to be deserving of their appointments.  -- Based on No.0631/PSC.

Both men are clearly veteran career public servants who had nothing to do with the Bainimarama Coup. And both men — and their families — are on the Australian and NZ travel ban list.

When the Bainimarama government appoints military men to civil service positions (often because qualified civilians, fearful of the travel bans, do not apply) its critics cry foul. When it appoints civilians, they are treated no differently than if they personally had ousted the Qarase government at gun point. Australian and NZ civil servants do not resign when there is a change in government because they are administrators, not political appointees. So also are these Fiji civil servants. They should not be on the travel ban list.

N0238. THE MELANESIAN SPEARHEAD GROUP will meet this week and next under Fiji's chairmanship and with two new observers, Timor Leste and Indonesia, and with Luxembourg as a special guest.  Fiji was due to host the summit last July but the then chair Vanuatu’s prime minister, Edward Natapei, cancelled the meeting, raising concerns about an unelected leader assuming the chairmanship. Some say Australia was involved in Natapei's decision but this was denied by both parties.  Since then, Natapei has been voted out of office clearing the path for Fiji's chairmanship. Meetings at the Vale ni Bose complex in Suva will start this Wednesday with trade and economic officials, followed by senior officials, and the country leaders meetings will start on Thursday 31st.

N0239. CORRUPT LAWYER. Government will soon have a special team to assist prospective investors when they visit Fiji.  This follows an incident where http://www.radiofiji.com.fj/fullstory.php?id=35237 a corrupt lawyer told three Chinese investors who were considering investing in a ship-building and slipway business that he knew the Prime Minister personally and would be able to process investment papers quickly if they were paid $US20,000 dollars. When he asked for a further $US200,000 the investors became suspicious.

N0240.  ELECTRICITY NOT FOR YAQONA DRINKERS. After five years of effort, Naikalawaca village in Namara, Tailevu, now has electricity that will enable the villagers to make ice to preserve their fish and later to build an ice plant, explore micro-business opportunities. and provide better lighting for children's study than benzene and kerosene lights.

In opening the new $100,000 installation (to which villagers contributed $6,000) the PM challenged villagers to use the electricity for the education of their children, to refrain from using it too much for yaqona consumption and to look at ways of improving their economic well being. Rural electrification, improved water supply and road projects are essential parts of Government's infrastructural reforms.-- Based on No.0675/MOI.

N0241. THIRTY PERCENT OF THE SKY. Governmment is aiming to have women occupy 30% of positions on decision-making bodies, up from the present 17%. Minister for Social Welfare, Women and Poverty Alleviation Dr Jiko Luveni told a  Consultation on UN Women’s Global Strategic Plan 2012-13 on Saturday. She said this is the vision; to gain greater respect in society, to strengthen the capacity of women in decision-making and leadership positions,to show they can perform just as well as men, and so gain support for our efforts to increase representation. The Minister noted that Fiji already has a significant number of highly qualified women in academic fields and young women now outnumber young men enrolled in tertiary institutions. -- Based on No.0676/MSWWPA.

N0242. TOURISM RECORD. The latest figures show 631,000 international visitors went to Fiji in 2010, a 16% rise on  the previous year.  Australia still accounts for the about one-half of all foreign visits. Numbers from China, India and Russia are small but growing.

Visitor numbers for January were up from all countries other than Japan, Korea and the UK that showed small decreases. Of the countries with the largest number of visitors, NZ was up 2.7% and Australia 11.4%. On average visitors stayed for 10.9 days.(No:0667/MOI)

In other travel and tourist related news, Continental Airlines will cancel its service to Nadi from Guam and Honolulu from September 25th. The airline blames rising fuel prices.

Gutless Corruption, Upgrading Service & Leadership, Outsourcing, Sucking Up to the PM? Super Weather Station

Gutless Wonder

N217. GUTLESS WONDER. In an anonymous letter to the moderate anti-government blog Fiji Today, a businessman says corruption in Suva is twice as bad as it used to be.  He cites having to tip an electrician a $100 to put in a new power board over the weekend and doubted the FEA saw any of the money.  He said "There is no point in reporting it to the police as I am paying one of them to keep an eye on my business in his off time."

Further, he said,  "Any business deal these days has a part that is organised in cash so no VAT or tax is paid or some side deal is done to advantage one party or the other. I have a block of cash sitting at home for such occasions and I consider myself one of the honest ones."  Really!

Honest, no way. He's part of the corruption, and despite the urgings of the new Police Commissioner, the FICAC and others to report corruption — and despite several recent court cases showing that such matters are taken to court — his only effort to reduce corruption is to write an anonymous letter to an anti-government blog.  If he's really concerned about corruption (and one doubts this when he is part it), there were other — and more effective — options. Checking on a FEA worker is hardly likely to see him detained by the military. Not even the anti-government bloggers would think that.


N218. UPGRADING THE SERVICE IN PUBLIC. Some 165 evaluators are to be trained this year to evaluate the service provided by Ministries and Departments. Public Service Permsec Parmesh Chand said all government agencies need to embrace a culture of quality in our bid to bring about improvements in efficiency and productivity as part of the reforms. This year, 33 Ministries, Departments and Agencies will participates in the Service Excellence programme, the Service Excellence initiative started in 2005. Pillar 4 of the People's Charter calls for an improved public service. -- Based on No:0572/PSC

N219. LEADERSHIP TRAINING. Permanent Secretaries are currently attending a five day Leadership Training workshop to assist leaders to develop organisations that can effectively recognize, relate and assimilate the global shifts in culture, social structures, technology and information.

Chief Guest and PSC Commissioner, Ms Fusi Vave, said today’s Public Service is very different from what it was 10 years ago. It is more sophisticated, organized and transnational in nature and there are new challenges posed by the on-going advances in technology. Pillar 3 of the Peeple's Charter calls for improvements in leadership.  I make this point because a number of anti-government bloggers have asked to see the Roadmap. For those prepared to look,  ongoing events such as the workshop, the upgrading of the public service, the smokeless stoves, poultry training and dalo production, reported in this posting, are all small but essential steps in the Roadmap, and all can be traced to one of another pillar of the Charter. Based on No:0561/PSC.

N220. OUTSOURCING TO REDUCE COSTS. Another example of public service reforms aimed at increasing efficiency is the intended outsourcing of selected services to the private and non-state sector. PermSec Parmesh Chand said the move "will help contain the size of the civil service and its operating costs; improve efficiencies in service delivery in terms of timing and responsiveness; enable greater employee participation and private sector led growth; and to provide efficient and value for money services to the tax payer."

A Central Coordinating and Administrative Committee on Outsourcing (CCACO) has been formed to oversee the all  aspects of the policy and a thorough cost-benefit analysis will be conducted done before any project is outsourced. Outsourcing may be recommended in two types of contract: infrastructural/works and services. Committee members include the PermSec for Public Enterprise,Public Service, Works, Labour, Finance, and Trade and Industry. The Committee will report to the Prime Minister through the Permanent Secretary for Public Enterprises. -- Based on No.0600/PSC.

N221. YES SIR, YES SIR, THREE BAGS FULL. These words from the English nursery rhythm Ba, Ba, Black Sheep are usually taken to describe the behaviour of an obsequious or craven subordinate. One of my sources says this could be happening with some of the new municipal authorities that are so keen to prove to the PM they are more efficient than the old elected councils that their short-term cost cutting measures will result in much higher cost later if basic repairs and maintenance are not carried out.  I'd be pleased to hear from readers who may have evidence of heedless cost-cutting.

N222. THE NEW $3m WEATHER STATION AT LABASA has state-of-the-art S-Band weather radar that is is capable of weather surveillance up to 480km which covers the area north to Rotuma and Futuna. Project management by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology will cost $180,000. The project is expected to make Fiji less vulnerable to climatic disasters and in this way safeguard lives and the economy.-- Based on No:0599/MOI.

The Pros and Cons of Government's Huge Global Loan

WEEKEND READING. ♦ Allen Lockington column
♦ For discussion — People's Charter Pillar 2 

♦ Critical Engagement and Future Scenarios (Part 2) by Akuila Yabaki. 

I would rate Akuila's comments as "essential reading".

There will be no 6pm posting today.

By Crosbie Walsh 

Photo: Fiji Village. Posting N204.

Government has announced that it has been successful in raising a 5 year international loan of US$250 million (F$500m) at 9%. Some 60% the loan will be used to repay the US$150m (F$300m) borrowed in 2005 by the Qarase government which is due for repayment in September. The remaining US$100m will be used to finance priority capital investments earmarked in the 2011 Budget to generate economic activity, macroeconomic stability and a prudent fiscal position in the medium term.

The new loan is not uncontroversial. A reader says “At 9% interest (three times the going rate) and the way this is structured will always bring out the lenders of last resort. If it is a test of anything it is a test of regime desperation and market greed for the desperate.” Possibly, but there is no single “going rate”.

Rates depend on each county's circumstances and the global bond market at the time. Today's rates, for example, vary from Australia's 5-year bonds at 5.2%, to Russia's at 7.4%, Brazil's at 7.9% and Greece's at 12.9%. Given the small size of the Fiji economy and its current low growth rate, the European sovereign crisis, unrest in the Middle East and skyrocketing fuel prices, the interest rates does not seem excessively high.

Besides, Government had little choice. The Qarase loan had to be repaid by September and its rate, raised in far more favourable global circumstances,  was 7%, a sizeable rate at the time.

The global loan transaction was launched in Asia on Tuesday and was almost three times oversubscribed within 12 hours. Asian investors bought 36% of the transaction with Europe and Offshore-US accounts contributing the remaining 64%. Some 43 investors from 6 countries were involved. The order book comprised of 69% asset managers, 24% hedge funds, 5% private banks and 2% bank portfolios.

Critics point to the “greed” of the investors but such a diverse group would be unlikely to invest in a sinking ship.

Just as predictably the PM saw the oversubscribed loan as an “indication of the level of confidence that investors in the international market have in Fiji’s economic development and progress, on-going reforms and future prospects.” It is, of course, a qualified confidence; the usual attempt by investors to balance returns against risk. But their calculation of the risks is certainly less than the doomsayers would have us believe. And from Fiji's perspective, whether it is a wise or unwise loan will only be known by how the money is used. Investment in capital works has the potential of repaying loan interest many times over.

Main Sources: No:0577/Finance and three Fiji Times postings on the topic, click here  One  Two  Three

Comparison of place and time

Several observers have expressed concerns about the high level of debt, especially when the Fiji economy is under-performing, and anti-government people have blamed government mismanagement. Seen in perspective, however, overall government debt of 57.7% of GDP in 2010 does not compare too unfavourably with 44% in 1990, 70% in 1997 and 71% in 2000. (Accounts and Finances of the Republic of the Fiji Islands.) Government loans due for redemption under the Qarase government in 2005 totalled $125m; between 2006-2010 they averaged $100m, and from 2011-2015 average $30m, though recent borrowing will increase this total.

Emma Veve of the Asia Development Bank has noted Fiji's economic growth is poor relative to most other Pacific countries but she expected GDP to improve with increased tourist earnings, and once government reforms start to produce results. She spoke of the need for more access to land for investment, an issue being addressed with the Land Bank and investments in the country's mineral resources. Government thinks the public service reforms will have positive economic results.

The recently released Reserve Bank Economic Review for February (see right sidebar) points to mixed results. Economic growth for 2011 is expected to be 1.3% but the trade deficit has been reduced by 6.8%, with exports increasing 17.1% and imports reduced by 2.9%. A substantial increase in export earnings from minerals, and steady earnings from mineral water, fish and timber, seems likely. This year's disastrous results from the sugar industry, mainly due to faulty machinery, can get no worse, and minor gains should occur next harvesting season. Inflation increased from 5 to 5.9% mainly due to the increase in VAT (and it could increase further as a result of this month's sharp increase in world oil prices) but foreign reserves are sufficient to cover 4 months of imports.

Government, of course, has no control over the price of world oil, and limited control over its exchange rate (the loans are in US dollars). The economic situation is not improved by international reactions to the political situation and Government is one party to this picture but it is

It would need to have borrowed less if capital works had not been neglected for so long; if its “traditional friends” had been more helpful; if it had not been so bull-headed; if its dismal PR improved by even 1.3%; if more money were available from domestic sources. But it would have needed to borrow more than has been borrowed before if the Roadmap's infrastructural reforms (roads, bridges, sea and air access, agricultural and rural sector development) are to be carried out.

The loans —the Global Bond loan is one of several— are intended in part to patch up the Fiji economy but they are also bent on transforming it. The critical issue is not the size of the loans but whether five, ten and more years on we see a more robust and diversified economy, fuller use of Fiji's natural and human resources, appropriate levels of investment and more employment.

Rome, my elderly neighbour used to remind me, was not built in a day and the same is true for  all long-term visions, plans and projects, no less and no more in Fiji than anywhere else.
 
Postscript. Another perspective on Fiji's borrowing. "China's investment in New Zealand government bonds is understood to be rising but just how much it holds remain a mystery, according to the Treasury. Asian central banks and state superannuation funds are also investing more in New Zealand as Asian investors shy away from financially troubled European states. New Zealand is competing to borrow about $300 million every week  ...Treasury [is aiming] to raise $13.5b this financial year..." Click.

Corruption Engraved in System, Asia Development Banking Funding

Rotten Apples

Photo: Rotten apples in a barrel.
N0193. CORRUPTION ENGRAVED IN THE SYSTEM. Corruption has been engraved into the government system for a very long time and is going to take time to get rid of,   says RFMF Land Force Commander Colonel Mosese Tikoitoga. He said that for the last three or four years, “We have tried our best and we continue to do the most that we can ... It will take a bit of time to get everybody into it but there’s a major shift since we started until today.”

This is one of the reasons why “We are continuously replacing people, shifting people around, trying to find a way out of this mind set,”

“You see [in the PM's] speeches and in all his visitations and in any opportunity that he gets to speak in public, he continues to stress the importance of working effectively and produce what the government wants them to produce [in this regard.]”

Sara'ssista, a predictable, regular contributor, thinks Tikoitoga gives "an hilarious insight into the regime's anti-corruption strategy.  Perhaps they are not looking in the mirror or to the guy on their right and their left?? " I find the "insight" perfectly credible, and her inference of corruption  in government once again a sweeping generalisation in need of evidence.

N0194. ADB PROJECTS IN FIJI. The Asian Development Bank (ADB)  expects to strengthen relations with Fiji by identifying new development projects to fund.

Newly appointed ADB Regional Director South Pacific Sub-Regional Office, Adrian Ruthenberg, said, "Fiji meets most of the criteria established by ADB for development assistance and we welcome proposals for new development projects."

The ADB is currently funding three major upgrading projects which includes the Kings Road (FRUP 3), Suva - Nausori Water and Sewerage and the Flood Recovery and will soon embark on a Poverty Alleviation project.

Mr Ruthenberg said ADB was also responsible for the Cook Islands, Kiribati, Samoa, Tonga and Tuvalu but most of his schedule would focus on Fiji as the largest of these six island countries.

Ovalau Villages Welcome Developments/Charter, Police Up the Ante, Yellow Ribbon Successes

There will be special posting on the Sam Speight detention and the role of Amnesty International NZ tomorrow.

Photo: Lovoni village, Ovalau. Tannis McCartny.
N0165. OVALAU TURAGA-NI-KORO WELCOME DEVELOPMENTS. Village chiefs told visiting  Social Welfare, Women and Poverty Alleviation Minister, Dr Jiko Luveni, last week of the positive impact government activities were having on their communities.

Usaia Delai of Vuma village said,  “We appreciate what Government is doing in terms of empowering the people in the rural and outer islands through the free text books and bus fares for the school children. This is something we had been hoping for years until now and we thank the Prime Minister and Dr Luveni for the support shown for children’s education and the financial empowerment of women through income generating programmes.”

Vagadaci village chief Isoa Saqacala echoed similar sentiments, saying that their village has descendants of Solomon islands and part Europeans but they all lived together as a family and assist each other. The Vagadaci and Wailailai communities were very pleased with government efforts to assist the poor and vulnerable in the society.

“We are really happy with the efforts and initiatives of the Government to assist the poor and disabled in the community through the bus fare subsidy and food voucher programme." He also thanked Dr Luveni the sewing machines that will enable them to make school uniforms.

Lovoni village chief Vatusaiuasi Rokoyawa recognised the genuineness of the Bainimarama government from day one when it introduced the Peoples Charter document. “ We were confident they would serve us well and that they were results based,” he said.

“ The people of Lovoni support the People's Charter for we are now seeing the developments around the country. Better services, equal opportunities created for all and initiatives by Prime Minister in terms of education for our children, bus fare subsidy for the children and now for the elderly and disabled will surely go a long way in assisting people improve their living standards. These changes speak of the commitment the Government has for its people.” -- Based on No: 499/MSWWPA.

N0166. POLICE UP THE ANTE. Former Prisons Commissioner and new Police Commissioner Brigadier General Ioane Naivalurua does not mince words. Speaking at a police parade in Labasa last week he told the police officers to give of their best or find alternative employment.

"The best has yet to be seen and I have a simple definition for the word 'best' and that is honest, hard work. That's what 'best' means so if you can't give it, then you better find an alternative or some other form of employment. The people have yet to see the best of the men and women serving the force in the North."

"Fiji deserves the best from you and me. Fiji wants the best from you and me and Fiji demands the best from you and me. I have received queries from some officers asking me when we will slow down. I told them and I am telling you now that there is no slowing down for the force.

"The force is driven by a different kind of vehicle that has a 24/7 fuel with no reverse gear.The force is driven by the fourth and fifth gears only. It is the running gear, so do know there is no slowing down for us like what happens with other vehicles."

In drawing my attention to this article a reader wrote:

"Bula Croz
This guy is the real deal. A Sandhurst lad and, a true Officer and a Gentleman. The changes he made in the prison system are outstanding - wish he could have stayed on for a few more years. Next time you in Fiji visit Naboro prison and learn firsthand from the inmates. The prison officers are very customer service oriented and efficient as well. But don't let me tell you, find out for yourself the changes Naivalurua has made as Prisons Commissioner under the illegal Government, as the Kiwis and Aussies like to refer to us."

N0167. YELLOW RIBBON PROGRAMME STORY. by Sera Whippy (abbreviated).
New lives have evolved through the Yellow Ribbon awareness campaign. One such case is Jone Calevu of Viseisei Village in Vuda who was a proud supporter of the Western Division's first YR campaign in Lautoka.The Divine Security Firm and taxi owner turned a new leaf in life two years ago after living it hard for seven years. He has five children.

"It is very hard when you come out of prison. Facing society is very difficult because they normally treat us differently. With the inception of the Yellow Ribbon project in 2008 many of us re-offenders saw it as an opportunity to gain a second-chance," said Mr Calevu.

"I know what it feels like to be fresh out of prison with no one there and everyone judging you. I know this and I have felt it and I do not want this to be experienced by those who will soon be released," said Mr Calevu.

He and a few other have formed a group called the Lautoka Yellow Ribbon Association which will be jointly aiding the prison authorities in monitoring newly released inmates. "We want to grab these young people and encourage and empower them to turn a new leaf. There is a chance out there for everyone to make a change for the better," he said.

NZ Paints Itself into Corner, Fijian 'Refugees', Taxi Union, Typhoid, Empowering Rural Women

N0145. NZ PAINTS  ITSELF INTO A CORNER.  This note from a reader:

"Why on earth we have allowed ourselves to be painted into a corner on Fiji I have no idea.  It would be naive to assume that when some sort of accommodation is reached and the rhetoric has it that we can return to 'normal' relations that relations will return to normal. 

It seems to me that both Fijians and a number of Pacific Islands governments and peoples will have watched the reaction to Fiji with a certain unease.  New Zealand realises that it gets huge support from the 14 Pacific Islands votes in the United Nations.  At the moment Fiji will be absent.  Who knows how PNG would vote and there will be one of two others perhaps who may fall into the 'false friends' camp.  That is, as I see it."



N0146. FIJIAN 'REFUGEES' SHOULD BE ASHAMED. Fijians who have been rejected as refugees to Australia are now appealing against rulings at a rate second only to Chinese citizens, 11% compared with 29%. Some 243 Fijians applied for review last financial year, compared with 59 the previous year.The number has fallen this year. Of course, the number of appeals is related to the number that have been refused refugee status, and it would seem Australia refuses most Fiji applications.

One wonders why we hear nothing about Fijian refugee applications, refusal and appeals in NZ. One wonders also whether the activities in Australia of Tui Savu and the Fiji Democracy and Freedom Movement have scared Australia's ethnic Fijians into really believing their lives would be at risk if they returned to Fiji, or whether the appeals are a last ditch attempt to stay in the land of Oz.

Anti-Government blogs hold the Fiji military responsible for nine deaths, five following the mutiny in 2000 (six years before the Bainimarama coup); the remainder quite unrelated to political activities. Those seeking asylum should note that three former prime ministers, all hostile to the Bainimarama government, walk freely in Fiji. They should pluck up courage and return to Fiji — or at least be honest. Life in Australia is easier. And as one appeal fails, they can appeal again, and again, and their stay is extended for many more months.

N0147. PM ADVISES TAXI UNION. Speaking at the Fiji Taxi Union's AGM, the PM  has urged members to come up with a unified position -—like their counterparts in the Fiji Bus Operators Association— to facilitate solutions.

He said Government measures to assist the industry such as concessions on the import of LPG/CNG vehicles, the reduction in duty of vehicles up to 2500cc and the increased focused and resourcing of the Fiji police force, and longer term, policies to increase wages, to grow the economy by way of tourism and robust economic activity will all directly contribute towards increased business activity for taxi operators. Government recognizes the importance of the taxi sector and looks to the Fiji taxi union to co-operate with all the stakeholders to ensure a new look and viable taxi industry that has modern cars and has operators and drivers who are Fiji and customer focused. Bainimarama assured members that Government will work with the union to find fair and creative solutions to address the industry's problems.

N0148. TYPHOID. To put the record straight, The "outbreak" claimed by one anti-Govt blog is confined to the villages of Nasava, Narokorokoyawa, Korovou and Sawanikula in Wainimala, inland Naitasiri. The villages were placed under curfew after ten villagers were hospitalised. The number  remains at ten. A major vaccination  programme was conducted last year in high risk outbreak areas but villagers still need to practise better hygiene. Health Ministry spokesman Peni Namotu said clinical, environmental and awareness approaches are being used to tackle the problem. Fiji has one of the highest rates of typhoid fever in the region with regular outbreaks occurring mainly in remote areas.

N0149. EMPOWERING RURAL WOMEN. Social Welfare, Women and Poverty Alleviation Minister Dr Jiko Luveni is on the island of Ovalau this week visiting ten villages where she will listen to women's difficulties and the ways Government can help them. She will inform them of Government’s plans and achievements especially those that relate to them as outlined in the Roadmap for Democracy Sustainable Socio-Economic Development (2009 to 2014).

Her trip is part of Government's  outreach programme that is aimed at empowering rural women financially and socially.  -- Based on 2011, No:0449/MWSPA.

Why the Roadmap? The Politics under the Bridges Part III

                                               By Crosbie Walsh

Government opponents have made much of the fact that the Roadmap has not yet been published and released for pubic scrutiny, and some have doubted its existence. I have no doubt the Roadmap exists in draft form, sufficient for government planning but clearly not sufficient for release.

I suspect Government reasoning, as in all else they have done, is that the Roadmap and the Strategic Framework for Change (that also has not been published) are operational documents based on the well known principles of the People's Charter. Publication for the general public is therefore not a priority at this time. 

If this is the case, it demonstrates government's step-by-step approach to change. First, the infrastructural changes discussed in Part I, followed by the constitutional and electoral changes that require public participation and the publication, if by then if it has any residual relevance, of the Roadmap. We should know the answer by the end of this year.

The purpose of this three-part article is to set the everyday actions and statements of Government within the broad framework of the People's Charter in order to reveal the main elements of the Roadmap and their likely outcomes. Thus, in Part I we discussed the hoped for political outcomes (the “winning of hearts and minds”) of the infrastructural reforms (the politics under the bridges) and  in Part II the sorts of changes that are likely, because of perceived shortcomings in the 1997 Constitution, to be part of the constitutional reforms. 

In this, the concluding section, I itemise and comment on the likely electoral changes and their intended purposes.

Help for Elderly & Disabled, 40 Years Neglect, Meeting of Donors, An Apology, Govt Appointments

N0092. CLOSE TO 60,000 BENEFIT.  Nearly 60,000 elderly and disabled persons will benefit from the new bus fare concessions that will see a 50% reduction on bus fares for people over 60 and a free service for the disabled. It is hoped the non-transferable ID cards — yellow for the elderly and red for the disabled — will be ready by March.  The Ministry will rely on its existing Social Welfare database of senior citizens 60 years and above along with FNCDP database. New applications will be added onto these two databases.

N0093. FORTY YEARS OF NEGLECT.Asia Development Bank project manager and engineer Roley Hayes says upgrading work on the Tamavua water treatment plant, Suva's main reticulated water source, will cost around $100m mainly because no upgrading work had been carried out for the past 40-50 years.The work is being funded by a Government loan from the ADB.

N0094. ROUNDTABLE DONOR MEETING. Government officials met with executives from 32 donor countries and representatives of the diplomatic community, civil society organisations and financial institutions last week.  The purpose of the meeting was to improve co-ordination of Official Development Aid (ODa). The PM used the opportunity to ask its development partners to respect the country's right to settle its problems in its own ways, and indeed self-determination "and this includes the  area of management of official development assistance” much of which now bypasses government and is managed by NGOs. This has been a general trend in all Pacific countries in recent years because of donor concerns about corruption and mismanagement. The policy has been applied more rigorously in Fiji because donors did not want to be seen to support the coup and the Bainimarama Government.-- Based on 2011, No:0221/MOI.

N0095. AN APOLOGY. The reader who made a comment last week about boots on throat has apologized. He wrote:Croz, when I wrote the "boot on throats" comment last week, little did I realise how much of a stir it would cause. This little turn of phrase has been like pushing a stick into a hornets' nest. Some indigenous Fijians seem to think it was directed at the i'taukei as a whole. Can we all please just step back, stop the "roti boy" insults and hear me out? It wasn't meant to be literal. It was a figure of speech, imaginary to convey the notion of the need to keep something under control. In this case, it was the organisers of Coup 4.5, who were allowing racist comments like "mongoose" on their website. Nothing more, nothing less.. I now realise that it may have been a little too provocative in the Fiji context and for that, I'm sorry. IT WAS NOT MEANT TO BE TAKEN AS INDO-FIJIANS NEEDING TO KEEP THEIR BOOTS ON THE THROATS OF THE I'TAUKEI. I am not an Indo-Fijian and don't like them being vilified for crimson prose I wrote in the heat of the moment that I now regret. Yalo vinaka. Ni vosoti au. Vinaka vakalevu.

N0096. GOVERNMENT MUSICAL CHAIRS. LtCol Ifereimi Vasu is the new Commissioner for Prisons and Correctional Services, replacing Brig Ioane Naivalurua who is now the Police Commissionery, and LtCol Neumi Leweni, previously PermSec of Lands and Minerals, is now the new Commissioner Eastern, replacing LtCol Vasu.-- Based on 2011, No:0232/PSC.

Why the Roadmap? The Politics under the Bridges Part II

By Crosbie Walsh

Resume. In Part I that was published last Saturday I argued that the Appeal Court ruling that overturned the High Court judgement (that the Bainimarama government was legal) was a critical turning point when Bainimarama was forced to accept that the only way to implement the principles of the People's Charter was by dictatorial rule, and to ensure their sustainability it was necessary to implement infrastructural and institutional reforms that would shift the people's allegiance from their separate ethnicities to allegiance to a Fiji shared fairly by all its citizens. The Roadmap was the result.

Have a bias toward action - let's see something happen now. You can break that big plan into small steps and take the first step right away. – Indira Gandhi.

Much of the Roadmap deals with economic issues — attracting and streamlining investment, tax reforms, the sugar, manufacturing and tourism industries, fiscal stringency and reducing the cost of government, agricultural, fishing, forestry and mining production and increasing exports and import substitution. 

Growing the economy is the platform upon which Government's other reforms depend. So far, due to a variety of local and global factors, government and Fiji's economic performance falls far short of expected and needed growth levels, and the funding of the infrastructural measures that are an essential part of the Roadmap have relied heavily on local and overseas borrowing. The seriousness of Fiji's macro-economic situation is accepted without further comment here. I wish instead to comment on infrastructural and institutional reforms because of their social and political implications.

Infrastructural and Institutional Reform until 2012

There is little doubt that physical infrastructure and institutional reforms were needed for a more integrated economy and more efficient government but their political purpose, in my view, is to produce a more integrated society where all citizens are treated fairly, irrespective of their race or location. Thus, the emphasis on rural development —the new roads, bridges and jetties, the focus on import substitution, the land bank to bring more land into production, the micro-hydros and bio-diesel schemes, the new rural classrooms and health clinics, micro-businesses for rural women, and the equal distribution of land lease rental moneys — most of which have been announced or opened with much fanfare and a visit from the Prime Minister,  are seen as ways to win the i'taueki's unquestioning support away from the traditional chiefs and church talatala so that in 2014 more people will exercise their votes independent of chief and church influence. 
 

Development projects are underway in all provinces,  but it would seem that those where the extremist CAMV political support was strongest, Upper Naitasiri/Tailevu, Bua, Macuata, Cakaudrove and Taveuni, are receiving special attention. The military leadership of the country's four Divisions and most of its provinces may add to more efficient local government but they are also another way to neutralise the old influences.

The reforms underway in the public service to downsize government, farm off state-owned enterprises and make ministries and departments more efficient and accountable through regular reports to the SFCC,  should minimise opportunities for misuse of office and petty corruption. These reforms, together with decrees making scholarships equally available to all races, the introduction of civics and financial management education in schools, the removal of race-based school names, and the decree that makes all Fiji citizens Fijians, have, I think, wide support among educated urban people of all races whose main complaint against government is not with what government is doing but with the fact that they have no say in the decision-making and limited opportunity, because of the Public Emergency Regulations (PER) and the Media Decree, to discuss what is happening.

Other Government policies are also likely to have won support among ordinary urban people. These include lifting taxable incomes from $9,000 to $15,000, the exclusion of basic foodstuff from VAT, concerted moves to improve access to low cost housing, the upgrading of urban squatter settlements, moves to introduce a minimum wage, and various other anti-poverty measures such as increased and wider benefit payments, and for those eligible, free or subsidized transport, free textbooks and school fees. Work to reduce corruption is ongoing. No major heist has been revealed but the exposure of those caught with their hands in the kitty, better auditing and better police work must be having made some impact. 

Other measures include: 

The Media Decree, much maligned by overseas media, contains a code of ethics and a mechanism for complaints. The old Media Council lacked the teeth to introduce these long overdue changes. For the present, media freedom is limited but I would expect the situation to slowly improve after 2012, and in the longer term the Media Decree will serve the country well. 

The Legal Practitioners Decree is a welcome improvement. Mechanisms are now in place for criticism and complaints that were previously lacking. Many would also approve the prison reforms with their greater emphasis on education, rehabilitation and non-reoffending. Considerably more attention has also been given to women, domestic violence, child labour and sexual offences. The list could go on but I think this is sufficient to indicate government concerns about important social issues that are likely to win it support for its constitutional and electoral reforms. 

A dictatorship Fiji definitely is, but it is quite unlike the dictatorships of Burma and North Korea that its detractors would have us believe, and is more akin to Singapore whose advice has already influenced its policies and may continue to be a model for the future.

Constitutional Reform 2012

We are now [2011] into the last year of economic development. Next year our whole focus 

goes on governance. – Pio Tikoduadua, Permanent Secretary, PM's Office

What these reforms will be and how inclusive dialogue will be leading to their formulation is, of course, unknown but there have been some strong indicators. If we start from what Government might think is wrong with the old constitution, we should not be too far wrong. 

First, the electoral system was enshrined in the constitution making even small amendments a major task. I think only the broad principles of the proposed new electoral system —non-ethnic voting, equal franchise and proportional representation—will be enshrined in the new constitution. Amendments to the electoral law will be made by Parliament or possibly by a popular referendum.  I will discuss these issues more fully next week.

 

Secondly, the old constitution gave special powers to the Great Council of Chiefs and the Fiji Law Society. The GCC could veto the Prime minister's nomination for President and it could —and did— veto its nomination for Vice-President. The new GCC role is likely to be limited to providing advice to Government on matters concerning i'taukei culture and custom. The Fiji Law Society will have no special role. 

Thirdly, the powers and method of appointment of the President will be revisited. Fiji may decide to move away from the Westminster system that limits the authority of the Head of State and move more towards other models. The least we can expect is an increase of his “emergency” powers. The presidency will be open to all races. 

Fourthly, the above changes will necessitate changes in the authority of Parliament, the governing party and, more specifically, the Prime Minister. It seems unlikely these powers will be increased without new checks and balances. I would expect Government to seek the advice of the local legal fraternity and overseas constitutional lawyers on what they should be. 

Fifthly, the new constitution will almost certainly spell out the role of the military in upholding the principles of the People's Charter. This is a contentious issue with some inherent dangers but it is most unlikely Bainimarama and the Military Council will order a “return to the barracks” unless they are empowered to protect the Constitution, which will embed the principles of the Charter. 

A New Role for Senate?

The old constitution gave Fiji a bicameral parliament. Government has already indicated it may  seek the abolition of Senate, probably because they associate it with the Great Council of Chiefs and the manipulations of the former adversarial parliament system. In my opinion, Senate should not be abolished until its possible complementary roles are fully examined. 

Senate should, in my opinion, have no (or very limited) political powers but wide advisory functions with extensive ad hoc sub-committees. It could, for example, include professional experts and representatives of business, the trade unions, tertiary education institutions, and the different professions. Temporary, rotating or permanent places could be set aside for youth, women's organizations, the disabled, disadvantaged minorities, and small ethnic groups such as Rotumans, Kai Solomoni, Banabans and Tuvaluans. There could be a permanent sub-committee representing the major religious affiliations. 

The possibilities are endless but an advisory body of civilians and civilian organizations would, I think, made for better government than a parliament consisting of only one chamber. Members of Senate and its sub-committees should receive a per diem but only to cover their actual travel, accommodation and incidental expenses.

Overseas governments have insisted on inclusive dialogue involving the 2006 political parties. I think dialogue will be representative and reasonably inclusive but it is unlikely to include leaders of the political parties, least of all Laisenia Qarase and Mahendra Chaudhry, unless in exchange overseas governments offer the Bainimarama government incentives it cannot afford to decline. Qarase is on record saying he opposes the People's Charter and saw no reason to change Fiji's communal electoral system for years come. Given that the Charter and electoral reform are at the centre of Government policies, all he could do would be to play fool's advocate.

The series will conclude next Saturday.

Nadi-Rarotonga Flights, More Blog Distortions, Thoughts on Village Visits, Ba Iron Sands, Sugar for Japan

N0072. AIR PACIFIC TO FLY TO RAROTONGA.  Regional tourist arrivals are expected to rise with the opening of a new route between between Nadi and Rarotonga. The service was previously provided  by Air New Zealand.

Air Pacific is in the process of reaching an agreement with the Cook Islands Government for a three-year contract on the weekly flight  that will also offer Cook Islanders direct north-bound connections to the Hong Kong service, and enable the islands to better market tourism from Europe and the UK. The international airport in Rarotonga, the largest of the nation's 15 islands, has daily internal flights to some of the other islands.

N0073. MORE BLOG DISTORTIONS. Two news items have been published on housing in Fiji late last week.  One was about the Housing Authority easing the lot of its mortgagees if they were poor or unemployed; the other was about the eviction of squatters who were thought to be drug dealers.

The anti-government blog, Fiji Today (I still hopefully call it moderate) ignored the first news item that  reflected favourably on Government and then distorted the report on the other by missing out what a squatter had to say about the police action.

Its heading-cum-comment read: "The disciplined forces are targetting people ALLEGEDLY involved in criminal activities. Kicking people out of squatter settlements simply moves the problem elsewhere it does not solve it." It then went on to report the first half of the Fiji Times report on the eviction of some people from the  Wailea and Viria settlements along Fletcher Road in Vatuwaqa, Suva who were suspected marijuana dealers and black marketeers. 

In the part they missed out (and I quote the Fiji Times), "Jone Vitukawalu, who lives in the area, said the community were grateful of what the police were doing. Some people are starting to have the perception that this settlement is made up of criminals and of people who support criminals. "

I agree that kicking people out of squatter settlements will not solve the squatter problem but why did Fiji Today not cite what Jone Vitukawalu had to say? It puts a totally different perspective on the evictions.

N0074. MORE ON GOVERNMENT VISITS TO VILLAGES.  A reader had this to say on my"Government and the People: Three Examples" posting: "This, of course, will be branded as pro-regime propaganda by the unholy alliance of activists from the SDL and assorted "human right" and media types. But the fact remains that a remarkably constant theme emerges from these village visits; that no senior government representatives have ever bothered to show their faces there before.

It seems incredible that given the grass roots nature of Fijian politics, previous elected governments seem to have treated ordinary constituents with such disdain. If this is "the first time" government ministers have got out and about to listen to ordinary peoples' concerns, what on earth has been going on? Have they just assumed that everyone would fall into line and vote for them? Or have they relied on the chiefs to deliver Fijian votes in a collective bloc? It's really quite extraordinary.

In colonial times, district officers and commissioners were constantly holding pow-wows in villages all over Fiji, explaining the government's policies and seeking local opinion. Even successive governors, who were treated like gods, made a point of going on " treks" to the inland or outer islands to show the flag and gauge local opinion.

If it takes a dictatorship to finally bother to listen to the concerns of ordinary people, it doesn't say much for the quality of democracy Fiji had before. It struck me that Frank Bainimarama was being rather hopeful when he said he was planning to win the battle for the hearts and minds of village people over his opponents. But perhaps listening to them and finally delivering some basic services will change attitudes for the better and pave the way for lasting change. Fascinating stuff."

N0075. BA IRON SANDS. Foreign exchange earnings from the mineral resource sector are expected to increase significantly now that Australian-based mining company, Amex Resources, has negotiated a long term (45-year plus) lease agreement over a substantial area of Fiji's major bulk shipping port at Lautoka. The tenure will allow the stockpiling and export of the company's Ba Delta magnetite iron sands concentrates, and with direct access by barge, it now has easy access to the magnetite deposit located 30km away. The length of the lease indicates the expected potential life of the iron sands resource. The company estimates the resource contains  220 million tonnes with further potential both inland and seaward. Initial exports are likely to total an annual 750,000 tonnes.

N0076. FIJI SUGAR FOR JAPAN. Fiji could soon start exporting sugar to Japan. Sojitz Corporation officials from Japan  will visit Fiji soon for direct consultation with FSC officials on proposed quota and shipment arrangements. Fiji's Tokyo Embassy has briefed the visitors on the Fiji sugar industry and the prospects/projection of production from 2011 onwards based on the restructure and streamlining of the various bodies within the Fiji Sugar Corporation, the current crop now under cultivation, and the availability of farm lands for large scale farming as opposed to small scale family unit cultivation.-- Based on 2011, No: 0161/MOI.  Given the FSC record to date, we keep our fingers crossed!

Government and the People: Three Examples

See the new (Ratu Mara) Quote for the Week in the right sidebar and scan down to the Weekend Reading postings.

GOVERNMENT AND THE PEOPLE. The three items in this morning's posting are about recent Government visits to villages. On the first two it should be noted that the i'taukei sense of politeness and appropriate hospitality sometimes goes a little overboard in thanking people, especially those with power and influence.  This is likely to be a factor here but the message — and the comparison made with previous governments — is so often repeated in so many villages that it cannot all be hyperbole. 

Government really is doing things at rural grassroots level and its work seems to be winning support. I attempted to show the relationship between such happenings and the Roadmap in my Weekend Reading article on the Roadmap.

N0062. NOTHING WILL STOP THE 2014 ELECTIONS. Yet another group of villagers has urged the PM not to hold elections in 2014. When this happened before the PM used it to illustrate people's satisfaction with his Government. Predictably, this was then taken by his opponents to show he was not serious about elections. This time there can be no misinterpretation.

At the breaking ceremony for the construction of two bridges and the Wailotua-Nayavu Roadin Wainibuka tikina last week  the local spokesman said his vanua were happy with the development work undertaken by government and they wanted the current government to continue to lead the country after 2014. In reply Bainimarama thanked the vanua for their confidence but said that nothing would stop his government from holding "good and fair" elections in 2014.

N0063. THIS GOVERNMENT IS DIFFERENT. Something similar happened when Minister for Social Welfare, Women and Poverty Alleviation Dr Jiko Luveni visited Naganivatu village in Naitasiri province to donate sewing machines to the village women just before Christmas.

Ulaiciri Tuvotu, the Turaga ni koro (village head), said they were touched by her visit.  “This is the first time for any Minister to visit us and we are very happy with the sewing machines for the development of women in this village. The machines will provide income for the women and especially we thank the Minister for taking out time to come and visit us to see the problems we are facing in this area.”

“We are thankful to the Government and the Government officials who visit us. Not like the government in the past, they never visited us but with this Government it is not only helping the people with road, bridge, hospitals and good housing, but also assist in everything to improve the lives of the people in the rural areas, especially in the Naitasiri province.  The Government has really shown what it says it does. We are thankful for the People’s Charter through which people are assisted in farming, education, health and transport. The poor people are now being heard and recognized.”

Women’s coordinator Mrs Taraivina Tamani said: “We are so happy with the Minister’s presence here today. This is history for the village as this is the first time for any minister to visit us. Most of the time women are fishing and now these sewing machines will provide an alternative source of income. School uniforms are our first priority and with these machines we will save money to make our own clothes. -- Based on 2011, No: 0155/MSWPA.

N0064. SITTING, TALKING AND LISTENING. Last year government officials visited each of Cakaudrove's 15 tikina (districts)  and all major villages to inform people of government's plans and listen to their ideas and concerns.  This year visits, starting next month, will target the chiefs and village stakeholders in each of the tikina to help familiarise them with the policies of the Government and the Taukei Affairs Board. Topics for discussion will include good governance, improvement in the standard of living, utilisation of natural resources and the general wellbeing of the people. The Roko Tui Cakaudrove, Ro Aca Mataitini,said "We all sit and discuss how we can tackle the problems of the people in villages and what the Government wants."

Why the Roadmap? The Politics under the Bridges Part I

By Crosbie Walsh

The Roadmap for Democracy and Sustainable Socio-Economic Development 2009-2014 was approved by Cabinet not long after the Abrogation of the 1997 Constitition in April 2009 and I think the two events were related. 

The 2009 Roadmap, however, was not Fiji's first. A Roadmap for the Return to Parliamentary Democracy was announced by Bainimarama in February 2007, barely two months after the December 2006 Coup. This earlier Roadmap focused on economic recovery, stabilising government finances, keeping national debt within 2% of GDP, restructuring the the sugar industry, reviving tourism and proper land use planning, resolving the land lease issue, creating more jobs, better incomes and less poverty. Some progress was made on the land and leases issue but few if any of the other goals were achieved. Government had underestimated the difficulties, made no allowance for the negative effects of the Coup (which saw aid and loan moneys dry up and key civilians unwilling to take up senior positions); disastrous floods and a hurricane, and the Global Recession, and overestimated their ability to “go it alone.”

Army Engineers, MSG Meeting, Ageing Population, Student Loans in Arrears

N0047. ARMY TO UNDERTAKE MAJOR CIVIC PROJECTS. Army engineers  will use the heavy  machinary recently arrived from China to speed up rural development projects already in the pipeline. The shipment of equipment, valued at $4.1m, includes four excavators, five dump trucks, three bulldozers, two vibratory rollers, a pneumatic roller, two motor graders, two wheel loaders, two loader/diggers, a water truck, a pick-up and a truck with a crane. This is the first time the RFMF has had the equipment to undertake major construction work.

N0048. MSG TO BE TREATED WITH RESPECT. Fiji will host the Melanesian Spearhead Group meeting this year, and PM Bainimarama says Fiji will take the chairmanship role very seriously to ensure that Melanesian countries are acknowledged and treated with respect in the region and beyond. The meeting is expected to be held in Suva in late March.

N0049. FIJI'S AGEING POPULATION. Although a young population by development country standards, Fiji’s population is ageing with relatively fewer births, and more people moving into the older 60 years plus age group.  In anticipation of this continuing trend Ministry of Social Welfare, Women & Poverty Alleviation and the Inter-Agency Working Committee (IAWC) are working on a National Policy Framework for the Elderly that will reflect the changing needs of the elderly.

The Policy will be based on the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing and related implementation strategies such as the Shanghai Implementation Strategy, Macao Programme of Action, and adapted to Fiji’s circumstances and conditions, following consultations with all stakeholders and service providers.  The Plan will be incorporated into all major development of the socioeconomic sectors.

N0050. STUDENTS OWE $18 MILLION.  Some $18m loans to students from 2001 to 2010 have not yet http://www.fijilive.com/news/2011/01/18/29839.Fijilive been repaid to the PSC. Permanent Secretary Parmesh Chand has urged students who have completed their students to keep in constant contact with the PSC so that arrangements for repayment can be facilitated. The sustainability of the Student Loan Scheme is dependent on the rate of recovery of arrears.

The PSC has, however, recovered $3.079m  which exceeded their target of $2.5m (2011, No:0115/PSC. The different focus of the Fiji Live heading $18 Million Yet to Recover:PSC  contrasts with the PSC release heading PSC Surpasses Loan Recovery Target.