Discussion in Fiji, Silence in NZ; Police Getting Serious; Election Groundwork Needed Now; Focus

WEEKEND READING ♦ Allen Lockington Column  ♦ People's Charter Pillar 5 (Achieving Higher Economic Growth): For Discussion  ♦ Is the PNG Land Grab Relevant to Fiji?

Photo: The University of the South Pacific Laucala Bay campus was built on the RNZF base for Sunderland flying boats which were then the only way to reach many islands in the region by air. The road on the left is Queen Elizabeth Drive that now dissects the upper and lower campus,  and the one from top to bottom of the photo is Laucala Bay Road.

N0292. PUBLIC DISCUSSION IN FIJI .  Restrictions on open debate could be improving in Fiji despite the retention of PER, the emergency regulations.  On Wednesday, USP held a public forum on the large loan recently taken out by Government, Fiji’s Second International Bond Issue. Speakers included Filimone Waqabaca (Ministry of Finance), Dr Mahendra Reddy (Fiji National University), Prof. Warden Narsey (USP), Norman Wilson (ANZ) & Dr. T.K Jayaraman (USP). Notable is the inclusion of Prof Wadan Narsey, a well known  government opponent. The audience would have heard more than one side of the argument.

My understanding is that the Fiji Times taped the debate so we may see something of what was said in the print media. They published a short item today with arguments for (Waqabaca) and against (Narsey). Hopefully, more will follow. 

Biased Reporting in New Zealand
Radio NZ International, however, mentioned only Narsey's position: "Fiji's interim administration is being criticised for burdening future generations with debt after raising about 250 million US dollars in foreign bonds."   This overtly biased reporting on Fiji is now standard fare (unfair) for RNZI. Witness Johnny Blades's report on the Melanesian Spearhead Group meeting published earlier today (N0290) that made no reference to the leaders' support for Fiji's reforms and elections in 2014, and compare with the report by Radio Australia.

Radio NZI and its reporters need to remind themselves that New Zealanders pride themselves on fair play. On-going, one-eyed, biased reporting is not fair play. One wonders why they are doing this? Is it because the State broadcaster, in today's difficult economic environment, fears funding cuts unless it kowtows to government policies?

N0293. POLICE GETTING SERIOUS ABOUT CLEANING UP THEIR ACT. Three policemen have been sacked in the Northern Division  this week. A Police headquarters spokesman said: "The consequence of abuse of power by law enforcers shows how serious the new administration is about the rightful use of power vested in the officers.We want to make Fiji a safe and secure place. We want people to place their trust and faith in the Police Force. We can't have the same people in the Police Force who have threatened and abused people. We will not condone such cases."

Fiji Today, the only moderate anti-government blog, had this heading today: "Rumor says that the Police Force has set up an Internal Investigation Unit that is operating behind the scences to reduce curruption in the police force. This force needs to be cleaned up if it is to have any credibility in the eyes of the public."

N0294. CRITICAL GROUNDWORK FOR ELECTION 2014 DATE MUST START NOW.
The Citizens’ Constitutional Forum is encouraged by the confirmation of the 2014 election timeline by Government (Fiji Village 30/3/11) and wishes to highlight that even prior to the event, the State, Civil Societies and all the key stakeholders need to start addressing the critical preparatory groundwork now.

“Going by best practices experiences of recent history of transitional governments similar to our experience, it has shown that prior to the elections itself critical landmarks such as dialogue on key issues including the Constitution, Electoral Reform and ongoing public consultation and dialogue at all levels needs to start now for a sustainable transition,” states Reverend Akuila Yabaki.

He added that, “All stakeholders need to be engaged in some critical dialogue on the processes and the content of the Constitution.”

With regard to “ironclad assurances” by the Foreign Minister, Ratu Inoke Kubuabola, on the timelines towards 2014, Reverend Yabaki “finds this warmly reassuring and strongly recommends that a good first step would be the lifting of PER.” -- CCF Press Release.

N0295.  FOCUS is the Government newsletter published in English, Fijian and Hindi. The latest issue has, as might be expected, a swag of articles on government's development initiatives,  but it also has letters to the editor, an extensive list of government job vacancies, information on the Order of Fiji, and lots of photos.

If you are interested in  having a look, it may be downloaded from the Government website by  clicking here.

The CCF's Suggested Way Forward

N235. WHY SO FEW COMMENTS ON AKUILA'S POSTING?  Part II of Critical Engagement and Future Scenarios was published  last Saturday (N205). Few people took the opportunity to comment.  I republish the conclusion to the Rev. Akuila Yabaki's paper and urge you to read it, comment, and read the full document.

People's Charter, Pillar 3, and Chapter 8, State of the Nation paper: For Discussion

N234. The Charter deals with principles that are discussed in more detail in the relevant chapter(s) of the State of the Nation and the Economy paper that I have copied under the Charter chapter. 

For earlier chapters of the Charter and State of the Nation paper, use the Search facility in the left column by writing Pillar 1, etc.  Readers' comments on what has been done and is being done on the proposed reforms are especially welcome.

 

Ensuring Effective, Enlightened and Accountable Leadership

Critical Problems and Issues:

● Our people have suffered the type of “leadership” that has been elitist, parochial, divisive, extremist and self-centred. This has done little to advance the interests of our ordinary people.

● Our leaders in most cases have failed to involve us in making the major decisions that affect our well-being and our daily lives.

● We need leaders who are positive, visionary, transformative and constructive.

● We need leaders with a progressive vision for Fiji, a vision that is uplifting, motivating, unifying, and inspiring.

The Way Forward:

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

 

● Enact, and effectively enforce, a Code of Conduct for public servants, public and independent constitutional office holders, Municipal Councils, Members of Parliament and persons who hold statutory appointments or governing or executive positions in statutory authorities.

● Develop a leadership model and vision which clarifies the legitimate roles of elected and non-elected leaders in a democratic Fiji, with emphasis on honesty, integrity, professional ethics, and service to communities.

(For the detailed recommendations and proposed implementation actions, see the Report on the State of the Nation and the Economy.)

● Step up and enhance training and development of public leaders including parliamentarians, traditional, civic and community as well as youth and women leaders.

● Increase public awareness, including civic education at school level, on key leadership principles.

Vision for Effective Leadership Guiding Principles

RECOGNISING the different types of public leadership that exist in Fiji at all levels of society and that such leadership is ultimately about service to the people of Fiji, the communities they belong to, and what is in their best interests;

ACKNOWLEDGING the conduct standards that are set out under subsection 156(2) of the Constitution for holders of high public office, and the measures thatneed to be taken under law to enforce these standards and the Key Principles for Good Leadership adopted by Pacific Island Forum Leaders as being relevant for Fiji’s national leaders; The People, through this Charter, identify the following qualities as being the most desirable of any person who seeks and exercises a public leadership role in Fiji:

Visionary Integrity Honesty

Selflessness Competence Openness

Communication Unity Accountability

FIJI: THE STATE OF THE NATION AND THE ECONOMY

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Chapter 8: Effective Leadership in Fiji

The previous pages summarise the change agenda facing Fiji. Clearly, there is a lot to be done to restore good governance, end the ‘coup culture’, forge a new agreement on national identity and the national interest, get the economy growing robustly again, eradicate poverty, and deal with all of the related issues. This is not a short term or easy task: it will take much perseverance over many years in following a steady course. Who is to plan and organise all of this work and keep all those involved strongly motivated and on course to finish the task?

This is the role of Fiji’s leaders, not only politicians but also traditional, civic, religious, community, professional, and business leaders right across the nation. Leadership is the ‘magic’ ingredient that unites the diverse talents of many different people by communicating an inclusive vision for the future in which all want to join as followers, and which motivates, empowers and uplifts them, so that they are fully engaged in pursuing the vision until it is realised.

Leadership occurs at many levels, both within Government and outside of it. Public leadership roles encompass the political level, the private sector, civil society and the churches and religious organisations, and also other levels of leadership including the traditional chiefly leadership at community level.

Fiji is standing at a crossroad in terms of how leaders might best contribute to taking Fiji forward. Although there is no longer a clearly accepted view of the way that leaders should behave within Fiji society, the effectiveness of leadership is crucial at every level of that society.

The NCBBF (National Committee for Building a Better Fiji)  believes political leadership at the national level to be one area of real weakness in Fiji. It is time to develop a leadership model that puts the national interest before self interest, or before the interest of a specific single community. We need to establish a national vision through the Peoples Charter and work to build national unity.

All too often in the past the style of leadership in Fiji has been transactional i.e. ‘what is in it for me?’ What Fiji desperately needs is a transformational style of leadership — to transform societal attitudes and move Fiji in the completely new direction represented by the Peoples Charter.

This is not to forget also that the lives of ordinary people are most affected by leadership at the local level, where people live as families and communities. The leadership role of women also needs particular consideration. While changes in leadership styles are really dependent on changes in attitudes, there are measures which can be taken to encourage this change. Public education needs to be part of that.

A Code of Conduct for holders of high public office (as required by the Constitution), including local government office holders, is badly needed to regulate the conduct of national leaders. So is training for leaders at all levels. Increased dialogue and measures that reward good leadership also require further examination.

Leaders at every level of society must be equally adept in three quite different skills.

First, they must have a clear intellectual understanding of the job that needs to be done. The vision and goals that they articulate must be well grounded in evidence-based theory and empirical research and clearly thought through, to ensure that the policies they advocate are compatible with each other, consistent over time and credible. A leader maintains his or her credibility by only promising what he or she can do and then by always doing what was promised.

Second, a leader must also learn to be a good manager. Leaders must know how to raise funds, manage money and resources and above all, be good at managing people in sensitive but directed ways. Leaders like Gandhi and Martin Luther King spent a lot of their time managing the movements they led.

Third, a leader must learn how to behave as a good leader should. There are both moral and psychological dimensions to this aspect of leadership. To attract and keep followers, a leader must be capable of securing and holding their trust. This means that a leader must be trustworthy.

A leader must also maintain personal integrity, which implies complete honesty, openness and a consistent moral stance. And, because it is expected that a leader will always ‘go first’, a leader must become accustomed to disclosing his or her values and thoughts, before anyone else does. ‘Self disclosure’, to use the psychological term, can be risky because a leader may expose himself or herself to ridicule and scorn. So a leader must have the moral courage to reveal and defend his or her convictions.

Because the work agenda is so long, a leader in Fiji must also learn how to prioritise tasks and the leader’s own time in a sensible way. When it is impossible to achieve everything simultaneously, the sequencing of tasks becomes very important. It is sometimes necessary to balance objectives against each other, achieving a little bit in several areas at once rather than everything in one area but nothing anywhere else.

And to the extent that a leader is operating in a political environment it will also be important to learn how to manage other people’s expectations about the speed with which progress can be achieved. Arriving at the right balance between setting targets that are ambitious but realisable, and targets that are inspirational but probably not realistic, may be the most difficult challenge of all.

Stoves and Poultry Empowerment, Kadrala Cult, Use the Land, Fish for EU, Hardware Prices Plummet

N212. GRASSROOTS EMPOWERMENT. Learning about smokeless stoves and how to make money from poultry may not seem to be very empowering unless you are poor and live in a remote area with few amenities and still fewer opportunities to earn money. The smokeless stoves demonstrated at Nabouwalu in Bua last week by the Ministry of Social Welfare, Women and Poverty Alleviation, will help save time, money and effort and be far more environmentally friendly. In rural Fiji the main cooking fuel for nearly 70% of households in 1996 was the open fire and little is likely to have changed since. The large range wood stove was used by about 8% of households, more generally by Indo-Fijians and in locations close to urban areas.Electricity and gas if available, and even kerosene,  are far too expensive for most households. The smokeless stove is far more efficient and it uses less wood.  If widely adopted, it could save wooded areas and mangrove.(Based on No:0583/MSWPA).

Mary Naloga from Nakabuta Village said she had never seen anything like a smokeless stove that could two pots with so little firewood. She said she was “very excited about learning this technique of cooking and the step by step process to make a smokeless stove. Since we have the resources, we can easily make one for our families."

She thanked  Government for the opportunities to learn new skills ...like poultry training and through Ministry of Health we were educated about our health and different health programmes. It has been an eye opener for us.”

Agriculture training officer Makalei Drauna said the main aim of the poultry programme was to help women generate income for their families. "There's a a huge demand for poultry in the Northern Division with prices ranging from $35 to $45 for chickens in Labasa market, " he said.

N213. CULTS ALIVE IN RA. Ra provincial administrator Joji Satakala has confirmed a Government team has been set up specifically to eradicate cult groups and sects in parts of rural Ra.  He said governnment is especially concerned because cult members do not allow their children to go to school and because of the accepted practice for men to sleep with any female member of the  group.
The most widely known groups are Remnant in Soa, a Kadrala church group in Naboutolu and the followers of the late Sairusi Nabogibogi at Selemi in Nakorotubu.

He said "If we can break the Kadrala cult practices at Vatukacevaceva, which has been around for more than 40 years, then there will be no problem abolishing other cults in the province. We want all students to attend school because only education can bring about development in Ra.

N214. USE THE LAND. A dalo (taro) farming scheme at Nasolo in Bua has created employment for many village youths and when harvested is expected to earn $286,000 in a year. During his visit last week the PM said this was a good example of what Government means when it urges people to work hard and use the resources available to them.

The villagers told the PM they needed a new bridge to help speed the transportation of their produce to the market, and would welcome goverment's assistance in securing overseas markets. The PM has  offered, in principle, his support for the project, and said people needed to work hard before thinking of going to Government to ask for help.

N215. FIJI FISH FOR EU. Fiji’s fisheries products will now be accepted in the EU market tariff-free after the European Parliament approved a trade agreement with Fiji. Fiji was delisted from exporting fish to the European Union market following the outcome of an audit back in 2007.

N216. HARDWARE PRICES PLUMMET. Commerce Commission enquiries have resulted in an average drop of hardware prices by 35%. This follows detailed and analyzed investigations into the prices in hardware shops for the past year. Commission chairman Dr Mahendra Reddy said the final prices were determined following consultations with stakeholders and hardware companies.

The new prices will only affect items under price control but this covers items ranging from 645 at Carpenters to 2,220 at RC Manubhai.The impact on low-cost and self-help housing construction can only be positive. -- Based on 0579/MOI.

Squatters Initiate Eviction of Criminals, Australian and NZ Aid Continues

No139. MORE SQUATTERS EVICTED. The anti-government blogs have been keen to publish stories of urban squatter evictions.  No background or explanation is given other than the evictions are further evidence of  government inhumanity.

The blogs  have not reported government explanations about development, the provision of alternative sites and serious efforts to provide new housing for poor people, and they have disbelieved that particular squatters were evicted to prevent crime. 

Recently some squatters in Wailea settlement off Fletcher Road in Vatuwaqa were evicted who were suspected of trading marijuana. And now, seven household in the  Fiji Muslim League Estate off Ratu Mara Road in Nabua have received eviction and demolition notices, but the initiative has come from the squatters themselves. One resident, Alumita Rabele, said the whole settlement had initially been told to go but now only seven people are involved. She said this was initiated by the community because they felt the settlement would be safer without the people suspected to be involved in illegal activities.

"The people from the Lands Department gave the notice to these people selling marijuana from their homes after we resolved the first issue which was for us to move out," she said.

N0140. AUSTRALIAN AND NZ AID CONTINUES.  Aid to Fiji from both countries continues despite the political standoff.  The amounts involved are smaller than formerly, they are targeted towards specific activities, and they generally bypass government preferring NGOs as intermediaries.

Recently, AusAID donated $100,000 worth of obstetric training models to the Ministry so that pregnant mothers can be assured of quality services while in hospital. And the New Zealand High Commission has donated $15,000 to Leadership Fiji for its 2011 training programme that will focus on developing and enhancing the skills of future Fiji leaders.

Leadership Fiji Chair William Parkinson says they aim to expose participants to leaders from across the society in a structured manner, providing them with the opportunity to deepen their understanding of their country.The programme that starts next month allows members to explore their own values, philosophies, prejudices and beliefs through a variety of issues.

Potato Import Substitution, Grassroots Governance and Rural Shops, I'taukei Defined, Thai-Poosam

N0039. POTATOES IN FIJI'S LITTLE ISRAEL. When Jews set up kibbutz (agricultural villages) in British Palestine from  the early 20th century until the 1950s, they turned land only fit for grazing into highly profitable farms.  In a smaller way this is what is happening at Tadravula near Seaqaqa in Vanua Levu.

There 1,600 acres of land, previously owned by the then Native Lands District Commission that had been idle for 20 years, is being turned into a large integrated vegetable and fruit farm that will produce potatoes as its major crop. The farm is being operated by an Australian company Farm 2 UFresh Fiji Limited that so far has sunk $2 million into the project.

Managing director Aaron Sharma said they are planting 25 acres of potatoes every week and will soon harvest the same amount in a sustainable system to ensure continuous supply. Sharma hopes to harvest more than one million kilograms in a year.

The farm is seen as a major player for import substitution, and part of government's intention to ensure that all available idle land is brought into production.

N0040. RURAL SHOPS,  many little more than stores serving only one village, require a licence to open, and the price of licences has gone from $30 a few years back to $200 today. 

During a talanoa session with the PM last week villagers in Veinuqa, Namosi, complained this was too much but all their complaints had fallen on deaf ears.  They'd merely been told the $200 now covered all essential services such as the National Fire Authority. It didn't seem to matter that a fire engine could not get to the village and even if it could the whole village would be in flames before it arrived.

The PM has asked the Commissioner Central and the Provincial Development permanent secretary to look into the matter with the authorities concerned. The villagers hope to open a shop in the near future. -- Based on 2011, No:0071 /MOI.

N0041. ITAUKEI MUST DEFINE THEMSELVES.  Institute of Indigenous Studies CEO Emitai Boladuadua has called on itaukei to be educated in their history, culture and language or run the risk that "others will define who we are and what we are ...  We have continually seen ourselves as others did. We have yielded and ceded to them the authority as well as the legitimacy to define us. We need to act now [to change this], he said, drawing particular attention to the need to reinforce the i'taukei worldwide view about the centrality of relationship and reciprocal obligations. Head of the Institute's Academic Unit, former USP university lecturer and deputy PM in the short-lived Chaudhry government, Dr Tupeni Baba said: “We need to repair and rediscover our place in our land. We cannot change the past. however, we can correct and repair the damage that has been done to our culture and identity.”

N0042.VAARSHIKA THAIPOOSAM THIRUNAAL. Thousands of Hindu devotees  gathered at the Sri Siva Subramanya Swamy Temple in Nadi to celebrate the 85th annual Vaarshika Thaipoosam Thirunaal yesterday. The ten-day celebration is expected to attract devotees from around the country and from abroad. People of all races and religions are welcome to take part.

Vaarshik Thai-Poosam Thirunaal is a time of fasting and meditation when devotees show their respect for the Hindu god of war, Subramaniam, who symbolises the victory of good over evil. The festival takes place during the 10th month of the Tamil calendar, which is called Thai and on the day the full moon passes in front of the star, Poosam.

Devotees carry the karvadi (a burden in which a load is tied to the ends of a pole and carried over the shoulders) but many have gone beyond the simple burden and in return for a blessing, they pin themselves with silver needles, long metal spikes and fish hooks. A Thai-Poosam devotee purifies himself by months of a vegetarian diet, and abstinence from alcohol, cigarettes, sexual activities and other forms of contamination. Only after the prayers, does he return to a normal life.

Police & All Senior Appointments, Rudd Again, Mill.Dev.Goals, Suva's Electric Cars

TO COMMENTATORS. In addition to using your real name or a pseudonym, you also need to say something.  Sarcastic, snarky and other comments along the lines of 'I love Bainimarama' or 'I hate Bainimarama' merely convey a position; nothing new is said and the comment is not worth publishing.  They are like an argument between eight year olds: 'Tis', says one; 'Tisn't,' says the other.

NAIVALURUA's GOOD BUT ... A reader writes on the recent Police Commissioner appointment: "Iowane Naivalurua is certainly a very competent chap who has done admirable work at the prisons. However, from past experience with Savua and more recently with Teleni, the one significant way to demoralise and undermine police morale and to politicize the police is to bring in non-professionally qualified and experienced individuals from outside the police force. The sooner the police are able to attract better quality officers and the sooner a couple of them are identified as potential commissioners and trained for leadership at the highest level the better. There are experienced men and women in the police force who are not tainted by politicization, nepotism, racism and bigotry who are worthy of the senior-most positions in this critical agency.

"It might be that Iowane was being nice to Teleni but I can’t see any ‘good foundation’ set by his predecessor [with his] Christian crusades ... declaring towns and cities ‘crime free’[when] crime was alive and well in all such localities. In the agricultural hinterlands, thefts of crops, poultry and livestock have been a major disincentive for farmers.

"It is vital that Naivalarua attends to police morale and professionalism immediately. These have been severely eroded under Teleni. Attention needs to be primarily focused on police work, knowing the law and rights of citizens,law enforcement, investigation and evidence gathering (including forensic work), report writing, and effective prosecution. Training in these areas is vital. Police work generally and community policing requires good people skills and PR. It should also be noted that the police can now recruit much better educated personnel than ever before. Such recruitment has to be merit-based with some awareness of proportionality in terms of representing Fiji’s multi-ethnic citizenry."

Ed.Note. These comments follow the general line advocated in this blog: Government -- from Cabinet to departmental heads, personal secretaries and other comparable positions --  needs to include a much higher proportion of trained, experienced civilians from different ethnic backgrounds. The military, for the moment, still has an important role to play in civic affairs but the mix in advisory and decision-making positions is not yet right.

FIJI IN FOR A RUDDY TIME. In a review of Australia's likely Pacific policies since the election and Kevin Rudd's appointment as Foreign Minister, Jenny Hayward-Jones* writes:  "The bad news for those hoping for a fresh approach is that there is unlikely to be any shift in policy towards Fiji.

"As Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd was responsible for driving Australia's highly principled stand against the unelected government of Frank Bainimarama. As Foreign Minister, he is unlikely to want to oversee any softening of that policy, lest it cause him to appear weak. Perhaps the best approach at the outset would be for Rudd to establish a short review of Australian policy towards Fiji, which would enable him to re-assess and give him some space to move. Just a thought." 
* Director of The Myer Foundation Melanesia Program at the Lowy Institute.

THE MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS. Ten years ago officials from 189 countries took part in a meeting at the United Nations in New York and made a promise to achieve eight goals to make the world a better place by 2015.

The MDGs include freedom from extreme poverty and hunger, quality education, decent employment, good health and shelter, the right of women to give birth without risking their lives, environmental sustainability and gender equality.

This month's Review Summit shows Fiji to have made considerable progress on MDG 2, universal education. Actions taken by Government include providing free bus fares to low income families, free tuition and free textbooks. Children in 490 of the country's 600 primary schools have already received this
assistance, and its $7.4m family assistance allowance, and $30 food voucher programme for poor families, will benefit around 200,000 people.

Work is also progressing on the MDG 5 of improving maternal health by 2015. Actions take so far by Government and the White Ribbon Safe Motherhood Initiative, that aim to cut maternal deaths by 75%, includes family planning and safe sex, and pregnancy advice.

Government actions in other MDG areas - poverty reduction, employment, shelter, gender equality and environmental sustainability - have been widely covered by this blog. Readers will have observed the similarity between the UN's MDG's and those of the People's Charter and the Government's Roadmap goals.


GOOD FOR A LAUGH. I had to read it twice to believe it.  A keynote speaker at USP last week, a Kiwi with "Hawai'ian blood ties" presumably in Fiji for the first time, chose to give advice on fast food, electric cars, and the export potential of villagers' produce at the Suva market. Europe, apparently, is a potential export market for such produce, said organic food advocate Dr Cathie Koa Dunsford, before going to say that Fiji could be a food basket of the world through the production of sustainable organic food.

Dr Dunsford said she'd travelled the world extensively but had never met polluted air as bad as what she had inhaled in Fiji’s capital city of Suva. “I couldn’t breathe. I have never been to a place where the air is so polluted like Suva  ... A long-term solution would be the use of electric cars in Fiji."

Scroll down to today's earlier post.

Missing Dollars, Corporate Governance, Suspicious Transactions, Solomon Logic, Squatters, MicroFinance

THE HALF-MILLION DOLLARS. Predictably, the anti-bloggers saw the Police statements that the $½ million were stolen overseas and some notes were circulating in Fiji as a police -- and therefore a Government -- cover-up. So,  if you believe this, there's not much point reading on.  The latest from the Police is that they now know where the theft occurred and now some notes entered the country and is being distributed. No further information is being revealed at this stage because it could compromise investigations.

POOR CORPORATE GOVERNANCE = LITANY OF ABUSES. Former Fiji High Court judge Nazhat Shameem (photo), now an independent consultant, has again drawn attention to corporate governance issues. Speaking at the Pacific Countries Ports Association Conference in Suva on Monday, Shameem said many corporate bodies do not adhere to their own procedures and rules, scoffing at them as red-tape. Corporate governance, she said, is about trust and honesty and treating other people’s assets with responsibility and care, adding that “greater observance of corporate governance principles and values in Fiji might have spared us the National Bank crisis, the Agricultural scam and the Housing Authority fraud.”


SUSPICIOUS TRANSACTIONS. The Fiji Financial Intelligence Unit reports  that suspicious transactions increased to $26 million last year, up from $10m in 2008. A suspicious transaction is a transaction or attempted transaction which a financial institution has reasonable grounds to suspect may be related money-laundering or other serious offence.

THE WISDOM OF SOLOMON.  following a logic remarkably similar to the Bainimarama government that sees infrastructural reforms as necessary for nation-building and national unity, Solomon Island PM Danny Philip, says that without considering traditional landownership issues, large-scale developments in the Solomons will not be sustainable.  This is because land reforms are needed to give resource owners an incentive to support state institutions.

“We were under the impression and assumption," he said,  that economic development will unite Solomon Islands society and give national cohesion. It didn’t work that way. So [we] have to go back and rediscover ourselves.”

In Fiji, the "engineered" misperception of vast inequalities of wealth along ethnic lines (viewed by Fijians as: Rich Indians, poor Fijians, and by Indo-Fijians as:  Hard-working Indians, lazy Fijians) was what helped to produce the divisive politics of ethnic-based parties, mistrust, misunderstanding and the 1987 and 2000 coups. In fact, it was only the averages that were different.  There were  -- and are -- very poor people of all races.

This is why the first phase of Government's Roadmap is focusing on material improvements, most especially in remote rural areas.  Improved race relations is the only bedrock on which genuine democracy can flourish in Fiji.

 HELP FOR SQUATTERS ON STATE LAND. The anti-government blogs made good mileage out of Land Minister Neumi Leweni's statement that squatters on state land would be evicted, and I also had problems reconciling the statement with governments anti-poverty measures. No previous government has ever evicted large numbers of squatters without making some provision for alternative locations. It was reassuring, therefore, to read yesterday's announcement by Lands Minister Netani Sukanaivalu that squatters living on state land at Vatuwaqa, where there two large squatter settlements, will be relocated with government assistance.

He said a big development project will be carried out soon from Laucala Bay to Wailea in Vatuwaqa where many squatters are residing and this is why they need to relocate those living on government land. Sukanaivalu says they have started development work at Jittu Estate and will be working soon on land occupied by squatters in Wailea and Muanivatu.

What is not clear from the announcement is whether the development work at Wailea and Muanivatu makes any provision for low-cost or self-help housing. Does anyone know what the "big development project" entails?

NEW MICROFINANCE ORGANIZATION.The South Pacific Business Development Foundation that began in Samoa ten years ago will open its doors in Fiji next week. The SPBDF is perhaps the region's most successful microfinance organization having already lent almost $US13 million to 12,000 families in Samoa and Tonga where it started operations last year. Founder Greg Casagrande said the organisation is expanding rapidly.“We will get to six or seven thousand clients in Tonga in short order, whereas Fiji we could easily reach 20,000 clients in the next few years.” The organization aims to "make a significant difference to the lives of poor Pacific Islanders.

For more detailed information click here. For elaboration on the terms microfinance and microcapital, follow the link at the foot of this article or go direct to http://www.microcapital.org  Thanks, R-d.

As Economy Falters, Fiji Becomes a Volatile Paradise

Wall Street journalist Neil Sands paints a gloomy picture of the Fiji economy to which a reader adds a comment calling for more transparency and more education so that ordinary people know what's going on, and why. The original article was published in the Wall Street Journal, part of the same Rupert Murdoch stable that owns the Fiji Times.

Thinking … Not Sleeping: Critical but Helpful Ideas on How to Take Fiji Forward

14. What Can Fiji Do?

Continued from yesterday

It will be impossible for a 100% military run government to hand over to a civilian run government. It would be impossible today and it will be impossible in 2014. Assuming government is genuine about 2014 and democracy, etc., it has to start changing how government is run now. I’m no politician but here are a few thoughts:

a) Make a deliberate and purposeful shift to something similar to a civilian government. Hire more people like Peter (Thomson) and Sharon (Smith-Johns). How about appointing a deputy PM who is a civilian with no military background? Ask the good performers amongst the military in government positions to resign from the military. Ultimately I would like to see Frank resign his post from the military as well. This might be a catalyst for a real change in international support. How about a more transparent cabinet where we can see the decisions being made and the arguments? Maybe invite international observes to observe cabinet ?

b) Allow some freedom of expression and gathering. Fiji I think will now self-censor to a certain extent. Lift the PER but at the same time launch a solid government media plan…have the good stories ready to go. Ignore the critics that will come. Better to get used to a bit of criticism now rather than 2014.

c) Put some signs and directions on the Roadmap. Currently it’s pretty much a map without scale or markings. The Roadmap should have hills that need crossing, forests that need to be cleared, speed limits that must be obeyed etc. (sorry taking the analogy a bit too far). Basically no one believes it because no detail is published and no minor milestones marked – change that.

d) This idea is a bit crazy but why not start a count down to free and fair elections NOW? “Billboards” that count down showing how many months to go could be put up. That would certainly show commitment and get everyone serious and focused on meeting the deadline.

e) As a previous blogger suggested, bring the election forward even by 3 months and it would be a huge symbolic message that Fiji is reasonable and is prepared to negotiate, not just dictate.

Continued tomorrow …

Click "Comment" below to comment and see others' comments.

Thinking … Not Sleeping: Critical but Helpful Ideas on How to Take Fiji Forward

7- 8. Double Standards

Continued from yesterday

7. Mighty words, minor action and double standards


When you hear the PM talk about getting rid of corruption the words are mighty. No one can disagree with what he says and there are many minor cases of this government taking action. In particular against public servants – well done. They are all minor cases, though. Where is the massive corruption the former prime minister was involved in?

They have also left themselves open to perceived or real double standards. There are too many to mention (think Francis Kean, the AG’s brother, Mahen and tax). I felt the big turning point was when the PM paid himself back pay. The numbers did not stack up and no one believed it. He was either negligible in his duties and should have resigned for never having taken leave or he was simply lining his pockets. Double standards. A true leader would not have done it. It is still not too late to reverse these decisions.

8. Clever by half

The charter process started out OK. I was involved in this as well. But much of it was pre-written by John Samy. Minister failed to turn up. The process was never going to work. The voting on the acceptance was a complete joke. I remember clearly the day our housekeeper (yes, I have a house keeper, nothing sinister in that) came to me scared that the military had arrived and asked her to sign the charter. She is a reasonable reader but said she wanted to read it and thought it might be hard to understand. Maybe it was a good idea to start with but it became a farce. The final copy I have still starts out by talking about ‘respecting the constitution and rule of law’

Other examples of clever by half included calling for dialogue then excluding anyone with a alternate view. The latest example of clever by half is the spin on Mahendra Chaundhry. It is different now. It’s the RBF, it’s different charges. No one believes it.

Continued tomorrow ...   Click "Comment" below to comment and see others' comments.

(+) Whose Court Smells of Rotten Fish?

The normally "moderate" and well informed anti-Government blog Fiji Today has published what some could believe to be a subtantiated post on the Bainimarama assassination plot trial that claims the  verdict was staged. The post is titled "The Smell of Rotten Fish in the Courthouse."

The blog said in investigating the story it (presumably one of the four editors) held "several clandestine meetings with a senior serving officer in the RFMF" and  from these meetings with this one officer of unknown rank and unknown access to information on military personnel or court procedures, the blog claims it can confirm:

1. The Chief Registrar of the High Court army lawyer Major Ana Rokomokoti is still listed as being on active duty with the RFMF. 
2. The Chief Registrar nominated both the judge and the assessors for this case.
3. Three of the five assessors in this case are serving or territorial members of the military.
4. The lawyers concerned were in no position to argue against the choices of the Chief Registrar Major Rokomokoti as she is also the person who gets to decide if they are issued with a practicing license to be a lawyer.

The blog concluded that the trial was staged, making much of the statistical odds (1 in 2.7 million) of three serving soldiers being randomly selected as assessors.   My information, from legal sources, does not support most of their claims. 

Their first claim is accepted. It is no secret that many military people are currently performing civilian functions. Ana Rokomokoti is a qualified lawyer fully capable of performing the tasks of Chief Registrar.

Their second claim is false. The Chief Registrar did not pick the judge or the assessors. The High Court criminal registry has a system of random case allocation which is monitored by the judges themselves, and not by the Chief Registrar.

Their third claim is also false. No member of the military was an asssessor and defence counsel were specifically asked to verify that this was case.

Their fourth claim is speculation. Assessors are vetted by the prosecution and the defence in a pre-trial conference.

There is no objective way of knowing or testing the professional integrity of the lawyers, the judge or the Chief Registrar, although some I know who attending the trial thought the evidence pretty conclusive, and the assessors' guilty verdict was unanimous.

Disagreeing with their verdict is an insufficient ground to question their integrity.

(o) Brief Shorts Tues 23.2.10

New Feature. Letters to the Editor.  Scroll down.
Support the Readership Drive. See left column.

My posting exposing Sailesi Daunitutu's "600,000 petition" has been taken up by at least one NZ blogger with close government ties, and RadioNZ, perhaps coincidentally, is now referring to two "letters" and not a "petition" signed by more than the total adult Fiji population, but it has not publically apologized or withdrawn its earlier releases. PM Bainimarama has called the petition "toilet paper".

PERS and Dialogue

(+) National Dialogue Forum.The chairmanship and membership of the government's proposed National Dialogue Forum is still to be finalised. The forum, initially scheduled to hold its first meeting this month, is expected to lay the groundwork for a constitutional forum in September 2012.  Link.

(o-) PERS, the Public Emergency Regulations, have again been extended for 30 days, to March 2. The late promulgation of the regulations (22 Feb.) actually results in a nine day extension.   Earlier, Government had given its assurance that PERS would be lifted once the new Media Decree is in place. This would mean the lifting of present restrictions on rights of assembly and free speech deemed acceptable while ensuring "acceptable" standards by the media. I fail to understand why government is taking so long to publish the Media Decree and explain its implications. It seems strange to moot a National Dialogue while preventing the very sort of open discussion that dialogue presumes.

As argued many times, government has far more to lose by curtailing informal dialogues (presently prohibited by PERS) as the much needed broad public platform for the more formal National Dialogue than it does by lifting PERS -- unless, as also previously stated, there is a real security risk.

But if this is the case, it is surely possibly to continue the ban on large public assemblies while permitting people to talk politics over coffee or a bilo of yaqona. Blanket bans win few friends, as NZ's blanket travel bans have shown, while most people would accept the need for more finely tuned assembly and travel bans.  Link.

Fiji-NZ Links 

Fiji Sun editoral on Fiji-New Zealand links. Link NZ Foreign Minister Murray McCully has agreed "in principle" to informally meet PM Bainimarama at next month's Hong Kong Sevens but for some unfathomed reason PM Key thinks that both of them going to Hong Kong is a "spooky coincidence." Perhaps they both enjoy Sevens football. But if Key  is right, my bet would be on Bainimarama beating McCully to the stadium.

Reserve Bank governor Sada  Reddy and the NZ travel bans. Link.  

Today's speech to the House on Fiji by Minister McCully that clarifies some issues.  Link.

(+) Roadmap

Micro-finance: part of the Roadmap to reduce poverty. The new 11-member National Financial Inclusion Taskforce chaired by Reserve Bank of Fiji (RBF) governor Sada Reddy, with members from banks, micro finance organisations and the business community,  wants 150,000 people to have access to banking services by 2014. The body was established to spearhead government’s microfinance campaign.  Link.

Corruption. Ministry of Works and Transport sacks 50 "corrupt" workers.Link.

Shortage of land surveyors.  Link.  The shortage has been given as one reason for delays in land transfers and leases.

***************

Typoid outbreak.The Ministry of Health has confirmed 32 typhoid cases, following earlier reports of the disease in Suva's upgraded Jittu Estate squatter settlement and its spread to other parts of the country. Typhoid is a water-borne disease and no threat to people drinking directly from properly regulated reticulated water supplies. That said, I'd be boiling all my drinking water for a while. One wonders whether constant metropolitan water cuts has been a factor in the spread of the disease. Click on "Comments" below to read what an informed reader has to say on the outbreak.

Sunday Feature: Why We Have Bad Leaders

In our focus on individuals, we have neglected the role of institutions in shaping polity and the social order. I hope this short piece advances the debate as Fiji attempts to move forward.

Why Do We Have Bad Leaders?

by Sudarsan Kant

 It is almost a truism among the commenteriat class to attribute the years of political hiccups in Fiji to bad leadership. Repeated often with varying degrees of gravitas and concern, “bad leadership” has basically taken a life of its own, denoting not only political and economic failure across the decades, but the ensuing deformation of some of our most cherished institutions. It often seems that only emerging democracies are afflicted with this peculiar “crisis of leadership” contagion, and thus the invasive scrutiny many of these leaders face from the advanced democracies. 

I must confess at this juncture that I too have been guilty of using “bad leadership” as a useful trope to explain the complex and often bewildering sets of events that have engulfed Fiji for over a quarter of a century. However an exaggerated emphasis on subjective analysis of individual leadership is an insufficient explanation of our political travails and it is time to look beyond the conventional wisdom and the tired truisms. 

            A better theory that explains why we have been served a steady diet of dodgy leaders is because the institutions (formal and informal rules) create the conditions that make possible the emergence of questionable leadership. Institutions, Ellen Immergut argues “structure interactions” and shape strategies that may lead to desired outcomes under specific conditions. The political rules in Fiji have been rigged for a long time which encourage a toxic mix of nativist grievances, Indo-Fijian recalcitrance, religious intolerance, ethnic cleavages, state and business collusion, etc., all of which have contributed to years of mismanagement and political immiseration.

         

   Let us look at the case of Mr. Qarase, which has been offered by his detractors as a prime example of bad leadership, resulting in our current predicament. In reviewing Mr. Qarase’s tenure, Subhash Appana recently argued that Mr. Qarase evinced a deep racial animus against other ethnic communities and that his overriding governing philosophy was racialist in tone and substance. However, apart from some unfortunate and careless rhetoric of his and his supporters, there was nothing particularly unusual in the way he governed during his term in office than any of his predecessors. Mr. Qarase acted quite rationally within the institutional constrains that encouraged the promotion and cultivation of ethnic particularities and rewarded extremist   displays of nationalist bona fides. The attempt to codify in law public policy that favored specific ethnic communities was simply a logical extension of existing institutional norms that encouraged the privileging of a nativist agenda. Mr. Qarase took advantage of both formal and informal rules to secure and expand his base through a vast network of patronage and clientelism. It is therefore misleading to vilify him for his success in playing the political game from a template not of his choosing, but certainly to his liking.

            Institutions shape the contours of our political landscape, thus the political rules we have in Fiji are aptly reflected in the political leadership we have. These rules have for a long time rewarded racial polarization, religious intolerance, gender inequality, financial shenanigans, extremist rhetoric, contempt for modernity, incompetence, misplaced loyalties, class stratifications and divisiveness. Why are we surprised time and again when individuals rise up to play by these rules and take advantage of the institutional structures already in place?

            Only by changing the rules of the game can we even stand a chance of developing leadership that is worthy of leading a diverse and inclusive society. The reform of our political institutions is imperative and necessary if we are to make any progress in creating a society that we say we want. It is time to construct rules that promote transparency, pluralism and equality for a nation of decent and hardworking people, who deserve better leaders than the ones they have been saddled with. It is time to construct institutions that make appeals to race, religion, class or even gender extremely costly to ones political ambitions and calculations. We need enforceable rules that raise the transaction costs for individuals and groups that promote narrow and sectarian ideologies, with the goal of ultimately marginalizing them to the fringes of society. For example Europe after World War Two went to great lengths in isolating and in some cases banning racist and fascist organizations, thus forcing mainstream parties and moderate politicians to disassociate themselves from these groups and their ideologies if they wanted to maintain legitimacy and participate in the political process.

We have bad leaders because we have bad rules that reward insularity, irredentism and the balkanization of society. It is time to create institutions that are conducive to attracting only those individuals and groups willing to work for the common good, with a governing philosophy that is winsome, decent, and just. The people of Fiji deserve nothing less.

kantsudarsan@hotmail.

* Ellen M. “The Theoretical Core of the New Institutionalism” Politics and Society, Vol. 26, No. 1 (March 1998), pp. 5-34.