Ratu Iloilo: Man for All the People; Australia Repeats Itself

The casket of the late president, Ratu Josefa Iloilovatu Uluivuda leaves the Government House. PHOTO: Jonacani Lalakobau, Fiji Times.

N0129. RATU ILOILO PRACTISED WHAT HE PREACHED. Man of all people has left a new comment on your post "Ratu Josefa Iloilovatu Uluivuda 1920 - 2011":

Croz, It's interesting to see the outpouring of genuine sadness and fulsome tributes from the Indo-Fijian community at the death of the Tui Vuda. I don't think anyone realised the extent to which Ratu Iloilo not only engaged that community but stood alongside it.

I was struck by the tribute made by the Rev William Lucas, the head of the Indian division of the Methodist Church. He disclosed that when Ratu Iloilo was a teacher in Labasa, he chose to worship at the local Indo-Fijian church and was a lay preacher there. This is almost unheard of in the local context and speaks volumes for Ratu Iloilo's belief in a multiracial Fiji.

I agree with "What Matters Most?" that the Tui Vuda's more vocal critics need to have a good look at themselves. At the very least, anyone who practises what they preach when it comes to racial tolerance in Fiji is worthy of our collective respect. God knows there are precious few of them and until that changes, nothing else will. (See other comments by clicking 'Comments" at the end of the posting.)

N0130. WHAT AUSTRALIA WILL AND WILL NOT ACCEPT. Last year PM Bainimarama withdrew his invitation for the Pacific Islands Forum  Ministerial Contact Group to visit Fiji and see for themselves after NZ Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully, on leaving the Auckland meeting, told a TV audience exactly what he thought about all the bad things happening in Fiji. Bainimarama countered by saying if his mind was made up, there was no point in coming to see for himself.

Now Australia’s Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Island Affairs Richard Marles seems intent on doing the same thing. Speaking from Vila where the MCG is meeting, he has reaffirmed Australia's demand for elections before 2014, asked what concrete steps the Fiji government is taking "towards a return to democracy", and demanded Fiji re-establish "human rights and freedom of the press." He has even pre-empted Fiji's question on easing foreign sanctions by saying "Australia would not consider that at the moment."

Marles also seeks an invitation to MCG members to visit Fiji and has laid down the conditions for their visit. They must "have complete access to the political parties in Fiji, to the civil society in Fiji and to the church leaders in Fiji, so that we can have a really good understanding of where the country's at and where all opinions are at in Fiji about its future."

That sounds reasonable except, by singling out the political parties and church leaders (read Methodist Church leaders) he seems to want to talk most to people known to oppose the Bainimarama Government and, most importantly, to oppose the People's Charter that forms the basis of all Government reforms.

I doubt Bainimarama will agree. He has repeated said political parties based on race will not be allowed to stand in the 2014 election, and his stance on de-politicising the Methodist Church is well known. The most Marles can hope for is an agreed list; not one that would breathe new life into Qarase's SDL party whose racist policies while in government were a major cause of the 2006 Bainimarama Coup.

The purpose of the MCG meetings is to maintain dialogue with Fiji. It seems a strange way to start.  But perhaps some progress can be made on Fiji’s participation in regional trade and economic deliberations, including PACER Plus negotiations. The Group will report to their respective leaders in preparation for the next Forum Leaders’ meeting in Auckland from 6-9 September.

Australia and New Zealand would win back some of the respect they have lost if, at this time when Fiji grieves the passing of its former president, they had the common courtesy to publicly express their condolences.  So far I have seen no mention of his passing in the NZ media.

Fiji has invited the MCG to visit Fiji. 

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!

Brij Lal's Book on Jai Ram Reddy

The life of Fiji’s statesman Judge Jai Ram Reddy: Dr Brij Lal’s “In the Eye of the storm.” 

-- by Thakur Ranjit Singh
 

India’s first Prime Minister and Indira Gandhi’s father, Pundit Jawaharlal Nehru once said that history is always written from the viewpoint of victors. So is true about Fiji’s history, especially those relating to the suffering of the indenture and the trials and tribulations of its descendants.

The Rich-Poor Gap: Fiji New Zealand Parallels

 One measure of social wellbeing in a country is the rich-poor gap: the smaller the gap, the higher level of wellbeing.  In recent years, this gap has been widening in many countries, including New Zealand and Fiji. Among my emails last week was one from the NZ Greens Party. Their proposals to narrow the gap is of special interest because they advocate many of the measures to which the Fiji Government is already committed.

(o) When Criticism Should be Heard

BIMAN'S Criticism Useful

The word "criticism" is often used to describe a negative, fault-finding comment, but it more accurately means a judgement or assessment that may be positive or negative, or both. USP Economics Professor Biman Prasad's comments on the need for Government to encourage confidence to grow the economy reported in Islands Business were both. They were, I think, a fair, reasoned and helpful assessment that Government would do well to heed, despite his otherwise well-known opposition to the legality of  Government.  Photo: RadioFiji

(+) Just Back from Fiji

Author of Tears in Paradise, the 125 year story of Indians in Fiji, Rajendra Prasad, has just returned to New Zealand from Fiji.  This is what he had to say of his trip in Indian NewsLink, NZ's highest circulation Indian newspaper.

 
During my recent visit to Fiji, I was amazed at the widespread normalcy powerfully evident, in most urban centers, depicting the social, political and economic pulse of the nation.

Fiji has not escaped the impact of the global recession, and is additionally suffering the sanctions imposed by Australia and New Zealand against the Interim Government led by Commodore Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama.

The Reserve Bank of Fiji devalued the Fijian Dollar to sustain liquidity.

Fiji is struggling but not panicking. As Australia and New Zealand ease their sanctions and as tourism picks up, the country’s economic performance may be better this year.

Further, the expected high price for sugar may assist in restoring stability, notwithstanding the decline in sugar output.

The promise of 99-year farm leases to farmers could reinvigorate the agricultural sector, which was savaged when Indo-Fijian farmers suffered massive eviction, leaving the rich and productive farmland fallow.

After a decade, most farmlands are now covered by bush. Many villages are silent and somnolent, as those who once gave it life were herded out because they were Indo-Fijians.

There is hope that the Interim Government may restore these farms to productive use, securing the interests of landowners and tenants for mutual benefit. 

Improved race relations

Race relations have improved remarkably. The previous governments used racism to retain their dominance. The Bainimarama Government has doused the flames and if it continues on its path, the small embers would extinguish by itself, as sanity, reason and understanding nourish the hearts and minds of the people.

I traveled to Suva from Ba twice and met many people and none of them spoke against Commodore Bainimarama or his government. The radio talkback shows praised him and talk around the proverbial kava bowel was appreciation. But this is not to claim that there are no critics. Clearly, they are a minority and comprise supporters of deposed Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase or his SDL Party.

Few things were obvious, to which the public has responded positively. Civil service is being purged of corrupt officials. In the last two years, 50 officers from Works and Transport Ministry lost their jobs for abuse of authority, nepotism, fraud, corruption and bribery. Eleven other departments are under investigation. Those who indulged in corruption in the past have realigned with the dictates of the Interim Government, aware of the dire consequences.

The civil service has been reinvigorated and officials have awakened from their slumber, responding to the new era with pace and urgency.  

Mr Bainimarama visited Raki Raki and Ba rural areas to connect with the farming communities. Anyone can send him a text on 01 and raise their concerns. We complained about the bad condition of road that served our village and found roadwork undertaken in about two days.

The crime scene

Most people felt that crime was on the decline. For the first time in the history of our village, arsonists who habitually carried out the annual ritual of burning sugarcane plantations were restrained. Those village thugs, engaged in extortion, using strong-arm tactics or glib tongue, have largely been disabled.

The legal profession is being regulated by the Government, sending a strong message to practitioners that they cannot now dodge or evade, after dispensing their services recklessly.

However, organised crime including raiding service stations, business places and homes of business owners are of concern. The authorities continue to target the perpetrators of such crimes but with measured success.

Politicians are in forced hibernation. Many may never return to the pasture that they relished, as the El Nino effect on Fiji’s political landscape may continue until 2014. The Great Council of Chiefs was dissolved over three years ago and may never meet again.

The Methodist Church has been forced to retreat to the pulpit and its role restricted to the spiritual realm. It cannot hold its annual fête, collecting millions of dollars from its members and using the forum to indoctrinate them with the political ideology of the nationalists.

The Interim Government has taken some bold initiatives that no elected government would have had the courage to undertake. Hopefully, it would be able to restore the desires, dreams and aspirations of the people of Fiji – a country where all its peoples’ will look at each other as equal citizens, and not with the racial tag.
 raj.prasad@xtra.co.nz
Reprinted, with thanks, from Indian New Week.

Bainimarama on Elections, ABC's Bias, NZ Sanctions Against Dancers ....

Short Briefs 3.3.10
Scroll down to Assassination verdict.
NZ Travel Ban Continues. Two Fiji performers to the Pasifika Festival in Auckland have been denied visas by the New Zealand Government. The two performers, Patricia Naisara and Samu Cama, were rejected because their fathers are in the Fiji Military Forces. That means the Vou Dance group will only have nine members instead of the regular 11 to perform on the closing day on March 13. The festival starts on March 6 and is an annual celebration of Pacific peoples in New Zealand. The Vou Dance group will be the only Fiji representatives there. (See comment by Kiwi Injustice in the "A Close Examination of Some Anti-Government Blog Postings.") Photo: Fiji Times.

Bainimarama's "Good" and "Bad" Ideas on the 2014 Elections

 Bainimarama wants to see new young faces, "with new ideas to be running the government," for the 2014 elections.

In a FijLive interview, the PM urged the younger generation not to shy away from politics but rather be a part of it. “What we want is young people to be involved in the National Dialogue Forum and be part of the government. They need to change their mentality about leaving the country in the hands of older politicians."

He also said Government is going over the names of people who had applied to be a part of the National Dialogue Forum, which had been expected to begin a month ago, following numerous applications from former politicians. This seems to mean that although the former political parties, based on race-defined electorates, will not be invited to the Forum, selected individual politicians, who may form new non-race bound parties, will be welcome. This is good news.

Later. however, Bainimarama is reported to have said no person who has been a politician since the 1987 coup will be allow to be a politician again.  This is bad news.

"Balanced" Reporting, Yet Again. RadioAustralia reported something of this Bainimarama's position when ABC radio journalist Campbell Cooney, provided short extracts from Ted Young, former SDL politician and strategist now living in Australia, Brij Lal and Cde Voqere Bainimarama. Former FCBBF technical head John Samy was also mentioned but was not interviewed.

In the interests of unbiased journalism and with an eye on Australia fair play, I decided to timed them. For those against the Government: Brij had 64 seconds in two bursts, Ted 33 seconds; while for those for the Government, Voqere had 14, and John apparently had 0.

New Water Supply to Rural Areas. People in rural areas will no longer be required to pay one-third of the costs of piped water installation while the State pays the other two-thirds. PM Bainimarama says the traditional system is unfair when those living in urban areas don’t pay a single cent. The one-third requirement caused delays of several years as rural communities sought to save the necessary money.

The Native Land Trust Board has ruled that "goodwill" payments made to landowners before leases are confirmed are illegal.

Homosexuality Decriminalised. The Pacific Coordinator of UNAIDS, Stuart Watson, says in dealing with HIV Aids and other sexually transmitted infections, Fiji's Crimes Decree, that has decriminalised homosexuality, is a huge step forward.

Miners at Vatukoula gold mine who were laid off in 2007 and continue to remain unemployed will receive a $1.6 million payout next week.  Link.

Fiji has kicked off 2010 with a 37.6% jump in international visitor arrivals – the best figures the destination has recorded for the start to a new year’s business since 2008.

(+) A Close Examination of Some Anti-Government Blog Postings

Sometimes it is necessary to expose the unreasoned bias, viciousness, inaccuracies and deliberate misrepresentations published in the anti-government blogs, most of which not not allow comments on their blogs from anyone critical of their postings, and whose answers to their detractors attack the critic and not the argument. Thus, to many of these bloggers, I am a "coup apologist" who writes  "bullshit."

Today I look at three examples (and the dissemination of one by RadioNZ International). Tomorrow, or the next day, I'll examine their mischevious postings on former Judge Nazhaat Shameem, the publisher of the Fiji Times, and the Crimes Decree.

Fiji Democracy Now
Fiji Democracy Now has a feature "Father Barr makes more empty promises to the poor" in which it makes several claims:

Claim One. "Fiji’s most disgraceful hypocrite, Father Kevin Barr, has promised he’ll soon award wage increases to the low paid workers of Fiji." 

Fact. Fr Barr has promised nothing on what he will do. He speaks as the chairperson of the Wages Council. For those who do not know of Fr Barr, he has championed -- and sought to empower -- Fiji's underprivileged for over two decades, and for this work he is widely respected in Fiji and overseas.

Claim Two. "Poverty has exploded under the illegal regime which he supports, so his conscience must be pricking him." 

Fact. Poverty has increased, but poverty is not of this government's making. In the 1990s some 25 percent of Fiji's population were below the "poverty line." Today's situation is exacerbated by the the world recession and the isolationist policies of Fiji's neighbours. Its economic options are limited but it has sought to assist the poor in several ways, including the  removal of VAT on basic food items, and not increasing VAT as the Qarase government intended to do. The infrastructual actions in Government's Roadmap should help reduce rural poverty, and measures taken should see a sharp reduction in overall poverty in the middle- to long-term.

Claim Three. "What this foolish priest doesn’t seem to understand is that a wage increase across the board which he’s promising will simply lead to more devaluation which will further push up the price of imported food." 

Fact. The wage increases are not "across the board." They are industry-specific and concern minimum wages only. They are also being  introduced progressively to assist employers. The ultimate aim is to increase the minimum wage to the "poverty line" that currently stands at $175 a week. Some 60 percent of workers now earn less than this.

The wage increases could lead to inflation (not devaluation!) but the poor spend all their money in the local economy which should prove a stimulus in some areas. Meanwhile, government's Roadmap includes measures to increase local food production and reduce dependence on imported food.

Does FDN think there should be no minimum wage and no wage increases, even when 60 percent of Fiji's population is living below the poverty line?

Claim Four. "This self-appointed expert of electoral systems knows nothing about economics." 

Fact. Fr Barr has never made any claim to expertise on electoral systems -- but he does have a Masters degree in Economics!

FijiCoup2006
Sai Lealea's blog FijiCoup2006 reports that a "drunk military goon squad" arrested a number of people, including two former MPs, who were drinking grog (yaqona/kava) at the SDL Party office last Friday night. They were allegedly taken to QEB, insulted, demeaned and eventually released.

The incident, censored by media watchdogs, although not particularly important in itself, does no credit to the RFMF, the Military Council or Government, who need to show that the RFMF is a "disciplined force" not a capricious rabble.

But why do the blogs only publish negative news?  In "Write your letters to the Editor here" I have invited Sai to respond properly to another reader who did not agree with his comments, and to reply to my invitation to show a "way forward."

Fiji News Uncensored
Another anti-government blog, FijiNewsUncensored, citing "very reliable source within the Fiji's Prime Ministers office,"  claims that Bainimarama was so fazed that the army intelligence did not pick up the planning of the "600,000 petition" (mostly organized from overseas) that he is "overcome by fear knowing that his end is near... The madman is breaking loose once more. We will continue to keep you up to date as our people on the ground are completely on red alert. Fiji is in a very dangerous situation right now."

The reality, as explained in earlier postings, is that this totally unreliable petition was a fiction of the political parties deposed by the 2006 Coup and was certainly not signed by a fraction of the 680,000 claimed. Bainimarama saw it for what it was immediately. As for the "red alert," I suspect this is the latest in a sequence of  threats, none of which eventuated, intended to destabilise government and keep its opponents happy. 

RadioNZ International

I see from FijiDemocracyNow that  RadioNZ International is still giving credit to the petition by citing its organizer.  No mention is made of this blog that exposed the petition (see link above)  for what it was. In the interests of informed and unbiased journalism RadioNZI should always cite sources. This it seldom does, leaving this writer to believe it is often "fed" news items by anti-government people and organizations. If it carries on  like this, there'll soon be a case to take to the NZ Broadcasting Standards Authority.

P.S. I should have added two other blogs, one that inferred Bainimarama's visit to Ra province was somehow connected with the increase of typhoid; the other claiming that the Muslims had taken over government.  What caused the Muslim accusation? President Epeli speaking on the Prophet's birthday. Earlier, it was the Catholics and the Hindus.

Cartoon: Pacific Media Centre/Cafe Pacific

Short Briefs Mon 1.3.10

Today, Muslims celebrate the Prophet's Birthday and Hindus Holi. President Ratu Epeli Nailalatikau stresses the importance of religion in nation building and taking Fiji to a better future.

I find it strange that the RadioFiji web page invariably chooses a photo of PM Bainimarama in military uniform, just like the overseas media that seeks to stress his military role. Bainimaramana  said the lifting of sanctions was the main issue discussed between Ratu Inoke Kubuabola and Murray McCully when they met last week, but "Ratu Inoke was doing the talking on Fiji’s behalf." Good. One spokesman. One voice.

PM Bainimarama has again stated the SDL, NFP, FLP parties will not participate in the forthcoming National Dialogue or be allowed to return to power in 2014. He claims ther parties are holding secret meetings and were behind the "600,000" petition.

Wages Council chair Fr Kevin Barr  expects wage increases from July 1 2010, saying the Council is trying to be fair to employers and workers. The People's Charter sought a national minimum wage in accordance with the poverty line, at present $175 a week. Some 60 percent of workers are below that. The increases will be introduced gradually.

The new $8m bridge at Naqali  opened by the PM last week will enable the eleven tikina (districts) of Naitasiri who live past Naqali to get their produce to the markets in time and also transport those who are sick to the hospital and the struggle they used to face in the old bridge will now be a thing of the past. The villages will also soon have access to electricity.

Government is exploring ways to upgrade Nadi International Airport.

The new US Embassy at Tamavua, Suva, to open next year will have cost $100 million, about one-half of which feed back into the local economy. The US Embassy is accredited to Fiji, Tonga,  Kiribati, Tuvalu and Nauru, and is the largest US consul district in the world which includes French Polynesia, New Caledonia and Wallis and Futuna.

(+) Suliasi in Wonderland: a Nonsense Petition

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

If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn't be. And what it wouldn't be, it would. You see?

Alice in Wonderland.

This posting traces the origin of a petition, its validity, and its unquestioning acceptance by RadioNZ and other media outlets.

Fiji: A call for democracy by NZ blog NoRightTurn

"Fiji's people have been fairly meek and accepting in the face of three years of military rule - but not any longer. On Friday, they submitted a petition to the military regime calling for the restoration of democracy and elections by the end of the year. It was backed by over 680,000 people - more than 80% of the country's population. It will be interesting to see how the regime responds to this. With that level of mass opposition, its not as if they can arrest everyone (besides the obvious problem of numbers, the soldiers may not be willing to arrest their families). OTOH, unless the people are willing to turn their mass opposition into colour-revolution-style mass protests, then the regime may not in fact have to do anything."  Link.

Now read on to see where this nonsense came from.

RadioNZ reports, without prior enquiry, question or comment, that a petition "said to have the support of more than 600,000 people"  has petitioned Bainimarama to hold elections this year. Link.( See other RadioNZ links below.)  And Coupfourpointfive has followed suit.

I presume their "source" was one of the interlinked anti-government blogsites, most probably Matavuvale or Tears for Fiji. Do not be surprised to see this incredible story next mentioned in the international print media.

The informant and main petitioner was Suliasi Daunitutu of Queanbeya, NSW, who is linked to the Australian FijiDemocracyNow movement. Suliasi said the petitioners, most presumably living in Fiji, "are afraid to express [their views] openly, so it's being done through various political parties ... Leaders of the Fiji Labour, SDL and National Federation Party..."

So.  This is a petition based on past party membership lists  not individuals who have signed in  their own right or given parties to sign on their behalf. The lists were apparently given by these parties to Suliasi and then handed by him to Bainimarama! I certainly wouldn't like to belong to a political party, or any other organization, which was so free with its membership list. And if Bainimarama is as vindictive as Suliasi would claim, he isn't doing his petitioners any good by giving him their names and addresses. The petition is immediately suspect on these grounds.

It is also suspect on the number of petitioners claimed:

Sunday Feature: An Insider's View from the Outside

Nesian is a pseudonym for a moderate, Fiji-born, part-Fijian,Hindi-speaking, sky-blue passport-carrying, former Fiji-resident. An Insider's View From the Outside is the result of years spent thinking about all that has happened since the 2000 coup.   Photo: Earth from space. Oakfieldmedia.com.

Defining Moment

IN the lead-up to the 1999 elections, I was part of a tour into the heart of the then Fiji Intelligence Service headquarters in Berkley Crescent.

Outside, we walked past officers undergoing martial arts training under the guidance of Major Dong Jin Kim.

The centre of the room where the National Security Council met was dominated by a sizeable round table. There were chairs for the members of the council: the Prime Minister (Sitiveni Rabuka) and Minister for Home Affairs, the Commander of the Fiji Military Forces (Ratu Epeli Ganilau), the head of FIS, and others I can’t now recall.

Heavy light green curtains lined the walls of the room and one of these had been drawn aside, perhaps for the benefit of the visitors, to reveal photos of various weapons that were still missing from the 1987 illicit arms shipments.

A curtain on another wall had inadvertently slipped open. The resulting crack revealed a map of Fiji, and highlighted on the map were Fiji Labour Party campaign meeting details, the party’s strongholds and the names of party members.

The campaign that spawned May 19, 2000 was in motion.

P.S. No suggestion is made that those named were part of the "campaign that spawned the 2000 Coup" but what was seen on the wall certainly suggests some FIS involvement in the 1999 election. The FIS was disbanded when Chaudhry's FLP won the election, only to be ousted one year later by the Speight-fronted coup. Photo: Earth from Space.

(o) The Link Between February's Dialogue Forum, the 2012-13 Constitution Forum and the 2014 Elections

This post is a summary of an exclusive interview by Samisoni Pareti of  Islands Business with the Prime Minister's Office Permanent Secretary, Col. Pio Tikoduadua (photo), in which Tikoduadua spells out the functions of next month's nationwide dialogue forum and its relationship with the constitutional dialogue scheduled for between September 2012 and September 2013, exactly 12 months before the 2014 elections.  Click here for the full article.

Next month's National Dialogue for Fiji’s Future (NDFF) will have an “open” agenda  to be decided by  the NDFF Secretariat and its yet-to-be appointed chair.  People and organisations that participate will meet four basic prerequisites.They be forward looking, have the best interest of Fiji at heart,  hold views consistent with the People’s Charter for change, will not have an outstanding case before the courts, and not  represent a political party that espouses ethnic based politics.

Civic rather than political party participation is desired on the state of the nation and economic and political issues.  "You can’t really separate political issues from the people’s discussions," says Tikoduadua."That is going to come through but as long as they don’t go in and try to further their own political party agendas. It is hoped the  outcome will be previous support for “They can gauge their way from there and go forward. What we would like to see is for the forum to develop further into what could become a consultative body for the new constitution by way of input.” [It will be noted that former PM Qarase, who has a court case pending, and race-based parties, are excluded. It will be interesting to see how race-based parties are defined.]

The Constitution Dialogue Forum consultations during between September 2012-2013  will be  extensive and not limited to political parties.  Issues to be decided include the size of the new parliament, the appropriateness of a bi-cameral system, the length of a government's term of office, and systems of checks and balances. [It is probable that the political parties involved will not include the old race-based parties.]

The new Constitution will be in place by September 2013 at the latest and will be translated into the vernacular languages. Pocket-size editions will be be made widely available so that candidates and all citizens can  familiarize themselves with its provisions.

[It will also be interesting to see how this enhanced sequence of popular consultations is received by Australia, New  Zealand and the international community. India, the most populous Commonwealth country, has already indicated it will help in any ways it can to pave the way for democratic elections.]

(G-) Fiji Times, Fiji TV Not Included in Media Decree Consultation

Government says the Fiji Times and TV Fiji will not take part in the consultative process on the proposed Media Decree due to come into effect early next year because "they have demonstrated through their perverse publication and broadcast respectively that they do not recognise the contemporary Fijian legal system, the status of the Bainimarama government, are partisan and not Fiji focused".

Consultations will only include "media organisations and other relevant stakeholders which recognise the Bainimarama government and who have an interest in moving Fiji forward." If they want to be invited they must "change their partisan editorial, publication and broadcast positions and policy." 

The decision is understandable but regretted because Government must engage with its opponents if these and other consultation outcomes are to be accepted as credible, not least by Government well-wishers in Fiji and abroard. ANU's Brij Lal sees "parallels with a political dialogue forum on electoral reforms planned for early next year. The government has announced several key political parties will be excluded from the meeting because their views are 'unhelpful'".

Government must find a way around this problem. To exclude leaders of the SDL party is understandable but representatives of the many "moderate" people who voted SDL should be included. A similar approach on the Media Decree would see "moderate" media opponents of Government included in the consultations.

All Strangely Agree on Reform Substance -- Really?

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"The strange thing is I have talked myself to political leaders in Fiji and all of them agree strangely enough on the substance of the reforms which are necessary."

These are the words of Roger Moore, the European Union's Director for Development and Relations with the Pacific, after his recent return from Fiji where he met government and opposition leaders. He was speaking yesterday to NZTV's Paul Holmes.

Comment
It is indeed strange. It is also the first time I've heard the claim. One wonders why, if it is so simple now, the political leaders did nothing to implement the reforms when they were in parliament. Why they have constantly tried to undermine and detract from government's reform efforts. And why they themselves have done nothing to advance reform except to talk in non-specific terms to overseas visitors.

(oB) Fijian Commoner 'Should Be Free': CAMV

Politics, especially politics in a small-scale society where personal loyalties and pride are often more important that ideologies and policies, are never simple. I've sometimes wondered whether this is why Fiji bloggers of opposing persuasions first insult and then pray for each other. Today's enemies could be tomorrow's friends, and vice versa, so it's wise to cover your bets.

There have always been shifting alliances within and between Fiji's political parties, and chiefs (often from the same family), business people, academics and civil rights leaders stand on both sides of Fiji's present political divide. But now we have developments and alliances that only six months ago seemed impossible. Two weeks ago we saw old enemies Qarase and Chaudhry unite in a letter to Bainimarama. I put the letter down to a publicity stunt but there could also be real substance in what I called their "arranged marriage."

Now there's an even more amazing development. The extreme Fijian nationalist party, the Conservative Alliance Matanitu Vanua (CAMV), is apparently backing the Bainimarama Government whose politices most certainly do not support extreme Fijian nationalism.

Read more...
A little background is necessary. The Conservative Alliance Matanitu Vanua party (CAMV) was formed by high-ranking chiefs and others (Rev.Manasa Lasaro attended the inaugural meeting!) who supported or were involved in the 2000 Coup, so that a party with policies similar to the plotters could contest the 2001 election. Their platform included obtaining amnesty for the coup plotters and mutineers, ensuring the President and PM would always be ethnic Fijians, affirmative action programmes for Fijians, and turning Fiji into a Christian nation. They won six seats in the election and Qarase's SDL party needed their support to ensure ethnic Fijian parliamentary paramountcy.

Prior to the 2006 election the CAMV dissolved and merged with the SDL. Following the SDL election victory they were given the speaker's chair and several ministries, and the government's promotion of the Tolerance and Reconciliation Bill that would have freed those imprisoned for treason, the Qoliqoli and the Indigenous Claims Tribunal Bills (see earlier posting) and affirmative action programmes.


Now step back a little. After the failure of the 2000 Coup, thanks to military intervention, Bainimarama had backed Qarase's appointment as interim PM and later as PM on the understanding the coup plotters and military mutineers would not escape justice, and legislation would be pursued to build a united Fiji. It was Qarase's breach of this understanding that prompted the 2006 military coup. Bainimarama felt betrayed.

The decision prior to the 2006 election to dissolve the CAMV and merge with the SDL had not been unanimous. Ropate Sivo opposed the decision and it is Sivo who has sought re-registration of the CAMV. He says he wants Fijian commoners to be free of their obligations to chiefs, hence his backing of Bainimarama's proposed reform of the Fijian Affairs Act. He is also backing the proposed electoral reforms and the People's Charter. Sivo said “CAMV supports the Prime Minister’s roadmap to build a sustainable and accountable democratic system by 2014”.

Just how much the CAMV has changed -- and how many more changes we may expect as the different Fiji "factors and actors" reassess their positions in an ever-changing Fiji -- is too early to say, but this new development points to unexpected and increased support for Bainimarama (contrary to Dr Fraenkel's view in an ealier post) and contrary to the general overseas view of Fiji as a country where complex problems can be resolved with simple solutions. -- Sivo report based on FijiLive.

Map: Fijian Communal Electorates 2001. The CAMV took 5 (all of Vanua Levu and Tailevu North); the SDL took the other 12. The CAMV also won one Open electorate, Cakaudrove West. Source: Walsh 2006: Fiji: an Encyclopaedic Atlas.

(G) The "Road Map" and Events to 2014

Made your views known. To see Realfijinews poll on the speech, click here.

The PM's Address at the Tradewinds Convention Centre on Fiji’s Strategic Framework for Change, July 1 2009.

Click here to read in full from the official government website.

I know some readers will be disappointed at the lack of detail. It certainly wouldn't do as a military map, and it does seem to take a long time to get from A (now) to B (constitution, elections), but with the destination logged in and set on auto-pilot, the address suffices to show Government is serious about reform and elections in September 2014.

One might hope the international community, having given up on earlier elections, might sometime between now and then respond to Bainimarama's appeal for assistance. “I invite our international partners and relevant development agencies who are interested in facilitating the practicalities of the rule of law, creating transparency, facilitating access to justice and removing systematic corruption, to work with our Chief Justice, the Independent Legal Services Commission, the Legal Aid Commission and the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC) respectively.”

Bainimarama said the "Government is committed on the need to facilitate the practicalities of the rule of law, creating transparency, facilitating access to justice and removing systematic corruption.”

Government is also concerned with law and order. PER (the public emergency regulations) are extended to the end of this year. "Some people with dirty political motives are awaiting the removal of the emergency regulations to organise a protest march against some government decisions."

My Summary of the Road Map (quotes from Bainimarama)

The first 3 years (2009-2012): a "period of immense change."

1. More efficient government (Government has already cut $190m from government expenditure from January-May this year). "Workers and civil servants of the country that they will be treated fairly" but Bainimarama said that "they have to become more efficient and productive."

• Divestment of Government shares and closure or amalgamation of non-performing department
• More outsourcing to the private sector
• Rewriting of town and country planning laws that impede development

2. Focus on implementing social and infrastructural needs:

• Strengthen "infrastructure and assist in building capacities within the judiciary."($500,000 extra already allocated)
• Continuing work on reducing corruption
• Upgrading police infrastructure: communications, transport, forensic tools
• "Seek to empower the marginalized and address areas of neglect."
• Develop "pro-growth and pro-poor" policies in co-operation with financial institutions and the private sector
• Laws on underage marriage and domestic violence

3. Tourism. Laucala Island Resort and Natadola Bay resorts completed. Ongoing work on Naisoro Island project. Hopeful sale of

2010. Implementation of Land Reforms. This will result in:

• Attractive rental returns to ordinary Fijian landowners (the present system skims off most rental money before it reaches the "grassroots" owners)
• More secure tenure for tenants; increased productive land use.
• The ownership of traditional Fijian land to remain unchanged.

“We cannot realise our potential in agriculture, improve the living conditions of the taukei (indigenous Fijians), if land is not made available on a long term, sustainable basis.”

2011. Nadarivatu hydroelectric power project (41.76mW) completed. Road improvements continue.

2012. Consultations with stakeholders on the Constitution.

"The impetus [will]from People's Charter recommendations" [but there will be further inputs] "Consultations shall be extensive and will not just be limited to political parties. It shall include civil society including non- governmental organizations and citizens of our country." Topics to be discussed with include:

• “Common and equal citizenship"
• New (racial-free) voting system
• Proposed new voting age at 18
• Size of parliament and terms of office
• Checks and balances on parliament
• A bi-cameral system (the old Senate)

"The new constitution must include provisions that will entrench common and equal citizenry, it must not have ethnic based voting; the voting age shall be 18; and it must have systems that hold elected governments accountable with more checks and balances."

2013. Constitution completed by September to "allow all Fijians and parliamentary candidates ample time to familiarise themselves with the new constitution."

• Constitution to be translated into the vernacular, and with a concise "pocket-size" version available.

2014. September. Elections.

Bainimrama concluded:

"My fellow citizens, your Excellencies what I am saying is that I and my Government have a vision to make Fiji realize its true potential – a potential that can be realized through building a strong nation state, by empowering all our citizens, by fixing up the decades of neglected infrastructure, by providing actual adherence to the principles of the rule of law, by putting in place sustainable institutions and laws that will create accountability, transparency, justice, fair play and modernity; by improving living standards and alleviating poverty; by putting in place a liberalized and level playing field economy."

(oB) More Kava in the Blood: Lessons from the 1987 Coups

Peter Thomson is a sixth generation Fiji Islander, born in Suva, schooled in Lautoka, fluent in Fijian, with a passing knowledge of Fiji Hindi, who now lives in Sydney. Last week he presented a paper to the joint conference of the NZ-Fiji Business Council and the Fiji-NZ Business Council in Auckland. He was the key mover in establishing both councils and their counterparts in Australia some years ago.

The paper is entitled "The Lessons of '87" -- lessons he sees as very relevant to the 2006 coups, despite their different origins. He was a secretary to two prime ministers, Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara and Dr Timoci Bavadra, and permanent secretary to the Governor-General Ratu Sir Peni Ganilau following the 1987 Coup.* His book Kava in the Blood is a personal account of those years. He is a man who, as they say, "has been around;" he knows something about coups and he knows a lot about Fiji.

Where does he stand on the 2006 coup? "I know in my bones", he said, "there are better ways than military intervention to change governments and troublesome policies [but] neither am I in the camp of those whom one witty blogger describes as 'We Love Fiji So Much We Want to Destroy It from Overseas Front.'"

He sees Australia's and New Zealand's policies as unhelpful and damaging -- "They hurt the country when good friends would have been expected to lend a hand ... It should be glaringly obvious to [both governments] that continuing measures to isolate Fiji and choke off its income will come home to roost not just on Fiji's damaged economy, but on all of us in the South Pacific Region."

His advice to the Interim Government-- "Work with the media, not against it ... The solutions to Fiji's recalcitrant problems lie in an ongoing process of national dialogue towards reconciliation and reform". To those who think the Military Council will not budge, he says "If the carrot is enticing enough and if an accord is one that everyone can work with, the military will be on board. There is no shortage of intelligent people in the Fiji officer corps, and they know there are imperatives ahead that make a reconciliatory accord a better prospect than the current course."

He has this advice for the people of Fiji: "They must embrace acceptance of a common destiny ... reject hard-line political leaders who polarize their respective communities ... a new generation of moderate leaders [is needed]"

He looks to Fiji's many "bridgebuilders ... who are prepared to sit around the kava bowl ...[and] help the hardliners come to the middle of the meeting ground. [They are to be found]... in the churches... political parties ... the business sector ... the Great Council of Chiefs ...and in the Military Council."

To read the full paper,click here. You will be taken to the web storage programme Mediafire from where you'll be able quickly to download the paper. It's well worth the trip to cyberspace.

* Peter Thomson has also been Permanent Secretary for Information, Fiji Consul-General in Sydney, First Secretary in Fiji Embassy, Tokyo, Senior Assistant Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Fijian Affairs, and district officer in Taveuni, Macuata and Navua.

(-) "The Horrifying Consequences of the Coup": Narsey

In an April 15th memorial lecture for the late Rev. Paula Niukula (The Struggle for Just Wages in Fiji Lessons from the 2009 Wages Councils and the Continuing Coups), USP Economics Professor Wadan Narsey (photo, L, with Richard Naidu, R) discusses the "horrifying consequences of the 2006 military coup, including the utter collapse of the economy, greater unemployment and massive increase in poverty." He also gives his opinion on those supporting the abrogation of the 1997 Constitution, the Indo-Fijian community "intellectual gutted by emigration"; the "short-sighted" leadership of Chaudhry's Fiji Labour Party (FLP); the "steadfast ... support of constitutionality and law and order by the National Federation Party (NFP); and predicts that "in the not too distant future, for their own preservation, the Fijian Military hierarchy will rejoin and support the body politic of the indigenous Fijians". All of which gives room for serious thought.

For those unfamiliar with Waden, he is probably Fiji's most eminent academic economist; a long-standing NFP supporter and opponent of the FLP; and the brother-in-law of Prof. Brij Lal, one of the architects of the Reeves Report that resulted in the adoption of the 1997 Constitution. To read the lecture in full, click here.
P.S. My correction and apologies for the underlined. See post 6 May My Sincere Apologies to Prof. Wadan Narsey.

(oB) To-morrow 9th April : Too Many Big Question Marks

Matters seem to be coming to a head  in Fiji, and tomorrow may tell us which way they are heading. 

First, former USP and current ANU academic, Dr Jon Fraenkel, has caste doubts about whether the Interim Government is genuine about holding elections, a view shared by others in and out of Fiji. Events tomorrow may provide an answer to this question.

Second, Bainimarama has put four conditions on the attendance of the SDL, UPP, NFP and the NVTP parties at tomorrow's meeting of political leaders. The Fiji Times says that two of the conditions include "reform of the communal system of voting and not dealing with 'partisan media'." The exclusion of these parties would make the meeting totally unrepresentative.

Third, National Federation Party's Pramod Rae has reminded the Interim Government it has only until May 1 to set the date for an election that must be held by the end of the year, or face "targetted measures" by the PI Forum.  

Fourth, January's PI Forum meeting in Port Moresby* recognized "long-term issues that need to be addressed in Fiji, including ...  independent and inclusive political dialogue; but that such dialogue must be primarily focused on the holding of elections. The dialogue process should not be the cause for further delay in holding elections." 

Fifth, the IG has made it repeatedly clear that it will proceed with the processes leading up to the President's Political Dialogue Forum (which include tomorrow's meeting) and will not be coerced to hold elections before the electoral system has been changed.

So, what do we have?  An IG that insists on political reforms (to abolish race-based electorates) before holding elections; an opposition that stands to lose by those reforms (although some timed compromise may be possible);  a meeting to set the stage for the discussion of these issues (to which the opposition may be excluded); and the PI Forum and several western governments insisting on agreement by all political stakeholders and early elections before reforms -- or else. 

The situation may be further aggravated (the timing could not be worse!) by the decision of the Fiji Court of Appeal on the legitimacy or otherwise of the President's action appointing the Interim Government. The Court's decision, which must anger one or the other party,  is expected tomorrow. If the IG is deemed illegal, and former PM Qarase carries out his promise to advise the President to formally dissolve (the old) Parliament and convene early elections, "all hell could break loose."  Neither party, whatever it may now say, is likely to accept a contrary decision without protest. And this is putting it mildly.

The situation seems headed towards a meeting of the proverbial immovable force with an irresistable object.   We can only (once again) hope, pray and cross our hearts and fingers, that wise heads will prevail and the collision is averted.   -- Crosbie Walsh.

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* Click on "Background Material" in the lefthand column to read the PI Forum Port Moresby communique, and the Biketawa Declaration to which it refers. In part,  the communique  "Called on the Interim Government to take the following actions to demonstrate its commitment to the restoration of parliamentary democracy in Fiji: (i) provide to Forum Leaders a new timetable agreed with all key political stakeholders, specifying in detail the agreed steps to elections and a return to democracy, and the timing for completing them, reflecting a consensus reached through a genuine, open, inclusive dialogue without threats, preconditions, ultimatums or predetermined outcomes; (ii) make a clear commitment that any reforms agreed through political dialogue will be implemented in accordance with the Constitution and laws of Fiji; (iii) undertake and sustain serious and credible election preparations, including allocation of necessary resources to the Office of the Supervisor of Elections, and the prompt preparation of the electoral roll; and (iv) make a renewed commitment that the military will withdraw from civilian politics following such an election, return to barracks, and submit to the authority of the elected civilian government in accordance with the Constitution." 

(o) What's Going On, Commander?

For the second time, as we approach a Political Party Leaders' Forum, the Interim Government huffs and puffs about excluding majority opposition parties because they continue to make anti-Government statements. Of course they do. What else can be expected from the aggrieved parties?

Speaking in Fijian to Radio Fiji yesterday, Cdre Bainimarama said the military council has advised him to exclude the SDL, NFP, UPP and certain NGOs from Thursday's meeting, adding that they "should not be part of the meeting."

I've no ideas what this charade is supposed to convey. Could Bainimarama and the military think they gain public support, or throw dust into their opponents' eyes, by this posturing, knowing all along that if they don't admit the opposition groups, the meeting itself -- and the President's Political Dialogue Forum which follows -- is turned into a charade. Or has the hoopla been "ordered" by the media? Whatever. Fiji could do without it.

Forum co-ordinator Jone Dakuvula said all parties would be present at the Forum. I sincerely hope so!