PM's Fiji Day Address in Sydney

Honourable J.V. Bainimarama, CF(Mil),OSt.J, MSD, jssc, psc

Prime Minister of Fiji and Minister for iTaukei Affairs and Sugar Industry

ADDRESS AT FIJI DAY CELEBRATIONS IN SYDNEY

Liverpool                                     Sat 17 Oct.           

              

                                                                   

The Honourable Premier of New South Wales,

The Honourable Deputy Opposition Leader,

Your Worship, the Mayor of Liverpool,

Distinguished Guests,

My Fellow Fijians and friends of Fiji,

Bula Vinaka and a Happy Fiji Day celebration to you all!

I’m pleased and proud to join you all here in the true heart of Sydney – the Greater West – to celebrate the national day of our island home. Among so many of the 50,000 Fijians in Australia who make up the biggest Fijian diaspora in the world. I’m especially delighted to be joined by the Premier of New South Wales, Mike Baird, and other elected representatives of the Australian people to help us mark the 45^th anniversary of Fiji’s Independence. And I ask you all to give them all a big Fijian welcome.

I want to start in the customary way by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we gather and pay respects to their elders, past and present. The Darug, Gandangara and Tharawal people. As I said in Manly yesterday we recognise their struggle and the injustice of their dispossession – something our own indigenous people were fortunate to not experience. But there is also no doubt about the special nature of the relationship between Fijians and Australians of every background. And that is also something worth celebratingtoday.

I also want to start by thanking the members of the Fijian community for their traditional welcome. And for reminding us yet again of the strength of our traditions and why they will always remain at the centre of our national life. Vinaka Vakalevu.

Friends, this is a great occasion – a gathering of the Fijian tribe in Australia – the Fijian family. Because I always say that is precisely what we are. An extended family stretching from our island home across the world to wherever Fijians gather. It’s a wonderful privilege for me – as the Fijian Prime Minister – to join you here in Liverpool with my wife, Mary, and other members of the Fijian delegation. And I thank you for the warmth of your welcome.

The great thing about Australia is its diversity – a country that has welcomed people from around the world and forged them into one nation – one people. As I say, some 50,000 people of Fijian heritage have joined that mix. Fijian Australians, Australian Fijians. It really doesn’t matter what you are called.  Because every Fijian in Australia can celebrate their ties to both places and the special relationship between the Fijian and Australian peoples.

Why have so many Fijians happily settled in Australia? Why do so many Australians holiday in Fiji? – by far the largest number of visitors we get – almost 350-thousand last year. I think we feel at home in each other’s countries because we share some basic characteristics and values. We are inherently open and friendly. We are warm, welcoming, generous of spirit and unpretentious. And we care for the feelings of others, for their wellbeing and happiness. As I said yesterday, no matter how tough things were between our governments in recent years, it never affected our personal relationships. We have always been the best of friends and always will be.

My friends, everyone knows that Fiji Day is October the 10^th, the anniversary of our Independence from Britain in 1970. But while that’s the day we officially celebrate Fiji Day in Fiji, we are developing something of a tradition of celebrating it in other places when the opportunity arises.  In August, I was present in Canada when hundreds of Fijian Canadians gathered in Surrey, British Colombia, for a Fiji Day celebration. And now I am here in Liverpool, New South Wales, doing the same thing.

It’s not so much the date that matters but that Fijians gather together when they can. Because it is not only about celebrating the birth of our nation – of Independent Fiji. But celebrating the privilege of being Fijian.  Because that’s what we all are now.  Fijians. Irrespective of who we are or where we come from.

Friends, it’s easily one of my Government’s greatest achievements – to forge a common identity for every Fijian citizen. No longer are we identified as individual ethnic groupings based on where our forebears came from. We are all Fijians. And can now come together as one nation, one people, to celebrate that fact.

I want to share with you here in Sydney some of the things I also talked about in Canada about what it means to be Fijian. It means that you belong to Fiji and, most importantly, feel you belong. Whether it comes from being born there or being naturalized. The same thing applies in Australia but the Australian experience has been quite different from our own.

It used to be that only indigenous Fijians could call themselves Fijian. In fact, some of my political opponents still say the term belongs to them. But this is nonsensical. Fijian is an English word given by the British to describe the inhabitants of what they called Fiji, which came from the Tongan name, Fisi. The indigenous name for Fiji is Viti. So using this logic, indigenous citizens should really be called Viti-an.

We needed to forge a common identity in Fiji. People in Australia of whatever background are Australians. Americans are American. Canadians are Canadian. And so on. So it’s logical – apart from anything else – that a person from Fiji should be Fijian and that’s what we have done.

We now refer to the indigenous people as i’Taukei because that’s what they are – custodians of the land and indigenous customs. The First Fijians. Just like the Aborigines are the First Australians. But whether you are i’Taukei, Indo-Fijian, a kailoma of mixed ethnic background or are of European or Chinese descent, we are all now Fijians.

It is one of my Government’s proudest achievements. Because it is an absolute prerequisite for building any successful nation that everyone share the same identity. The same name.

So, Friends. We have broken down a barrier that had been erected around us for no good reason at all. We have strengthened our national identity. We have forged a more inclusive society. We have given everyone a sense of belonging. And there is a new sense of pride now in being One Nation. One Fiji. And that extends to Fijians living in other countries. You may have embraced another nationality. But if someone asks  “where did you come from?” and you’re not i’Taukei, you no longer have to say “I’m Fiji-born” or “I’m a Fiji Islander”. You can say “I’m Fijian!”

Because of this and my Government’s other reforms, we are also a fairer and more just society. For the first time, the vote of one person is worth exactly the same as any other persons. We have forged the first genuine democracy in Fijian history of equal votes of equal value. And our Constitution also guarantees equality of opportunity for the first time and gives every Fijian equal access to justice. So Fiji is an immeasurably better place than it was before my Government’s reforms. Everyone a Fijian. Everyone with the same chance to get on in life and fulfill their dreams.

None of this has been at the expense of the i’Taukei. They still have and own the communal ownership of their land, their unique customs, traditions and language, recognized and protected in our Constitution for all time. We also now have the level playing field we so badly needed as a nation to draw a line under the past. The lost years. The years in which we argued about who among us deserved more instead of working together as One Nation to provide more for everyone.

Friends, for me being Fijian means a lot more than having a common name. It means the values and ideals we aspire to as a nation. It means loving one another and having a caring nature and a warm heart. Yalo loloma, as we say in the i’Taukei language. It also means being patriotic. Loving Fiji and thinking about the welfare of our nation and all its citizens and not just about ourselves and those around us. And helping others, whether it is your immediate neighbor in Fiji, those in our neighbouring countries in the Pacific or in the rest of the world.

It means leaving no-one behind. Caring especially for the less fortunate, the sick, the homeless and the disabled. Putting into practice in everyday life the teachings of all the great religions in our multi-faith society about how we should all treat each other.

Being Fijian also means caring for the land of Fiji and our seas. Keeping our pristine environment free of pollution and litter. Always using our natural resources in a sustainable manner, whether it’s our forests or our fish. And it means being brave and taking a lead in the world. Sending our troops into troubled places with the United Nations to protect vulnerable ordinary people. Leading the fight to persuade the industrial nations to reduce the carbon emissions that are warming our planet. And are causing the sea level rises and extreme weather events that threaten our way of life and the very existence of some of our neighbours. Always standing up for what is right and just in the world. Making the world a better place.

Friends, that’s what it means to be Fijian. And those are the values Fijians also take with them when they become citizens of other countries like Australia. So let us all rededicate ourselves today to the Fijian ideal on this great day in Sydney.

It has been a long, hard journey to get to this point in our history. And many of you here today know how difficult that journey has been. How much of the last 45 years we wasted. How much pain we inflicted on a great many of our fellow citizens because certain selfish elements said they didn’t belong.

I know that many of you simply lost faith in Fiji, especially in the terrible aftermath of the events of 1987 and 2000. I have said it before and I say it again: The fact that you were made to feel unwelcome in your country of birth is the most shameful episode in our nation’s history.

Apart from the anguish and despair you must have felt, you were some of our best and brightest. When we lost you, we lost a precious resource that robbed Fiji of decades of development. And anyone who doubts that should examine the similarities between Singapore and Fiji in the 1970’s and the differences between us now in terms of development.

Yet it wasn’t just the brain drain – tragic as that was. It was the Fijian family torn apart. And today I want to say sorry to those of you who suffered. The many thousands who were made to feel like strangers in your own country. Who felt obliged to seek new homes elsewhere. Leaving loved ones and friends behind. Coming to Australia – in your case - and having to start all over again.

You will be forever grateful to the Australian people for opening their door to you. And yet I know that for many of you even after many years, Fiji still occupies a big place in your heart.

Today, I want to use this occasion to formally welcome you back into the Fijian family. To invite you to return. To perhaps build a house in Fiji. To come and go as you please. To invest in your country of birth. To help us build the new Fiji, as well as strengthen our people-to-people ties with Australia.

The time to do so has never been better. We are in the throes of one of the longest running period of economic growth in Fijian history – 5.3 per cent last year, a better performance than Australia or New Zealand. So the wave of prosperity is building and now is the time for people with imagination to ride it.

We now allow multiple citizenship. So you can be both a citizen of Australia and of Fiji and come and go at will. So I urge as many of you as possible to reconnect with Fiji – if you haven’t already done so – and join us as we build our beloved nation. As we work together to finally put an end to the lost years. To make Fiji finally, genuinely, the way the world should be.

My thanks to all of you who have worked so hard to make this wonderful day a success. And again: A very happy Fiji Day celebration to you all.

Vinaka vakalevu. Thank you.

The Minimum Wage: Challenges to Government

What is too often overlooked by employers and governments is that poor wages on which workers can barely exist can increase their costs. It is not simply a question of justice; it is often a matter of economic good sense. 

Poor wages are not only unjust as Fr Barr rightly claims in this article; they can also result in poor productivity, through absenteeism, accidents and poor work ethics, that reduce employer profits, and a poor use of a nation’s human resources that can result in  poor health, poor education outcomes, an increase in crime, domestic violence and prison incarcerations, and higher costs for governments. 

If the new government in Fiji has really created a “new start” for Fiji, and in many ways I think it has, it needs to re-examine employment orthodoxies by engaging independent researchers to research the real costs of poor wages. 

If Frank  Bainimarama and Aiyaz Sayeed-Khaiyum, the two principal cabinet members,  declared this as a policy priority and research was undertaken on this issue, I would gladly fund their fares to the next Rugby World Cup!  -- Croz


"We all lose when American workers are underpaid. It's a myth that small businesses can't pay a higher minimum wage, as proven already in the states that have raised theirs. When businesses don't pay a living wage all society pays. We pay through poverty and needless disease, disability and death from inadequate health care. We pay as women struggle to put food on the table. We pay as businesses and communities suffer economic decline."-Margot Dorfman, CEO, U.S. Women’s Chamber of Commerce

 A MINIMUM WAGE OR A JUST LIVING WAGE?

Fr Kevin J. Barr (4/10/15)

I was interested to read recently that the minimum wage in New Zealand is NZ$14.25.  However researchers are saying that the living wage in New Zealand is NZ$19.25.  Consequently some have formed a Living Wage Movement – a common platform made up of community groups, unions and faith-based groups to call on government and employers to bring about greater justice for workers and reduce inequality in New Zealand.

In Fiji we know that our present Government has introduced a National Minimum Wage of $2.32 an hour (following a move by the Employers Federation to have it reduced to only $2.00).  However a Living Wage for workers in Fiji is probably closer to $4.25 an hour based on the adjusted figure for the national poverty line (which measures the current cost of living).  Yet about 60% of workers in full-time employment in Fiji are earning below this.  The national minimum wage may be a start but it is totally inadequate in terms of justice.  This is particularly true when we remember that when purchasing goods and services with this wage, 15% goes back to government in VAT.

Some employers excuse the low wages they pay by saying that their workers are not “productive”.  But how can you expect a worker to be productive if they have to live in substandard housing, cannot feed themselves and their family decent nutritious food, cannot afford proper medical care and have the added educational costs for their children?

It is no wonder then that we have so many children in child labour (to help boost the family income), so many people in prison, so many family disputes and consequent domestic violence, and so many people who have sicknesses such as NCDs because they are unable to eat proper nutritious food.

Addressing growing inequality by paying a just living wages to all our workers would make a huge difference in the lives of so many of our families. And it would ultimately save government a lot of money in court cases, prison rehabilitation and medical costs.

Of course other issues would also need to be addressed for some people - such as inordinate amounts demanded by church soli and traditional ceremonies.  And people would need to be trained in economic literacy – how to keep a budget, set priorities and set aside savings for their future needs.  They would also need to be alerted to the dangers of falling for the glamorous advertisements of our consumer society which entices them to buy what they do not need.

The Quality of Justice

The judiciary is one of the main constructs of all societies. Democracy can only function imperfectly in the absence of an informed, fair, competent and transparent legal system.  In this recent keynote address to the Fiji Law Society, the Chief Justice reflects on the role of the judiciary, the Fiji Law Society and lawyers in Fiji, and in doing so he answers, at least to my satisfaction, some of the wild accusations floated in the post coup years by the Fiji Law Society and its sister organization in New Zealand.  The address is abbreviated and I have exercised my publisher privilege by emphasizing some sections.-- Croz

Keynote Address by Chief Justice Anthony Gates
at the Opening of the Fiji Law Society's Convention 
"Fundamentals of Private Practice"

              September 2015, Novotel, Suva

Mr President

Madam Vice-President

Hon. Judges

Members of the Fiji Law Society

Legal Practitioners

Ladies and Gentlemen

First, let me congratulate the Fiji Law Society for re-invigorating its role for the legal profession. I suspect this has been due to the efforts of a valiant few, typical of all such ventures. The theme for the Convention is significant — it is "Fundamentals of Private Practice." Some will say "only, if only!"

For over the years, the Society has often preferred to immerse itself in other matters, chiefly politics, and paid little attention to the real concerns of the profession such as how it should despatch its business, how to avoid ethical conundrums, how to improve the services to be delivered, how to sign up clients and how to bill transparently and fairly, and how to enhance the reputation of its members. This criticism is not confined to the times of constitutional stress during and after coups. Over the years the profession has commendably provided many members who have served as parliamentarians: fewer these days unfortunately. It is right that lawyers should so serve. We need lawyers in parliament so that legislation can be effectively scrutinised, and the workability of intended measures and sanctions can be considered, and the overall reasonableness and fairness of restrictions on our freedoms can be carefully weighed. But that is not to say that a professional society set up for the profession should itself be concerned with politics. That is the responsibility of individual members. The Society's focus should be on matters dealing with the day to day practice of law, and to ensure the professionalism of its members. So I welcome the overall theme at this Convention of "Fundamentals of Private Practice."

Other professional bodies or associations governing engineers, doctors, surveyors or accountants have not embroiled themselves in overt politics. It may be Law Societies are alone in this regard because of the professional and traditional roles of its members as advocates in court.

When I was in private practice in Fiji in the early 1990s, I often felt there was an insufficiency of professional support by the Society for its practitioners. We were not to be kept quiet by the provision of mere cocktail parties in substitute for that support.

So for the Society now to involve itself in the provision of professional support to its members, and to the profession generally, will be a much welcomed step. Organising this conference with speakers and commentators can have been no easy matter for busy full-time practitioners with virtually no secretariat. Judges have readily agreed to assist when asked to provide papers and I have encouraged them to help where necessary. But individual practitioners must put up their hands and volunteer to prepare relevant CLE papers. Each senior practitioner has a responsibility to the profession to provide his or her services in this way. Legal practitioners ought to attend and obtain their necessary points in order to retain their practicing certificates. Naturally attendees should participate genuinely and try to improve themselves. It is not just about points. I have earlier given the names of judicial officers with topics so as to help with this project. The Judiciary will readily assist the profession and the Society in its trainer's role.

In addition to training, the Society, through selected members, could properly provide advice and guidance on new legislation. This could be tendered to the Fiji Law Reform Commission, or to the Solicitor-General's Drafting Unit. The last few years have seen a period of much reform. That output of legislation has still only scratched the surface of what is necessary. Some of you might have an experienced view for instance on how debt collection and enforcement might be modernised and simplified. After the reforms of the l9" century, partially provoked by the novels of Dickens whose own father had been imprisoned for debt, it seems that nothing much has happened to disturb the law's antiquated and woefully slow procedures. I see nothing improper in a legal practitioner assisting in the drafting or improvement of bills for parliament. It is always important to remember the professional nature of the task that is being performed so that one's professional independence is never to be compromised.

If I may revert to the topic of training again. I have already submitted to the Attorney that there should be established an Institute for Judicial and Legal Studies. Such an Institute could deal with all Continuing Legal Education training of the profession. It could provide the necessary organising Secretariat. Indeed it could assist the Society to run its own Conventions. It could handle all training for judicial officers and in specialised areas for the profession such as mediation, intellectual property law, and cover new legislation such as tax and company law.

In trying to provide a better judiciary, we spend a good deal of resources on the training of judicial officers. Modestly approached, I believe it has been an attitudinal changing process. It takes away some court sitting time but such loss brings longer term gain to the system.

The Judicial Department trains every single member of the office. That means night-watchmen, security staff, gardeners, cleaners, drivers, as well as IT staff, clerks, secretaries, and Heads of Sections. There is no reason why Law Executives from law offices should not similarly be trained by the Institute, and that could extend to law office support staff. The Institute would require support and input from several quarters including the Bar but could conserve resources by avoiding duplication, a necessary consideration in a small island jurisdiction such as ours.

I have referred previously to the Fiji Mediation Centre. It is likely to be opened and launched on 14^th October 2015. Alas our first premises had been re allocated to another Department. But the Centre will open even if premises are still not finalised. A refresher course for Fiji Mediators, who passed the External Accreditation test recently, will be held just prior to the opening. This  Centre will grow. It is not intended to be an exclusive service, denying any other mediation service which the parties and their lawyers might choose or prefer. I look forward to the diversion of many civil claims, where legal principle is not required to be clarified by the courts, to the Fiji Mediation Centre for an inexpensive and fast resolution of disputes. All of the judicial officers have been trained in mediation and believe strongly in its efficacy. Legal practitioners should therefore encounter no obstacle from the bench in allowing time for the genuine use of this service. However it should not be used to obtain an adjournment or as an excuse to avoid a trial for which counsel comes to court ill-prepared.

Over the last year, there have been a few meetings between your President, Vice-President, members of Council, and myself. Various issues have been discussed. I am happy that these meetings should continue from time to time, and if need be non-Society legal practitioners are also welcome. The unfortunate dislocations of prior good relationships Bench-Bar are now behind us. The Law Society's Conventions may grow from strength to strength. I hope so. A Bar-Bench function, a reception and a dinner, have also been mooted. I hope these will eventuate to draw us all to a greater understanding of our respective and separate roles in the justice system.

Unfortunately it is a truism widely held that an independent judge is a judge who understands my case and finds for me. Judges will make mistakes, and human beings do not always agree. In recent years the courts have insisted on cogent reasoning. Judgments are put on the judiciary website and are published on Paclii for all to see, read, and comprehend, if not always to agree with. There are no more closed door chamber hearings, unless for stated cause. Video recording is permeating, albeit slowly, throughout the court system. This brings an accountability and transparency to us all, judges and lawyers alike. I do not suppose surgeons would welcome video recording of their operations just yet. It may come in time. In Brazil there is video-recording not only of the appeal courts in court, but also of the deliberations of the appellate judges when deciding the matter out of court. Such recordings are played live on a separate TV Channel. First in Fiji, let us achieve the audio and video recording service and a better transcription service before we go on to consider if we need to go any further.

The courts have major building and renovation projects to cope with. There is the completion of renovations at Government Buildings. We have lost a good deal of space to Parliament and its Secretariat. There is the Veiuto Complex to prepare for the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal move. Eventually that complex will house the Family Court and Magistrates Courts as well as all of the Tribunals and the Administration sections of the Judiciary. The High Court will remain at Government Buildings.

It is hoped the Lautoka High Court tender procedures will be completed soon to allow building works to commence before the end of the year. Facilities presently are extremely stretched at Lautoka. We may have to take on temporary courtroom premises pending the availability of the new 6 storey building.

Besides these three main projects there are plans to extend, renovate, or build Magistrates Court houses in various parts of Fiji. Nadi which has had a 3' courtroom added, is likely to have further works done to provide a 4^th courtroom. Both of these 2 new courtrooms will be multi-purpose courtrooms so that High Court trials could be conducted there for both Civil or Criminal Division work.

That is about enough for now. You have an interesting 1¹/₂ days ahead of you, for which the presenters and commentators are to be thanked. I am delighted to open the Fiji Law Society Convention for 2015. I wish all delegates and members a highly satisfactory meet, and I wish prosperity, growth and good leadership for the future, to the Society and its members.

www.judiciary.gov.fi

Ratu Epeli and Biman Prasad on Unity

President Ratu Epeli Nailatikau yesterday warned MPs that if they failed to condemn assaults on democracy “it will cast doubts upon you.”

Ratu Epeli said: “It will cast doubts about whether you believe in and truly subscribe to the fundamental democratic principles upon which our modern nation state is founded upon.”

He made the remarks in his speech at the ceremonial opening of the 2015-2016 parliamentary year in Suva yesterday.

He said attempts to form a separate  so-called Christian state “cannot be condoned under any circumstances.

“Such actions must be publicly condemned, in particular given our political history, in no uncertain terms,” he said.

He said they must be emphatically condemned by all those who truly adhered to and believed in the democratic principles upon which our Government, this Parliament and our new Fijian State was built upon.

None of the Opposition parties has  come out to strongly and openly condemn the attempts to form a Christian state. Some Opposition MPs showed sympathy to those charged with sedition.

Ratu Epeli called on all MPs to support democracy and not give comfort to those who wished to subvert the democratic process.

“You have sworn the most solemn of oaths or affirmed your allegiance to protect and defend democracy and have a sacred and unbreakable trust with god and the Fijian people to uphold that oath or affirmation.

“As your Head of State – a figure above politics – I call on every Fijian to rally to the defence of the democratic process and the right of every Fijian to practise their rights.”

On unity, Ratu Epeli said: “Last year, I urged you all to think beyond your parochial interests of ethnicity, religion, socio-economic status or wherever you come from in Fiji. And to join hands to work together to move our beloved nation forward.”

“I also cautioned that if you did not, it would be to our ultimate peril as a nation-state. And I am deeply saddened that twelve months on, some appear more intent on promoting division than promoting national unity.

“It would appear they cannot relinquish the politics of the past, the politics of viewing everything from a communal and parochial perspective rather than as a Fijian leader who puts the country and people first.”

Opposition parliamentarian Prem Singh described Ratu Epeli’s message on stability as “great”.

Source: Fiji Sun.

Biman Prasad on Unity and Radio NZ's Misleading Heading

Leader of the NFP, Biman Prasad

Following the President's call for unity, the Leader of the NFP, Biman Prasad said the word Unity should be taken in the right context as there will always be disagreements between opposition and government members.

Prasad said he did not ridicule the call for Unity which was made by the President in parliament and his comments are based on the principles of Parliamentary democracy.

Radio NZ had headlined their story on Biman Prasad's comments this morning as Fiji's Prasad ridicules Unity call.

He had said that it is ridiculous to expect the opposition not to criticise the government of the day and that if you don't allow divisions within parliament, then you cannot call it a genuine democracy.

Source: Fiji Village.

More Misinformation: the Anti-Government Rumours

Theocracy is not democracy

The Fiji Sun's Nemani Delaibatiki notes and answers 14  rumours doing the rounds in the social media:

Anti-Government elements, mainly operating from overseas, are now busy spreading lies to try to create fear among the people and destabilise the Government.

They are desperately using social media to try to re-create the events of 1987 and 2000 to cause violence and bring down the Government.

They are an increasingly desperate small minority who will not accept the success of FijiFirst in last year’s truly democratic election. They are realising they have failed and there is no going back to the past unless they can create the trouble of the past.

But their attempts won’t succeed and this is why.

The Government of Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama is strong and united and has widespread public support in building the new Fiji.

In the September 2014 elections Mr Bainimarama received 202,459 votes out of the 496,364 votes cast.

Opposition leader Ro Teimumu Kepa received a mere 49,485 votes.

Third on the list was Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum with 13,753 votes.

Coming in a distance fourth was Biman Prasad, the National Federation Party leader.

The Republic of Fiji Military Forces and the Police are strongly supportive of the democratic process and the elected Government.

They have assured the public there is nothing to worry about and they should go about their work and life normally.They say they have everything under their control.

Minister for Defence Timoci Natuva reinforced their reassurance in Parliament yesterday.

To show the national situation is normal here’s a selection of rumours being spread – and the facts:

Rumour 1: Armed soldiers in Ba and Tavua hunt sedition suspects.

Fact: They stopped to get supplies on their to way to the interior highlands for a normal live firing exercise. It was advertised in a public notice in the Fiji Sun.

Rumour 2: Dynamite has gone missing from the Vatukoula Gold Mine.

Fact: Some dynamite did go missing and has been traced to local fishermen who are well known for using dynamite from the mine to build their catch.

Rumour 3: There’s going to be instability in streets, similar to 1987 and 2000.

Fact: The RFMF, Police and their line minister Timoci Natuva unitedly reassure the nation it won’t happen. The environment in the country now is totally different to that which preceded those events.

Rumour 4: Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum was detained in the military camp amidst tension with the RFMF.

Fact: Mr Sayed-Khaiyum was on previously scheduled leave and in Cuvu with his family visiting the in-laws.

Rumour 5: Pio Tikoduadua resigned because of a split in Government and differences with Mr Sayed-Khaiyum.

Fact: He resigned because of serious illness.

Rumour 6: Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama has no legitimacy.

Fact: The whole country went to the polls last year on the basis of the Constitution. Mr Bainimarama was overwhelmingly elected PM of a democratically-elected Government in a process scrutinised and approved by international observers. It was in this election that the FijiFirst Party received overwhelming votes from youth and women.

Rumour 7: The fight has started to overthrow Government.

Fact: Seventy people in Ra, Nadroga and Navosa have been charged with sedition and incitement. They represent a minority group which has been manipulated and funded by some people who are being traced by Police. Overseas anti-Government elements like Rajendra Chaudhry and Mereoni (Oni) Kirwin are fomenting open rebellion from Australia.

Rumour 8: Joining attempts to form so-called separatist Christian states is part of democratic rights and freedom of expression and association.

Fact: Forming a separate state is unlawful, referred to as an act of sedition. Freedom of expression and association are guaranteed by the Constitution within the bounds of the law.

Rumour 9: There is tension between Police and RFMF over their roles.

Fact: There is no tension, except in the countdown to the Ratu Sukuna Bowl rugby. They complement each other. RFMF stresses it is there to protect the Police and help them in their investigations when the need arises.

Rumour 10: Something is going to happen in September or October. Government’s term will end soon.

Fact: This is nonsense. It will not happen. It’s part of a wish list by those anti-Government forces who still do not accept that FijiFirst overwhelmingly and fairly won last year’s general election and has widespread support. Those who try anything will face the full force of the law as the Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama has reiterated.

Rumour 11: iTaukei land ownership and rights under threat.

Fact: This is not true but is still promoted by some in the SODELPA opposition. There is no such threat. In fact, as Prime Minister Bainimarama stressed again this week: “Their claim that the iTaukei and their land, religion, culture and identity are under threat is not true. On the contrary, the position of the iTaukei has never been stronger. For anyone to claim otherwise is a lie and the Fijian people should take no notice of liars.”

Rumour 12: Indigenous Fijians feel threatened by insecurity over their land and other resources.

Fact: There are mechanisms in place that strongly safeguard the landowners’ interests in the use of their land and natural resources. Any concerns are dealt with through the same channels.The Fijian Constitution provides unprecedented safety to land. It further recognises the unique position of the indigenous people of Fiji which include the iTaukei and Rotuman.

Rumour 13: Fiji should have been returned to the descendants of the chiefs who ceded Fiji to Great Britain in Levuka on October 10, 1874, instead of to the State.

Fact: If that was true, it would been raised by the descendants of the chiefs in the Constitutional talks in London before  Fiji became independent in 1970. iTaukei land (91 per cent of Fiji’s total land mass) and resources are well protected by the iTaukei Land Trust Board.

Rumour 14: Australian agitator Mereoni (Oni) Kirwin, originally from Matuku, has taken this issue to the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

Fact: She has not.

Feedback: nemani.delaibatiki@fijisun.com.fj

Gateway House: Indian Council on Global Relations - 21 August 2015

Preparing for the Indo-Pacific century

The first Forum for India and the Pacific Islands in Jaipur on August 21 will be a historic summit that brings together the interests of India and the 14 island countries of the Pacific. It is India’s acknowledgement of the emerging strategic importance of the Pacific region, and a chance for the islands to turn this into an opportunity for growth, development, and greater security.

BY Tevita Motulalo

Senior Researcher

India will host the inaugural Forum for India and the Pacific Islands (FIPIC) in Jaipur on August 21. It will be a historic summit to put together the concerns and mutual interests of India and the 14 island countries of the Pacific, and chart a way forward in the Indo-Pacific century.
It is important that India and the Pacific nations keep their people aware of each other’s struggles and share their experiences as citizens of a single global community. But the forum this week will go beyond that.
The initiative is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s way of reaching out, of acknowledging the changing geopolitical landscape and the emerging strategic importance of the Pacific region to the global economy and security.
But merely stating that the geopolitical landscape is “changing” is not enough. The landscape is always dynamic to varying degrees, but the global political topography is now shifting faster than it ever has, on a magnitude that parallels no other previous period.
What used to be the strategic “backwaters” of middling local powers in the old order in both South Asia and the South Pacific, may now be right at the heart of the power-plays in the emerging geopolitical setting.
The South Pacific comprises the greatest concentration of the planet’s microstates, with populations averaging 100,000, spread across one of the biggest regions on the planet. But Kiribati, for example, with a population of 103,350 (in 2013) on 33 atolls peppered along the equator, means nothing to South Asia’s billions.
Location, however, matters. Once it is understood that Kiribati, along with its neighbours, has the most effective missile-launch stations on the planet and radio-monitoring outposts, and that it presides at the heart of trade and communication between Asia and the Americas, then the nation’s importance jumps in scale. Besides, along with its EEZ, the population of Kiribati commands an area greater than the whole of India.
In 2012, the previous commander of the US Pacific Command, Admiral Samuel Locklear, along with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, declared from the Cook Islands that the Pacific Islands presided over $5 trillion of commerce each year, “and you people are sitting right in the middle of it.”
Last year, Admiral Locklear was in Tonga to reinforce Tonga-U.S. relations by formalising the National Guards’ State Partnership Program between the Tongan military and the Nevada National Guard.This author asked Admiral Locklear what had triggered this deepening the relationship. He replied: “I wouldn’t have recommended the expense and the resources that we’re going to put forward in this partnership, if it wasn’t important to us as a nation, and to our security architecture in general.”
Such is the criticality of the South Pacific. Therefore, what it could mean to Indian interests, and what India could mean to them needs to be further explored. And the upcoming summit is an opportunity for the Pacific Islands and India to reaffirm frank, equal, and respectable partnerships for development and strategic cooperation.
It is a chance for both sides to talk seriously. For far too long, the two sides have held each other’s concerns with varying degrees of benign disregard.
Prime Minister Modi has made exactly the right overture in initiating this (hereafter) annual forum. Now it’s up to the Pacific Islands to turn it into an opportunity for growth and greater security. And the possible threads for socio-economic cooperation are many.
On his visit to Fiji nine months ago, Modi announced a range of technical and technological projects that could help transform the economies of the region into active members of the global IT community.
Such technical and technological transfers, which were the expensive monopoly of the Pacific’s “traditional partners,” have been a burden and obstacle to development. Especially in the fields IT and communications, medicine, and education.
It is opportune then to state that India could look into giving inputs on space technology; the islands are self-sufficient circumscribed units and space technology would definitely help the economies of the region. Such an exchange would also meet the islands’ expectations.
India can also further explore security interests in the South Pacific, which is at the maritime flank of the South China Sea—the location of deep Indian interests that it must secure and stabilise. In terms of geostrategy, the South Pacific provides an open theatre and adds another layer of access and engagement, freed of the bottlenecks of the ‘Steel Corridor’.
In addition to the geopolitical, economic, and geostrategic interests, India and the Pacific islands can also meet in the arena of global institutions. India, as an emerging superpower, has a lot at stake, especially with regard to a permanent seat at the UN Security Council. The islands, on the other hand, are at the heart of the climate change debate and bear the brunt of its effects, which for them is a serious security concern.
The two sides can also enhance military-to-military exchanges. These are the institutions that provide deep, local, and effective coordination especially in non-traditional security matters like disaster relief. They are also an effective visible symbol for each community.
The FIPIC Summit is an opportunity not to just repeat the routine of “summitism” and dispensation of aid. It is a chance to take the relationship to new heights, and to turn the coming years into decades of unprecedented growth and security.
It is a fresh chance for the Pacific to act as a whole region and not just look for what each island can extract from India, and a chance for India to be a true Indo-Pacific partner.

Tevita Motulalo is the author of a Gateway House report titled ‘India’s Strategic Imperative in the South Pacific’ (November 2013). He specialises in geostrategy, especially as it relates to the Indo-Pacific. He is from the Kingdom of Tonga and was the editor of its oldest English language newspaper, the ‘Tonga Chronicle’, and deputy editor of the ‘Talaki’, one of the main Tongan-language newspapers. He contributes widely to the national and international news media.
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