The Coalition of Client States.

Given that the subject of Fiji's democracy has been deliberated by the Pacific Forum recently, the final abattoir of that transition lies with the Interim Government.

Despite the veiled threats reported by Newstalk article, made by NZ Foreign Minister while pushing Fiji to comply with the Pacific Forum's communique; the question of the road map and its accelerated time-tables (proposed by Fiji's neighbors) was also addressed and dismissed by an opinion article written by the Archbishop of Fiji, Petero Mataca.

This is the excerpt:

Now is the time for charting a gracious new Fiji

PETERO MATACA
Saturday, March 17, 2007


There is a story that I would like to begin this reflection with. A minister of the United Church of Canada, who ran a drop-in centre for homeless people in downtown Toronto, Canada, had planned to raise enough money to keep the centre running.

His dilemma was how could he raise the money he needed to do that? He later shared his problem, not intentionally though, with one of the regulars to the drop-in centre.

As the minister recalled, to his amazement and humility, the homeless man emptied his pockets of all sorts of rubbish until he found and gave his only dollar coin to start off the fundraising.

I am sure we could recall many such instances in our own experiences.

In the story about the widow's offering (Mark 12:41-44; Luke 21:1-4), Jesus made the observation that the woman, with the little she had, gave everything while those who have and could have given more, only gave from the surplus of their riches.

By Jewish law, each person is required to give and in that respect, by law, the wealthy people did their religious duty.

But the main point of the story is not about the rich and the poor, although it is a theme. Rather, it is about recognising that giving and sharing what one has is a necessary part of our human dignity.

The giving of the rich people in the story is nothing more than a legal requirement and means little to their dignity, whereas, the widow's giving means much more to her dignity as a human being. There is a detail in the Jewish law that specifies that even a person dependent on charity must give charity.

On the face of it, the rule is absurd. Why give enough money to one poor person so that he or she can give to another poor person?

It would be much more logical and efficient if the money is given directly to the second poor person.

But, the Jewish Rabbis, by making this law, understood correctly, in my view, that giving is an essential part of our human dignity.

The insistence that we provide the poor and the needy with enough money so that they themselves can give is a profound insight into the human condition we are not only capable of being greedy and selfish, which we must always guard against, but equally capable of giving, sharing and caring for one another.

In this Lenten season, I invite all Catholic priests, religious, lay people and women and men of good will to reflect upon this theme. Whatever one wishes to sacrifice or wishes to do better during this season of Lent, these resolutions must and need to be done with a spirit of giving and sharing.

When we give up or share what is most precious to us, our experiences become meaningful and beneficial to ourselves and to those we live with and to our respective communities.

When we wish to do better in some things that we had neglected in the past, and which requires the sacrifice of our time and energy to other non-essential things, our experience will mean something to us and those whom we love and care about.

Giving and sharing is an essential part of our dignity as human beings.

To give and to share is to go beyond the care of the self-centred self. This is the message that I wish to share with all Catholic priests, religious and lay people and women and men of good will in this Lenten season.

Furthermore, in the spirit of sharing and giving, I wish to offer the following reflections on some of our important national issues.

The poor must be looked after. As the above stories show, the poor and the needy among us are the ones who can teach us about giving and sharing.

In my New Year message, I designated, after consultation, that this year is a "year of solidarity with the disadvantaged, the poor and the stranger" for the Archdiocese.

We repeatedly read and heard from our local leaders that the poor are the most affected by the coup's impact on the economy.

Unfortunately, as in such cases, it is true, and in this regard, we must stand in solidarity with them.

But we must stand in solidarity with them as they are the key to our moving forward. How is this possible?

This is because knowing what they know about living in poverty, their demand on the rest of us to move forward and find ways to cushion the impacts has a far greater moral claim on our resources.

I challenge us all civil society, business organisations, religious and cultural institutions to find ways of highlighting the demand of the poor for the nation to move forward and find creative ways of helping each other.

Not to be in solidarity with the call of the poor to move forward creatively would be to invite consequences that our fragile social fabric may not be able to hold.

Resolution of legal issues

There is a need to seek clarity and closure on some of our significant outstanding constitutional and legal issues. Some of these concern the suspension of the Chief Justice and the subsequent appointment of an Acting Chief Justice, the independence of the judiciary, and the ousting of the Qarase-led Government.

The resolution of these constitutional and legal matters is crucial to rebuilding our sense of respect for and confidence in the rule of law and public order, and in the Constitution and its central place in our public life. The church, therefore, calls on the Interim Government to ensure that these legal concerns are independently and transparently acted upon.

Respect for human life

Respect for human life is a deeply rooted value in all our religious and cultural traditions. Two lives were lost, allegedly, as a result of military beatings during their time in detention. Again, I wish to reiterate the absoluteness of this principle. If we allow the two to become three and more, we will be in danger of reducing the value of human life from being absolute to relative and when that happens, everything of real value and essential to our living together, such as tolerance and respect, are in danger of being lost as well. In this regard, the church wishes to again remind the military and those in leadership positions to do everything possible to prevent a third loss of life during their tenure in power.

Heed the need for justice

Following from the above, I urge those who are responsible for the administration of justice to deal with the allegations surrounding the deaths of the two men while in custody or as a result of the alleged beatings while in detention. This is to be done truthfully and credibly. Forgiveness will not be possible until the truth is told about these events. The families and relatives of these men will not be fully free to move forward with their lives without having a sense that justice has been done to absolve them of their anger and hatred.

Therefore, the church urges the Interim Government to properly investigate the allegations made and bring to trial those who perpetrated these crimes.

Foreign interventions

At least, in Fiji, most of us know that the coup was illegal and that the Interim Government didn't have our consent to rule.

At least by now, all of us in Fiji know that there is a "road map" to general elections, and, while we may differ on the timeframe, at least, we know that until then, we will do whatever we can to hold the Interim Regime accountable to the fundamental principles of human decency.

The incessant and condescending calls for Fiji to hold general elections within a year or two from the governments of New Zealand, Australia and, lately, the US, from the point of view of convention, is understandable but shallow and lacking proper contextual assessment.

I say this for two good reasons. Firstly, as Andrew Murray (2007:3), a political scientist at the Catholic Institute in Sydney recently observed, "In a country, where local communities are run by chiefs, a less democratic form of government is not as troubling as it would be elsewhere" at least while we rectify and strengthen our democratic institutions and processes.

Secondly, we have had more than 30 years of democratic experience, and imposing overnight democracy in the form of holding general elections within a year after coups is a fundamental lesson that we must not repeat this time.

At least three years is time enough to rectify and put in place meaningful democratic processes.

Perhaps Fiji should begin writing on the sand while the governments of New Zealand, Australia and the US decide among themselves who is to throw the first stone.

I wish to end this reflection by repeating something that I had shared some time ago. To those of us who believe that our situation is essentially tragic simply because some supposedly foreign experts and western governments say so, the Fiji condition will show itself as a series of tragedies.

To those who believe that we can rewrite the script of our democratic history in order to ensure a genuine democratic future, history will reveal itself as a series of slow, faltering but compassionate steps to a more gracious nation. I call upon all people of goodwill to give and share with each other the resources that each one lacks.

I call upon all Catholics to strengthen your networks of helping the poor and the needy in your parishes and communities.

I request that we stand in solidarity with the call of the poor for us to work and move forward together by sharing what we have with each other and highlighting their call in our parishes and communities.

God bless.

Archbishop Petero Mataca is head of the Catholic Church in Fiji

The subject of Fiji's electoral system is in the lime-light, prompting an objective and informative opinion article by a local member of Citizens Constitutional Forum (CCF).

This is the excerpt.

Avoiding further disasters with a new electoral system

Father DAVID ARMS
Saturday, March 17, 2007

IN the much talked about need for a "roadmap" back to democracy, the endpoint seems to be the holding of elections under the requirements of the 1997 Constitution (namely the Alternative Vote, a certain ratio of Communal and Open seats, etc).

Elections completed, Fiji is "back to democracy" and all is well again with the outside world.

With the outside world, perhaps. But not within Fiji itself.

It is simplistic to equate democracy with elections. Deep consideration needs to be given to what sort of democracy we want after any elections. For true democracy, elections need to genuinely reflect the people's view. None of the three elections held so far under Fiji's current voting system have done this.

The people's views have been greatly distorted, resulting in insufficiently representative parliaments. The present electoral system is itself the cause of many of Fiji's democratic woes.

Electoral experts agree that the former First-Past-the-Post (FPP) system would not have served Fiji much better than the Alternative Vote (AV). They would also agree, on the whole, that what Fiji needs is a form of Proportional Representation (PR).

I do not intend to present again here the many unjust results brought about by the AV system, nor the various arguments for PR.

What I wish to emphasise is that the time to make the change to PR is now. To plan electoral reform now for application after the next elections is most unsatisfactory. Fiji needs a truly representative parliament if it is to establish a more viable democracy and extricate itself from the coup culture. This in turn requires an immediate change of electoral system to PR.

Only after holding elections under a suitable new system does Fiji reach "democracy".

An immediate objection that will be raised is that AV and certain other requirements are mandated in the 1997 Constitution, so to change the electoral system now means contravening that Constitution. But the question must be asked: do we want genuine democracy, or don't we?

It may well be true that by having a coup, Fiji has simply jumped out of the frying pan into the fire. But it is no solution to suggest that Fiji now jumps out of the fire, back into the frying pan! We need to jump clear of both to employ new, just arrangements. The unfair AV system and the bipolar ethnically-based political scenarios it generated are not something that Fiji wants to relive. The AV system has not just been controversial in the Fiji context; it has been disastrous.

In the 1999 election we had the great unfairness that, although the FLP-led coalition had only one and a third times the first preferences of the SVT-led coalition, the AV system gave them more than five times as many seats. Such a wildly unjust result set the stage for the coup of 2000.

While many court cases have (rightly) been brought against the culprits, not at all enough blame has been attached to the AV system itself, which without any shadow of doubt contributed in a major way to the coup and all that has happened since.

In the 2001 election the AV system, which according to the Reeves Commission was supposed to encourage moderation, managed to reduce the so-called 'moderates' to the barest handful. In fact it can be cogently argued that, as well as wiping out the middle and setting up two major ethnically-based parties at loggerheads, it even managed to hand victory to the wrong party! Certainly by Fiji's former FPP system or by a PR system, the FLP would have been the major party and would probably have been able to form the government. As it was, the manipulation of people's choices provided by the above-the-line voting in AV, worked against the FLP this time (whereas it had worked for them in 1999).

In the 2006 election we again had results that were most undesirable, and a complete contradiction of what the Reeves Commission had wanted the AV system to achieve. Instead of encouraging multi-ethnic parties and inter-ethnic cooperation, the AV system provided us with the situation where all ethnic Fijian Communal seats and all Open seats with a clear ethnic Fijian majority were won by one party (the SDL), all Indo-Fijian Communal seats and all Opens seats with a clear Indo-Fijian majority were won by another party (the FLP), all General seats bar one (that of Robin Irwin) were won by another party (the UPP), and the single Rotuman seat was won by a different party again (an Independent, in fact).

Apart from Robin Irwin's and the Rotuman seat, the only seats where there was any real contest were the few Open seats where the ethnic ratio between ethnic Fijians and Indo-Fijians was quite close. For by far the greater number of seats the outcome was predictable, and the exercise of voting for thousands of voters was a rather meaningless formality. That is hardly the way voting should be.

With this evidence from the three past elections confronting us, is it not madness to suggest we go back and have elections again under the AV system?

The voting system is supposed to provide us with a House of Representatives, yet it is clear that major segments of our society have not had fair representation at all. The most outrageous case is surely that of the NFP, who held almost a third of the Indo-Fijian vote in 1999, a quarter in 2001, a seventh in 2006, but received no representation in any of the three elections.

Even in 2006 when they did least well, they held over 49,000 first preferences. They nevertheless got no seats even though the UPP party, with well under 7,000 first preferences, picked up two!

Surely in a country that prides itself on its concern for all groups, this sort of nonsense cannot be allowed to continue not even once more.

A further reason for changing the electoral system immediately is that, if such reform were to be implemented only after the next general election held under AV, there would be a huge waste of resources, which Fiji cannot afford. Modifications would have to be made to the AV system, new constituency boundaries drawn up, and comprehensive voter education programs undertaken. Yet all this work would have to be repeated if a new electoral system were to be used later rather than immediately.

Sufficient time, of course, must be given to prepare for a new electoral system. But it should still be possible to have it in place by 2010. It did not take very long to get the AV system into place (proposed by the Reeves Commission in 1996, used in the elections of 1999).

What needs to happen is for the Interim Government to call together the various political groupings for a meeting to change the electoral system.

This time of uncertainty, when the political allegiances of the people are less predictable, is quite a good time to propose a change to PR. PR gives to each party the percentage of seats corresponding to its percentage of voter support.

When parties are unsure of their ground, that is the time when they are most likely to support PR, as they realise it is eminently fair, and will ensure that everybody, including themselves, gets fair representation. They prefer to get less than they might, rather than risk missing out altogether.

It is only when some parties become clearly the major power blocks that they may try to steer away from PR, realising that certain other voting systems (such as AV) will exaggerate their dominance, eviscerating rivals or eliminating them altogether.

If the political groupings can agree on a change to a better voting system, we are in a good position to move forward and adopt it immediately. If they cannot agree, then there would need to be analysis of the areas of disagreement and the reasons for it.

If the matters are minor (for example, the details of the PR system to be used) or if only one party disagrees or seems bent on being a 'spoiler', the Interim Government may nevertheless be able to proceed. If, however, the disagreements are more substantial, it would need to be more circumspect.

But what needs to be done, needs to be done! We are faced by a 'doctrine of necessity' type situation. A change of electoral system is urgently needed. If the constitutional path is followed, the delay in making the change is too long, plus the fact that those with the power to make the change may very well not do so (from self-interest).

One of the big problems in changing the electoral system in any democracy is that the people empowered to change it are the very people who have just been elected by it. They usually have a vested interest in leaving the electoral system much as it is. It is important, therefore, to change the electoral system while Fiji is in the process of re-setting its course.

Undoubtedly, the coup of 2006 and its aftermath are highly controversial. The legalities (and clear illegalities) of a lot of what has taken place will be long discussed, analysed, and litigated.

But life must go on. We must deal with Fiji as it is, not as we might like it to be. If a referendum was held on some matter of national importance, would it be regarded as invalid merely because it took place during the reign of an illegal regime? Surely not. Provided it was conducted fairly, such a referendum would be accepted as a valid expression of the people's will. I am not, however, suggesting a referendum regarding the electoral system. The issues are too detailed and unfamiliar to the public to do that at this stage. If, however, a good cross-section of political interests could agree on changing the electoral system to one clearly more appropriate, why should this be treated much differently to a referendum? Surely in the crisis situation Fiji finds itself in, a certain flexibility is required.

There may not be much opposition to such a change even from outside countries. Foreigners with any understanding of Fiji at all, know that our AV voting system has not been successful. The European Union Electoral Observation Mission forthrightly questioned whether AV was suitable for Fiji. Off the record, a number of them spoke even more strongly, and recommended a PR system. Fiji has been criticised for some time over its high proportion of Communal seats, with recommendations that they be reduced over time to be ultimately done away with.

If, then, there is agreement that PR is fairer and more suitable to Fiji; and if Communal seats are done away with (the interests of ethnic communities being well enough protected by PR itself), opponents will look rather silly if they continue to claim that AV must be used because it is in the Constitution.

The Constitution was made for Fiji, not Fiji for the Constitution.

Although Fiji is still some time away from the elections proposed for 2010, suggestions, discussions and decisions towards adopting a form of PR need to be made, so that the necessary ground work for a change to PR (the particular form of PR, different electoral boundaries, training of electoral officials, voter education, etc.) can be completed by the 2010 deadline. The time to start work on this is now.

Father David Arms is a member of the Citizens Constitutional Forum. The opinions expressed here, however, are his own and not those of the CCF.

Club Em Designs

Comparable Worth

Fiji Daily Post Editorial of March 14th, highlights inaccuracies pointed out by the flash-in-the-pan blog: Intellgentsiya and their reported story, which snowballed into a mountain of half-truths by the conventional media agencies both in Fiji and overseas.

This is the excerpt of the Daily Post Editorial:

New media, freedom of expression and responsibility
14-Mar-2007

IN the past week, the Interim Government has been raising its concerns over the contents of an online journal or blog.

Apparently, some news-hungry journalists spiced up the soup regarding the death of a fourth person allegedly at the hands of the military as reported on the site, intelligentsiya.blogspot.com.

What irked the Interim Government, and certainly would worry a responsible media is the fact that reports on this blog had been irresponsibly regurgitated and sensationalised in conventional media. Some servings of the soup even ending up in the international media, further exacerbating Fiji’s strained relations with its regional big brothers Australia and New Zealand and adding more bullet points to their travel advisories.

While the debate rages on, what is evident is that the spread of the Internet and modern information communications technologies (ICTs) in Fiji is revolutionising the manner in which individuals express their opinions and thoughts on events and issues of national importance.

New media is emerging in Fiji as an alternative to traditional media and is challenging long-held rules of news reporting.

And this is why the Interim Government is so concerned and it is justified in doing so, considering Fiji’s ever growing new generation of young, socially mobile and liberal cyber-democrats.

A text-based online environment that includes blogs, online discussion forums and internet chat rooms is changing not only the way opinions are expressed, these are also challenging long-held notions where the author decides what you read.
People can now easily air their views from the comfort of their personal computer, participate in discussion boards and receive or send emails on topical issues like democracy, human rights and governance.

There are also opportunities to send anonymous opinions to web blogs such as intelligentsiya.blogspot.com. These new media have a new rule “the author is dead, long live the reader”. It’s the nature of the Internet as a kind of virtual ‘black hole’ in which anonymous people and their opinions appear and disappear instantaneously. There are no editors, no style and very little or no rules.

While the Internet provides a forum where individuals and groups can experience a renewed sense of democracy, it necessitates a greater sense of responsibility. Web sites and blogs are not only used for democratic expressions and productive ends. They have also become literary havens and propaganda machineries for terrorist groups, bomb makers, neo-Nazis and dictatorships.

The Internet is also home to pedophiles and others with evil intentions. In short, the Internet harbours both the good and the evil. For Fiji, we are beginning to experience the digital revolution and the impact of new media on our society.

The Internet has opened up opportunities and taken away customary restrictions and is challenging our post-colonial culture of silence.

The power and political clout of the Fiji’s post-colonial institutions that have dominated the social and political scene for so long is being undermined by our new generation of liberalised cyber-democrats.

In political terms, democratic governance, mass participation and mobilisation is being enhanced by the use of the Internet and other modern ICTs.

An this becomes more pronounced in our post-coup situation as people express their opinion against the coup in conventional media have come under the attention of the military regime.

Individuals are being forced to write blogs or report to Internet sites because their rights to express their opinions in conventional media is under constant threat.
While the concerns of the Interim Government does carry weight - after all writing anonymous opinions for public consumption is against the rule - we now live in world dominated by new media technology that occasionally blurs the line between truth and fiction.

Interestingly China has banned the opening of new cybercafés this year citing the rising influence of the Internet on its people.

Sydney Morning Herald's article has updated the story talking points; stating that the source-Intellgentsiya had issued a correction, minus the Mea Culpa disclaimer.

Apparently Intelligensiya's seductive dismemberment of the truth, while creating a lot of attention, has also motivated other bloggers on Fiji. Here are several new blogs:

1. Discombobulated Bubu.
2. Hearts and Minds.
3. Free My Fiji.
4. Loyal Fijian.

While the Daily Post Editorial has rightfully pointed out, the apparent dangers of misreporting the facts by online citizen journalists; it is not a true reflection of all Fiji blogs. To lump all blogs in one basket of incompetence, is an unfair characterization; especially coming from main stream media who believe they have a monopoly on all news and editorials. Blogs provide a much needed fact-checking ability, which the Fiji public needs.

For starters, facts have been mis-represented by the conventional media as well; Daily Post being the leader of such practices, followed closely by the Fiji Sun's Political Editor.

The following is an excerpt of one such article from Fiji Sun's Political Editor:

Let us have an early election

By MAIKA BOLATIKI
Political Editor

We need to go to the polls quickly so that we can be accepted back into the global family.We cannot wait for 2010 or longer.International pressure is mounting for Fiji to quickly return to democratic rule. The question is: Will the Interim Prime Minister bow to this pressure?

Commonwealth secretary general Don McKinnon last week called on the international community to continue putting pressure on the Interim Government to return Fiji to democratic rule.

The United States of America has urged the Interim Government to take rapid and decisive steps to return Fiji to democratic rule and to adhere to the rule of law.

Fiji will benefit from a quick return to democratic rule. The USA is willing to ease some of its policy restrictions put in place since December 5. Already the USA has contacted its allies from East Asia and Europe in regard to the situation in Fiji and they all support a quick return to democratic rule.

Mr McKinnon says there are no signs Fiji will soon return to parliamentary democracy. In fact, Interim Minister for Justice Aiyaz Sayed Khaiyum said there was a possibility the next elections would not take place in 2010. The reason given is that the roadmap gives only six months for the Constitutional Boundaries Commission to draw up the boundaries. But this can only be done after the census is taken and will take longer than six months.The Interim Government has already set a road map for the return to parliamentary democracy. Let us revisit that road map.

The Boundaries Commission will be asked to draw up new open seat constituency boundaries and to ensure that the number of voters is, as far as reasonably practicable, the same. This will entail the holding of a population census in 2007 to ensure that the commission works with the correct figures, in a geographical location, before determining the constituencies and their boundaries.

The Bureau of Statistics will take 12-15 months to complete a census report before the commission can gainfully use it. This process will take place in 2007 and 2008.The Boundaries Commission will need six months to prepare the new constituency boundaries to be used in the next election.

The preparation of the new boundaries is likely to be completed in 2009.The Elections Office will need up to 12 months to prepare for a general election. The preparatory work will be done between 2008 and 2009.

There will also need to be a new system of polling, voting, vote counting and declaration of results, which would take 9-12 months to complete.Under the road map, the return to parliamentary democracy for Fiji may become possible after three years.

Within that time frame, all the required tasks to be performed by the Interim Government would have been successfully completed, as part of the requirements of the Presidential mandate. After three years, the country’s economy and government finance would have recovered fully, to be able to fund and sustain the required cost of a general election in Fiji. The road map will be subject to a mid-term review in late 2009. However, taking into account Mr Khaiyum’s announcement, the election may be later than 2010.

Fiji has already been condemned worldwide because of the illegal removal of a democratically elected government by the military. Surely we will expect more sanctions because of the new the timeframe. Fiji is a small country and we depend mainly on donor agencies and imports. We have not really felt the impact of the coup because there are no trade sanctions. Let us pray that this state of affairs will continue.There can be trade sanctions and other bans put in place against Fiji if the Government does not adhere to international pressure.

Surely the census cannot be an excuse used especially when a general election in a democratic country like Fiji can happen at any time, like a government losing to a vote of no confidence in parliament. We know the Interim Government is working in accordance to a mandate issued by President Ratu Josefa Iloilo. But the Government cannot function well without the support its international allies.

They are willing to help Fiji to return to democratic rule but the Interim Government needs to take the first step. The Interim Government wants the next general election to be free and fair.

The Interim Prime Minister said: “For Fiji’s next general elections to be free and fair there are several important requirements that must be fulfilled, including the holding of a national census, determination of new constituency boundaries, new voter registration system as well as a comprehensive programme of voter awareness and education on the electoral system and voting rights.”

Does this mean the 2006 general election was not free and fair? The international observers invited to observe the 2006 general election agreed that the election was fair and free. The Pacific Forum’s Eminent Persons Group (EPG) in its report wants the country to return to the polls in 18 to 24 months’ time. Fiji is in isolation because of the undemocratic nature of its government.It had been suspended from the councils of the Commonwealth.

We all want Fiji to be back in the Commonwealth and the global fold generally but I must admit this is very unlikely in the near future.We should be glad that the Commonwealth wants to help Fiji to quickly return to democratic rule.

However, here in Fiji the Interim Government is taking its own time. Interim Prime Minister Commodore Bainimarama said the global family must understand the situation in Fiji.

We are glad of the assurance from the Interim Prime Minister of the country returning to democratic rule. However, it is the timing that needs to be looked at.

If the 2000 Interim Administration can return the country to democratic rule in less than one year, why can’t this Interim Government?

No one can rule forever and in a democratic country, the people decide on the leadership. It is a fact that they had no say in the recent change of leadership.It is a fact that we are slowly walking the road to democracy.

It is slow because we are following the Interim Government’s pace. With the Interim Government’s strong stance, there is no short cut to our return to democratic rule. In the final analysis, we have to bear with them even if we move forward at a snail’s pace.

Accordingly, S.i.F.M affords readers with a counter-point to the Fiji Sun article.

The article by Fiji Sun Political Editor, Maika Bolatiki which called for early elections, only invites a stern and factual correct rebuttal.

Bolatiki opens the article with such absurd uses of the word “we”. Categorically, it infers that the Political Editor speaks for all voters in Fiji, while demanding an earlier transition to democracy.

Bolatiki's insinuations further escalate, by equating the international community's objectives of returning Fiji to democracy, with the aspect of timing.

Although, the United States State Department had remarked that Fiji should return to democracy and Fiji could accelerate the process of electoral reform; what the State Department did not address, given Fiji's perilous financial position is that; the velocity which Fiji should undertake this process, is directly proportional to the resources available to the island nation.

What the official from U.S State Department could not do, is put money where their proverbial mouth is. By not offering any under employed American experts in electoral reform, the call by the US for a speedy return to democratic rule remains embarrassingly hollow.

Bolatiki points out that, Fiji will benefit with the quick return to democratic rule. Nobody disputes that. It appears that 'benefit' is the Political Editor's only motivation for returning the nation to democracy. One major point that needs to be established beforehand is that, democratically rule may require some analysis of the definition.

If US State Department, Commonwealth Group, the E.U, Australia or New Zealand demands Fiji to return to a democracy that overwhelmingly uses race based seats, then effectively that type of democracy they want in Fiji is intellectually flawed.

If that democracy, which Bolatiki strives for involves turning a blind eye towards the ingrained culture of corruption in Fiji, then that model of democracy is not for Fiji. For democracy demands equal representation, a functioning and vigilant criminal justice system. Democracy does not endorse two tracks of rules. One specifically for people with chiefly status, the other for everyone else.

Bolatiki presented a question, "If the 2000 Interim Administration can return the country to democratic rule in less than one year, why can’t this Interim Government?"
The answer lies simply in Fiji's existing electoral system.

In 2001 Elections, as well as the 2006 one, the ballot system used race defined seats, as well as outdated boundaries. The electoral reform which the Interim Government unveiled, pointed out structural changes that, require labour intensive surveys and logistical projects, which Bolatiki overlooks.

Even if Don McKinnon, the Commonwealth Secretary General had called on the international community to pressure Fiji's interim Government to return to democratic rule, then perhaps it is prudent to re-examine and re-evaluate the Commonwealth's template of democracy for Fiji.

Obviously the definition of democratic rule which the Fiji Sun Political Editor subscribes to, is basically the system of racial based voting. Since Bolatiki is concerned with the hurried return to an electoral system, which race plays an overwhelming part; without examining the deficiencies within it, perhaps Bolatiki himself should deserve neither civil liberties nor voting rights.

“Surely we will expect more sanctions because of the new the time frame. Fiji is a small country and we depend mainly on donor agencies and imports. We have not really felt the impact of the coup because there are no trade sanctions. Let us pray that this state of affairs will continue.There can be trade sanctions and other bans put in place against Fiji if the Government does not adhere to international pressure”.

If timing was such a big issue for the international community, as Bolatiki obliquely portrays, the international communities would understand that such demands must be reinforced with assistance. It is easy for the international community to call for a rapid transition to democracy, without ensuring that the institutions responsible are logistically ready, in terms of staff, facilities and equipment. For it is Fiji, who will be engaged in the exercise of conducting a national census, creating new political boundaries and so forth. Not the international community. As many political pundits understand, all politics is local.

It seems that the Fiji Sun Political Editor had accepted an irresponsible default position, which advocates cutting corners of liberal democracy and presenting an error laden picture of the Interim Government's intentions.

Bolatiki also appears to be the cheering on the international community, to place more sanctions simply because Fiji could not operate within a time frame demanded by foreign nations. Or is it really because, the Interim Government is hell-bent of removing the racial components within Fiji's politics. A component which has served the SDL Government extremely well, including Fiji Sun's Political Editor.

It appears that the quality of Fiji's electoral system had escaped the attention of the international community. While they had called for rapid elections in Fiji, they also neglect that, the existing voting system uses race rolls. It is nothing short of farcical to call for rapid democracy, while ignoring the structural inadequacies within it.

“Does this mean the 2006 general election was not free and fair? The international observers invited to observe the 2006 general election agreed that the election was fair and free.The Pacific Forum’s Eminent Persons Group (EPG) in its report wants the country to return to the polls in 18 to 24 months’ time. Fiji is in isolation because of the undemocratic nature of its government. It had been suspended from the councils of the Commonwealth”.

Fiji Sun's Political Editor also prejudges the 2006 elections as free and fair, since it was certified as such by the International Observer Group. However, Bolatiki ignores the fact that, no one had any idea of how many voters there were in 2006; as a percentile of the overall population. In addition, the individual boundaries were decades old and were not updated with migration statistics, both local and international.

By not having an accurate baseine number of voters; undoubtedly opens the election process to more assumptions and thus errors. In other words, the Election office could have the ability to print extra ballot papers; since the number of voters (registered or not) could not have been feasibly determined, without a national census. The security of these extra ballots, was questionable and inlight of numerous complaints, casted looming shadows of doubt over the entire electoral process.

Having a ballot take place without empirical data confirming the nations population number, opens the result to interpretation and this inaccuracy also undermines the entire electoral process.

Bolatiki further adds, “Surely the census cannot be an excuse used especially when a general election in a democratic country like Fiji can happen at any time, like a government losing to a vote of no confidence in parliament”.

If the census are constitutionally required every 10 years, why aren't those basic steps being followed?
Census allows statistician to get an accurate population baseline, the data gained is also used in calculations for infrastructure development in Fiji. It allows statisticians to get a better idea of what the resources the nation has, with respect to the population growth. Those projections allow civil servants to plan for the future and by implementing socially responsible policies, improves the lifestyle of the national populace. Apparently, Bolatiki opposes those fundamentals of democracy.

To glossover the importance of holding a timely national census; is merely a convenient way to obfuscate the greater meaning of democratic institutions and under rate their interface with transparency and good governance. To propose accelerated time-tables of the road map, effectively surrenders to the follies of a fool; after all they do rush into action without forethought.

A hurried approach to the altars of democracy, risks jilting the bride of oversight. A rush, suggests cutting the corners of progressive ideals like multi racialism and equal representation. A rush earns Fiji no medals, but guarantees more errors.


Club Em Designs

Diplomatic Recognition &The Trans- Tasman Fudge Factory.

Fiji Academic, Sitiveni Ratuva has confirmed existence of hypocrisy in an opinion article derived from his observations of diplomatic engagements, made by Australia and New Zealand.

This is the excerpt of the article:

Aussies, Kiwis a part of international hypocrisy over coups

STEVEN RATUVA
Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Despite the international community's negative view of coups and attempts to promote democratic means of regime change, coups continue to be a favourite means of usurpation and assumption of political power in many post-colonial States.

Since 2000 there have been 24 "successful" and attempted coups in the world. Apart from the Fiji coups of May 2000 and December 2006, there were coups in Ecuador (January 2000), Solomon Islands (June 2000), Venezuela (April 2002), Central Africa Republic (March 2003), Sao Tome and Principe (July 2003), Guinea-Bissau (September 2003), Haiti (February 2004), Togo (February 2004), Mauritania (August 2005) and Thailand (September 2006). There are a few more I have not listed here because of space limitations.

Some of these coups, especially in small African States like Sao Tome and Principe, Togo and Guinea-Bissau did not attract much world attention compared to the Venezuela and Thailand coups.

The patronising assumption was that these were African "failed States" which did not have much political clout in the region and one would expect them to go through political instability anyway. On the other hand, the coup in Venezuela in 2002 (although it lasted for only two days) was a very high profile one because of the United State's alleged involvement.

The Thai coup was a high profile one because of Thailand's economic significance in the Asian region, as well as internationally.

International reaction to the Fiji coup

The 2006 coup in Fiji attracted considerable attention for a number of reasons. Firstly, for Pacific States, including Australia and New Zealand, Fiji was the political centre and Suva the unofficial "capital" of the South Pacific and any political disruption here would impact on regional stability.

Secondly, the fact that four coups had taken place in Fiji did not look good for the region which has been aspiring to create a harmonious and integrated Pacific Union through the Pacific Plan.

Thirdly, especially for Australia, political instability in the Pacific reflects badly on its regional job as America's "sheriff" whose role was to maintain stability and promote democracy in this part of the world.

On the basis of these, Australia and New Zealand could not afford to see Fiji go through another coup, no matter what the justifications were. To show their disapproval the two countries poured forth their venomous scorns in the form of direct condemnation in addition to "smart" sanctions and lobbying of international agencies like the World Bank to cut links with Fiji.

The justifications for the coup provided by the military regime were ignored as denunciation by the two countries continued. The bilateral scenario became sentimentally driven and to some extent became a personalised tit- for-tat war of words between Fiji and Australia and New Zealand, who found it almost entertaining to verbally whip Fiji like a naughty, truant kid.

Apart from the usual "regional responsibility" argument, Australia was very much embarrassed and possibly hurt by some pre-coup and post-coup developments which may have made it very angry.

The first issue was the incident involving the Australian SAS troopers who were sent to Fiji in November. Despite initial denials, the Australian Government was later forced to reveal their identity after their lives were threatened after the military referred to them as "mercenaries."

Secondly, the warning by the Fiji military for Australia and New Zealand not to carry out any invasion was a big blow to the pride and ego of the two big countries. It was a "you are big and I'm small but I can fight and defeat you" challenge which no militarily and politically powerful country would want to psychologically endure, especially coming from a small nation like Fiji.

Both New Zealand and Australia realised that any possible invasion needed an internationally legitimate justification and if they invaded Fiji it was going to be utterly disastrous. The military stand-off (if one may call it that) became a "Cold War" of sorts which went beyond the serene diplomatic relations the two countries had enjoyed for a long time.

The tension was worsened when the Australian military helicopter crashed into the sea, ironically on the same night Fijian soldiers were having an anti-invasion exercise in Suva Harbour. The Fiji military would have known the location of the Australian Navy ships (South of Viti Levu) and deliberately taunted them with the exercise.

The helicopter crash incident made the Australian military a target of international ridicule and humour and this must have embarrassed Australian Prime Minister John Howard and his Minister for Foreign Affairs, Alexander Downer. This embarrassment was later transformed into vengeful anger directed at Fiji.

Thirdly, the Fiji coup was a big blow to Australia's intention of expanding and consolidating its anti-terrorism security buffer around the Pacific. Australia has always argued that instability in the Pacific will allow for easy entry of international terrorists into Australia from the Pacific Islands.

However, there is, of course, no evidence of this happening, but there are a lot of evidence that terrorist groups are actually formed, carry out training and aim to blow up targets in Australia.

The Pacific terrorist connection is a myth propagated by Australian government advisors. For security-minded Pacific Islanders, association with Australia is in fact a security threat because Australia is officially on the Al- Qaeda and other terrorist group hit list.

Fourthly, Fiji's Interim Regime stood up to the verbal and economic threats by throwing back its own counter verbal salvos and threats.

Fifthly, New Zealand may have been infuriated by the failure of the Wellington talks between Bainimarama and Qarase.

It is suspected that the Australians were secretly hoping that the talks would collapse to deny their trans-Tasman rival, New Zealand, the sought after glory as Pacific peacemaker. Downer's statement that the talks were not going to work, even before the results of the talks were announced, was self-fulfilling prophesy of sorts.



New Zealand must have been disappointed to lose an opportunity to show the world its peacemaking credentials, as it did with the Bougainville peace agreement. Consequently they would have cursed Bainimarama for denying them that honour.

Sixthly, condemnation of coups is part of the normal international culture of image construction.

To condemn coups, wars or instability in any country is to tell the world that one is a lover of peace, an advocate of human rights, a supporter of democracy and a reliable member of the international community. It is a form of political self-gratification to convince oneself that one is full of politically righteous values that the "baddie" countries must learn from.

Western countries often do this and use such an opportunity to showcase their ethical principles (such as good governance), however hypocritical they may be. These factors in combination have been the driving forces behind the Australian and New Zealand fury on Fiji.

What about the United States? Fiji does not really serve any strategic interest in as far as the US is concerned (because we don't have oil fields) but as the only global superpower with global responsibility for "democracy", the US had to make a stand on Fiji. However, Australia and New Zealand, I suspect, have been vigorously lobbying the US to impose sanctions and use its unrivaled power to squeeze Fiji into submission.

Historically the US has been very choosy about which coup to support and which coup to oppose, depending on its strategic interests and which President was in power. In some cases it would deliberately help to stage coups against regimes with left-wing tendencies and oppose coups that would overthrow right-wing regimes.

Consistency and double standards

While the stand of the three nations on the Fiji coup is understandable, the US and Australian foreign policy (which are usually derived from the same template) are often controversial.

Both are prominent members of the "Coalition of the Willing", now caught up in the Iraqi quagmire. The US, in particular, has supported a number of anti-democratic coups in most parts of the world, the most well known of which was the overthrow of Chilean President Salvador Allende in 1973 and the most recent being the temporary overthrow of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez in 2002 and the removal from power of Jean-Bertrand Aristide of Haiti in 2004.

Moreover, it's interesting to note that although Australia diplomatically denounced the Thailand coup, it did not impose sanctions nor did it send its warships to evacuate its citizens as it did during the Fiji coup.

The question is: Why was Australia bent on punishing Fiji and not Thailand? Was it because Thailand was too big and too significant to Australia? Was it because of the embarrassment Australia went through before and after the Fiji coup?

On the other hand, the US was more consistent in imposing sanctions on both countries by withdrawing military aid from Thailand ($24 million) as well as Fiji. Of the three countries, New Zealand is probably the most consistent in its foreign policy, especially in relation to human rights, nuclear arms and democracy.

New Zealand refused to be part of the Coalition of the Willing and in the 1980s its anti-nuclear stance led to the near collapse of the ANZUS treaty, a security agreement between the US, Australia and New Zealand to keep Soviet influence out of the Pacific during the Cold War from the 1940s to the early 1990s.

Double standard in policy articulation is, of course, common in international relations. For powerful countries, often strategic and economic considerations override human principles. The call for restoration of democracy and observance of human rights can be used as cover for strategic considerations.

This is the reason why small countries are increasingly cynical about big powers telling them what to do and not to do.

Saving the situation

The current sanctions and freeze in bilateral and multi-lateral relations will no doubt impact on Fiji's ability to recover. The analogy of a drowning person in a pool being pulled down by his "friends" every time the person comes up for air is relevant here.

The aim is to deprive the drowning person of air and eventually let the poor bugger die. The analogy may be too extreme but the moral of the story is quite clear.

Is this really what Australia and New Zealand want Fiji to go through?

Do they really want to punish Fiji rather than help the country recover?

Is political pride more important than people's welfare and lives?

This analogy has deep humanitarian as well as human rights implications.

Now that the sanctions have had their desired symbolic and practical impacts, it is perhaps timely to review them in the light of the current circumstances before they cause irreparable damage.

Continued sanctions will hurt the nation and even the region and this will make recovery and re-democratisation even more difficult. This is why cool-headedness must prevail and our neighbours must deflate their vengeful ego and take their cue from the European Union which has opened up doors for talks with Fiji to deal with some issues at stake.

Really, views for or against the coup do not matter anymore because for the sake of our collective future it is now time to initiate dialogue, repair the diplomatic and bilateral damage since December 5, 2006, and move on.

New Zealand and Australia should start engaging Fiji and vice versa on the basis of goodwill for the long-term stability of the region.

For its part, Fiji's Interim Government must draw up a more specific timeline with specific dates for the return to democracy and commit itself to its fulfillment. With these we will no doubt begin to see the thawing of tension and a calmer path towards normality.

Dr Steven Ratuva is a political sociologist at the University of the South Pacific. These views are his own and do not reflect those of the institution.

Club Em Designs

Good for the Goose, Good for the Gander.

The subject of treason charges levelled at the deposed Fiji Prime Minister, Laisenia Qarase, was addressed by New Zealand's Prime Minister, Helen Clark. In summation, Madam Prime Minister described the whole affair as "bizarre" in an article by crime.co.nz.

It also appears that, Helen Clark has come under her own shadow of corruption, as a Youtube video (below)has pointed out and judging from experience gained, Clark's advice on how to get out of a political pickle would be invaluable to Qarase.


If anything, the tag of Bizarre only reminds readers of the N.Z group, OMC and their hit single "How Bizarre"- music video.



Club Em Designs

A Note of Progress or

Is It A Penny Wise and a Pound Foolish?

Fiji blog: Invest in Fiji comments on the unfolding scandal in Fiji National Provident Fund, the nation's only retirement fund broker.

Invest in Fiji blog also raises important questions on oversight and the absence of timely action by Reserve Bank Of Fiji, whose Governor was more proactive in launching a new $100 Bill, than placing oversight of financial institutions on the front burner.



(Above image: Fiji President [L] and RBF Governor [R] at the launch ceremony for Fiji's new monetary note).


Fijilive article quotes FNPF board member who points out huge discrepancies in loan arrangements and investment, as well as shortfalls in resort project financing after an extraordinary audit was ordered after the suspension of FNPF C.E.O and Deputy General Manager.

It appears that Fiji Labour Party had raised the issue of FNPF investments in a 2005 article. Transparency International also raises the point in a Fiji Times article that, Auditor-Generals annual reports have been ignored, creating a culture of corruption within Government and Private sectors.

U.S idea of Human Rights-Being Accountable and Infallible

US Secretary of State, Condaleeza Rice launches the Congress mandated Country reports on Human Rights in a video feed made available by the US State Department. Video below involves a Question and Answer session after the introduction by Rice.



Apparently the U.S State Department authored report have yet to factor in the Amnesty International reports on U.S violations. Filling in this credibility gap of divisive policies designed by the Bush administration, an Iraqi-American rapper- TIMZ outlines his own track record of the abuses in Iraq in an outstandingly courageous music video (below).



According to the US 2007 Budget provisions, Human Rights makes up a slim portion of the US monetary policy, as analyzed by the Budget Graph, which also designed this impressive graphical representation of US budgetary allocations.



Club Em Designs

Throwing the Anti Corruption Net- Accuracy and Timing Is Essential.

Throwing the net wide on corruption

By MAIKA BOLATIKI
Fiji Sun Political Editor

It is reassuring to see that the Government of the day is realistic in its moves to eradicate corruption We must not forget that one of the major reasons the military forcefully removed the democratically elected Laisenia Qarase-led Government was corruption.There is no doubt that corruption has been rife in Fiji's civil service and this is a great shame. Some civil servants who have engaged themselves in corrupt practices are now sitting on hot seats as the Interim Government moves in with its newly formed anti-corruption unit.But Fiji is not unique in this regard. Corruption exists in all countries.

It is both a major cause and a result of poverty around the world, at all levels of society, from government, civil society and judiciary functions to the military and other services. And the impact of corruption in developing countries, especially on the poorer members of their societies is even more tragic.

At a joint annual general meeting between the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund in 1996, James Wolffensohn said: "Corruption is a problem that all countries have to confront. Solutions, however, can only be home-grown. National leaders need to take a stand."

It is a fact that previous governments worked tirelessly to eradicate corruption.Even though they had made some progress, it still existed.To wipe out corruption, the Government will require enormous political resolve.

No one supports corruption.The ousted prime minister is on record as saying that there is no room for corrupt people in the civil service.In his contribution to the 2007 Budget debate in Parliament last year, Mr Qarase said the annual reports from the Auditor-General brought shame to the entire service and to the Government. "There is shame, too, in the amount of corruption that continues to surface - not just in the civil service, but in the private sector as well," he said. "I welcome the PSC's more proactive approach to stamping this out among public servants.

This will be given more teeth by an anti-corruption law cleared by Cabinet for introduction into Parliament. Also coming through the system are a Freedom of Information Bill and one covering standards of leadership. Both of these will have an important role in turning back corruption."The Qarase Government was totally against corruption and it is sad that it was not given more time to confront and deal with it.

The Interim Government, led by Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama, is against corruption and has vowed to wipe it out before returning power to a democratically elected government.They know the task at hand will not be easy. But they have been mandated by the President, Ratu Josefa Iloilo to tackle corruption at all levels of Government.

To begin the work against corruption, the Interim Government has, time and again, stressed good governance.This is something they want instilled in all Government ministries and departments and it must be upheld by all workers.

The Interim Minister of Finance, Mahendra Chaudhry, while presenting the revised 2007 Budget said:"Government is concerned with incidences of abuse and corruption, which have cost our taxpayers and the economy significantly in wasted resources,deteriorating services and lost development opportunities.One of the key agendas of this Government is to weed out corruption by minimising opportunities to engage in such behaviour."

The measures outlined by Mr Chaudhry are as follows: We are establishing the new Fiji Independent Commission against Corruption with powers to investigate corruption and report directly to His Excellency the President. Additionally, a special unit has been set up in the Ministry of Finance to carry out investigations on all allegations of abuse of public funds identified by the Independent Commission.

The special unit will be equipped with competent and experienced auditors who will be empowered to visit agencies unannounced, conduct spot checks, and prepare timely audit reports. The new unit will complement the role of the existing Internal Audit Unit under the Ministry of Finance.

While the Internal Audit Unit will focus on regulatory audits, the Special Audit Unit will focus on performance audits and identify preemptive measures to prevent abuse before it occurs and ensure that the value of public expenditure is maximized.

Large capital projects will be regularly monitored to ensure that disbursal of funds is matched with physical progress. Engineering expertise will be engaged to independently check cost estimates against engineering designs for each project and to validate project implementation against fund disbursement. This is necessary where large capital projects are concerned.

Our commitment to principles of good governance is shown in our support of those agencies which uphold these. In 2007, the Office of the Auditor General will receive $2.9 million. The office of the Ombudsman, together with the Fiji Human Rights Commission, is allocated $1.4million. Further, $12.1 million is provided to the Judiciary.The Interim Government now has the resources to carry out its work against corruption.

I know there will be more investigations carried out by appointed teams into various Government ministries and department activities.However, a concern to be raised is the credibility of those appointed.

A suggestion from some concerned people is that we need total independence and overseas experts must be used. Transparency must at all times be prioritized during selection.The Interim Government must be mindful of the fact that domestic politics contributes enormously to the success or failure of any effort to reduce or eradicate corruption.

Vested interests need to be explicitly recognized and understood The Government must involve the citizens in fighting corruption. While we support the move to eradicate corruption, people appointed to carry out this task must have a clear police record.They must not be involved in any form of corrupt practices in whatever task they have been involved with.

If an official is already corrupt, it will be difficult to conduct investigations on reported allegations and the truth will remain hidden. It is a fact that, if any of the officials had been engaged in some of form of corrupt practice, he or she can be easily tempted.We must acknowledge the fact that corrupt officers investigating a high-level corrupt case can easily be tempted by bribes.

Government must be mindful of the fact that the fight against corruption is an increasingly specialized field and that corruption cases cannot be investigated solely with conventional tools. To effectively build complex cases, prosecutors and investigators must have the expertise available to them that is required for such cases.

An effective anti-corruption unit should ideally include prosecutors and investigators working together, along with the forensic specialists, auditors, and other experts who are necessary to complete the investigative team. Corruption and mismanagement thrives when best practices that promote transparency, responsibility and accountability are not followed. But a society that upholds and practices these best practice principles reduces the opportunities for corruption and mismanagement.

I will share with you Mr Qarase's belief on the subject: "In the final analysis, professional and personal integrity comes from the spiritual and family values we absorbed from our childhood. We were all taught the difference between right and wrong; we were taught about respect for rules, and to observe fairness and decency in our relationships with others.

These codes of life should guide us at all times." Government faces an uphill battle to eradicate corruption, but with its political will and the resources it now has, it can succeed. Realistically, it needs the support from the public and the true dedication and faithfulness of the investigators.

Rebuttal from S.i.F.M

Fiji Sun's Political Editor is rather fond of venturing off on tangents, rather than exploring the mechanics of factual events regarding the unbridled culture of corruption in Fiji.

Although, Maika Bolatiki acknowledges the rife culture of corruption, he launches on a diversionary garden path tour to diminish the seriousness of the offence, only after establishing that corruption has a global omnipresence. By extension of Bolatiki's logic, the existence of corruption in Fiji is not really a big issue.

The Fiji Sun Political Editor quotes an International Monetary Fund official and former World Bank chief, James Wolfensohn who said in 1996 that, "Corruption is a problem that all countries have to confront. Solutions, however, can only be home-grown. National leaders need to take a stand". Bolatiki further adds that deposed Prime Minister, Laisenia Qarase also made a similar stand in his 2006 Parliamentarian address while presenting the 2007 Budget.

In essence, according to the application of Bolatiki's rationale that, since Qarase condemned the repeated Auditor General's report as “shameful”, it exonerates culpability and responsibility from him or SDL Government from the evidence of corruption in several statuary authorities. One case involving Fiji National Provident Fund which was reported a week ago by the Fiji Sun itself.

Bolatiki claims with oblivious insight, highlighting the premise that no one supports corruption and Qarase did not have sufficient time to confront the issue of corruption, in spite of six years at the helm. Although, the SDL Government had attempted to pass a new Freedom of Information Bill and Anti-Corruption legislation, only after the passage of the controversial RTU Bill; fundamentally those attempts by SDL Government were realistically devoid of adroitness to cease conspicuous corruption incidents, let alone widespread enough to eradicate the immense and inconspicuous magnitude of the cancer.

Despite the actions of the interim government in launching in depth investigations or their initiatives to form an Anti-Corruption entity, as well pursuing embarrassing corrupt practices; the integrity of the new appointees of the Corruption Unit was questioned by Bolatiki:”I know there will be more investigations carried out by appointed teams into various Government ministries and department activities. However, a concern to be raised is the credibility of those appointed”.

Compared with the other Bills which were expeditiously passed by the Qarase Government, it was well understood that the priority of combating corruption in Fiji, occupied the bottom of the hierarchy of needs.

With such an enterprising outlook of combating corruption, it is was expected but nothing short of alarming nor apprehensive that, the misappropriation of Agricultural programs, FNPF funds and the abuse in NLTB had not registered an extraordinary offense to arrest it by the SDL Government. While Laisenia Qarase may have a unique code of life to guide him, it is safe to assume that instead of guiding Qarase to the vested interests within these statuary agencies; the code led the deposed Prime Minister everywhere, but to the bottom of corruption.

With all the speeches denouncing corruption, everything comes to naught when no comprehensive action is taken to investigate, desist or criminalize well known cases of corruption or complaints of it. Deeds matter not words.









Club Em Designs

Hard Talk on Fiji.

Radio New Zealand podcast interviews the N.Z Foreign Minister, Winston Peters regarding the highballed statistics of Human Rights abuses in Fiji. Similar accusations were also levied by Commonwealth Secretary General, Don McKinnon also covered by Radio NZ article. Ironically McKinnon had formerly occupied the office of New Zealand Foreign Minister and his comments could have well been 'ghost written' from Wellington, as far as Fiji's interim Attorney General is concerned.



New Zealand Television's video (featured above) analyzes the recent 'Vote of No Confidence'against the Labour Party. So it appears that Winston Peters' opinion of Fiji is not reflected by all New Zealanders.

Apparently, there is no shortage of people pissed off with the New Zealand Government and their policies; including the N.Z conventional media. This ticked off citizen journalist from New Zealand has unleashed his anger on a YouTube video

Warning: Language may be offensive.

Club Em Designs

Point of Correction.

(Above image: Queens Road at Nadi Airport)

This posting is a rebuttal to the skewed facts published in Fiji Sun's Political Editorial, regarding Fiji's land issue.

Time to face land issue

By MAIKA BOLATIKI
Fiji Sun Political Editor

Very little has been heard from the Interim Government on the renewal of expiring leases.‭ ‬We should applaud the determination of past governments in trying to resolve this issue.‭ ‬However,‭ ‬it is unfortunate that it has become heavily politicised and a sensible and pragmatic solution cannot be guaranteed.‭

This opening paragraph leads people to think that,‭ ‬expiring leases was heavily affected by the interim Government.‭ ‬It is correct to point out that,‭ ‬the land issue has long been heavily politicised prior to the existence of the Interim Government. However,‭ ‬little description was given by the Fiji Sun Political Editor to outline how exactly this had come about.

Well,‭ ‬nothing is impossible on this earth.‭ ‬Ousted Prime Minster Laisenia Qarase,‭ ‬during his term in office,‭ ‬tried his very best to solve this problem,‭ ‬but could not,‭ ‬even though he had the backing of the Great Council of Chiefs‭ (‬GCC‭) ‬and the Native Land Trust Board.‭ (‬NLTB‭)‬.‭

Although,‭ ‬Laisenia Qarase had attempted to solve the land problem,‭ ‬the fact of the matter is that during his‭ ‬6‭ ‬years in office,‭ ‬little to nothing had changed.‭ ‬The very fact that GCC and NLTB were given carte blanche to decide the future of native lands that they did not own‭; ‬may have contributed to the failed attempts by Laisenia Qarase to phase out ALTA.‭ ‬Apparently,‭ ‬the numerous media reports of dissatisfied landowners were conveniently glossed over.

Access to land is a major prerequisite for any development.‭ ‬We all know the current system of land tenure in Fiji has been seen to be very rigid The Agricultural Landlord and Tenant Act‭ ‬1966‭ (‬ALTA‭) ‬governs the negotiation and grant of agricultural leases on native land.‭ ‬About‭ ‬50‭ ‬per cent of all leases are ALTA leases.‭ ‬Since the leases began expiring in‭ ‬1997,‭ ‬it has been increasingly difficult to renew them under the ALTA framework.

Neither the landlords nor the tenants are happy with the terms and conditions imposed under ALTA.‭ ‬The landlords are unhappy about the low rental levels,‭ ‬which do not appear to reflect the value of the land,‭ ‬and the tenants want stronger provisions providing compensation for improvements in the event that the lease is not renewed.‭

Does Maika Bolatiki's attach empirical evidence corroborating his claim that,‭ ‬landowners and tenants were unhappy with ALTA legislation‭? ‬Clearly in the absence of such evidence,‭ ‬the Fiji Sun Political Editor made an unqualified view and through his misrepresentation of facts,‭ ‬aided and abetted the politicising of the land issue,‭ ‬which Bolatiki initially bemoans.

I must admit that the major factor affecting talks on the renewal of ALTA leases is that the ALTA legislation is constitutionally entrenched and can only be amended if a two-thirds majority concurs.

‭Before the military removed the elected Laisenia Qarase-led Government,‭ ‬hopes were high that the land lease problems would be solved because there was a multi-party Cabinet.‭ ‬Soon after the swearing in of the multi-party Cabinet,‭ ‬Prime Minister Qarase said he would make a proposal to his Cabinet that they should urgently find a solution to the land problem.

Should have,‭ ‬Would Have,‭ ‬Could Have are perhaps a summation of the biggest regrets for Laisenia Qarase's Government.‭ ‬It shouldn't require a Fiji Sun Political editorial to ascertain how things would be different‭; ‬such hindsight only confirms Bolatiki's apologist role as well as being a history revisionist for the deposed SDL Government and their controversial policies.‭

“I will be proposing to my Cabinet colleagues that we should urgently make a new start on discussion and consultation,‭’’ [‬Qarase‭] ‬announced.‭ `` ‬When we addressed this problem in the last parliament,‭ ‬we narrowed down the differences to the point where an answer was within sight.‭ ‬But this did not happen.‭’’‬.

‭[‬Qarase‭] ‬said there had been suggestions that they should delay finding a solution to the land issue,‭ ‬on the grounds that they first needed to ensure that the multi-party Cabinet was functioning properly.‭ “‬With the greatest of respect to those who hold that view,‭ ‬I do not think the Government or the country can afford to further postpone consideration of this vitally important question.‭ “‬We cannot ignore the social difficulties and human suffering caused by expiring leases.‭ ‬There are people and families involved here and we have a clear duty to them.‭”

Those social difficulties exist due to the unequal wealth distribution formula,‭ ‬which gives NLTB a percentage of lease rentals.‭ ‬Social difficulties exist because landowner are prevented from negotiating with developers on their own terms and conditions‭; ‬enslaving them into a mere observer status and stonewalling their avenues of social mobility‭.

We all know that the Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua Government had tabled a Bill to amend the ALTA,‭ ‬but it was defeated because it did not have the two-thirds support of the Lower House.

Another fact which Bolatiki glosses over is that,‭ ‬several SDL Ministers did not vote on that crucial Parliamentarian debate on ALTA.‭ ‬It appears that the were some differences within that party and apparently Laisenia Qarase's intentions to convert ALTA legislation failed primarily in attracting support from the landowners and tenants,‭ ‬as well alienating SDL in securing a bi-partisan solution.

Now that we have an Interim Government,‭ ‬we are glad that a media statement from Interim Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama stated,‭ “‬We will resolve the land lease problem.‭” ‬The statement ends there.‭ ‬What we want to know is‭ ‬-‭ ‬how is the Interim Government going to solve this longstanding issue‭?

The clean up campaign orchestrated by the interim Government is directing a series of reforms into Native Lands Trust Board‭ (‬NLTB‭)‬.‭ ‬Sadly,‭ ‬the decay within that landmark institution had escaped the attention of the SDL Government and Maika Bolatiki.‭


Also escaping attention is the long disdained formula for land rentals,‭ ‬the disconnect between the NLTB and the landowners,‭ ‬the abuse of Native legislation in Fiji to line the pockets of an elite few,‭ ‬the misdirection in NLTB's strategic plans that actually over reaches from its legislated function‭; ‬failing in its fiduciary duty to represent the landowner's interests and allowing land leases without landowner's succinct‭ ‬consent.‭ Notwithstanding the scandal in paying‭ ‬$11‭ ‬million for a IT software or NLTB's plan to create a cellular phone network with the vendor for the IT software.


In some media reported complaints made by the landowners,‭ ‬was that their signatures were forged by NLTB officials,‭ ‬to facilitate a million dollar development project on their ancestral land.‭ ‬Another media reported complaint was that,‭ ‬a negotiator and NLTB board member violated conflict of interest ethical guidelines,‭ ‬by representing both the Hotel developer and the landowner in drawing up initial terms of agreement‭; ‬which the landowner themselves were not privy to.

The ousted Government had proposed the Native Land Trust Act‭ (‬NLTA‭) ‬as the solution and that is for all ALTA leases to be under NLTA.‭ ‬The proposed NLTA leases give much greater flexibility in lease conditions,‭ ‬which would allow landlords and tenants to reach agreement within the legal framework.‭ ‬Considerably long security of land use is available and potentially higher rentals must be seen in the context of the illegal upfront payments for goodwill,‭ ‬which must now be paid for the lower rental levels prescribed under ALTA.‭

NLTA is supported by the GCC and NLTB.‭ ‬For this solution to materialize,‭ ‬it must have the support of two-thirds of the members of parliament.‭ ‬The NLTA proposal is strongly rejected by the Fiji Labour Party.‭ ‬The FLP wants ALTA retained and amendments must be made within the ambit of ALTA.‭ ‬Because of the rigidity of ALTA,‭ ‬it has resulted in the development of an illegal‭ “‬black market‭” ‬in which landlords and tenants reach agreement outside the law.

This black market is evident in the growing incidence of‭ ‬vakavanua arrangements.‭ ‬These are informal agreements‭ ‬-‭ ‬with nothing in writing‭ ‬-‭ ‬between mataqali and families or individuals who wish to occupy and use some land.‭ ‬They can run for many years,‭ ‬sometimes decades.‭ ‬The main problem with vakavanua agreements is that they leave the tenant outside the formal property rights system and thus unable to take advantage of the benefits of a legal leasehold title.‭

While castigating these informal arrangements of native land,‭ ‬Maika Bolatiki ignores the practice of it by past Fiji Governments‭; ‬which continues to rear its ugly head in the Courts.‭ ‬NLTB had even attempted to lobby for legislation,‭ ‬preventing indigenous landowning units from taking legal action.‭ ‬Those efforts by NLTB were soon abandoned because it violated the‭ ‬1997constitution.‭ ‬However,‭ ‬a similar clause [Section 5(1)]had appeared in the‭ ‬2006‭ ‬proposed Qoliqoli legislation‭; ‬giving NLTB the role of resource managers to native fishing grounds,‭ ‬as opposed to empowering landowner themselves to undertake the duties.

The Government of the day must solve the land lease issue.‭ ‬It must establish a legal framework that allows the landlords and tenants to agree on a sound,‭ ‬secure,‭ ‬legal basis rather than through an ALTA-based black market.‭ ‬The Interim Government made some bold changes when it came into power.‭ ‬Can it solve the land lease problem‭? ‬Surely it can,‭ ‬but it must be mindful of the wishes of the landowners.‭ ‬With Mahendra Chaudhry playing a major role in Government,‭ ‬he can surely come up with a solution.‭ ‬In fact he already has one.‭ ‬The GCC and the NLTB should be consulted.

Once again the consent of GCC and NLTB have taken poll position in Bolatiki's perspective.‭ ‬It is safe to assume that the very landowning units are located‭ ‬way down the Totem pole and that they have been rendered insignificant.‭ ‬This widely held view was echoed by a remark televised by Fiji TV,‭ ‬made by the deposed NLTB,‭ ‬Kalivati Bakani.‭ ‬According to Bakani,‭ ‬landowners are not educated enough to manage their own land resources.‭

The indigenous Fijians have land ownership rights and these cannot be forcefully taken a way from them.‭ ‬Even the barrel of the gun cannot remove this right.‭

This attempt to equate the recent clean up campaign with native land ownership,‭ ‬reminds us of the fear propagated by NLTB in late‭ ‬1999,‭ ‬to create resistance to Mahendra Chaudary's Government and their initiative to create a Land-Use Commission.‭ ‬It‭ ‬is now widely believed that,‭ ‬this induced climate of distrust paved the way for the‭ ‬2000‭ ‬coup.

In fact,‭ ‬these issues of native land ownership is currently featured in a Suva High Court lawsuit‭; ‬where a Suvavou landowning unit have claimed monetary compensation for the loss of their land and ancestral fishing grounds.‭ ‬Ironically the land in contention is now a City making up Fiji's capital and the central business district.‭

One wonders with incredulity on the fact that,‭ ‬NLTB the supposed guardian of native lands failed embarrassingly to pursue these issues.‭ ‬GCC‭ ‬,‭ ‬the Great‭ ‬Council of Chiefs are equally guilty,‭ ‬of failing to address the concerns of Suva natives.‭ ‬After all,‭ ‬isn't the GCC is a forum where all matters pertaining to indigenous Fijians should be raised.‭

It is brow raising to see how the pertinent issue of native land on Fiji,‭ ‬could be overlooked by the GCC.‭ ‬In fact,‭ ‬the inability of these native institutions to raise grassroots issues,‭ ‬call into question the justifications for having such institutions.‭ ‬Another case that represents the in-built dichotomy‭ ‬within native affairs, was the Monasavu landowner and their lawsuit for having their ancestral land taken by the State without compensation,‭ ‬for the construction of Fiji's only Hydro dam and power station infrastructure in‭ ‬1979.

(Above image: Fiji lawyer, Isireli Fa and his clients)

The Monasavu landowner's settled their lawsuit with the High Court issuing an unprecedented award of‭ ‬$52‭ ‬million,‭ ‬inextricably paving the way for other claims.‭ ‬Inexcusably,‭ ‬the NLTB and GCC did not address those matters‭; ‬prompting landowners to pursue legal avenues.‭ ‬Other embarrassing dimensions featured in the Monasavu case,‭ ‬was that NLTB had attempted to insert themselves as the sole distributor of the court award,‭ ‬but failed‭; ‬prompting the Court to create a landowner trust fund as a financial vehicle to distribute the compensation.

The people who are affected cannot wait until‭ ‬2010‭ ‬for the elected Government to take the matter up to parliament.‭ ‬This is a very sensitive issue and a solution must be reached through negotiation with all of the parties concerned.‭ ‬Under the constitution,‭ ‬the Interim Government cannot touch the ALTA issue.

Bolatiki's opinion then scatters from the issue of native land to the issue of the road map to‭ ‬2010‭ ‬elections and back again,‭ ‬without pointing out the significance.‭ ‬Bolatiki further highlights the ALTA issue and warns the Interim Government against touching the ALTA legislation‭; ‬while earlier in the article Bolatiki had advocated SDL Government's position of reforming ALTA.‭

Any amendments to the ALTA must be tabled in parliament and passed with the support of two-thirds of the members of parliament.‭ ‬There is no other legal way out of this.‭ ‬It is very important the Interim Government prioritizes the lease problem as it can build confidence for the investors who want to invest in the country at this trying time.

It is apparent that Fiji Sun Political Editor is using sleight of hand to confuse issues.‭ ‬ALTA legislation is a convenient Red Herring,‭ ‬while Bolatiki chronically ignores the inherent flaws within Fiji's native institutions‭; ‬that have saturated these institutions with a culture of corruption.‭

The repeated and unfettered abuse in GCC,‭ ‬NLTB,‭ ‬have raised concerns on the absence of any mechanisms of checks and balances over these powerful entities.

Another way out of this is to bring forward the general election and let the elected government deal with the matter.‭ ‬This again will not be accepted by the Government of the day.‭ ‬Surely the Interim Minister for Fijian Affairs is now working on a solution.

Clearly the solution pursued by the interim Minister of Fijian Affairs,‭ ‬is a systemic overhaul and re-evaluation of the branches of native governance.‭ ‬Undoubtedly,‭ ‬the stagnation and corruption of these native institutions did not appear on the radar screens of the SDL Government,‭ ‬Maika Bolatiki,‭ ‬NLTB and GCC collectively‭; ‬simply because they were part and parcel of the tentacles of misrepresentation.

Club Em Designs