Need for Dialogue Between Fiji and New Zealand

A seminar to discuss the situation in Fiji since the December 2005 coup, held at the Victoria University in Wellington last Friday has called on the New Zealand Government to initiate more dialogue with the Interim Government of Fiji.

According to Vince McBride, the Executive Director of the Wellington-based Pacific Cooperation Foundation (PCF), which facilitated the seminar, it was “time for a cup of tea”.

The main speakers at the seminar “Fiji at the Crossroads – Again?” were two academics from the University of the South Pacific, Dr Steven Ratuva and Professor Biman Prasad, Wellington lawyer Janet Mason, from Pacific Law and Rae Julian, executive director of the Council of International Development, also based in Wellington. (Scoop Media Image: Fiji security, by Selwyn Manning).

Mr McBride said the broad thrust of the seminar was that the New Zealand Government should ease up a little and “engage” with Fiji.

Relations between the two countries had soured since the coup, which saw the Commander of the Fiji Military Forces, Commander J V Bainimarama seizing power and ousting the democratically elected Government led by Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase.

Amongst the sanctions imposed by the New Zealand Government was suspension of certain aid projects, travel ban on all the members of the military and the Fiji Interim Government and their families and imposition of a strict travel advisory.

Mr McBride said views were expressed that it was important to get the Fiji economy “back on the feet”. Without the Fiji economy improving positive development in the political situation will be difficult. Poverty alleviation was important to the betterment of the Fiji society. He said to start of with; the seminar felt that the New Zealand Government’s travel advisory should be toned down. Tourism brought much needed revenue for the country that in recent years has seen the decline in revenue from other traditional sources such as sugar and the garments industry. The travel advisory was toned down to some extent after the Interim Government withdrew the Emergency regulations with effect from May 31. The loss of employment and services in the tourism sector directly hurts ordinary Fiji citizens, precisely what the smart sanctions were designed to do.

A spokesperson for the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Winston Peters, responded by saying that New Zealand has indicated right from the start that actions taken against Fiji since the coup was done with “great regret”.

He said relations with Fiji couldn’t continue to the pre coup level unless the Interim Government took “concrete steps” to return Fiji to democratic rule as specified by the Pacific Islands Forum-Fiji Joint Working Group.

The Working Group undertook an independent assessment of the electoral process in Fiji to determine the minimum reasonable time required “to prepare for and conduct the next parliamentary elections” in Fiji in a manner which was free, fair and credible.

The members of the team appointed in May were electoral expert Dr Paul Harris, of New Zealand, lawyer Barrie Sweetman and Dr Kesaia Seniloli of Fiji and Bruce Hatch of Canada. Their report released last week stated that the country could be ready for elections by November 2008 or the latest by the first quarter of 2009.

The spokesperson said “better” relations with Fiji would depend on the Interim Government’s response to the report. The report has suggested that before the elections there should be a redistribution of constituency boundaries following the 2007 census, an update of the registration of voters, and voter education and information programmes. It recommended international technical assistance for such a programme to take place.

Janet Mason said the Working group’s assessment have given the Interim Government a detailed timetable to return to democratic rule, under the provisions of the present constitution. She said the present situation in Fiji was not good and before Fiji and New Zealand re-enter negotiations there was need to look at some of the fundamental issues of concern in Fiji. Apart from returning to democracy, there was a need to uphold the rule of law and basic human rights. Some of these rights have eroded over the months since the coup. Many lawyers, journalists and academics have been subjected to harassment by the military. They have been taken to the barracks for questioning and reportedly intimidated and assaulted.

Ms Mason herself while in Fiji recently to advise the Great Council of Chiefs was burgled. She and her husband were also reportedly assaulted during the time of the burglary.

She agreed that the situation in Fiji could worsen if the economy collapses and that there was a dire need for more dialogue between not only Fiji and New Zealand but also involving other countries.

Nikhil Naidu, from the Auckland based Coalition for Democracy in Fiji said sanctions against Fiji was hurting them in a big way. He said such sanctions hurt the ordinary people the most. There were many more people in Fiji living below the poverty line now then prior to the coup. He said as much as eighty per cent of the population could be struggling, given the decline in the sugar industry, the collapse of the garments industry and expiry of land leases. There were large numbers of unemployed people around the country.

Mr Naidu said the worst case scenario was seeing the economy collapse, bringing down with it the Interim Government and then there will be chaos. The key to the Interim Government’s survival is the performance of the economy and returning the country to democratic Government by holding general elections.

He said dialogue was needed not only between Fiji and New Zealand but also between the different groups in Fiji. There were major issues concerning the judiciary, unemployment, law and order, inter-ethnic relations and breaches in human rights since the coup.

Mr Naidu said the voices of the ordinary people in Fiji need to be heard. The Interim Government needs to engage with the wider community in a genuine manner, represented by the key parties in civil society and the private sector. The Commander also needs to engage with his opponents.

He said the Working Group’s path to democratic rule was achievable. Fiji’s Interim Government need to heed proposals put forward by the group and proceed with census preparation as soon as possible. He said he had no doubt at all that the New Zealand Government would come to the party and provide the technical assistance the Interim Government needed and restore bilateral relations between the two countries.

The Pacific cooperation Foundation is a catalyst for strengthening New Zealand /Pacific relations by providing information and independent commentary, brokering outcomes and developing networks within the pacific region. Their goal is to foster understanding of the Pacific on the part of all New Zealanders and New Zealand’s identity as a Pacific nation. The organisation aims to see that communities, regional institutions and governments engage with each other to promote economic growth and social development through mutual understanding and cooperation.

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