Is there a way forward for Fiji?
December 29th, 2008 at 10:00 am by David FarrarThere is a very easy way for the travel sanctions against Fiji to be lifted, and that is for the interim Fijian Government to keep its word and take credible steps towards democracy. In fact the NZ Government has offered significant help and assistance if the interim Government takes these steps, as former High Commissioner Caroline McDonald reminds us.
Whether or not one approves of the Commodore’s professed aims, his mandate comes from the fact he has lots of guns. That is not a long-term mandate.
So when there is an easy way to get the travel sanctions lifted (keep your word) and a near impossible counter-productive way to get them lifted (threaten the NZ Govt), what does it mean when Fiji chooses the latter?
Either it means the Commodore is not acting on good advice, or it means there is a deliberate strategy to lower expectations that Fiji will even restore democracy.
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December 29th, 2008 at 11:12 am
Think that all ‘Democracies’ should offer help to make the country ‘democratic’ within a specified timeframe.
After which all travel to and from Fiji should be curtailed.
That includes freight etc,
It will hurt the population for sure, but the Fijians are not Rhodesians, or South Africans.
They don’t have the same resources, or resolution to continue against the World.
Vote:December 29th, 2008 at 11:15 am
Of course there is a way forward. There has never been a true democracy in Fiji, ie one man one vote. The Chief’s have always made the decisions which matter in Fiji. The Commodore is trying to put together a smidgen of democracy by putting together a voting register – not help by some of the earlier corrupt leading politicians defending their own positions.
New Zealand and Australia need to get off their collective backsides, stop bitching to suit their high moral ground, led by H. Clark of totally high moral memory, in New Zealand’s view.
Our Prime Minister should up the anti personally and talk to the Commodore quietly man to man and see what can be done to assist. Bitching, via Barbara Dreavers and others in the MSM, does nothing to further the ends of the people of Fiji. Its about time New Zealand grew up concerning Fiji.
Vote:December 29th, 2008 at 11:48 am
These alternative presuppose that the Commodore is making a rational choice. This is what you would expect of a professional politician who understands the way the world of political interactions work.
But Cmmde Bainimarama has a quite different background. The armed forces have a rather different ethos and different methods of getting things done. In fact, the whole point of an army is to be able to say “Do X or we’ll shoot you”.
Like every military coup leader, the problems he held his coup to fix seemed so simple from the outside and yet have proved intractable from the inside.
I suspect that he is simply reacting emotionally, out of frustration that things are not working out the way he wanted and hoped.
Vote:December 29th, 2008 at 12:01 pm
Is there a way forward?? Sure there is- Export all Fijian Indians to Kerikeri.
Vote:December 29th, 2008 at 12:05 pm
Sure there’s a way forward. How about the NZ Government grow up, lift the sanctions, and start helping Fiji sort out a new constitution, which is what they want. There’s no point in having “democracy” if it’s under the old constitution, and NZ’s insistence that Fiji continue under it is cloth-eared.
Vote:December 29th, 2008 at 12:21 pm
“In fact the NZ Government has offered significant help and assistance if the interim Government takes these steps, as former High Commissioner Caroline McDonald reminds us.”……………………………………………………………………………………………..
Well thats not very specific Caroline was the help and assistance intended for steps to return to the former corrupt regime or was it to restructure using the democratic Kingdom of Tonga as a model.
Vote:December 29th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
Paulus – your comment is spot on! John Key personally can make a genuine difference, but only if he acts out of the public / media eye. Normal diplomatic channels and the MSM have entrenched a jaundiced view of Australia’s and Helen Clark’s high-handed moral superiority that now impedes any chance of this standoff ending other than in tears.
John Key has demonstrated his ability to bridge former chasms (e.g. with Clark on the anti-smacking Bill, with the “underclass” that he set out to interact with directly, and with the Maori Party leadership). Building productive relationships and compromises seems to be his special skill. It’s not guaranteed to work with Bainimarama, but it’s clear that threats, deadlines and sanctions aren’t working either. As the “new boy” on the block, Key has a one-off chance to influence Fiji’s sad political environment towards a true democracy. But traditionalists like McCully and Caroline McDonald will have to quietly leave centre stage while any Prime Ministerial efforts are acted out in an atmosphere of confidentiality, personal trust and a quest for practical outcomes, not grandstanding.
Vote:December 29th, 2008 at 1:42 pm
John Key has enough to do resuscitating New Zealand after the excesses of the last lot.
Fiji don’t count, leave them to fix their own mess.
Vote:December 29th, 2008 at 2:12 pm
Of course there is a way forward for Fiji. One bullet and one honest soldier is all they need.
Vote:December 30th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
Personally I’m a bit more extreme, but if I was in a position to make decision for NZ, I would just cut all trade/communication between the 2 countries. Of course, the collateral damage will not be small, but if this keeps on going, things will never change. Their problem, they can solve it themselves.
Lucky I’m in no position to make any decisions, so I can still make my wacky comments
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