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Fiji Before the Storm: Elections and the Politics of Development

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Fiji Before the Storm Published by ANU E Press The Australian National University Canberra ACT 0200, Australia Email: [email protected] This title is also available online at http://epress.anu.edu.au National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry Title: Fiji before the storm : elections and the politics of development / Brij V. Lal, editor. ISBN: 9781922144621 (pbk.) 9781922144638 (eBook) Includes bibliographical references and index. Subjects: Constitutional law--Fiji. Fiji--Politics and government--20th century. Fiji--Economic conditions. Other Authors/Contributors: Lal, Brij V. Dewey Number: 320.99611 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. Cover photo courtesy of AP Photo/Edward Wray. This edition © 2012 ANU E Press Contents Tables and figures vi Glossary viii Contributors x Acknowledgments xi Map xii Chapter one The future of our past 1 Brij V. Lal Chapter two The Fiji Islands in transition: personal reflections 7 Sitiveni L. Rabuka Chapter three A time to change: the Fiji general elections of 1999 21 Brij V. Lal Chapter four Understanding the results of the 1999 Fiji elections 49 Robert Norton Chapter five Elections and the dilemma of indigenous Fijian political unity 73 Alumita Durutalo Chapter six Peripheral visions? Rabi Island in Fiji's general election 93 Teresia K. Teaiwa Chapter seven Land, Lome and the Fiji sugar industry 111 Padma Lal Chapter eight Inshore fisheries development in Fiji 135 Joeli Veitayaki Chapter nine Women and politics in Fiji 149 Chandra Reddy Chapter ten Economic challenges facing Fiji before the storm 161 Biman Prasad Chapter eleven Madness in May: George Speight and the unmaking of modern Fiji 175 Brij V. Lal References 195 Index 203 vi Tables and figures Tables 4.1 Support for parties in Fijian urban communal contests: first preference votes 52 4.2 Indian communal voting, 1992-99 52 4.3 Fiji's population and registered voters by ethnicity 56 4.4 Ethnic composition of House of Representatives, after 1999 elections 59 4.5 'Dummy' candidates fielded by the NFP and SVT in 20 open electorates 60 4.6 Effects of preferential voting: actual results compared with hypothetical 'first-past-the-post' outcome 60 4.7 Cross-ethnic first preference voting in open electorates 67 5.1 Number of members in provincial constituencies 82 5.2 Votes polled by political parties in the 1994 general elections 83 5.3 Votes polled by political parties in the 1999 general elections 86 7.1 Sugar cane production and payments received by growers and millers, 1995-97 113 7.2 Expiry of agricultural farm and cane leases in Fiji, 1997-2005 114 7.3 Agenda of reform for the Fiji sugar industry 122 9.1 Women's political representation in national legislatures in Pacific Island countries, 1994 153 9.2 Percentage and number of females in the three broad civil service categories, 1990-96 156 9.3 Numbers and gender ratios-candidates and elected members of municipal councils, 1997 159 10.1 Commercial banks' lending rates in selected sectors 162 10.2 Sources of Fiji government revenue, 1991-98 166 10.3 Fiji's net budget deficit as a percentage of GDP 168 10.4 Fiji's total external and domestic debt 170 10.5 Expiration of agricultural farm and cane leases in Fiji, 1997-2005 172 Symbols used in Tables n.a. not applicable not available zero insignificant vii Figures 4.1 Fijian communal contests: percentage of first preference votes and percentage of seats won 50 4.2 Indian communal voting: percentages of first preference support for the FLP and the NFP in the 19 electorates 53 4.3 Ethnic composition of the open electorates 54 4.4 Support for major Fijian political parties, 1966-99 58 4.5 Support for parties in the open contests-first preference votes and seats won 58 4.6(a) Effects of preferential voting-percentages of first preference vote and final vote for winning candidates: open electorates 61 4.6(b) Effects of preferential voting-percentages of first preference vote and final vote for winning candidates: Fijian communal electorates 61 4.7 Cross-ethnic first preference voting in open electorates 66 7.1 Input-based institutional structure proposed in the Industry Action Plan 129 7.2 Proposed Sugar Cane Research and Extention Institute structure 129 7.3 Integrated systems analytical framework 132 7.4 Nested scales of analysis 133 10.1 Fiji's merchandise exports and imports, 1991-97 168 10.2 Investment level in Fiji, 1970-98 169 10.3 Fiji government's expenditure, 1991-97 170 viii Glossary ACIAR Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research ACP African, Caribbean and Pacific ADB Asian Development Bank ALTA Agricultural Landlord and Tenant Act ALTO Agricultural Landlord and Tenants Ordinance ANC All National Congress ATA Alternative Trade Arrangements AV Alternative Vote BLV Bose Levu Vakaturaga or Great Council of Chiefs CAP Common Agricultural Policy CDF Commodity Development Framework CEDAW Convention on the Elimination of Discimination Against Women CGE Central Government Expenditure CLFS Commercial Loans to Fijian Scheme CDA Christian Democratic Alliance COIN Coalition of Independent Nationals CPO Central Planning Office CRC Cooperative Resesarch Centre for Sustainable Sugar Production CSIRO The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation DMDP Viti Levu Dynamic Multiracial Democratic Party DP7 Seventh National Development Plan DP8 Eighth National Development Plan DP9 Ninth National Development Plan EC Earth Charter EEC European Economic Community EEZ Exclusive Economic Zone EIMCOL Equity Investment Management Company Limited EU European Union FAB Fijian Affairs Board FAD Fish Aggregation Device FAO Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations FAP Fijian Association Party FEA Fiji Electricity Authority FEMM Forum Economic Ministers Meeting FFA Forum Fisheries Agency FFI Fiji Forest Industry FHC Fijian Holdings Company Limited FIS Fiji Intelligence Security Service FLP Fiji Labour Party FNP Fijian Nationalist Party FNPF Fiji National Provident Fund FSC Fiji Sugar Corporation FSR Farming Systems Research FSRC Fiji Sugar Research Centre FTIB Fiji Trade and Investment Board GATT General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade ix GDP gross domestic product GIS Government Information Service GVP General Voters Party HART Housing Assistance and Relief Trust ICM International Catchment Management ILO International Labour Organisation IMF International Monetary Fund IRM Integrated Resource Management IWRAM Intergrated Water Resource Assessment and Management JPSC Joint Parliamentary Select Committee LMC Landell Mills Commodity LUC Land Use Commission MAFF Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries MPI Ministry of Primary Industry NATCO National Trading Corporation NFP National Federation Party NLC Native Land Commission NLTB Native Land Trust Board NMA National Marketing Authority NVTLP Nationalist Vanua Tako Lavo Party PAFCO Pacific Fishing Company PAND Party of National Unity POTT Party of the Truth PRB Public Rental Board PSA Fiji Public Service Association RFMF Republic of the Fiji Islands Military Forces RFTP Rural Fisheries Training Programme RRRT Regional Human Rights Education Resource Team SCOF Sugar Commission of Fiji SEAPAT South East Asia and the Pacific Multidisciplinary Advisory Team SPARTECA South Pacific Regional Trade and Economic Cooperation Agreement SPC South Pacific Commission SPS Special Preferential Sugar Agreement SRRA Strategic Regional Resource Assessment SVT Soqosoqo ni Vakavulewa ni Taukei UGP United General Party UN United Nations UNDP United Nations Development Programme UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization USAID United States Agency for International Development USP University of the South Pacific VAT value-added tax VKB Vola ni Kawa Bula VLV Veitokani ni Lewenivanua Vakaristo, or Christian Democratic Alliance WTO World Trade Organization WUF Western United Front Contributors Alumita Durutalo teaches in the School of Social and Economic Development at the University of the South Pacific and is pursuing graduate research focusing on indigenous Fijian political developments. Bdj V. Lal is Professor of History and Director of the Centre for the Contemporary Pacific at The Australian National University. Padma Lal is a resource economist and currently Director of the Environment Program in the National Centre for Development Studies at The Australian National University. Robed Nortron is a political anthropologist with long term interest in Fiji politics at Macquarie University. Biman Prasad is an economist at the Fiji Centre of the University of the South Pacific at the Laucala Campus. Sitiveni Rabuka, executor of the 1987 coups, is a former Prime Minister of Fiji whose partnership with Indo-Fijian leader Jai Ram Reddy, secured the passage of Fiji's 1997 constitution. Chandra Reddy is a political and social activist and community organiser with longterm interest in issues of gender and politics in Fiji. Teresia Teaiwa is a creative artist and scholar teaching Pacific studies at Victoria University of Wellington. Joeli Veitayaki is a marine resource economist and currently co-ordinator of the ocean studies program at the University of the South Pacific. xi Acknowledgments This volume had its genesis in a series of seminars and workshops held at The Australian National University under the auspices of the Centre for the Contemporary
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    i ii iii Co-Published by ANU E Press and Asia Pacific Press The Australian National Unversity Canberra ACT 0200 Email: [email protected] Website: http://epress.anu.edu.au National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry Lal, Brij V. Islands of turmoil : elections and politics in Fiji. Bibliography. Includes index. ISBN 0 7315 3751 3 ISBN 1 920942 75 0 (Online document) 1. Fiji - Politics and government. 2. Fiji - Social conditions. 3. Fiji - Economic conditions. I. Title. 996.11 This work is copyright. Apart from those uses which may be permitted under the Copyright Act 1968 as amended, no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission from the publishers. The views expressed in this book are those of the author and not necessarily of the publishers. Editor: Bridget Maidment Publisher: Asia Pacific Press and ANU E Press Design: Annie Di Nallo Design Printers: University Printing Service, The Australian National University Cover photo, Nukulau Prison, is copyright and used with permission (www.fijilive.com). Author photo by Darren Boyd, Coombs Photography. First edition © 2006 ANU E Press and Asia Pacific Press For the people of the Fiji Islands There is a dawn at the end of the darkest night v Contents Abbreviations vii Preface viii 1. The road to independence 1 2. Continuity and change 24 3. Things fall apart 49 4. Back from the abyss 77 5. Rabuka’s republic 100 6. Charting a new course 126 7. A time to change 155 8. George Speight’s coup 185 9. In George Speight’s shadow 206 10.