Melanesia in Review: Issues and Events, 2006 Provided by Scholarspace at University of Hawai'i at Manoa

View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE Melanesia in Review: Issues and Events, 2006 provided by ScholarSpace at University of Hawai'i at Manoa Reviews of Papua New Guinea and functions to perform as stipulated in West Papua are not included in this Fiji’s 1997 Constitution. Perhaps the issue. sdl government assumed too much about people’s acceptance of the Fiji rule of law in a developing country By January 2006 the confl ict between or Third World context. As can be the Fiji Military Forces and the now gauged from Fiji’s coup culture since ousted government, which had been 1987, the causes of political confl ict led by the Soqosoqo Duavata ni in the country extend far beyond the Lewenivanua (sdl) party, had been scope of the modern rule of law, and continuing for almost fi ve years. One solutions involve additional political, of the main criticisms put forth by legal, and even customary measures. the commander of the Fiji Military Perhaps continued dialogue between Forces, Commodore Voreqe Baini- the sdl government and the Fiji marama, was that Laisenia Qarase’s Military Forces outside the param- government was lax in dealing with eters of Parliament could partially the 2000 coup perpetrators. A number have resolved Fiji’s ongoing political of high chiefs were allowed to serve crisis. After all, 95 percent of both the their prison terms extramurally, and sdl government and the Fiji Military one chiefl y parliamentarian returned Forces were indigenous Fijians. During to Parliament after his sentence. This 2006, the commander’s public com- confl ict was later compounded by the ments about the sdl government were introduction of the Reconciliation and sometimes perceived as seditious and Unity Bill by the sdl government. The treasonous, but the government did bill was aimed at reconciling the per- not really take concrete steps to rectify petrators and victims of the 2000 coup the situation. The February 2006 issue led by George Speight. Commodore of Fiji Islands Business noted, “In any Bainimarama, who was also a victim other democratic country, and Fiji is of that coup through the November (or was) basically one, Mr. Bainima- 2000 mutiny, along with other critics, rama’s stance would have promptly detested the introduction of this bill. caused his dismissal. The magazine They believed that if passed, the bill went on to say that Bainimarama’s would serve as a green light for future behavior has gone beyond the usually coup perpetrators in Fiji. accepted state of affairs in a democ- sdl government leaders did little racy, wherein the military is subservi- to allay this fear. They simply kept ent to civilian rule (FIB, Feb 2006, 9). on with the tasks of leadership based In addition to the continuing politi- on their constitutional roles. They cal tussle between the commodore understood that the government and and Prime Minister Qarase, Fiji’s the various institutions of the state, economy was not in perfect health. including the military, had specifi c As early as March 2006, the Reserve 578 pol i t ical reviews • melanesia 579 Bank warned that high internal that the sparteca-tcf provision of consumption rates could no longer be 50 percent local content was a trade sustained by depressed exports and barrier. He argued that reducing the high oil prices. By the end of 2005, local content from 50 percent to 30 Fiji’s export stood at f$1.18 billion, percent would facilitate trade and was and total imports at f$2.72 billion in no way a threat to Australia’s tcf (f$1.00 averaged approximately industry, especially when customers in us$0.58 throughout the year). At the Australia selected fabrics and garment same time the trade defi cit increased to patterns. He added that the fabrics f$1.53 billion. By the end of February chosen were often either too expensive 2006, the interest rate had increased or did not qualify under the rules of from 2.25 percent to 3.25 percent. origin. Reducing the rules of origin Fiji’s foreign reserve fi gure, which would enable the Fiji tcf industry to stood at f$991 million in mid-2005, import fabrics from other countries had decreased to f$822 million by and give the customers more choice. December 2005. Governor of the Orders diverted to Asia because of the Reserve Bank of Fiji Savenaca Narube rules of origin could be returned to warned that the only way to improve Fiji. An additional challenge to Fiji’s Fiji’s deteriorating economic situa- f$200 million tcf industry is the low- tion was to raise the level of exports ering of Australia’s import duty from and investments (FIB, March 2006, 6). 55 percent in 1981 to the current 17.5 Concerned about economic survival percent, making it cheaper for other and meeting regional and interna- garment-producing countries to export tional trade challenges, the Fiji textile, their products to Australia (FIB, April clothing, and footwear (tcf) industry, 2006, 6). proposed a reduction in the local area General elections dominated the content as required under the rules of political agenda in the fi rst four origin regulations of the South Pacifi c months of 2006. In April, Fiji’s voting- Regional Trade and Economic Coop- age citizens went to the polls to elect eration Agreement (sparteca). This 71 members to the House of Repre- regional trade agreement, signed in sentatives for the next fi ve years. Since 1981 by Australia, New Zealand, and 1999, Fiji has utilized the Alternative the Pacifi c Islands Forum countries, Vote system, borrowed from Austra- allows products to enter Australia and lia. Fiji’s electoral system is based on New Zealand duty free, provided that ethnic politics, which makes it quite 50 percent of the raw materials used complex. Voters are grouped together are produced locally (FIB, April 2006, as Fijian, Indian, or General Vot- 6). This move was vigorously opposed ers—that is, individuals who are not by the Textile and Fashion Industry registered as Fijian or Indian. There of Australia (tfia), which argued that are 46 Communal seats where people reducing the rules of origin would vote for representatives of their own result in long-term harm to the Aus- ethnic categories (Fijian, Indian, or tralian tcf industry (FIB, March 2006, General), and 25 Open seats, which 5). However, the Fiji tcf industry, are contested without reference to through Ramesh Solanki, argued ethnicity. The Open seats, introduced 580 the contemporary pacifi c • 19:2 (2007) for the fi rst time in the 1999 elections, committed when it offered eight aim to promote multiracialism. Fiji’s cabinet seats to the Fiji Labour Party. 1997 constitution also requires that While Mahendra Chaudhary as leader all parties with more than 10 percent of the Fiji Labour Party declined to be of seats in Parliament be invited by a member of the cabinet, eight of his the winning party to join a multiparty parliamentarians accepted the offer. cabinet. Given the ethnic nature of However, since the constitution does Fiji’s politics, this was the foremost not specify the “rules of engagement” challenge for the winning party in the for a multiparty cabinet, it was a 2006 general elections. Although eight testing time for the new government. political parties plus Independent can- In the cabinet, members of the Fiji didates participated in the 2006 elec- Labour Party were unsure whether tions, two political parties dominated they had to abide by sdl terms and the competition for parliamentary conditions, or whether they were seats. These were the Fijian-dominated answerable to flp leader Chaudhary. Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua During the vote for the 2007 bud- (sdl) party, and the Indian-dominated get in November 2006, a number of Fiji Labour Party (flp). flp cabinet ministers were away on The sdl party, led by Laisenia overseas engagements and so could Qarase, won the 2006 general elec- not vote. The leader of the Fiji Labour tions for a second fi ve-year term, with Party asserted that this scheduling was all 23 Fijian Communal and Fijian a deliberate ploy by the leader of the Urban seats, and 13 of the 25 Open sdl party to enable the passage of his seats; the Fiji Labour Party won all government’s budget. Whether such 19 Indian Communal and 12 of the political incidents were foreseen by the Open seats. The remaining 4 seats architects of the 1997 constitution is were taken by two Independent candi- not clear. dates and two members of the United Public sector reform continued to People’s Party (Fiji Elections Offi ce be a major issue confronting the sdl 2006). The 2006 election results con- government after its election vic- fi rmed a number of voting trends in tory. The large size of the civil service Fiji. Voting was ethnically oriented in has been on the reform agenda since both Communal and Open seats. The 1984–1985, when a World Bank two parties won all of their respective and International Monetary Fund Communal seats; of the Open seats, country mission recommended that the sdl party won in constituencies the government be restructured. A with a majority of Fijian voters and wage freeze had immediately been the Fiji Labour Party won in con- implemented, and a debate about civil stituencies with a majority of Indian service downsizing had commenced. voters. Multiracial politics may take But over the years, through four coups a while to gain acceptance across the and much political maneuvering, the ethnic divide. size of the civil service has actually In the spirit of promoting multi- increased.

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