The GENERAL’S GOOSE FIJI’S TALE OF CONTEMPORARY MISADVENTURE The GENERAL’S GOOSE FIJI’S TALE OF CONTEMPORARY MISADVENTURE ROBBIE ROBERTSON STATE, SOCIETY AND GOVERNANCE IN MELANESIA SERIES Published by ANU Press The Australian National University Acton ACT 2601, Australia Email: [email protected] This title is also available online at press.anu.edu.au National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry Creator: Robertson, Robbie, author. Title: The general’s goose : Fiji’s tale of contemporary misadventure / Robbie Robertson. ISBN: 9781760461270 (paperback) 9781760461287 (ebook) Series: State, society and governance in Melanesia Subjects: Coups d’état--Fiji. Democracy--Fiji. Fiji--Politics and government. Fiji--History--20th century 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 design and layout by ANU Press This edition © 2017 ANU Press For Fiji’s people Isa lei, na noqu rarawa, Ni ko sana vodo e na mataka. Bau nanuma, na nodatou lasa, Mai Suva nanuma tiko ga. Vanua rogo na nomuni vanua, Kena ca ni levu tu na ua Lomaqu voli me’u bau butuka Tovolea ke balavu na bula.* * Isa Lei (Traditional). Contents Preface . ix iTaukei pronunciation . xi Abbreviations . xiii Maps . xvii Introduction . 1 1 . The challenge of inheritance . 11 2 . The great turning . 61 3 . Redux: The season for coups . 129 4 . Plus ça change …? . 207 Conclusion: Playing the politics of respect . 293 Bibliography . 321 Index . 345 Preface In 1979, a young New Zealand graduate, who had just completed a PhD thesis on government responses to the Great Depression in New Zealand, arrived in Suva to teach at the University of the South Pacific. Everything about Fiji and the university challenged that graduate’s limited understanding of the world and offered a steep learning curve that ultimately transformed his academic and personal life. The result has been a fascinating educative journey, sometimes tumultuous but always rewarding. Now, at the end of that journey, it is time to take stock of what he has learned and to bring his story of Fiji up to date. Histories are invariably partisan, which is one reason they are always rewritten. Their biases derive from the status of their authors (are they insiders or outsiders?), the sources used and the ideologies conveyed. None of these biases necessarily determine whether the result is good history or bad history; that derives almost solely from the quality of the work produced. But biases can also be time-bound. Early histories of Fiji were invariably captured by the prevailing colonial ethos and, later, by its postcolonial antithesis.1 Across both perspectives strode the spectre of race, which came to dominate many interpretations of Fiji during and after the 1980s when military interventions added yet another dimension to Fiji’s troubled history. Understanding these transformative dimensions is a central goal of the first two parts of this book. Fiji’s contemporary history, however, slid into unchartered territory after its military crushed a populist revolt in 2000. On this occasion, neither colonial nor postcolonial explanations sufficed, nor crude references to racial divides. Instead attention shifted to the military and its radical transformation from indigenous Fijian protector to multiracial enforcer. 1 Two contrasting examples are RA Derrick’s A History of Fiji (Suva: Government Press, 1950) and Jai Narayan’s The Political Economy of Fiji (Suva: South Pacific Review Press, 1984). ix THE GENERAL’s Goose The second two parts of this book tell the complex story of that uneasy and messy transformation and its impact on democracy within Fiji, with a conclusion examining post-2014 politics until 2017. For many people, Fiji is simply a typical Third World basket case. For those who journey to Fiji from Australasia, North America and Asia for restful holidays, Fiji remains an uncomplicated small South Pacific island paradise. Of course it is neither. As one of the most developed Pacific states, Fiji strides the South Pacific islands as a colossus. It is a regional hub for travel and trade. It possesses outstanding infrastructure for tourism and education, and its economy is increasingly diversified. But, like any country, success depends ultimately on the quality of leadership. In this regard Fiji has suffered most. Partisan interests that are prepared to exploit populist and identity divisions for political and economic gain have often captured its leadership. Hence, the story of Fiji is a human one, rather than an exceptional one, but no less relevant as a consequence. Too many people, especially colleagues and friends in Fiji and beyond, have assisted me over the years to mention them all here, but one who does stand out for helping me (the imperfect student) most to understand the intricacies of Fiji and for enduring my frequent absences (both real and virtual) is my wife, Jita. To her I owe an enduring debt of love and gratitude for a life well lived and shared. Swinburne University of Technology Melbourne February 2017 x iTaukei pronunciation The iTaukei language contains consonants that are pronounced differently from their representation in English. These include: b – pronounced mb as in number c – pronounced th as in they d – pronounced nd as in candy j – pronounced ch as in chest g – pronounced ng as in singer q – pronounced ngg as in finger xi Abbreviations 3FIR Third Fiji Infantry Regiment ABC Australian Broadcasting Corporation ACP African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States ACS Adi Cakobau School ACTU Australian Council of Trade Unions ADB Asian Development Bank AFL Airports Fiji Ltd ALTA Agricultural Landlord and Tenant Act ANC All Nationals Congress ATHL Amalgamated Telecom Holdings Ltd BKV Ba Kei Viti CAMV Conservative Alliance Matanitu Vanua CCF Citizens’ Constitutional Forum CEO chief executive officer CIAC Constitution Inquiry and Advisory Committee CO commanding officer Col colonel CRC Constitutional Review Committee CRW Counter Revolutionary Warfare CRWU Counter Revolutionary Warfare Unit CSR Colonial Sugar Refinery Company DPP director of public prosecutions ECREA Ecumenical Centre for Research, Education and Advocacy xiii THE GENERAL’s Goose EIMCOL Equity Investment and Management Company Limited EPG Eminent Persons Group EU European Union FAB Fijian Affairs Board FAP Fijian Association Party FBC Fiji Broadcasting Corporation FCC Fiji Constitution Commission FDB Fiji Development Bank FEA Fiji Electricity Authority FFP FijiFirst Party FHL Fijian Holdings Company Limited FHRC Fiji Human Rights Commission FICAC Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption FINTEL Fiji International Telecommunications Ltd FIRCA Fiji Revenue and Customs Authority FLP Fiji Labour Party FLS Fiji Law Society FMF Fiji Military Forces FNP Fijian Nationalist Party FNPF Fiji National Provident Fund FNU Fiji National University FPSA Fiji Public Service Association FRU Force Reserve Unit FSC Fiji Sugar Corporation FTUC Fiji Trades Union Congress FWCC Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre FWRM Fiji Women’s Rights Movement GARD Group Against Racial Discrimination GCC Great Council of Chiefs (Bose Levu Vakaturaga) GDP gross domestic product GVP General Voters Party HQ headquarters xiv ABBREViatiONS IBA International Bar Association ILO International Labour Organization IMF International Monetary Fund ISD Internal Security Decree ISI import substitution industrialisation LOPP leaders of political parties Lt lieutenant MIDA Media Industry Development Authority MP member of parliament MSG Melanesian Spearhead Group NAP National Alliance Party NBF National Bank of Fiji NCBBF National Council for Building a Better Fiji NFP National Federation Party NFU National Farmers Union NGO non-government organisation NIC newly industrialised country NLTB Native Land Trust Board (later TLTB) NVTLP Nationalist Vanua Tako Lavo Party NZ New Zealand OBE Order of the British Empire PACER Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations PAFCO Pacific Fisheries Company PANU Party of National Unity PCPI Pacific Centre for Public Integrity PDP People’s Democratic Party PER public emergency regulations PICTA Pacific Island Countries Trade Agreement PIDF Pacific Island Development Forum PIF Pacific Islands Forum PINA Pacific Islands News Association PNG Papua New Guinea xv THE GENERAL’s Goose PPDF President’s Political Dialogue Forum QEB Queen Elizabeth Barracks (Nabua, Suva) QVS Queen Victoria School RBF Reserve Bank of Fiji RFMF Royal (later Republic of) Fiji Military Forces RKS Ratu Kadavulevu School RTU Reconciliation, Tolerance and Unity (Bill) SAS Special Air Service SBS Special Broadcasting Service SDL Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua SODELPA Social Democratic Liberal Party SPARTECA South Pacific Regional Trade and Economic Cooperation Agreement STV Soqosoqo ni Taukei ni Vanua SVT Soqosoqo ni Vakavulewa ni Taukei TFF tax-free factory TFZ tax-free zone TLTB iTaukei Land Trust Board TNC transnational corporation UN United Nations UPP United People’s Party US United States (of America) USP University of the South Pacific VAT value added tax VDCL Vanua Development Corporation Ltd VKB Vola ni Kawa Bula VLV Veitokani ni Leweni Vanua Vakaristo Party WUF Western United Front xvi Maps Map 1: The provinces of Fiji Source: CartoGIS Services, College of Asia and the Pacific, Australian National University xvii THE GENERAL’s Goose Map 2: Suva Source: CartoGIS