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Melanesia in Review: Issues and Events, 2002

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Melanesia in Review: Issues and Events, 2002 Melanesia in Review: Issues and Events, 2002 Reviews of West Papua and Solomon mined, circumvented and ignored by Islands are not included in this issue. the highest in the land including those who were sworn in to uphold it” Fiji (Times, 19 May, 10). During the final The political and economic highlights months of 2002, the Fiji Labour Party in Fiji in 2002 have again brought and some quasi-political civil society into sharp focus a lesson painfully movements like the Citizens Constitu- learned after the 1987 military coups: tional Forum (ccf) questioned why it takes years to recover from the neg- some members of Parliament had been ative ramifications of any national permitted to continue serving in Prime political upheaval. The economic and Minister Qarase’s cabinet despite sociopolitical fallout of the May 2000 videotaped evidence of their close civilian coup in Fiji continued to involvement in the May 2000 civilian impact major events in both the uprising. The extensive video footage politico-legal and economic domains of siege activities at the Veiuto Parlia- of the nation during the year. The mentary Complex emerged during the path to economic recovery and socio- first treason trial of Josefa Nata and political normalcy was generally shaky Timoci Silatolu, which commenced on and fraught with difficulties. The local 26 November and featured deposed tabloids regularly featured major Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry scams within the civil service, exacer- as a key state witness (Post, 27 Nov, bated by gross fiscal mismanagement 2; Times, 29 Nov, 1). Following the by the state and a general lack of 14 November conviction of fifteen political goodwill between the major former Counter Revolutionary War- political parties—the ruling Soqosoqo fare Unit soldiers who had been found Duavata ni Lewenivanua (sdl) and guilty of the November 2000 mutiny the opposition Fiji Labour Party (flp). charges, ccf Director Reverend In an editorial comment on 19 Akuila Yabaki called for the prosecu- May 2002, the Fiji Times noted a pre- tion of “all others,” including some dictable trend of court decisions fol- chiefs and prominent civil servants lowed by appeals, “scams of ludicrous who were behind the May 2000 take- proportions,” and botched investiga- over (Post, 7 Nov, 3). Police investiga- tions into corruption cases since the tions into the civilian coup remained 2000 coup. The editorial also ques- sluggish despite repeated calls tioned whether all Fiji citizens were throughout the year for a speedier equal before the law, arguing that the roundup of all those involved. A law was increasingly being regarded progress report issued in September as an “optional extra for those who claimed that checks were being drawn want to use it.” Following the May on the bank accounts of those 2000 upheaval, the editors observed, allegedly paid to execute the over- “the law has been subverted, under- throw (Times, 28 Sept, 4). However, 440 political reviews • melanesia 441 the year ended without any apparent vided by the government’s Accounts progress in police investigations into and Finance Annual Report for 2001 the traumatic events of May 2000. recorded a 3.8 percent growth rate for Not all major developments that Fiji’s economy in that year. This transpired during 2002 were negative. increase was attributed mainly to There were some positive develop- expansions in the clothing, footwear, ments in terms of Fiji’s inter-regional and food industries. With the Reserve and international relations as well as Bank of Fiji (rbf) predicting a growth local economic recovery. For instance, rate of 4.4 percent in 2002, economic Fiji’s relations with Australia, New recovery, albeit at a sluggish rate, has Zealand, and the member countries begun (Times, 8 June, 5; 9 Dec, 2; PM, of the African, Caribbean and Pacific June 2002, 22). According to figures (acp) Summit, as well as with the provided by the Fiji Bureau of Statis- European Union, greatly improved tics, the building industry recorded no after Fiji hosted the third acp Summit major decline in 2002, as it generally in July, the Pacific Islands Forum remained constant in the first quarter meeting that commenced in Suva on and recorded a slight growth during 15 August, and a subsequent Confer- the second quarter. Moreover, a boom ence for Pacific Islands Trade Minis- in the industry is expected next year, ters. Signs of improved relations if and when major building projects between Fiji and Australia and New in the pipeline are carried out, such Zealand could be gleaned from the as the proposed multimillion dollar opening up of dialogues between Hilton Denarau project, the Air Prime Ministers Qarase, Helen Clark, Pacific hotel, and the twenty-story and John Howard during the Pacific Motibhai/Colonial complex in Suva Islands Forum in August (Times, (Times, 5 Oct, 3; 14 Nov, 8; Review, 16–19 July; 16 Aug, 1). Relations Dec 2002, 17). Fiji’s ratio of invest- between Fiji and these two nations ment to gross domestic product (gdp) had tended to sour following each rose to 10 percent, a slight increase coup. After the 1987 military coup, from the 2001 figure. However, this Australia imposed trade sanctions, ratio is still well below the 20 to 25 and New Zealand aid was withdrawn percent levels of other developing in 1987 and again in May 2000. The countries. Furthermore, at the Fiji restoration of cordial relations with Update 2002 conference, jointly con- Australia and New Zealand in 2002 vened by the Centres for Development represents a significant move towards Studies of the Australian National recovery from the May 2000 crisis. University and the University of the The lifting of sanctions by the Euro- South Pacific in June, the former rbf pean Union through a full restoration governor, Savenaca Siwatibau, stressed of its official development assistance that the investment to gdp ratio program for Fiji in the final week of needed to be 20 percent for the nation January was another encouraging to achieve a sustainable growth rate event (Times, 29 Jan). of 4 to 5 percent in the medium term Some positive gains were also made (PM, June 2002, 20; Times, 13 June, in the economic domain. Figures pro- 1). Notwithstanding the negligible 442 the contemporary pacific • fall 2003 rates of economic growth achieved in apologize for comments by the Minis- 2001 and 2002, the fact that at least ter for Women and Culture, which some growth has been achieved had been perceived by many as grossly promises further progress from 2003 racist. In a late July sitting of Parlia- onward, provided the political climate ment, she compared Indo-Fijians to improves and the state exercises pru- “wild weeds,” just one of the several dence in its fiscal management. racially loaded comments made in the In the political arena, persistent House by ethnic Fijian parliamentari- bickering imbued with racial over- ans in 2002. A subtly anti-Indian tones between members of the Soqo- statement by former Education Minis- soqo Duavata ni Leweinaua and the ter Jioji Banuve on 11 April was also Fiji Labour Party within the House condemned by various student bodies of Representatives foreshadowed, and and other civil society organizations to some extent sabotaged, efforts to (Times, 13 April, 3; 15 April, 2). Such foster the post–May 2000 spirit of tensions within the House of Repre- national reconciliation. For example, sentatives reflect the inability of the the third in a series of Talanoa ses- state to reconcile two diametrically sions scheduled for August was called opposed political demands: the pro- off. Coordinated by Dr Sitiveni Hala- indigenous resolve for entrenchment pua of Hawai‘i’s East-West Center, of ethnic Fijian political supremacy, the first Talanoa session focusing on and a demand for full restoration of land issues and the economy had con- constitutional democracy featuring vened in Nadi on 8 June. The second power sharing between the two major session followed a month later on 8 ethnic groups in Fiji. July and also ended on a positive note The year opened with revelations (Times, 8 June, 5; 9 July, 1). However, of an alleged plot to kidnap Prime the third session was aborted as the Minister Qarase, his cabinet members, sdl and flp leaders (Laisenia Qarase and the Fiji Military Forces comman- and Mahendra Chaudhry, respectively) der, Frank Bainimarama, during the failed to reach agreement on the first week of January. Police investiga- demands of the latter for detailed con- tions disclosed the involvement of dis- sultations on the Native Lands Trust gruntled former soldiers who had Board (nltb) proposals on native served as peacekeepers in the Middle land leases. Hence, what had started East in the alleged conspiracy (Times, off as a promising avenue for foster- 4 Jan; Post, 5 Jan, 1). On 12 April the ing cooperation and goodwill between Fiji Peacekeepers Association (fpa) the two parties ended prematurely due had filed a $255 million writ against to the reluctance of both leaders to the state in the High Court on behalf compromise. of Fiji soldiers who had served in the Chaudhry had refused to continue Middle East between 1978 and 2002 with the Talanoa sessions unless the and claimed nonpayment of allow- sdl side provided full details of the ances. The writ named the Fiji Mili- nltb proposals on land leases tary Forces, the Minister for Home (Times, 9 Aug, 1). Chaudhry was also Affairs, and the government as defen- upset at the failure of the sdl side to dants (Times, 13 April, 1). A former political reviews • melanesia 443 soldier and fpa member was taken 8 Jan; Times, 9 Jan; 11 Jan, 1, 6; in for questioning by the police in 12 Jan; 19 Jan).
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