By Paricia Kailola

No-one in Fiji has any illusion that the military take-over of an elected government in December 2006 was legal: it comprised the fourth coup in just under twenty years. The bases for Fiji's coups differ and so have international reactions to them.

International response

The summary report of the Pacific Islands Forum held in Niue in the middle week of August includes a strong condemnation of the Republic of the Fiji Islands on two fronts: Fiji's non-attendance at the Forum, and Fiji's refusal to abide by its 'promise' to hold national general elections by March 2009.

Fiji's 'delay' in holding a general election by that date reportedly arouses strong feelings in the Pacific region, not least in the two developed metropolitan powers, Australia and New Zealand. Regional displeasure is supported and fuelled by local opposition political parties, some religious groups, and media. The chorus of complaint reached such a crescendo during the Forum meeting that a sub-group of Forum members will decide at the end of this year whether Fiji should be suspended from the Forum - a surprisingly bold measure.

The August 2008 Forum's decision on Fiji is the culmination of a remarkably senseless march by regional opponents of Fiji's Interim Government. The IG's pleas to other governments to let Fiji work out its own future without interference, its assurance that general elections will be held when electoral reforms are made, and its addressing of divisive policies and programmes within the country fall on deaf ears: all those governments can see is an illegal government; and their single intent is to remove it as soon as possible regardless of the consequences to the country - especially the country's future stability. Despite Fiji's explanation of its purpose to Commonwealth, United Nations and Forum foreign ministers earlier in the year, its acceptance of a special envoy, its proposal for a President's Political Dialogue Forum (next month) to engage all local political stakeholders, and the stabilising reforms that already have been effected in Fiji, Fiji's Interim Government remains condemned.

Nation building

Acting on its intention to 'take Fiji forward', in September 2007 the Interim Government launched a national initiative to 'Build a Better Fiji for All' through a 'People's Charter for Change, Peace and Progress'. The National Council for Building a Better Fiji (NCBBF) was established for that purpose; the NCBBF and its Technical Secretariat were mandated by Fiji's President to work independently of the Interim Government; and it is widely representative of Fiji society. The People's Charter would be based on the 'State of the Nation and Economy (SNE) Report', itself prepared through a process of extensive, country-wide consultation led mainly by non-government and non-NCBBF representatives. The SNE Report ultimately would contain recommendations for changes to Fiji's system of government, its constitution, laws, economic and resources development policies, leadership values, community relations, and institutions.

Throughout the first half of 2008 extensive consultations were conducted throughout the country: in all major cities and towns and nearly 1,300 villages and settlements.

State of the Nation

Consultations painted a bleak picture of the state of affairs in Fiji as they have unfolded over the past two decades. They depicted:

▪a country wreaked by political instability with an ongoing cycle of coups leading to the repeated overthrow of governments;

▪a low level of trust between the major communities;

▪increasing corruption and gross abuse of power;

▪low savings and investment, and consequently insufficient new jobs being created each year to employ school leavers, let alone the long term unemployed;

▪sharply rising unemployment and poverty;

▪an increase in the number of people forced to live in squatter settlements, a situation exacerbated by the non-renewal of sugar farm leases;

▪ lack of access to land for both productive and social purposes;

▪ a weakening export base as markets for garments and sugar contract and because some land has been withdrawn from agricultural use;

▪ a serious loss of valuable skills, experience and expertise, because of the high rate of emigration;

▪ declining standards of service delivery in the public sector and the community;

▪ increasing Government debt with higher payments for interest pre-empting funds for vitally needed infrastructure such as water, roads, sewerage, electricity and housing; and

▪ the dilapidated state of the country's infrastructure.

Ensuring Sustainable Democracy (Pillar One)

Fiji's draft People's Charter and the SNE Report were launched at the beginning of August. The draft People's Charter process represents Fiji's own way of addressing its deep - rooted, complex and fundamental problems; it is a basis for developing consensus and moving Fiji forward. The draft charter covers a range of key areas based on eleven Key Pillars which focus on strategic areas fundamental to rebuilding Fiji.

One of the reasons for twenty years of instability in Fiji is race - based politics. Fiji's electoral system is racially discriminatory and undemocratic and politicians elected from it have divided Fiji's people on ethnic lines. The present communal (or reserved) voting system (where many seats are reserved for Ind-Fijians and indigenous Fijians) entrenches inequality, highlights differences and prejudices: 'one value - one vote' does not exist in Fiji.

Pillar One of the draft People's Charter adheres to the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights that states that there will be universal and equal suffrage, away from systems that not place restrictions on the grounds of race or ethnicity, gender or circumstance. The People's Charter recommends, among other things, the use of a common roll for future elections, a proportional representation system, placement of anti - discrimination measures into electoral laws, and reduction of the voting age from 21 to 18 years of age.

Recommendations have been made also to remove racial profiling from Government records where it is pointless to require a person to disclose his or her ethnic origin - for example, on immigration entry and departure forms, birth, death and marriage certificates, and tax records. What other country in the region - or the world - requires that its citizens state whether they are 'Indian', 'Fijian', 'other', etcetera?

Conclusion

It is amazing that countries strongly espousing and themselves following transparency in government, equal electoral representation and sustainable parliamentary democracy through free, fair and democratic elections insist that Fiji not do the same. The voting system in place in Fiji has been shown to be one of the major causes of the country's troubles, yet the Interim Government's resolve to change that voting system for the better is attacked and referred to as an attempt to 'stall the democratic process' and intimidate Fiji's people: whereas internal critics were advantaged by the existing system, the reason behind Forum countries' opposition is less clear.

In response to the Pacific Forum August 2008 statement that Fiji should have elections by March 2009 under the current electoral system, the Interim Government stated 'It is more important for Fiji to agree on a better way forward under the People's Charter than just have an election under the current seriously flawed and undemocratic electoral system. The Pacific Forum cannot decide for Fiji on this issue. . . . We should agree to change the electoral system, legally and constitutionally, to do so in a bold and acceptable way that is supported by the majority of the people of Fiji. We want an early election but this must follow the necessary reform of our electoral system; but again, the date must be an internal matter for the people of Fiji.'

Fiji's Interim Government, with the silent approval of many Fiji citizens, is adamant it will not be 'bullied and pressured into doing things that are clearly not in our national interest. If we succumb, what will it do to our self-worth as an independent nation?'