Opinion
Two
weekends ago, Fiji’s military regime unexpectedly lifted its five years Public
Emergency Laws, which banned public meetings and censored media freedom. The
decision was greeted with fanfare by critics of the dictator across the Pacific
Islands region. But as the week progresses, it’s apparent that the military dictator
was simply replacing the draconian emergency regulations with new repressive
laws, designed to eradicate any remaining
political opponents, putting serious doubts about Fiji’s on and off promise of
returning the nation to democractic rule in less than 24 months.
But
the biggest disappointment is Fiji's dictator selfish agenda, which continues
to threaten the future security and stability of Melanesia, through the regime’s
direct promotion of dictatorship and coup by continuing to antagonise the
relationship of the Melanesian Spear Head Group (MSG) with Samoa, Australia and
New Zealand, who have been calling on Fiji to respect human rights, media
freedom and restore democracy in the island nation.
Fiji’s selfish agenda in joining
the Melanesian group
The
recent action by Fiji has simply demonstrated the obvious: Fiji’s interest in
Melanesia is always based on a selfish political agenda, which has nothing to enhance
the image, reputation and credibility of Melanesia internationally. In a way, Fiji’s association with Melanesia
is opportunistic and leaders of the subregional body should be alerted to the
long term ramifications of harboring Fiji to regional security and political stability.
On
the basis of ethnic connection, Fiji is the only non-Pijin speaking member of the
MSG, which makes her union with Melanesia purely "economic" and "political opportunism". Fiji’s
attitude towards Melanesia is always noncommittal. It was clearly demonstrated when
members of the original body of the MSG initially plotted the idea of establishing
a Melanesian subregional economic trading bloc in 1993/4. Fiji did not send a delegation or observer,
during the preliminary dialogue in Honiara.
It was only after less than five years following the formation of the MSG
and completion of ground works for free trade agreements between PNG, Solomon
Islands and Vanuatu that Fiji’s former military coup-leader, Sitiveni Rabuka, realised
the economic importance of the Melanesian bloc.
Rabuka
requested an observer status for Fiji and few years later, his government
requested full membership. Although MSG members were excited about the
inclusion of Fiji into its fold, its membership, was also viewed with some
apprehension by the various section of the group. Since becoming a member of
the MSG, Fiji has lived up to its billing as a smooth operator in Polynesian
and Melanesian politics.
Since
the aftermath of Frank Bainimarama’s military coup in 2006, Fiji has been
cleverly using the Melanesian bloc as her apologist in nullifying calls by
Australia, New Zealand, Samoa and the international community, to place social
(sports), political, and economic sanctions against its regime. Sadly, political leaders of the Melanesian region
have allowed themselves to be shackled by the Fijian dictator into one corner of
the political debate as his puppets.
This is where the story begins
and ends
The
only country in the Pacific Islands region with a sense of responsibility is Samoa
because it has no economic, political and social interests in Melanesia, but
out of concern, she reminded the Fiji dictator his existence in the region, is
not only a curse to Melanesia, but a huge threat to regional stability.
One
could only hope that Melanesian leaders, whose countries are in the heart of the
ark of instability, can foresee the huge risks of harbouring Fiji. In the
context of Solomon Islands, the failure by three successive former Prime
Ministers (Manasseh Sogavare, Dr Derek Sikua and Danny Philip) to take a firm
stance against dictatorship and coup culture, is a reflection of the deeper
problems and uncertainties that the country and other Melanesian nations are facing.
Challenges facing the future of Melanesia
One
of the biggest problems in the Melanesia bloc is quality leadership or the lack
of it. This ongoing challenge has clearly exposed the root cause of past and current
political, economic and social instability in Fiji, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands
and Papua New Guinea. Luckily, PNG and Vanuatu are able to contain past
political security issues and the threats of military and police coup, but the
same cannot be said about PNG’s Bougainville, Solomon Islands and Fiji, where
poor leadership has become the catalyst to coups, ongoing security threats,
political inspired-riots, social instability and ailing economies.
The
uncertainty in the region continues to allow corruption at every level of
governance in the country. While
corruption is a global phenomenon, its existence in the subregion is a major
worrying concern, not only to donor countries, but also to law abiding citizens.
One cannot look further than the history of successive governments in Solomon
Islands before and after the coup of June 2000. Corruption, in all its
different forms, has grown out of proportion, despite the presence of the
intervention force, RAMSI. The damage that
corruption has caused and created for the medium and long term
prospects of rebuilding the battered democratic institutions in the
country is beyond repair.
It
is only fair to say that the Melanesian bloc, as a political entity and player
in regional developments, has proven to be an unreliable partner in the fight
against corruption and efforts to deal with the root causes of social, economic
and political instability in the subregion. At some stages, questions have to be
asked of the Solomon Islands, PNG and Vanuatu leaders and their political
advisors as to –what economic, social and political benefits – they’ve derived from
supporting the Fijian military dictator?
Threats to Melanesian nations
For
leaders of the Melanesian regional body and countries, their unwavering support
of Fiji is a direct assault on democracy and an assuring message to former coup
leaders, failed politicians, rogue members of military and police forces in the
region that overthrowing a democratically elected government through the barrel
of a gun would be condoned and welcomed with open arms in Melanesia. Our leaders might be laughing
now, but they are digging their own graves by perpetuating instability in their
own backyards. The collective decision by leaders of the Melanesian bloc to be an
apologist of the Bainimarama regime is noxious and regrettable. But it is not too late for
the newly elected prime minister of Solomon Islands, Gordon Darcy Lilo, to show
his true leadership credential.
Condoning
coup and dictatorship in Melanesia is likening to a slow motion suicide
strategy. For leaders of the MSG, history is not on our side. In 1980, Vanuatu
went through a pre-independent political upheaval, which almost ruined her
quest for political independence from France and Britain. Fiji followed with a
coup in 1987, which since then ingrained a coup-culture in the psyche of
military personnel of the country until today. Over the past 20 years, the Fiji military has
overthrown four civilian and democratically elected governments in four
separate coups. PNG joined the arch of instability during the Bougainville
crisis in 1988. Despite an uneasy calm on the island through ongoing international
efforts to rebuild and rehabilitate the island; it continues to face threats from former rogue
members of the now disbanded BRA.
Solomon
Islands joined the queue of instability in 1998, which was exacerbated by the Malaita
Eagle Force (MEF) coup of June 2000. Despite the disbanding of the MEF armed
militia group in 2003, following the Australian-led intervene force of RAMSI, former
armed militia members continue to enforce a direct threat to national security
and stability. This ongoing threat continues to thrive in the political scene,
where former MEF armed criminals and leaders, now hold positions of power
amongst the government as political advisors and leaders, including the current
government of the Solomon Islands. In the case of the current government, it
has also appointed two former coup leaders of MEF armed militia, Andrew Nori and
Lesley Kwaiga, as government advisors on land reform, an issue that triggered the
ethnic conflict in 1998.
The
presence of RAMSI in the Solomon Islands since June 2003 has played a huge role
in providing national security, though uneasy as it seems. But the future of
the country is still uncertain due to the eminent departure of RAMSI. Sadly,
our politicians appear to have learnt very little from the failures of past
leaders. Since the intervention of RAMSI, current political leaders have continued
to behave like their predecessors, who were part of major corruption cases and ongoing political instability.
Unfortunately,
the inaction by Melanesian leaders to condemn Fiji’s dictator for his brutal
treatment of political opponents and the media appears to be the very basis of
why our leaders have failed to appreciate the contribution by Samoa, Australia
and New Zealand to the efforts of rebuilding and rehabilitating Solomon Islands
from the aftermaths of the coup in 2000. I guess generating “instability” in
Melanesia is what matter most to our leaders.
Besides Australia and New
Zealand, our leaders should thank Samoa for acting as a moral compass in a
region where the resource rich nations of the Melanesian bloc have been making
waves for all the wrong reasons, but showing little quality in leadership. Their
support of Fiji is a mockery of the democratic principles that supposedly legitimised
their own existence.
Melanesian
leaders should hang their heads in shame for allowing the MSG to be exploited
by a dictator, whose only interest is his political survival and crave for
power. It is high time for Melanesian leaders to talk the talk and walk the
walk and show true leadership ticker. At the end of the day, Samoa will have
the last laugh, because Melanesia is starring down the barrel of future
instability.
Fafetai
lave Samoa for your vision in fighting and envisaging a truly Pacific
(peaceful) Islands community where the rule of law and the values and virtues
of democracy are the corner stones of pursuing real happiness and obtaining
true security and peace.
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