“Fiji has been declared the happiest place in the planet,” writes our columnist Rajendra Prasad, analysing the current state of affairs and the hope with which people look forward to the General Elections in 2014 (see Fijilink).
The Bainimarama Government has restored some faith and trust in the people and a taste of what good leadership truly entails, he says but accepts that there was a level of suppression, intimidation and denial of certain basic rights.
“However, think of it another way. To gain something some sacrifices were essential. It was not as coercive as the detractors of the Bainimarama Government would have us believe,” he says.
As we have said before, interim Prime Minister Commodore Frank Bainimarama deserves kudos for making a decisive move towards restoration of democracy in his troubled country. Agreeing to an initiative of a handful of individuals, most of who are of Indian origin, he has worked with business and community leaders to build a better Fiji.
We have also maintained that his initiatives should have the support of neighbouring countries, notably New Zealand and Australia, for blessings of these two countries are seen as the sine qua non for any notable progress that Fiji can make as it limps back to democracy.
There is good reason to extend at least conditional support to Mr Bainimarama, for the man and indeed the country should be given a chance. After all, the current regime apparently has widespread support of the common people.
They and they alone have the right to determine, define and defend their future.
To an outsider wearing the bifocals of the Western media or a beholder jaundiced by prejudice and preconceived notion, the Republic of Fiji will always appear warped with an admixture of political eccentricity and social exigency.
But those with normal visual acuity will perceive the country as one with a chequered past and a benignant present working towards a halcyon future, with a commitment to equity and equality at the core of its polity.
For years, this South Pacific country of 330 islands has been an enigma even to the most persistent travellers, historians and writers, with political hurricanes hitting the shores with the same ferocity as their natural counterparts. Like the cyclones that submerge villages, towns and cities for a while from time to time, coups and political dramas have traumatised natives and foreigners alike, leaving them to wonder if a day would dawn to steer the country towards a better future.
For all the rhetoric spoken and written by political and media leaders, there has never been a fair representation of facts, especially since December 5, 2006, when Mr Bainimarama took over the reins of the administration to find a new road to prosperity. The country has been subject to summary dismissal without a just course to defend itself, discard without discussion and adjudication without trial. Of course, there have been aberrations from this side as well.
Is Fiji a banana republic as some newspapers have audaciously claimed or is it a country that is disparate to shake out of its unjust past? Are its people subject to the tyranny of a dictator or are they his friends in a common lot? Is this a Nation replete with armed guards or is there an omnipresence of peace and normalcy?
We found answers to these questions three years ago during our tour of Fiji, which included interviews with Mr Bainimarama and his officials, businesses and ordinary people. We presented them in our Special Report (Indian Newslink, September 1, 2009) with some startling facts.
From interviews with leaders who run the nation, businesses that steer the economy and ordinary people who maintain the heartbeat, we found Fiji on the move.
As the country moves towards a democratically elected government, it would need the support of its neighbours.
New Zealand should be in the forefront of such a change.
