Leaders representing the Pacific Island Forum appeared to be happy over the progress made by Fiji towards restoration of democracy.
That was at least the impression one gathered as the Foreign Ministers of the members of the Forum countries met in Suva, the capital of Fiji which houses the Secretariat of the regional body. It is ironic that the Forum is based in a country that was suspended three years ago.
New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Murray McCully, who chaired the official meeting of the Forum, kindled hopes of rapprochement when he expressed ‘a sense of satisfaction’ on May 1, the day after he landed in the South Pacific nation.
His visit to Fiji was considered a step forward in restoring bilateral relations between the two countries, ending a long diplomatic winter. However, it would be sometime before the relationship thaws and returns to normal.
“It has been quite a gap since we formally came here. There is progress being made towards elections. There has been some progress made in that respect with the public consultation that has been announced,” he said, speaking to the media.
Members hopeful
Australia, which has been accused of bullying tactics, has not been so generous, with its Foreign Minister Bob Carr remaining apprehensive, but other members of the Forum were in a relaxed mood, remaining optimistic.
They believe that Fiji is putting in place the necessary measure to return the country to democracy with free and fair elections in 2014.
The visiting ministers and their delegations had opportunities to discuss the state of affairs of the nation that has often been tainted with allegations of media muzzling, police raids and oppression of those raising their voice of discontent and curfews.
The delegation, called, the ‘Ministerial Contact Group’ was apparently appeased, when its officials said in a statement that they were ““encouraged by the steps Fiji has taken (towards restoration of democracy).”
Mr McCully said, “These meetings gave us a sense that Fiji was a country in transition, moving to put in place processes required for elections,” Mr McCully said. The process under way will lead to elections by September 2014.”
Australian allergy
Mr Carr said Australia was a long way off removing sanctions against Fiji, put in place after the island nation’s military coup in 2006.
“I will not be raising the issue of sanctions, we have some distance to go. The key issue will be how to ensure that the constitutional and electoral processes are indeed open, inclusive and fair,” he said soon after his arrival in Suva.
But opposition parties in Australia had a different view.
Coalition foreign affairs spokeswoman Julie Bishop said Mr Carr should have used his presence in Fiji to re-establish relations with Mr Bainimarama.
“Australia should change the course of its policy towards the current regime in Fiji. I have been urging the government for some time to end the approach taken by former Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd of not making contact with the Fijian government,” she said in a statement.
“This approach has led to Fiji’s further isolation from the Australian government. However, the coalition neither condones the military coup staged by Mr Bainimarama in 2006, nor a weakening in sanctions against the country. We support an on-going dialogue with the Fijian government,” she said.
Steadfast Commander
Mr Bainimarama drew rare international praise in January when he announced his intention to lift draconian public emergency regulations that had been in place since April 2009.
But those changes were quickly undermined when he enacted new laws giving him many of the same powers he had under emergency rule.
Prime Minister Commodore Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama, who seized power on December 5, 2006, has been consistently saying that he was justified in ousting the Laisenia Qarase government, accusing of being “corrupt, racist, divisive and against the principles of equity and justice.”
His earlier announcement that elections would be held in 2014 after the country prepared itself with a revised Constitution that was “fair and just to all” was treated with contempt and scepticism. But his determination appears to be paying dividends as an increasing number of countries are beginning to rally round his decisions.
Photo : New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Murray McCully with his Australian counterpart Bob Carr at the Pacific Island Forum Meeting held in Fiji on May 2, 2012.
