Slashing salaries and revoking contracts may be counterproductive
Venkat Raman
Auckland, December 27, 2022
Fiji’s new Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has done well to facilitate the return of a few prominent people exiled by the previous government of Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama.
Following clarifications issued by the Immigration Ministry that there were ‘no written prohibition of entry orders,’ he instructed the authorities to allow the return of Dr Padma Lal, the grieving wife of the late Professor Brij Lal to return home with his ashes.
The remains of Brij Lal back home
The Prime Minister also said that Professor Pal Ahluwalia, Vice-Chancellor of University of the South Pacific who has been operating from Samoa for the past two years also return home to take his rightful position at the main campus in Suva.
I wrote a homage on December 28, 2021, saying that Professor Brij Vilash Lal, who died on Christmas Day last year at his home in Brisbane, Australia, as a frail, ailing and disappointed, 69-year-old man, was a great person whose patriotism was beyond question.
“That he was asked to leave the country on November 4, 2009, “within 24 hours or face the consequences,’ was a pity,” I said.
“It was in every way democracy betrayed. I have known him since the inception of this newspaper in 1999 and have met and spoken with him on many occasions. I have had long conversations with him during his visits to our offices in 2003 and 2004 and at events held in Wellington in 2008 and 2009. His penchant for democracy and fearless opinions on people in government in Fiji after the December 6, 2006 coup earned him their wrath and the result was his expulsion from Fiji in 2009.”
Professor Lal had wished that his mortal remains should be buried in his homeland and that wish has now come true.
The return of Pal Ahluwalia
Professor Ahluwalia was removed from the post of Vice-Chancellor in early 2021 but the USP Council reinstated him and posted him to work at the Samoa campus.
“I am ready to meet Dr Lal and Professor Ahluwalia personally and apologise to them on behalf of the people of Fiji for the way they were treated,” Mr Rabuka said.
So far so good. There are several issues which he said he would address during his election campaign a few weeks ago.
People’s Alliance To-Do List
The Manifesto of his People’s Alliance Party has a long ‘To Do List’ on its website.
I have picked a few for commentary. They are (1) Review of the post of Chairman of Select Committees of Parliament (2) Review of laws and provisions for appointments to the Electoral Commission, Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption and Constitutional Offices Commission (3) Removal of laws and decrees that undermine human rights, media freedom, freedom of association, individual and group rights (4) Review all travel ban and declarations of prohibited immigrants (5) Reinstate the Great Council of Chiefs to facilitate the voices and intent of the i-Taukei traditional leadership and administration and (6) Terminate and readvertise existing contracts of all Permanent Secretaries
Every new government loves to tinker with the laws and procedures implemented by its predecessor, partly to fulfil its electoral promises and partly to satisfy its political vendetta.
It is the latter that can prove counterproductive and even detrimental to national interests.
The Coalition Government will do well in the first five areas of engagement listed above- Review of the Select Committee Chairs, appointments to Electoral and other Commissions and Lifting of ban on people and removal of ‘the prohibited migrants’ list’ are all desirable.
The Great Council of Chiefs was established in 1876 by the Colonial Rulers and was modified several times but retained its original purpose of being a representative organisation of indigenous people. It locked horns with Mr Bainimarama after he staged a military coup and seized power on December 5, 2006. He suspended the Great Council of Chiefs in April 2007 and through a Presidential Decree on March 14, 2012, abolished it altogether.
Mr Rabuka’s Coalition Government will certainly revive the Council to fulfil its Manifesto but it may be wise to revise its role and make it more relevant to modern Fiji.
Overturning Bureaucracy
While many of the policy reversals may have popular consent, the commitment of the People’s Alliance Party to terminate the existing contracts of all Permanent Secretaries and readvertising them could have serious repercussions on the efficiency of the government.
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Dr Biman Prasad has assured the people of Fiji that his government will not rush into things and disturb the apple cart. He is on record as having said that the government will not make changes to policies or personnel overnight and that there will be proper consultation and dialogue.
Permanent Secretaries are Chief Executives of Ministries and are the most important link in the bureaucratic chain. They are masters trained and experienced in public administration and are generally above political parties. Their appointments are made and renewed by the government of the day and they advise ministers on the formation and implementation of policies. They ought to be considered independent of political affiliations.
Reducing the salaries of ministers and politicians is one thing and slashing the remuneration of civil servants (in the case of Fiji, Permanent Secretaries) is quite another.
These are people who head ministries, help in policy formation, manage the rank and file and carry forth the programmes of politically inclined governments. It is therefore imperative that the civil service of any country attracts the best home-grown talent and in its absence, proven expertise from overseas, as Fiji has been doing for several years.
Preventing flights of human capital
Bureaucrats, therefore, form the essence of any government and they must not only be independent but also properly remunerated. A good salary with perks commensurate with market trends will not only attract and retain quality personnel but also strengthen their integrity.
The 1987 coups and the one that followed in May 2000 saw the exit of citizens – most Indo-Fijians to other countries, depleting the quality of human resources.
Fiji stands at the same risk today if the new government goes about pruning the salaries of incumbent civil servants and killing their job contracts.
We hope that the Rabuka government will keep its wisdom.
