A Successful Bloodless Coup, A fitting response to Bloodless Genocide. Failing States, or Failing Economies? That had been the real question.. 30 years ago, Fiji, PNG & Nauru could boast a high standard of living, but in 2005, Fijis permanent secretary for Foreign Affairs and Trade said, Never before has open trade with the International Community done so much to lift living standards & increase opportunities, & yet never before has the persistence of poverty and exclusion been so glaring in Fiji. Around the same time, Nicolas Burns said, U.Ss support lies with democratic institutions, not individuals, consistent with our strong belief, that constitutional processes & the rule of law must be respected by all parties. These are the essential elements for Fijis continued political and economic development. ...... China appeared to be the exception to the rule. European models of economic and political development call for centralized states. The term failed state first emerged to describe the major human rights & humanitarian disasters of the 1990s in places like Somalia, Haiti, Cambodia, Bosnia and Kosova. These situations gave rise to the idea that the International community had a responsibility to protect populations from serious harm, when sovereign states were unwilling or unable to do so. More importantly, failed states were also assumed to be vulnerable to non-state actors, and transNational criminals etc., and these elements could threaten the economic security or political interests of other states. Dietary Genocide: Urbanization and pressures from the EU via their price-cuts, to move from subsistance (farming) to cash economies have taken a toll on traditional forms of food production. Local healthier low-fat sources of protein like fish cost 15-50% more than imported mutton flaps and imported chicken. Imported white rice and flour are gradually replacing the local staples of taro, yams, breadfruit and sweet potato. Cardiovascular diseases, cancer, hypertension, obesity, diabetes are all on the increase in the Pacfic Islands. Despite Fijis fertile farmlands, and large fisheries zone, over half the food is imported to Fiji, and most of the Pacific Islands are in trade deficit in foodstuffs. Around one third of NZs meat exports into the Pacific are a fatty waste product known as mutton flaps. In other words, NZ off-load its waste products to the Pacific. The trade imbalance is 8.5 billion in Australias favour per annum, and 400 million for New Zealand per annum. Both NZ and Australia are quick to remind of the aid they contribute, which is a small percentage of the larger export gains....and I guess in the same way, one can choose to go to McDonalds every day or spend abit more time in the vege garden, Pacific Islanders are capable of making the same health choices.... or did Bainimaramas new legislation address dietary concerns, with a focus on reducing public debt? In 1985, leaders of more than 300 million indigenous peoples in over 70 countries started campaigning for a UN declaration recognising their right to self-determination & land. In May 2006, in a joint statement, the U.S, NZ & Australia said No government can accept the notion of creating different classes of citizens, also stating that the indigenous demand for self-determination is inconsistent with International Law. In recent years, indigenous movements around the world have emerged as powerful forces, able to re-shape the political fate of certain countries. Moreover, they are gaining recognition by the Scientific community and development experts, as an integral part of the worlds quest for sustainable use of natural resources and environmental conservation. China China is a communist dictatorship, where the military is very much under the control of the party, with Senior military figures as key shakers in the party. There is a delicate balance going on with Australian minerals and Australian markets being very important to China, more so than investment, trade and influence in Fiji. In April 2006, the negotiations on a FTA began and a Nuclear Transfer / Co-operation Agreement for the supply of Australian Uranium to China was signed. Chinas foreign exchange reserves hit $1 trillion in 2006/2007, as a result of Chinas trade surplus, with the imbalance especially marked with the U.S. The previous Vice-President Dick Cheney had said he was very concerned about Chinas military build-up, and North Koreas nuclear plants.... which have now come to fruition..... In 1998, the conservative kingdom of Tonga established ties with China, whilst severing links to Taiwan. This act of economic expediency by Tongan rulers had the effect of exposing to Tongas workers, the true nature of the relationship between Tonga and the U.S. This raised the question as to whether Australian and NZ intervention in Tonga in the aftermath of the Tongan riots in 2007 was really designed to impose a RAMSI-like solution to reverse Tongas deals with China, much as what was done in East timor. Recently, the Tongan Prime Minister stood next to Prime Minister John Key, asking one and all to be patient with Fijis return to democracy. Who was really doing the talking, China or Tonga.... and who was John Key really giving his show of support to.....? Hmmm interesting questions.. ... Whos playing who???? The Melanesian Spearhead Group, which includes Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu had all indicated their support previously for the Interim Govt..... But then NZ/Oz went to work on Vanuatu... The Internal Problems: The tribal nature of many Pacific Island Societies have historically meant that only a few prosper, and the majority live a subsistent existence. Efficient governance has been a rarity in the Islands, because leaders use their tradition to sanctify their dominance and exclude others from sharing political power. When constitutional integrity was first compromised after the 1987 military coup, the Fijian government revised its constitution to essentially institutionalize its own verson of political apartheid in the name of indigenous rights. What does the future hold for Fiji now that the Fiji 1997 constitution has been abrogated? NZ is only 5 times bigger population wise than Fiji, so what can it learn from Fijis mistakes, with the EU doing to NZ now, what it did to Fiji? With the lower prices for sugar and export quotas for garments gone, the Fiji Govt had revised its growth predictions from 3.8% in 2004 to 1.5% in 2005 to 0.7% in 2006. Back in 2005/2006, Quarases govt had failed to boost productivity, retain human capital, and boost investor confidence and diversify export base. Qarases govt/budget appeared to be aimed squarely against the working class, and rural poor, with spending cuts and more regressive taxes that aimed to reduce peoples spending and repay govt debt.... What does this budget sound similar to? Supporters of the 2000 coup had formed a significant component of the Qarase govt, which increasingly based itself on openly communal politics, favouring sections of the ethnic Fijian elite at the expense of Indo-Fijians and the poor in general... Anyway, when NZ/Oz sanctioned Fiji, they did put off many Commonwealth Countrys investments in the pipeline, and China swooped in to offer capital and infrastructure investment, and recently the U.S swooped in with their little $27 million, and boy NZ/Oz use to have a good thing going for FREE... relatively speaking considering the trade imbalance in their favour for off-loading their waste-products.... not to mention a relatively secure Pacific, if only they could have respected Fijis sovereignty... But greed had gotten the better of them. Helen Clarks had tried to be the Sheriff of the Pacific, & Qarase had been her pawn who controlled the chiefs, who controlled the people... Chinas relationship with North Korea... In 2001, the CIA reported that Chinese firms had sold missile-related technology to North Korea and Libya, and had provided a zirconium production facility to Iran, and extensive support to Pakistans nuclear program. Has Australia, by supplying Uranium (despite the safeguards) and the U.S seriously compromised all our futures? for the sake of making a dollar? Western civilisation had had hundreds of years to perfect democracy. Sanctioning Fiji was a condescending move, and had done nothing for public relations. The fact that China does have some questionable policies is all the more reason to show mutual respect to our non-aggressive neighbour, who in fact goes on U.N missions, and is supported by the U.N. Fiji continues to be friendly Fiji, and the record tourism rates are testimony to that. The NZ Foreign Ministry of this Govt & the last Govt had been plain ignorant & stupid. 8-9% of the land in Fiji is free-hold that anyone can buy, with land reforms also being put in place as far as native lease land with an eye on growth/stability & making better use of that land long term wise, for one and all.
Posted on: Sun, 24 Aug 2014 21:36:52 +0000
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