by Guest blogger
3 days ago
Guest blogger: Sanjay Ramesh, who teaches at the University of Technology, Sydney, is Senior Political Editor at the Sydney Fiji Times and Adjunct Fellow at the University of Fiji.
Jon Fraenkel raises some important issues about Fiji. Most important, perhaps, is his message that there could never be any justification for overthrowing an elected government. However, the latest coup in Fiji was different from the previous coups, in that it was based on ‘good governance’ and multi-ethnic collaboration. Nevertheless, a lack of success in the post-coup period on the part of the commander and the President to secure support from all sections of Fiji’s community to participate in the National Council for Building a Better Fiji and for electoral reforms highlight the difficulties behind building trust and consensus among diverse political parties and communal leaders. This leads to Fraenkel’s point whether those, like me, who are taking a 'soft' approach to the military coup in Fiji are aiding in legitimizing an unconstitutional act. More...
The Myer Foundation Melanesia Program at the Lowy Institute
The deportation from Fiji today of Fiji Times publisher Evan Hannah is a very disturbing sign of interim leader Commodore Voreqe (Frank) Bainimarama’s lack of commitment to democracy. Interim Defence and Immigration Minister Ratu Epeli Nailatikau reportedly said the deportation order was linked to concerns about Fiji Times articles and national security, but no evidence to support that claim has been forthcoming. Coming only two months after the deportation of Fiji Sun publisher Russell Hunter, this action hardly encourages confidence in the roadmap to elections in March 2009. More...
by Guest blogger
1 week ago
Guest blogger: Jon Fraenkel, Research Fellow in the State, Society and Governance in Melanesia Program at the ANU, responds to Satish Chand and Sanjay Ramesh on our Fiji debate.
The chorus of criticism against speedy elections as a way out of the impasse generated by Fiji’s December 2006 coup is revealing. Of course, it is true that the two year Pacific Islands Forum-European Union timetable for fresh elections set in early 2007 reflected a fairly standard response, advocated by the Commonwealth — one suspects almost regardless of the political situation in post-coup circumstances. That response makes greater sense in situations where there are considerable uncertainties about the outcome of elections. However, in Fiji, elections had been held only eight months before the coup in May 2006. As Satish Chand says, there is a high probability that the next election scheduled for March 2009 produces a similarly polarized outcome to those pre-coup polls. Perhaps, as Sanjay Ramesh anticipates, ‘with an even more violent outcome’. This argument has a familiar ring amongst some sections of the community in Fiji, but it is one that could be used to justify acquiescence under military regimes anywhere in the world. More...
by Fergus Hanson
1 week ago
Sanjay Ramesh, political editor of the Sydney Fiji Times, responds to Satish Chand's contribution to our Fiji debate:
Satish is right on the mark when he states that holding elections in March 2009 may not resolve Fiji’s deep-seated political problems and will not end the cycle of coups, because as I have mentioned in one of my articles in the World Press, 'holding elections will not magically resolve Fiji's deep-rooted problems and both Australia and New Zealand know that. There is a need to re-analyze Fiji's existing constitution, including the electoral system, and arrive at a political-constitutional framework that would in the future encourage inter-ethnic cooperation at all levels of government'.
The problem is that besides the Fiji Labour Party and the National Alliance Party of Fiji, none of the other political parties are participating in the deliberations of the National Council for Building a Better Fiji (NCBBF). As a result, an election without the necessary political consensus among opposing parties will lead to a repeat of the 2006 general election result with an even more violent outcome.
The Myer Foundation Melanesia Program at the Lowy Institute
Further to my earlier post on the recent Australia-PNG talks, while Australia was celebrating the Kokoda deal, PNG Foreign Minister Sam Abal was more interested in highlighting his government’s interest in seeing improvements to the way Australian aid is spent in PNG. The PNG Government wants to see more development assistance directed to 'big impact programs' — vital infrastructure like ports, roads and bridges – and a model to deliver aid more effectively, with less bureaucracy. But the Rudd Government has not yet indicated it wants to move away from Australia’s traditional preference for supporting good governance reform, improving budget management and strengthening capacity, institutions and government accountability in PNG – a model that requires the kind of bureaucracy that PNG claims makes aid less effective. Negotiating the first Partnership for Development with PNG may pose some difficult challenges for this 'first class relationship.'
The Myer Foundation Melanesia Program at the Lowy Institute
Australian and PNG Ministers met yesterday in Madang in the first bilateral ministerial meeting since 2005. The 60-member Australian delegation, including six ministers and 3 parliamentary secretaries, sent a strong signal that the relationship with PNG had not only improved but was now 'first class' in the words of Foreign Minister Stephen Smith.
The big news from the Forum from Australia’s perspective was the signing of a statement of understanding to secure the future of the Kokoda Track and Owen Stanley Ranges. More...
The Myer Foundation Melanesia Program at the Lowy Institute
It was extremely pleasing to see a title like Closer Economic and Political Integration with the Pacific appear in the Australia 2020 Summit report. This represents a sharp and most welcome break with an Australian tendency to cast the Pacific Islands as weak and failing states that pose challenges to Australian security.
Labour mobility even made it on to the top ideas of the group considering the productivity agenda, with the recommendation 'enabling the free movement of labour from the Asia-Pacific region into Australia, underpinned by Australian workplace standards.' The Future Security group was more specific: 'A rights-based labour mobility program for the Pacific.' The ABC’s Foreign Correspondent’s report on the New Zealand Recognised Seasonal Employer Work Policy and the National Farmers’ Federation’s Workforce from Abroad Employment Scheme provide further valuable evidence of the merits of a labour mobility scheme. Labour mobility for the Pacific is surely now an idea whose time has come. More...
by Guest blogger
2 weeks ago
Guest Blogger: Associate Professor Satish Chand (pictured), from the Crawford School of Economics and Government at ANU.
There is considerable debate about whether Commodore Frank Bainimarama, the interim Prime Minister of Fiji and the coup-maker who overthrew the elected government of his predecessor on 6 December 2006, will (as repeatedly promised) return Fiji to the polls next March. Considerable international pressure is already being put on the Commodore to ensure he keeps his word. PMs Sevele (Tonga) and Somare (PNG) met the Commodore last week — no doubt with the blessing of regional leaders from the Pacific Forum — only to get a reaffirmation of this commitment.
The elections taking place next March are the least of my concerns. If history is any guide, the Commodore will deliver on his promised electoral timetable. The real issues for Fiji are whether the elections will be ‘fair and free’ and if it will enable Fiji to escape its cycle of coups. I'm not sure of either. And another election, at the urging of the international community, could just make matters worse. More...
by Fergus Hanson
16 April 2008
The un-elected government in Fiji appears to be up to no good...again. According to this article, Fijian police arrested 17 people outside the Chinese Embassy for holding a peaceful vigil against the recent crackdown in Tibet. The Fijian Government, led by Commodore Bainimarama, has taken a contrarian position on Tibet: it joined Tonga (also not a democracy) in expressing support for China's handling of the recent unrest. The article notes that the Fijian Government's heavy-handed response comes at the same time it is finalising negotiations for a massive preferential loan deal with China. And it would appear that China has sharply stepped-up its aid to Fiji since the latest coup, which clearly makes the process of isolating Fiji and encouraging a return to democracy more difficult. How difficult though? In the coming days The Interpreter will host a debate on whether the Commodore is on track to keep his promise to hold elections in early 2009, and what if anything needs to be done to ensure a peaceful transition to democracy. Reader contributions are welcome.
by Fergus Hanson
14 April 2008
this week looks at some early signs of a thawing in cross-strait relations, with the recent election of the KMT’s Ma Ying-jeou. But what are the chances this will translate into a decrease in the dollar diplomacy that has been so destabilising in the Pacific? The former Foreign Minister, Alexander Downer, has said Ma Ying-jeou promised him that he would bring an end to the practice. It will be interesting to see whether he keeps that promise. It would certainly be hard for him if China keeps eating away at Taiwan’s already slim block of 23 states that recognise it. What might bring a new dynamic in the Pacific — where six countries still recognise Taiwan — is if China were to think creatively, and temporarily ease-up on attempts to squeeze Taiwan of diplomatic recognition. Unfortunately, as The Economist notes ‘officials in Beijing are probably too preoccupied to think imaginatively about Taiwan’ right now. Shame.
The Myer Foundation Melanesia Program at the Lowy Institute
Australia has become used to competition for influence in the Pacific Islands region. New Zealand, France, Japan, the US, the EU, China and Taiwan all have diplomatic, economic or aid interests in the region. The newest recruit – Turkey – is demonstrating its interest by hosting a three-day meeting in Istanbul of foreign ministers and Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat representatives.
Turkey’s new interest in the island states finds its origins in its campaign for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council seat in 2009-10. More...
by Guest blogger
9 April 2008
Guest blogger: Sanjay Ramesh, who teaches at the University of Technology, Sydney, is Senior Political Editor at the Sydney Fiji Times and Adjunct Fellow at the University of Fiji.
The Pacific Islands Forum Ministers meeting in Auckland on 26 March 2008 has unequivocally called on Fiji authorities to come up with a plan for general elections for the country by April 2008. Growing suspicions about the commitment of the interim government in Fiji to holding elections in March 2009 are well founded. There have been murmurs among Fiji’s interim government members that the election was not a priority because there were more pressing issues, such as implementing the Peoples’ Charter for Change and electoral reforms. More...
The Myer Foundation Melanesia Program at the Lowy Institute
In his speech to the Brookings Institution on 31 March, Prime Minister Rudd suggested China should be encouraged to work with other donors to develop appropriate OECD-consistent norms for development assistance delivery. He added that, as getting assistance to Pacific Island nations on a stable footing was crucial for Australia, he would be happy to partner with China in some pilot projects.
If this is an indication that Rudd considers China an ally rather than a strategic competitor in Australia’s traditional sphere of influence, it will represent a break in Australian foreign policy. More...
The Myer Foundation Melanesia Program at the Lowy Institute
During a comprehensive speech on Australia’s relations with the Pacific at the launch of the Myer Foundation Melanesia Program at the Lowy Institute yesterday, Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Island Affairs, Duncan Kerr, addressed the contentious issue of labour mobility. He announced that the Government wished to test the demand for labour and receptiveness to a pilot program in various parts of Australia. (An mp3 of Kerr's address will be available on the Lowy Institute homepage soon.) More...
The Myer Foundation Melanesia Program at the Lowy Institute
I often wonder why aid spending is not the subject of greater public interest in Australia. Expenditure on politicians’ overseas travel and renovations of Ambassadorial residences abroad attract more media scrutiny than much more significant government spending (just under $3 billion in 2006-07) on official development assistance. This may change with the tabling in the federal parliament of the inaugural Annual Review of Development Assistance (ARDE) by Parliamentary Secretary for International Development Assistance, Bob McMullan on 20 March.
Although I have strong reservations about the Office of Development Effectiveness being located in AusAID, and the Development Effectiveness Steering Committee, which guides its work, being comprised only of senior public servants, I have to congratulate the ODE for a serious and honest assessment of the successes and weaknesses of the aid program. The ARDE credits Australian aid activities with good management and results but highlights the difficulties in measuring outcomes and problems with definitions of strategic objectives. Some important and alarming facts highlighted in this 60-page document include More...
The Myer Foundation Melanesia Program at the Lowy Institute
The Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s report of an Independent Task Force’s recommendations for improving Australia’s relationship with the Pacific Islands is essential reading for policy makers. The report’s strategy and recommendations are practical and sensible. In brief, the report argues that the key to Australia’s engagement with the Pacific lies in regional integration between Australia and Pacific Island states. It recommends a greater interchange of people, improving education, health, transport, power and communications, protecting fisheries and encouraging investment. The report’s emphasis on building human capital is particularly welcome and should be the focus of governments. More...
The Myer Foundation Melanesia Program at the Lowy Institute
John Howard is not the only former Primer Minister making trouble for his successor in the last fortnight. The former prime ministers and now opposition leaders of PNG and Solomon Islands, Sir Mekere Morauta and Manasseh Sogavare, have criticised the failure of aid to advance their countries. Both statements take a little of the shine off Prime Minister Rudd’s symbolic first official visits to PNG and Solomon Islands. More...
The Myer Foundation Melanesia Program at the Lowy Institute
After all the flag waving, billboards, Broncos jerseys and babies named Kevin Rudd, can the Prime Minister live up to the expectations he created during his travels to PNG and Solomon Islands last week? The abundance of media releases, speeches, and joint press conferences from the visit on the Prime Minister’s website suggests Australia’s relations with Melanesia are being dealt with seriously by Rudd.
The Prime Minister was treated like a rock star in Port Moresby and Goroka, creating an image (or illusion) of a leader who can make a difference to the lives of ordinary people in PNG. But this is not the first time an Australian Prime Minister has been hailed as a hero in Melanesia. More...
by Fergus Hanson
6 March 2008
Ben Thurley, National Advocacy Coordinator for TEAR Australia and co-convenor of the make poverty history campaign writes in with this reaction to guest blogger Gaurav Sodhi's post:
Aid campaigners do not promote aid spending of 0.7% GNI on a whim, or as a random figure plucked from the air, but because it is the long-standing international target appropriate for developed countries to contribute to international development needs. More...
by Guest blogger
6 March 2008
Guest blogger: Gaurav Sodhi, a researcher at The Centre for Independent Studies, sneaks in with this post on our aid thread:
Aid campaigners always cite the hallowed figure of 0.7% of GDP as a firm target for foreign aid as if it has been sanctified by the economic gods. Now the Rudd Government has chimed in with its own ethereal figure of 0.5% which will serve as the latest benchmark. This preoccupation with how much aid Australia gives relative to its GDP is symptomatic of the problems with the development industry. More...
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