The Mapp Report
www.wayne-mapp.co.nz

The Fijian Banana Republic

The coup in Fiji continues to cause problems, which is not surprising.  Let's be clear; the current regime in Fiji is not a legitimate interim government, it is a military dictatorship. 

And of course, they are acting just like military dictatorships always do.  They rule by decree; they use fear and intimidation.  The so called 'chats' with pesky journalists at the Queen Elizabeth barracks do not involve cups of tea and cucumber sandwiches; beatings and abuse are more the order of the day.

Military dictatorships hate hearing an opposing view to their own; that not everyone is actually keen on the end of democracy, freedom of speech and the ability to hold the government to account.

The New Zealand Parliament – on a fully bipartisan basis – is united on this issue.  We want to see the end of Bainimarama's dictatorship, and the return to democracy.  Because, as Winston Churchill said, "No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise.

Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time."  The Fijian dictatorship is certainly demonstrating the truth of that proposition.

They claim to have taken power to end corruption, rebuild the economy and protect the constitution.  It really is a bizarre claim – the rule of the gun to protect constitutional government!

There does appear to be an element to all of this that we may be missing in New Zealand.  The ostensible reasons for the coup simply do not stack up on any objective assessment.  Normally when such coups take place, there is some desire on the part of the coup makers to ensure some level of normality is restored.  But that is not happening in this case.  People continue to be arrested and taken to Queen Elizabeth barracks.

The coup leaders seem quite enthusiastic to deliberately irritate the major countries in the region.  They have been resistant to the efforts of fellow Pacific Island countries to defuse tension, and restore normality.  There would seem to be other factors not readily apparent that are keeping tension at a high level.

But at some point Fiji will have to return to constitutional government, and this is clearly in our interests as well as Fiji's.  New Zealand will always want a good relationship with Fiji, but it is not unconditional.  The Fijian regime needs to understand New Zealand will not just look aside, irrespective of the actions of the coup leaders.

When they want something from New Zealand; be it aid, transit visas, support in the UN; then the rules of good governance are among the tests we should apply. 

Right now Fiji is failing those tests.  The Fijian interim government needs to start thinking about how to yet again re-establish itself within the Pacific family of nations.

ENDS

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