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REPÚBLIKA INVESTIGATION

MURDERED. Six years after Sereima’s brutal death in Tailevu, a court finally declares it involved four men and foul play. What now for the police inquiry that should have taken place in 2007?

Volume 2 | No 3

INSIDE

How ready is Fiji for an election?

The shocking facts of Fiji’s violent homes

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Vol 2 | No 3 | January 2014

COVER

14 | Murder most foul More than six years after her death, one small step toward justice for Sereima Degei of Nabouciwa, MURDERED. Tailevu was achieved when a magistrate in Nausori concluded the evidence points to foul play. Two police inquiries are underway. One investigation is looking into the conduct of police officers responsible for investigating her death in 2007. Another is using the information revealed at the inquest to investigate four named men over her murder. A month after the inquest ruling, several people have been interviewed by police, but the pressure is mounting on the families Justice finally? A magistrate in Nausori has found evidence that Sereima Degei was of those involved with no charges in murdered in September 2007 and did not commit suicide. sight yet. republikamagazine.com

January 2014 | $4.95vip aud/nzd

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Repúblika investigation

six years after sereima’s brutal death in Tailevu, a court finally declares it involved four men and foul play. What now for the police inquiry that should have taken place in 2007?

The shocking facts of Fiji’s violent homes

FEATURES

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION

Volume 2 | No 3

insiDe

How ready is Fiji for an election?

SALON

FIJI ELECTIONS OFFICE

26 | Grave injustice The Supreme Court throws out a rape conviction

18 | Ready or not? Kelvin Anthony explores Fiji’s readiness for an election

REGULARS

35 | Dispatch from Iowa Cheyenne Rova on adapting to American life

OPINION

6 | Briefing Pita Driti takes the fall for overthrow plot

11 | The Rising Ape Alex Elbourne on patriotism versus nationalism

10 | Pasifika Post A rugby legend charged with assaulting ex-wife

13 | The Green Line Nakita Bingham on deep sea mining

42 | The Last Word Kalafi Moala on sport and development

38 | Coconut Cognition Gregory Ravoi on being a gentleman

January 2014

ESSAY 30 | Politics Biman Prasad on the legacy of the National Federation Party

republikamagazine.com | Repúblika |

editor’snote ricardo@republikamagazine.com

@RicardoMorris

A defining year for Fiji

t’s finally 2014 – the year that’s been talked about as the one when democracy will finally be restored. If only it were that simple to hold an election and wish away all of the problems that have beset our country over the past seven years, although the powers-that-be claim they are carving out a better country than the one they took control of in December 2006. Our article on the reflections of Fiji’s political leaders written by Kelvin Anthony clearly shows the consensus that while a general election is the way forward, there must also be some kind of process of truth and reconciliation if our country is to truly bury the ghosts that haunt us. The passing of Nelson Mandela in December provided an opportunity for leaders to reflect on his legacy and what it means for a country like Fiji, where ethnic divisions and political machinations have run through the generations. Mandela’s life – though not completely free of violent actions himself – is a testament to how forgiveness, compassion and humour are just as important as hard-willed political manoeuvring. US President Barak Obama summed up much of the feeling about Mandela in his tribute to the first post-apartheid President of South Africa: “Given the sweep of his life, the scope of his accom-

Vol 2 | No 3 PUBLISHER & EDITOR Ricardo Morris ricardo@republikamagazine.com EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Rosemary Masitabua rosemary@republikamagazine.com

plishments, the adoration that he so rightly earned, it’s tempting I think to remember Nelson Mandela as an icon, smiling and serene, detached from the tawdry affairs of lesser men. “But Madiba himself strongly resisted such a lifeless portrait. Instead, Madiba insisted on sharing with us his doubts and his fears; his miscalculations along with his victories. ‘I am not a saint,’ he said, ‘unless you think of a saint as a sinner who keeps on trying.’ “It was precisely because he could admit to imperfection – because he could be so full of good humour, even mischief, despite the heavy burdens he carried – that we loved him so.” December was a defining moment for Repúblika. In our inaugural edition in September 2012, we described the death of young Sereima Degei in Nabouciwa, Tailevu. We alleged that she could not have committed suicide as the police apparently concluded, but that foul play was involved. Our original story prompted an inquest to be ordered and it took a year before it finally got underway. Finally on 10 December, Nausori magistrate Charles Ratakele concluded the inquest with a ruling that Sereima was indeed murdered – and he named four suspects to be investigated for their alleged role. It was one small step toward achieving justice for the teenager, justice that

COMMERCIAL OPERATIONS/ RAKAVI.COM Vilikesa Rinavuaka bill@republikamedia.com GRAPHIC DESIGN Gregory Ravoi greg@republikamagazine.com ADMIN/FINANCE admin@republikamedia.com

will only be fully realised if the men involved are brought to trial. The police investigation in 2007 leaves much to be desired and it is our hope that the current inquiry into the suspects as well as into the conduct of police officers in the original case will not be swept under the carpet again. Mounting a prosecution against the accused after six years has passed will not be an easy task, especially if the physical evidence might no longer be available. But the authorities must do all in their power to finally bring justice for Sereima. In doing so, though, we are acutely aware of the requirement for fairness and the presumption of innocence until proven guilty. Whatever the outcome of a potential trial, airing the details of this tragedy in open court will help her family find some closure to their ongoing heartbreak. Sereima’s case may not be the only one and indeed, Repúblika has been asked to look into a suspicious and uninvestigated death in Taveuni. As journalists, it is our job to shine a light on issues that need to be addressed, and with an election on the horizon this year, we will be there to tell stories of hope and progress for our nation, but also to speak truth to power R when it must be done.

CONTRIBUTORS Fiji Alex Elbourne Cheyenne Rova Kelvin Anthony Laisiasa Naulumatua Maryann Lockington Nakita Bingham Roshika Deo Pacific Kalafi Moala

We welcome your comments, contributions, corrections, letters or suggestions. Send them to ricardo@republikamagazine.com or leave a comment on our social media pages. The opinions expressed in Repúblika are the authors’ own and do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher. The editor takes responsibility for all nonattributed editorial content.

| Repúblika | republikamagazine.com

January 2014

inbox Your letters, feedback and viewpoints

The inquest ruling in the Nausori Magistrates Court on 10 December that Sereima Degei was murdered in September 2007 brought an outpouring of comments on Repúblika’s Facebook page, website and through emails, and a feature article in the Fiji Sun and in New Zealand. We thank everybody for their messages of congratulations and support, but that ruling marks only the beginning of the official quest for justice. The alleged perpetrators should be presumed innocent until proven guilty in court and the police should be encouraged to carry out their role professionally, expeditiously and without fear or favour. ~ Editor Poor Sereima! I have a daughter too and this is just so heartbreaking. Rest in peace Sereima! Don’t worry the truth will eventually come out. God will always reveal the truth no matter how long. Adisama Elisha via republikamagazine.com Awesome investigative journalism. Vinaka Repúblika! Turaga Ravu via republikamagazine.com May love and peace be upon the family of this loved young lady and keep the offenders at peace and not at war against their own families. Finau M via republikamagazine.com This is a very sad story and my heart goes out to her family. But my question is, were any fingerprints taken on the items used or worn by the victim? If not then this is a marked weakness from the police forensics department. Sofia Dokoni via republikamagazine.com Sereima was such a sweet girl knowing her for maybe the last 10 years of our stay in the hart. She deserves

TALK BACK TO US January 2014

inbox@republikamagazine.com

justice and I think with all the relevant evidence found on her body, she was murdered. I do not think Sereima was that restless to hang herself. My plea is to carry on the investigation. Selevasio Sitino via republikamagazine.com We are thankful that in the end of the day someone is watching. Vilitati Bari via republikamagazine.com Thank you Repúblika for bringing the tragic story of little Ima to light. Thank you for your dedication to pursue this story. This is what real journalism is all about. I am so very heartbroken and deeply saddened by the horrors of this crime and the tragedy of a young life taken in such a brutal and horrific way. We all need to ask why wasn’t this story covered by the mainstream media? How can we just stand by and not be furious with our police and their failure to investigate this horrific crime? How can we do nothing? Let’s all raise our voices and help tell Ima’s story. Let’s put a stop to police corruption in Fiji. Let Sereima’s death not be in vain. Let her death not be another tragic statistic. Lucille Lobendahn via republikamagazine.com Before we get sentimental, let’s wait for investigations to be completed and then congratulate. The inquest has decided that a murder has taken place and an investigation needs to be done, so the case has been reopened, full stop. Even though the witness came forward during the inquest, a murder trial is a totally different ball game. His past will come in to play and his credibility will be questioned. Furthermore his story needs to be substantiated with hard evidence. Did the four really do it? Did Saint John do it himself? Or did the guardians do it? The truth can only come out, after a thorough and unbiased investigation. But before then let’s leave the investigating to the experts (police). Give

them a chance to redeem themselves. If they got it wrong the first time, maybe this time will be different. But be reassured that after this investigation, a lot of people will be taken to task: the police officers back then, the pathologist and even the guardians. So, before making conclusions let’s pray for justice. Benn via republikamagazine.com [The magistrate’s ruling] is great news. What a terrible, tragic story. Thank you Repúblika for telling Sereima’s story. The world needed to know it. Tia Roko via facebook.com/republikamag Great work Repúblika. More investigative journalism. Jio Adimaibau Daumaka via facebook.com/republikamag Shame on the police force and everyone else involved in the case who failed to deliver justice and closure for Sereima and her family. May her soul rest in peace. Maryann Rockett Fremlin via facebook.com/republikamag I commend you for your persistence and good work. Keep it up. The people depend on it. Sekove Naqiolevu via facebook.com/republikamag Justice is out but this should not have happened. I hope she’s in a better place. A young girl with so much passion in her eyes by looking at the photo. You were a strong and beautiful girl Sereima. Nobody deserves such an act. Rest in peace. Vinaka Mr Morris for bringing it to light. Simi Austin Naikarua via facebook.com/republikamag

4Join us on facebook.com/republikamag4Email to inbox@republikamagazine.com 4Follow us on twitter.com/republikamag4Write to PO Box 11927, Suva, Fiji republikamagazine.com | Repúblika |

briefing The nation reviewed

news@republikamagazine.com

LAISIASA NAULUMATUA/COLOURING BY GREGORY RAVOI

LIFE THROUGH LAI’S LENSES

Fiji’s oldest political party marks 50th anniversary THE National Federation Party founded in 1963 marked 50 years of existence in early December. Key people associated with the party and the children of some of the party’s founders were present to mark the golden jubilee event on 7 December at the San Bruno Hotel in Nadi. A message of support was sent by former party leader and retired international judge Jai Ram Reddy who resides in New Zealand. He told members: “I deeply regret not being able to be with you on this occasion but rest assured that my good wishes are and will always be with all the people of Fiji.” Constitutional expert Dr Brij Lal also sent a message of support in which he called on the party to remember its founding principles and vision. “The odds are forbidding, I know, but they are no match for the resourcefulness and tenacity of our people,” Lal said. The key note address was delivered by Professor Biman Chand Prasad who 6

| Repúblika | republikamagazine.com

outlined some of the party’s earlier policies and how they are today being implemented by the government. Prasad said: “Some in the present government claim credit for originating the concept of a common name for Fiji. If you read the historical record, the late A D Patel was advocating a common name for all Fiji citizens in the 1950s. In the debate on the Interpretation Bill in August 1967, he had said in the Legislative Council that all Fiji citizens should be called ‘Fijian’ and the indigenous Fijians, ‘Taukei.’ That was at a time when some of the present day leaders and many of us were toddlers.” Once a political powerhouse, the NFP has failed to win a seat since the 1999 general election, the first under the 1997 Constitution which Reddy helped bring into being with then Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka. n RICARDO MORRIS. See page 30 for Professor Biman Chand Prasad’s key note address at the party’s golden jubilee dinner.

NUMBERS

500

The number of Republic of Fiji Military Forces personnel serving in the disputed Golan Heights between Israel and Syria.

40 8 37

The road death toll at 15 December, the same number as last year.

Children under the age of five who died by drowning this year of the total 40 victims.

Number of cyclones that Fiji has experienced in the past 25 years. There were also 33 instances of flooding.

2670

Traffic offences recorded during two weeks in December around Fiji. Of this, 2519 were for speeding offences alone. January 2014

briefing

The nation reviewed

VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

Landmark research reveals extent of Fiji’s violent homes A MAJOR research project by the Fiji She said there were various reasons Women’s Crisis Centre (FWCC) released why women chose to stay with their in December ranks Fiji fourth highest violent partners and not report them. among 25 countries in the “For a lot of women world for the prevalence of also they have to think violence against women. about their finances The prevalence of when they’re financially intimate partner violence dependent on their over a woman’s lifetime husbands,” she said. in Fiji is 64 per cent, twice Ali said that women as high as the global also think about the prevalence of 30 per cent. future of their children The results of the and choose to bear the research titled, “Somebody’s abuse for them. In other Life, Everybody’s Business” instances, a woman shows that every day 43 stayed because of her women are injured, one is loyalty to her husband or permanently disabled, and partner. 71 lose consciousness in Fiji “Sometimes women through intimate partner Download the report: really believe their violence. http://tiny.cc/FWCC_Research marriage vows, so they or scan the QR code below FWCC coodinator don’t believe in divorce Shamima Ali said the and separation and survey was alarming many women love their because it confirmed the men and they want to high incidence of violence be in the marriage but against women in Fiji. just want the violence to “More shocking is that stop,” said Ali. only a few women report The survey was or tell someone about it or carried out using World seek help,” she said. Health Organisation According to the methodology to enable report, only 24 per cent of global comparisons to women who face violence be made. in their relationship have Working with the assistance of the sought formal help or have approached Fiji Bureau of Statistics, the survey was authorities. “Four out of five women have never carried out between 2010 and 2011 and is sought help from any agency to deal with the most extensive of its kind carried out in Fiji. it and less than one in five go to police and Of the 3538 randomly chosen health centres, so it’s quite low,” said Ali. households in the sample from all of The statistics show that 44 per cent of Fiji’s four divisions, 3389 interviews were ever-partnered women have suffered from completed of which 3193 were with severe violence and physical attacks. That individual women. means two in five ever-partnered women “Whenever you do a research of this have been punched, kicked, dragged, beaten up, choked, burned, threatened nature, it’s very different from taking a with a weapon, or had a weapon used census - this is about people’s lives. There are risk factors involved so we had to have against them. Ali said that violence against women field workers who were specially trained. “There were transportation difficulties, was so entrenched in society that women to get from one place to another, it took were often blamed for the abuse. “Some women really believe this and longer to travel to all the islands, we went when things go wrong they internalise it, everywhere and covered all the provinces thinking that they’re not good enough or but we wanted to be thorough,” said Ali. n MARYANN LOCKINGTON they’ve done something wrong,” said Ali. January 2014

MILESTONES Fiji assumed the chair at the 9th Pacific Islands Conference on Nature Conservation and Protected Areas in Suva in early December. The previous conference was held in PNG in 2007.

Damodar City Centre in Suva was opened on 11 December by Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama who described it as “the latest gem in Suva’s retail crown.” The $30m project’s centrepiece is the Damodar Event Cinemas which features giant three-storey high screens, a premium cinema and a 5G amusement ride lasting five to seven minutes. The owners claim its cinemas are the most advanced in the southern hemisphere. The complex boasts a supermarket, food court, a many major brand outlets.

The Colonial War Memorial Hospital celebrated 90 years of existence in December. The hospital was opened on 2 December 1923 after the then Govenor of Fiji, Sir Cecil Rodwell suggested in 1919 a club house be built for returned soldiers and members of the defence force. Businessman Henry Marks wrote a letter to the editor some months later suggesting instead a central hospital and he and his company contributed cash to help fund it.

Fiji and Vanuatu signed an agreement to cooperate under the Fiji Volunteer Scheme in December. The scheme will see experienced Fijian teachers working in Vanuatu. Vanuatu is the first Melanesian Spearhead Group member to sign the volunteer service agreement with Fiji.

Vodafone Fiji launched its 4G network in early December. In the first two weeks after its launch Vodafone reported more than 4000 customers purchased or signed up for 4G devices and services.

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briefing

The nation reviewed

COURT WATCH

PITA Driti shifted nervously and stared ahead at the British coat of arms in the brand new High Court room number two at Suva’s Government Buildings on 11 December as he waited to be sentenced for his role in a plot to overthrow the government he was instrumental in bringing to power seven years earlier. Two weeks before, in the first politically-sensitive trial involving formerly loyal military officers, Justice Paul Madigan had overturned the three assessors’ notguilty opinion and convicted the former brigadier-general of inciting another officer, Lt-Col Manasa Tagicakibau, to mutiny in 2010. Now he sat in a packed courtroom filled with his supporters, journalists and police officers waiting to hear his fate. At the end of Justice Madigan’s 10-minute reading, he received a five-year sentence, with a non-parole period of four years, for an offence that carries a maximum of 15 years in jail. Driti’s long and distinguised service in the military could not save the 53-year-old father-of-two from incarceration, Justice Madigan said. “It is a matter of surprise and saddness that at your age and with your illustrious career behind you that you should come to be involved in this seditious undertaking,” Justice Madigan told Driti. Scores of police officers filled the buildings on all sides and after several minutes with family and friends inside the courtroom, Driti was led out through the back exit surrounded by policemen. Sitting in the police bus before being driven off to jail, Repúblika asked Driti: “How are you feeling?” “Wananavu,” was his deadpan reply as he gave a thumbs up and the officers closed the window. The phrase can mean “great”, “fine”, “set”, “lovely”, and any number of interpretations can be ascribed to it being said by Driti at this point. During the five-day trial the court heard Driti, who as land force commander was the second-highest ranking officer behind Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama, told Tagicakibau of the so-called Sudan plan in which Bainimarama was to have been removed while he was visiting troops in the Sudan and he and his family exiled. 8

| Repúblika | republikamagazine.com

RICARDO MORRIS

From loyal officer to convict, Driti takes the fall for overthrow plot

Pita Driti gives a thumbs up and says “wananavu” as he is taken away to begin his sentence.

The prosecution case rested on the evidence of Tagicakibau, who was the chief witness among four others. He had been unhappy on his return from study leave in early 2010 that most of his previous duties in the logistics support unit had been taken up by then chief of staff, Lt-Col Ratu Tevita Mara, who was also charged along with Driti but who fled to Tonga in mid-2011 seeking political asylum and is now private secretary to the Tongan monarch, a cousin of his. Tagicakibau used his own intelligence network to gather information about Ratu Tevita’s dissatisfaction with the government. Ratu Tevita was sent on leave at the end of July 2010 before a decision was made on his future. According to his testimony, in early August 2010, Tagicakibau held the first of four one-on-one meetings with Driti. At that first meeting, the conversation quickly moved to the state of the economy. According to court testimony, Driti stressed his loyalty to Bainimarama as the “annointed one” but had issues with those around him, particularly the Attorney-General, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, who Driti thought was influencing the government away from its original vision. Driti said Bainimarama was not listening to the military council but paying too

much attention to the A-G. At the end of that first meeting, Driti said he would ask the PM to sack the A-G. Another meeting was held the next month, in which Driti asked Tagicakibau to use his intelligence network to gather information on the A-G’s movements, habits, places he frequented and the company he kept. Tagicakibau said he understood this to mean gathering information which could point to the A-G’s alleged misbehaviour or misconduct. Later in September another meeting was held and Tagicakibau said he was asked to formulate methods to “eliminate” Sayed-Khaiyum, the first time such mention was made of an assassination. In a final meeting in October, Driti told Tagicakibau the Prime Minister had “lost the plot” and was being “webbed” by the A-G and other agents. Bainimarama’s annointing, said Driti, had been lifted, something Driti denied saying. Driti, according to Tagicakibau, then described what has come to be known as the “Sudan plan” which would be put into effect when Bainimarama went to Africa to visit troops serving on a UN mission. The plan involved asking the President to sack the government. The PM’s passport would be cancelled by the immigration department and his family January 2014

briefing

The nation reviewed

ON THE RECORD

Driti, circled, in a class photo at Levuka Public School in 1971. He is understood to have moved to Suva with his family after this.

sent in exile to a country of their choosing. If the President did not agree, he would be removed, and New Zealand and Australian troops called in to support the Fiji military. A new administration would be appointed to take the country to a general election in 2011. In his police interview tended as evidence, Driti said the plan had been drawn up by Ratu Tevita Mara and Brigadier-General Mohammed Aziz. Driti said it was a “set-up” by Aziz and described four of the five options as “shallow and superficial” and the fifth – the overthrow option – as unworkable and requiring considerable planning. Driti admitted talking to Tagicakibau about the A-G and asking him to conduct surveillance, but denied asking for Sayed-Khaiyum to be assassinated. He said Tagicakibau’s allegations were from somebody who was “striving for promotion”. He finished his interview saying the plan only contained options for discussion and was nothing more. He also said it was too early to report Ratu Tevita and Aziz because he wanted to safeguard their careers. Giving evidence on oath, Driti said he was suspicious of a set-up and in late September called Aziz to his office to

discuss the issue. “Is this a set-up?” Driti asked Aziz. Aziz replied: “No, it is not a set-up, it just needs a lot of planning.” Driti says he took no steps to execute the plan saying it was very broad, illegal and conceptually bad. Early on 24 October 2010, Driti was summoned to Bainimarama’s house where Ratu Tevita Mara, then Police Commissioner Brigadier-General Ioane Naivalurua and the military chaplain were present. Bainimarama said he had details about a plot to remove him, that involved Driti, Ratu Tevita and Aziz, although Aziz was not there. Driti was told to take all his leave, resign from his post and from his commission. In the witness dock, Driti said he remained loyal to the government but would rather Sayed-Khaiyum was removed. He said he had remained true to to initial reason for the takeover of government in December 2006, which was to clean up corruption with no benefit to the new administration, a principle he stuck by to the end. Aziz was not called to give evidence and the authorities remain silent on any charges against him. n RICARDO MORRIS

“The reality is that the Comprehensive EPA in its current form has enormous ramifications on our policy space, sovereignty and development.” Trade Minister Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum in a statement on 10 December after Fiji withdrew “as a matter of principle” from a special meeting of Pacific ACP states which it said was “rushed”. The meeting was organised by the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat in Honiara to break an impasse in the Economic Partnership Agreement trade negotiations in Brussels after PNG withdrew in October. “The suggestion from Fiji that the Secretariat is acting for the EU and that it is putting pressure on the Pacific ACP states or dictating directions to PACPS is simply not true, and hardly deserves a serious response.” The Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat responding to SayedKhaiyum’s statement two days later, after it was reported in the media. “The Secretariat should not dictate the nature, scope and agenda of meetings, but should rather seek guidance from PACP states and assist where needed. The Secretariat is only meant to act as a technical advisory body. In this case, Fiji believes that the Secretariat overstepped its bounds as a technical advisory body and unduly wrestled control of the EPA agenda from PACP leaders and ministers.” Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum’s further response to the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat on 12 December.

You don’t have to suffer in siLence

‘

free and confidential counselling services and legal advice are available at our branches in suva, nadi, Ba, rakiraki and Labasa. You can call our hotline 24 hours a day.

’

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. Dr Martin Luther King Jr (1929-1968) Martin Luther King Jr’s Birthday ~ January 15

Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre | 88 Gordon St, Suva | Phone: 3313 300 / 9209 470 (24hrs) | www.fijiwomen.com January 2014

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pasifikapost Regional current affairs worth noting

news@pasifikapost.com

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VIA PACIFICE YEW SAMOA OB SERVER

SAMOAN businesswoman and the first systems to support vulnerable women in Sawoman president of Samoa’s Chamber of Commerce, Lemalu Sina Retzlaff was vio- moa who are victims of lently beaten in mid-December allegedly violence. She is speaking by her ex-husband rugby international out publicly because, as she told the newspaper, Muliagatele Brian Lima in public in Samoa. On 18 December, the Samoa Observer “enough is enough.” Retzlaff says she published a front page photo of Retzlaff’s beaten up but smiling face, which Pacific is fortunate to have a supportive network around commentators said broke an unspoken taboo surrounding initimate partner vio- her, including lawyers who helped her file protection orders against lence. Lima. “Domestic violence is not a Samoan This is not the first incident of assault issue, it’s a universal issue,” Retzlaff, the daughter of Samoa’s former deputy prime that has made it into the media. In July 2007, Lima apologised publicly in Samoa minister Misa Telefoni Retzlaff, told the to his wife for assaultSamoa Observer. ing her. He had agreed Lima, 41, was inducted Read the full account by Lemalu Sina Retzlaff of what to use his public profile into the International Rugprompted her to speak out to raise the issue of vioby Board Hall of Fame in at: http://tiny.cc/ali08w lence against women in 2011. He is charged with Samoa. Read the initial front page causing actual bodily story in the Samoa Observer Four years later, in harm and being armed here: http://tiny.cc/pii08w 2011 two Samoan inwith a dangerous weapon. ternational rugby playHe has had his travel docRead about the other instances of violence that ers ended up being uments seized and was Retzlaff has endured over charged with assault ordered not to contact the years at http://tiny.cc/ against Lima after they Retzlaff. He was expected SinaRetzlaff intervened to protect in court on 13 January. Retzlaff while she was He earned 65 Test being beaten by Lima. caps for Samoa and is the In 2012, Lima lodged a complaint only player to have appeared at five Rugwith police that his ex-wife had allegedly by World Cups. forged the signatures of her father-inRetzlaff, who divorced Lima two years ago, told the Samoa Observer that do- law and husband in relation to a business bank loan. mestic violence was a universal problem. However, Lima later asked for the “It doesn’t have any boundaries in eight charges of forgery to be withdrawn terms of culture or religion, it can happen to anyone and I believe it does happen to apparently because he had forgiven her and did it for the sake of their children and women from all walks of life,” she said. their family connections. She highlighted the lack of adequate

ITNESS.COM

FRANCK FIFE/AFP IMAGE FORUM

Samoan rugby great Lima charged over ex-wife’s public assault

Throughout all this, Retzlaff has continued to raise her children, run her business, represent Samoa on the international stage and speak and write about the impacts of domestic violence. Samoan journalist Cherelle Jackson says attitudes had changed in recent years as issues such as domestic violence were increasingly discussed on social media. During the 16 Days of Activism Against Violence Against Women from 25 November to 10 December, Jackson had encouraged survivors of domestic violence to share their stories. “The fact that incidences of domestic violence are now widely reported in the mainstream media in Samoa means that it is slowly becoming a behaviour that can no longer take the shield of cultural appropriateness,” she said. “The most recent case involving a high profile rugby player is extremely unfortunate, but at the same time the fact that the victim has come out publicly means there is now an opportunity for Samoa to do something about this problem.” n PACIFICEYEWITNESS.COM/ SAMOA OBSERVER/AFP January 2014

OPINION

Patriotism vs nationalism The Rising Ape with ALEX ELBOURNE

First fighter ere’s a piece of advice my internet chumbucket of _____: Feel free to insult me. I’m a big boy, I can handle it. But, if you’re going to call me an “unpatriotic a**hole” for daring to criticise one of our sports teams (sports team for crying out loud!), at least know what the words you’re using actually mean, you mong. Long story short, as you may have gathered I got into a flame war with some person over the Fiji Bati singing a hymn before their game. This person claims I’m not a patriot and don’t love my country. The poor dear doesn’t seem to realise that patriotism means something pretty different. What this person is talking is about is nationalism. Nationalism and patriotism. Two different things that people confuse all the damn time. They stem from the same place, ie both show the relationship of an individual towards his or her nation. Then it changes. Nationalism means to give more importance to unity by way of a cultural background, including language and heritage. Patriotism pertains to the love for a nation, with more emphasis on values and beliefs. Basically what this means is that the nationalist is the person going: “Oh Fiji you so wonderful, you number one, you can’t do nothing wrong. Anyone who says otherwise is an evil, evil person who should be shot. Fiji is the BEST country in the world.” Rinse, repeat. The patriot is the person saying: “Fiji is a wonderful country. However, we do have issues and I’m hoping if we had the courage to tackle those issues honestly and openly, we can make this country even more special in our hearts.” See the difference? So Mr Wannabe Internet Flame Warrior, feel free to call me names, but please have enough awareness to know what you’re saying. We need a type of patriotism that recognises the virtues of those who are opposed to us. ~ Francis John McConnell

How’s your mPFC? January 2014

Allow me to explain. The mPFC is the area of the brain that activates when people do things that involve perceiving and relating to other people, such as recognising and distinguishing between faces and empathising. These researchers wanted to test how people perceive members of other groups at a basic neural level. Their hypothesis was that a particular group of people would not be recognised as human beings by others. That group of people? Homeless people. So they did their research and it turns out they were right. An article on psychologytoday.com reported the findings: “They actually are perceived, at least in this area of the brain, more like objects, such as tables. So why is this? (The researchers’) work indicates that as much as 95 per cent of people’s overall attitudes toward someone are determined by how competent (intelligent, capable) and warm (kind, friendly) they are perceived to be. Competence is related to respect, and warmth to liking. Basically, homeless people are perceived as low in both warmth and competence. In turn, because these two dimensions are so crucial to what makes us human, homeless people are dehumanised at a basic neural level.” Aren’t we just a wonderful species? We can look at another human and not even recognise them as such. Right there is the cause of our world’s problems, in my opinion. I wonder what the results would show if they did such a test in Fiji? Before we start going on about how we’re nothing like overseas countries and people in Fiji are just so much kinder, shut up. If we were all such paragons of goodness we wouldn’t have so many homeless people. This same inability to see people who are different from us is probably why we still have so many racists in this country. It’s the reason why any discussion about an issue on Facebook is couched in racial terms. We just can’t help ourselves. Ultimately, we’re just monkeys who can type. Our poor sports teams… You truly have to feel for those athletes who represent our country in whatever sport but especially our rugby teams. Union or league, 15s, 7s, it doesn’t matter.

We go all Sparta on them. Remember “come back with your shield or on it” we’re all yelling as they leave the country. And you know what? That’s perfectly fine. That simply means that we’ve taken ownership of the team and identify with them. So when they lose, there’s a huge backlash. And while that may not be okay, it’s still very understandable, human nature being what it is. Everyone loves a winner. You know who does irritate me when it comes to our teams losing? The naysayers. Even if they are right, the immense satisfaction they derive from yelling out “I told you so” and “they were never going to win”, just grates man. We all saw them in November when the Fiji Bati got a hiding from Australia at the Rugby League World Cup. Yes they lost. Yes they got a hiding. But here’s the thing – there is NOTHING wrong with hoping your team will do the unthinkable and pull off a miracle win against all the odds. There really isn’t. So just calm down please. That time of the year … We’ve just done Christmas, that time of the year when eventually someone will go on about (1) how commercialised Christmas has become and start moaning about it and (2) loudly proclaim how Jesus was not actually born on 25 December and Christmas is nothing more than a pagan festival appropriated by early Christians. Here’s the thing, if you’d like to stop (1) from happening then stop buying stuff during the festive season. You can’t, can you? We’re so conditioned that the thought of having a simple Christmas without presents and fancy food just comes across as alien and even a little bit unchristian (although ironically, doing that is probably truer to the Christmas message). As for (2), you know what? Who cares? Seriously, if you feel the need to get worked up about the origins of Christmas, you need to just take a chill pill, have a taki and just enjoy what should be the best thing about Christmas – being with the people you love! R Welcome to the new year! n Alex Elbourne is the Breakfast Show host on Legend FM. The views expressed are his own. republikamagazine.com | Repúblika |

OPINION

Striking a mining balance The Green Line with NAKITA BINGHAM

he growing demand of the world’s escalating consumer culture has led to an increase in global prices for resources. Consequently, companies are now exploring the possibility of extracting rare minerals from deep-sea deposits. The economic potential for deep sea mining (DSM) in the South Pacific is substantial, but there are calls for the implications to be carefully scrutinised by governing bodies and regulatory organisations through extensive research so the the possible environmental and social impacts are understood. There is now an urgency to move away from terrestrial mineral extraction to DSM with the hopes of increasing mineral yield while minimising the environmental and social risks mining poses. However, concerns about DSM include the poisoning and degradation of food sources, pollution of water, and the destruction of pristine marine environments where endemic species may be threatened or eradicated. Since no precedent has been set for DSM, the possible environmental hazards are yet to be experienced. But the potential environmental threats should not eliminate the idea of DSM all together. Such an industry could proceed with caution, awareness, and cost effective environmental plans that assess every risk, strategising a wellversed management and fiscal system with transparency. The possible economic gain from mining our oceans in the South Pacific cannot be ignored. The idea of deep-sea mining was conceptualised in the 1970s, however only recently has DSM has become realistic because of today’s groundbreaking technology. The technology that makes possible ambitious underwater ventures requires sufficient funding, a means that regional governments do not have without collaboration with foreign corporations. Another challenge for developing nations is environmental management, because access to technical and legal resources are also limited. The revenue January 2014

that could potentially be generated from DSM will boost the region’s economies and the South Pacific is likely to be one the world’s leading suppliers of precious elements. This will only be the case for as long as the mineral reserves last. David Sheppard, the director-general of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (Sprep), believes that more baseline studies need to be done before mining starts. “Obviously the issue of resources is a constraint. The companies need to allocate money for independent scientific studies of the biodiversity and the environment in the deep sea, and particularly the impacts that may be associated. So this is an area that is lagging behind exploration of mineral resources, but it is important, it does need more attention and that’s a very important area from Sprep’s perspective.” The South Pacific Ocean is plentiful in rare metals in the form of cobalt rich crusts, seafloor massive sulphides, and manganese nodules. In Fiji there are massive sulphides on the sea floor, which are formed from mineral buildup around hydrothermal vents. They are made up of an accumulation of copper, lead, zinc, silver, gold, rare earths, and other minerals. Foreign companies are now exploring the possibilities of seabed mining in Fiji’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and the ocean outside the EEZ known as “the Area”. As of 2013 the Korea Institute of Ocean Science Technology (KIOST), Canadian giant Nautilus Minerals and the Australian corporation Bluewater Minerals were granted mining exploration licences to carry out test drilling within Fiji’s EEZ. The growing interest in DSM within the Pacific resulted in Fiji implementing an International Seabed Mineral Management Decree on 12 July 2013. While a Regional Legal and Regulatory Framework for the South Pacific has been developed, funded and supported by the European Union and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community. Fiji is also in the process of creating DSM legislation specific to seabed mining in the EEZ. In 1994 the self-governing International Seabed Authority (ISA) was created under the United Nations Conven-

tion on the Law of the Sea, to manage deep-sea mineral resources outside of national waters. The ISA is located in Kingston, Jamaica and consists of international bodies within the orignisation that monitors all deep-sea mining activities. Parties interested in DSM outside the EEZ have to go through the approvals process of the ISA. Projects within EEZs are subject to local regulations and out of the ISA jurisdiction. After complying with PNG’s Environmental Management regulations, Nautilus Minerals’ Solwara 1 project was the first DSM development to be issued a mining lease in January 2011, with plans to operate 1600 metres below sea level in the Bismarck Sea of PNG’s EEZ. Solwara 1 was operating under PNG’s Mining Act and other mining and resource-related legislation. Mining activities commencing within Fiji’s EEZ would also follow suit, since there are currently no local regulatory laws specific to DSM for the nation’s territorial waters. However, if a foreign company is interested in DSM in the Area, it is ISA regulation that the state or local corporation that is sponsored by the state must support the international company before their admittance to sites is granted. It is imperative that environmental assessments and sustainable practices that occur on land are also properly exercised in all marine contexts, to reinforce recognition of the deep-sea environment as a fragile ecosystem of its own. The South Pacific may certainly reap the economic benefits of our mineral richness. But only after thorough research is conducted and concludes that DSM can, indeed, be a sustainable industry, should DSM begin. DSM legislation, environmental management plans, a fair fiscal regime and a rigorous monitoring system must be implemented to strictly regulate all sea mining activities. If this balance is achieved then people of the Pacific can enjoy the economic spoils of a deep-sea mining boom without the worry of a potential environmental diR saster. n Nakita Bingham is a Suva resident as is employed as a legal assistant with experience in environmental and corporate law. Read the full article on republikamagazine.com republikamagazine.com | Repúblika |

Sereima Degei 16 December 1993 ~ 7 September 2007

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January 2014

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She was murdered. n By RICARDO MORRIS

It took six years after 13-year-old Sereima Degei’s strange death in Nabouciwa, Tailevu for official action to begin in earnest into how she died, following an investigation by Repúblika. Finally, in November a man testified under oath at the inquest into Sereima’s death about how and why she allegedly met her end. The Nausori magistrate who conducted the inquest ruled foul play was involved and named four men to be charged with murder. But despite the ‘confession’ and the details, police are still doing the work they should have done in September 2007. January 2014

A AS MUCH OF THE COUNTRY’S attention focussed on the penultimate day of the high-profile trial of the military’s former second-in-command, Pita Driti in Suva on 10 December, in a courtroom in Nausori on the second floor of the 3 King’s building, the murder of a young girl more than six years ago in Tailevu was, finally, being officially acknowledged. After an inquest that was only opened after Repúblika’s coverage of the circumstances of her death began in September 2012, the hearing started almost a year later in August 2013. Witnesses included the girl’s family and one of the men the family suspected of involvement. Almost four months after the inquest opened, on 10 December, in a courtroom filled with relatives of Sereima and some of suspects and their relatives, Magistrate Charles Ratakele declared: “The evidence shows that there was foul play.” He then went on to name four men who were identified by one of them and recommended they be charged

with Sereima’s murder. Sereima Degei was just three months short of her 14th birthday when she was brutally raped and murdered in September 2007 in her village of Nabouciwa, Tailevu. Her body was found hanging at the back of her house two days after she disappeared. It was deemed by police to be suicide, without so much as an investigation, after a post-mortem examination that left more questions than answers. But after persistent investigation by her uncle Apisalome Rabo, assisted by Repúblika beginning with coverage in September 2012, the inquest was ordered. When she died, Sereima, was being taken care of by her aunt Asenaca Naivolasiga, her father’s younger sister Rabo’s wife. One of six children of Emosi Serukasari, a former Counter-Revolutionary Warfare unit soldier, who was serving time for his part in the 2000 coup, she had gone to live with her aunt and grandparents when her father was sent to jail in 2001. Naivolasiga had held the girl’s body after she brought down from the small mango tree behind their house from which she was found hanging. She remembers marks on her chest, injuries on both sides of her torso and what appeared to be a broken arm. She was present during the autopsy republikamagazine.com | Repúblika |

COVER

Suspects ... The four men named by Nausori magistrate Charles Ratakele as allegedly participating in Sereima’s murder, with Eparama Saint John, who is expected to turn state witness, in bottom right.

and distinctly remembers the pathologist, Dr Prashant Samberkar, telling the police officer from Nausori police station who was also present, Constable Avenai Tamanalevu, to “make sure the investigation is carried out” or something to that effect. Despite Naivolasiga’s recollection, the post-mortem certificate of cause of death signed by Dr Samberkar only mentioned “asphyxiation due to hanging”. Under ‘description of any injuries’, the pathologist had written ‘NA’ – ‘not applicable.’ Not long after her burial, Apisalome Rabo, a television producer, began to suspect that there was more to the story behind Sereima’s death than a straightforward suicide. She had gone to the next village, Naivakacau, on Monday 3 September 2007, after her close friend invited her to a church rally that was happening there. Sereima did not return until Wednesday when her aunt went looking for her. She was physically disciplined after 16

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Happier times ... Sereima and her sister pose for a photo, while their grandmother is in the background. This photo was taken just two months before she died.

n Read the original coverage and further updates on the Sereima Degei investigation at republikamagazine.com n Follow us on Facebook facebook.com/republikamag being brought home and then told to scrape coconuts in preparation for dinner. That was the last time her aunt saw Sereima alive. What happened after she disappeared remained a mystery until after the inquest opened in August 2013. During an adjournment, an uncle of Sereima’s came across a man who the family had wondered about and hoped had information on Sereima’s death. Eparama Saint John had lived in Nabouciwa for almost a year, although

he was not from there. After Sereima’s burial he disappeared. By chance this past October he was spotted in Navua and Sereima’s uncle, Ravuama Tawake Jr, got talking to him. The topic of Sereima’s death came up and what appeared to be a confession from Saint John began. Tawake asked Saint John if he would tell his story to police which he did at the Navua police station with detectives from Suva and after several sessions recorded a statement describing what he claims was how and why Sereima was killed. He was summoned to appear on the final day of the inquest and in a packed Nausori court room on 15 November Saint John began to tell his story. The tension in the courtroom was palpable and Sereima’s grandmother wiped her eyes as she heard Saint John describe how he acted as a “messenger” the night of her kidnapping, calling her to the village cemetery. January 2014

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Scene of death ... The ladder placed up against the tree Sereima was found hanging from remains there to this day. The roof of her house can be seen in the background. Above: the first issue of Repúblika in September 2012, detailed her life and death.

Because there is now a police investigation into her death the details of his testimony are being withheld by Repúblika. Saint John exercised his right to remain silent and not incriminate himself, when Magistrate Charles Ratakele advised him of that option, although he went on to describe how Sereima’s life was ended before she was taken under cover of darkness two nights after she disappeared and hung up on the tree behind her home. From early on, indications were that police had failed to investigate properly, if at all, and that incompetence and nepotism could have also played a part. Even now, as a police inquiry into what went wrong with the initial investigation is supposed to be underway, police officers closely related to the suspects and who should have been interrogating them have reportedly been socialising with them in the village. It is understood the acting Police January 2014

Commissioner, Ravi Narayan is aware of the potential conflict of interest and has ordered new officers to be put on the case. In a statement on 17 December, the Fiji Police Force said it would conduct an inquiry into how the initial investigation by its Nausori officers was carried out. The investigation is being headed by Force Inspector-General, Assistant Commissioner of Police Isikeli Vuniwaqa. A parallel investigation is also taking place into the circumstances and suspects in Sereima’s death. Narayan tasked the director of the Criminal Investigation Department to personally lead the investigation. The police statement said: “To up-

hold the integrity of the investigation, no further comments will be made on the matter until it’s completed.” Indeed the police have not responded to questions from Repúblika although it is understood one of Sereima’s friends, Lepania, and other relatives of Sereima have been taken several times for questioning. The man who supposedly is to become a chief witness for any prosecution, Saint John, is understood to be wavering under the pressure. It took six years for the wheels of justice to begin turning to acknowledge Sereima’s murder. And with closure finally in sight for Sereima’s family, any further delays could mean justice may R be denied. republikamagazine.com | Repúblika |

TORSTEN BLACKWOOD/AFP IMAGEFORUM

ELECTION 2014

Flashback ... In this May 2006 image, Sachida Nand Sharma, vice-president of the Fiji Labour Party, checks the electoral roll outside a polling station in Suva during the country’s week-long elections. The 2006 election was the last one held before Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama took power seven months later. 18

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Will an election solve Fiji’s problems? Political party leaders and commentators believe while an election is necessary, a truth and reconciliation process is also urgently needed to truly dismantle racism and heal the country’s hurts.

A AS FIJI APPROACHES THE HOUR of truth in a few months’ time – 243 days from 1 January 2014 to 1 September 2014 to be exact – the question that lingers is will elections bring about any real change to a nation fractured on too many occasions and on many levels? The cynics have been silenced and their frustrations put to rest at the birth of a government Constitution, with an assurance from Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama, the man who has held power for more than seven years, that the much talked about transition to democracy will happen. While many at the community level seem disengaged from the democratisation process, a handful of those who are aware can fathom that going to the polls is but a mere piece in the puzzle that is Fiji today. Everything else about the election appears moot. When the 1997 Constitution was adopted, it was hailed globally as a visionary document for a sustainable constitutional democracy. More than a decade and a half down the road, the 1997 Constitution has been abolished and Fiji January 2014

By KELVIN ANTHONY

has a new Constitution – its fourth in 43 young years of independence – assented to by President Ratu Epeli Nailatikau in September 2013. At the time, the 1997 Constitution was widely accepted as a solution at the highest level to Fiji’s political problems and things looked promising. However, while then Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka and Opposition leader Jai Ram Reddy made political compromises to forge the landmark document, at the grassroots they were both rejected at the very first election under the new Constitution. In the 1999 election, Fiji returned as prime minister the first Fijian of Indian descent in the Fiji Labour Party’s Mahendra Chaudhry. For many indigenous Fijians this was a bitter pill to swallow. This resulted a year later, on 17 May 2000, in the so-called civilian coup fronted by George Speight, claiming to be taking back indigenous Fijian leadership. With the help of disgruntled elite soldiers, Speight seized the parliamentary complex in Nasese leading to a 56-day hostage crisis. So either it was a failure of leadership

or a failure of principles by the national leaders then that led to the rejection of yet another government. What could have gone wrong? A new political vision The father of coups in Fiji and former prime minister, Sitiveni Ligamamada Rabuka, who has on countless occasions apologised for his role in first shaming democracy for Fiji, says it was the racist aspirations of those at the helm of the Methodist Church in the late 1990s who used the race card as a tool to turn people at the grassroots level against his leadership. “We did it right,” Rabuka told Repúblika referring to the 1997 Constitution. “Our political opponents used race against us – the iTaukei people were urged by the Methodist Church to discard me for joining hands with the National Federation Party and Mr (Jai Ram) Reddy’s political opponents accused him of selling Indian rights to keep me in leadership.” Now, radical changes have been made and a new political vision is taking shape under the gaze of Bainimarama, who as commander of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces has urged his troops to reject the politics and politicians of old. The Constitution aims to support the first genuine democracy in Fijian republikamagazine.com | Repúblika |

ELECTION 2014

history, according to Bainimarama. “We have a new Constitution to guide us, one that will allow Fiji to prosper as a united nation,” Bainimarama stated during the opening few minutes of the 2014 budget announcement. “As we prepare for parliamentary elections in 2014, together, we Fijians have the ability to make our nation great.” If this vision will translate into lasting democratic institutions and whether Fiji is ready for elections only time will tell but not before the twists and turns in the lead up to the September poll. “It will be a long journey that will have to overcome obstacles that we ourselves have created – but they are not insurmountable,” Rabuka says. Truth and reconciliation Fiji’s political party leaders, civil society figures and some academics believe that while elections will not solve all of Fiji’s problems overnight, it has to take place as a first step before correcting the wrongs of the past. “It’s not so much a question of being ready, for the country needs elections and needs it badly,” says Reverend Akuila Yabaki, the chief executive officer of the Citizens’ Constitutional Forum. “Given the transition from authoritarian, military-backed rule, into elected, parliamentary governance, we are witnessing flaws in the Constitution and ... that may lead to flawed elections in 2014. “When people have their elected representatives, then they can decide how to handle misdeeds and hurts of the past,” Yabaki says. For someone who has been involved in civil society for a number of years and has published extensively on socioeconomic and political issues in Fiji, University of the South Pacific academic Professor Vijay Naidu asserts that an election would make the government representative of the people and more readily acceptable to the international community. “It will make the government constitutional and hopefully be even more responsive to Fiji citizens’ needs and aspirations than the current unelected and military-backed government,” Naidu says. Shamima Ali, the coordinator of the Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre, who has been among the few most vocal voices 20

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‘We are a resilient people and we have gained strength through our turbulent history. We must fight for the right to govern ourselves through free and fair elections.’ Pio Tabaiwalu Sodelpa general secretary in opposition to the current system and has constantly fought to keep women on the agenda, is not buying into the idea of a ‘miracle election.’ “The citizens of this nation need to come together as a people if we really love our country and want the best for it and for us,” Ali says. “There has to be a political will and commitment from all of us. It will be a slow process, but it has to be done.” While Bainimarama is perceived by some to be exhausting as much government resources as he can to enforce the new Constitution and reform the electoral system, others like Ali insist it would take at least two general elections to witness real change. She says elections will legitimise the government and open up democratic spaces and a well-administered truth and reconciliation process should take place using international standards. As well, she hopes that decrees which are regressive would be amended or repealed. And although there are some who doubt an election will take place, Ali is hopeful that through the active participation and engagement of the people and the regime, there will be a change. “I don’t believe people care enough about democratisation. We have a bit of the bread and circus mentality. Only when one is personally affected by violations of our rights, then we start caring,” says Ali. “We have to care about democracy. There is a great need for an inclusive national political dialogue. If we or our present leaders are genuinely committed

to Fiji’s progressive development, then this must happen as part of the democratisation process.” Reviving party politics Political parties have been resurrected in anticipation of the promised September general election that assures a better future for all Fijians. The Social Democratic Liberal Party (Sodelpa), Fiji Labour Party (FLP), National Federation Party (NFP), and the new People’s Democratic Party (PDP) are the four parties registered under new rules. After meeting the requirements set out in the Political Parties (Registration, Conduct, Funding and Disclosures) Decree by the regime, the campaigning has begun and these parties claim to have strong support to make a difference. The media privilege, however, is clearly owned by Bainimarama, who has also said he would form a party and contest the election, although this was certainly not part of his declared plan when he seized power in 2006. But coup after coup, feeding the interest of the powerful minority has been the story of this nation. What will be the narrative be in eight months’ time if many Fijians at the grassroots remain unexcited to be part of the process? The election will be the first time a large proportion of voters exercise their political will and elect 50 representatives to run the country. Sodelpa general secretary Pio Tabaiwalu believes it is vital for Fiji to go through a reconciliation process to be able to move forward and the solutions January 2014

RICARDO MORRIS

ELECTION 2014

One direction ... 1987 coup leader and former prime minister Sitiveni Rabuka, left, listens to a question during a panel discussion marking the 26th anniversary of Fiji’s first coup in May 2013. On the panel with him were Jope Tarai, a post-graduate politics student at USP, former Vice-President and judge Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi and Shamima Ali, coordinator of the Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre.

need to come from the people. “We are a resilient people and we have gained strength through our turbulent history,” says Tabaiwalu. “We must fight for the right to govern ourselves through free and fair elections. We must show the world that we value the fundamental principles of democracy as the only legitimate way forward for the country.” Tabaiwalu adds there are many people hurt by the coups with deep residual psychological trauma that need heeling. “Individuals, families and communities need a catharsis. This is a festering national wound and without reconciliation and a sense of repentance from the perpetrators and genuine forgiveness and compassion from the victims, it will continue to hold a shadow over our national conscience.” Repúblika asked ousted Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase, a former leader of the earlier incarnation of Sodelpa, the Soqosoqo Duavata ni January 2014

Lewenivanua (sdl) party, for comments on the democratisation process but he refused saying he had retired from politics. Rabuka says it is crucial for the people to show active citizenship in Fiji’s democratisation process. “We can only have a meaningful reconciliation process when it is the ‘will of the people’ declared by the people who have the people’s mandate in the people’s assembly - their Parliament,” Rabuka says. Reversing autocratic rule FLP leader Mahendra Chaudhry claims that in Fiji military rule and antidemocratic forces are becoming more entrenched at a time when military and autocratic rule is being dismantled all over the world. “Our immediate priority is to restore Fiji to genuine democratic rule through free, fair and credible elections; to restore good governance – at present there is absolutely no accountability or

transparency in government’s handling of public monies and level of official corruption is high,” the former prime minister says. “Fiji’s transition to democracy must ensure that the rfmf becomes a truly professional force and withdraws from the civilian and political realm and hands sovereignty back to the people of Fiji.” Once a major political party that fumbled in the past two elections, the NFP believes that an election must bring about peace, progress and stability for the people. “Peace is a product of justice, and unfortunately, the watertight immunity provisions of the 2013 Constitution do not promote justice or seek truth and reconciliation from the leader and perpetrators of the 5 December 2006 coup,” NFP president Raman Singh says. The newest political party which is backed by the Fiji Trades Union 4CONTINUED PAGE 24 republikamagazine.com | Repúblika |

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RICARDO MORRIS

ELECTION 2014

Political war horses ... Dr Tupeni Baba, now a Sodelpa executive, speaks at a rally to launch the United Front for a Democratic Fiji coalition in April 2013. Seated from left to right are members of the coalition: former parliamentarian Mick Beddoes, Fiji Labour Party leader Mahendra Chaudhry, unionist Attar Singh and National Federation Party president Raman Pratap Singh.

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Congress, the People’s Democratic Party president Adi Sivia Qoro believes that Fiji is a nation in transition. “What we will become and what Fiji we want in the future will depend on our goodwill, our aspirations expressed through our leaders and our collective efforts to build a better Fiji that we want to leave for our future generations.” Adi Sivia says the new government elected by the people should be committed to having as its priority the establishment of a truth and reconciliation committee. “To be able to go forward we have to acknowledge our past and deal with it because unless we do this it might trouble our future once again. This, however, is something that the citizens of this nation must decide collectively,” the former commerce minister says. Aspiring independent candidate for the September elections and a women’s rights activist, Roshika Deo, who is leading the ‘Be the Change’ campaign states that women and young people need to claim public and political spaces to transform them, to be able to effectively participate in it and shape politics and democracy. 24

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“We need to do it with a bit of rebellion and courage and we owe it to ourselves,” Deo says. (Disclosure: Deo is a columnist with Repúblika.) “There is still a lot of resentment and feelings of injustice that we need to deal with, otherwise we will be stuck in this rut. We need elections and we need a truth, reconciliation and justice process – both happening simultaneously,” Deo adds. Another aspiring candidate, Nayagodamu Korovou, who has stated he will contest the elections to serve the interests of the growing youth population in Fiji under the proposed National Youth Party banner, says a “totally new” Fiji will emerge after September if the people chose their leaders smartly. “For a new Fiji we need new, authentic politicians who have the country at heart and the only interest to serve the people,” Korovou, who is in his 40s, explains. He says the proposed National Youth Party’s vision is to create a Fiji where there is no place for corporate organisations to influence or control the running of the government. A national identity The Bainimarama government has made a constant point of stating it is

bridging the ethnic divide through its reforms and is eradicating racism by enforcing a national identity through the Constitution. However, there are some who believe it could have the opposite effect and will take many years and much effort to completely dismantle racism. FWCC’s Ali believes that to get rid of racism is going to take intensive and long-term work and the “re-education” of the mindset in a country where everyday people still unconsciously think and act along ethnic lines. “Our leaders are of no help, often using the race card,” says Ali. “It will take genuine commitment, genuine belief in racial equality for all citizens of this country to be proud to be called Fijians, and to remove racism in schools, homes, public spaces – all play a part. And our leaders, political, faithbased, traditional, NGOs, play the most important role.” NFP’s Singh stresses that while communities often feel safe in their own ethnic compartments, racism has no place in any society. “The present military government’s claims of dismantling racism are hollow,” says Singh. “Calling everyone Fijians does not eradicate racism. Eradication of racism means creating of equal and January 2014

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ELECTION 2014

Registered right ... Members of the public flick through national voter register during the Fiji Elections Office’s registration and record-checking drive in December. The elections office said 15,900 people visited their booths around the country during the campaign.

fair opportunities for all, for example in employment and recruitment, in policies and basing appointments on merit.” Still Professor Vijay Naidu considers the current government has to be commended for its efforts in building a sense of national identity, although he admits it would take at least a generation for Fiji to evolve into a non-racist society. “Even though at the national level, there appears to be a serious attempt at non-discrimination on the basis of ethnicity, racism persists in institutions of the state and in civil society,” says Naidu. Tabaiwalu says an imposed national name does more damage to race relations than solves it. “It is a very superficial solution. We need a common name to chart a common destiny – we need a consensus on this, if not it will be another festering wound,” says Tabaiwalu. Chaudhry says the present path of the Bainimarama government has serious consequences for Fiji’s future as it has now become “a question of protecting our cultural identity as a people and our sovereignty as a nation.” “Making cosmetic changes such as calling everyone Fijian does not really get rid of racism. Racially discriminatory January 2014

policies are still very much in practice – evident in the composition of the civil service and people promoted to the higher echelons of the service. It is also evident in recruitment and promotions within the Police Force and the Army,” says Chaudhry. Yabaki says that a new generation of leaders must take seriously the 21st century Fiji context and potential leaders have to reinvent themselves in the light of positive reforms made and new challenges faced as Fiji remains a fragmented society with both institutional and inter-personal racism. “A leader must be aware that 25 years of racism together with political, social, economic insecurity have resulted in one third of [the ethnic Indian] population migrating for good. Never again must one leader be created by a military coup.” Finding credible leadership According to Ali, Fiji is bankrupt of good leaders mainly because we have sidelined ones that are already there. “We have totally ignored some very good leadership that could be provided by people like Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi, Imrana Jalal, Mick Beddoes, Adi Sivia Qoro and some human rights NGO leaders, especially women NGOs, and

some academics. We need people who believe in human rights, the rule of law, democracy and constitutionality, nonracism, equality. “These are the people that have shown themselves when the going got tough. They did not scurry into their holes and wait for the emergency regulations to be relaxed, to speak out despite the guns,” Ali adds. Naidu welcomes the current government’s commitment to holding a general election and Bainimarama’s intention to form a political party and contest the elections. “Fiji’s reformation will take time and it is my sincere hope that the will of the people as expressed by their votes is respected,” Naidu adds. Tabaiwalu says: “The Fiji we inherit needs fresh, uplifting leadership to bring all people who treasure the basic principles of love, dignity, righteousness and tolerance. We need to carve a future for ourselves without the imposition of the will of few. We need everyone to participate. Only then can we truly hope R for a better prosperous Fiji.” n Kelvin Anthony is a youth activist and a correspondent for Repúblika.

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FEATURE

How a drinking party led to a rape allegation, trial, jail and finally acquittal - and how the six years since that party changed an athlete’s life forever.

By RICARDO MORRIS

hen Kaliova Vuki Balemaira joined a drinking party in Pacific Habour late in the evening on 19 November 2007, little did he realise his life was about to be turned upside down. Known as Vuki to friends, he was 23 at the time, a promising national triathlete, swimming coach and an electrical engineering student at the then Fiji Institute of Technology. After a night of drinking with three other friends and four national netball players, Balemaira found himself charged with two counts of rape the next day. The accuser was an Australian netball player with Fiji links, somebody he had not met until the night before. For the next six years would be caught up in Fiji’s criminal justice system. His High Court trial took place in early October 2010 and it was not until the end of the month that it was concluded. On 1 November, the last day of the trial, the three assessors deliberated for three hours before returning with an opinion. On the first count, they found him not guilty in a two-to-one majority opinion. On the 26

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second count of rape, they found him guilty. Justice Priyantha Fernando concurred with the assessors and on 4 November 2010 convicted Balemaira of one count of rape. At his sentencing hearing, Balemaira continued to deny he committed rape saying prison was not the place for him. His lawyer, Barbara Malili, tended eight letters of support attesting to his good character and a youth worker requested a non-custodial sentence on his behalf as prison would depress Balemaira. But despite the pleas, Balemaira was jailed for six years. The night in question Early in the morning of 19 November 2007, the Fiji national netball team had returned from the World Cup in New Zealand and four of the teammates travelled to Suva before going to a villa owned by the father of one of the women. The four women had a light dinner before starting on the drinks. At about 10.30pm, Balemaira and three other friends arrived to join them. After a few drinks they all went to the nearby Uprising Resort but it

JANETTE KAIPIO

A grave injustice

was closed so they returned to the villa. The drinking continued by the pool and although Balemaira was in a relationship that did not stop him from flirting with the married Sydney netball player who had taken a dip before going to bed. What happened after this was the subject of Balemara’s trial in October 2010 on two counts of rape and one of larceny, although the court ruled there was no case to answer on the last charge. The version of events presented by his accuser and the defendent differed: Balemaira insisted from his first interview with police that sex had been consensual; the netball player said she was raped while sleeping in one of the rooms. Balemaira said it was only when one of his friends, Chad Miller, knocked on the door of the room they were sleeping in to say that he was leaving and had seen the player, that she cried rape. In Miller’s testimony, via Skype from Scotland, he said when the door was opened he saw the player and she was just putting a T-shirt over her head. Miller said she did not seem surprised or shy while he was standing at the door. The prosecution called the January 2014

FEATURE

Then and now ... Kaliova Vuki Balemaira was an ethusiastic triathlete, seen at left during a competition in 2010 while awaiting trial. While in Nasinu prison, Balemaira participated in activities that speaking to a visiting youth group, above. Now the 30-year-old is trying to rebuild his life and get over the stigma of the ‘rapist’ tag, previous page.

complainant as a witness and she described in court how she had allegedly awoken up to find she had no pants on with a man groping her breasts and telling her to keep still and quiet. “I was trying not see very far. I had my eyes closed. My head was turned. He kept telling me to keep still,” according to the woman’s High Court testimony. She told the court when she told Balemaira she was married and had a son, he allegedly said: “I don’t care, I don’t mind.” She described allegedly scrambling out of the room, leaving her underwear on the bedroom floor. “I remember saying ‘do you know what you have done to me. Then he put his head down and I continued. I was still crying. I said ‘in the eyes of God and the law and my family do you know what you have done. He said ‘yes’. I told him because I was 31, married and had no intention to sleep with another man. I was hurt that somebody disrespected me.” According to the player’s testimony she left the bedroom and saw her other two teammates sleeping on the couch in the living room. She woke them up and told them she had been raped. While January 2014

they called the police, she called her husband in Sydney to tell him about what allegedly happened. Her teammate, Taraima Mitchell, whose father owned the villa, also gave evidence. She said the complainant went to sleep shortly after returning from Uprising Resort. At about 4am Mitchell said she had a shower and Balemaira was drinking alone outside the villa, while the rest of the men had left. She then watched television with the another of her teammates in the living room until they fell asleep. Mitchell said she heard the complainant calling and when she first asked what was wrong there was no response. Shortly after though she heard the woman screaming at Balemaira to get out. When Mitchell asked her what was wrong, she insisted that the Balemaira leave the premises, at which point he began walking towards the deck outside the villa. When the other two players had woken up, and when one of them asked her what had happened, she said she had been raped. In convicting Balemaira, Justice Fernando said he preferred the evidence of the netball player over the accused’s.

Through the justice system Balemaira appealed the conviction in March 2011 and in May 2012 Justice William Marshall granted him leave to appeal against conviction limited to the ground that the verdict was unreasonable or could not be supported by the evidence. In the mean time, he was to remain in jail. He did not get his Court of Appeal hearing until a year later in May 2013 when his case was brought before Justice Susantha Lecamwasam, Justice Suresh Chandra and Justice Salesi Temo. They dismissed his appeal. In a judgment written by Justice Lecamwasam, and agreed to by the other two judges, he said: “Had there been consent present there would not have been any need for her to inform even her team mates who were in the villa. Her husband would not have known about the incident unless she herself had informed him. “If she was a willing party, was there any need for her to fabricate the occurrence of the second incident. Now in this case, her grievance was so great and that not only had she informed the team mates and the husband but she republikamagazine.com | Repúblika |

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Last chance for freedom Balemaira continued to protest his innocence and his last chance at freedom was to get a hearing before the Supreme Court, Fiji’s court of final recourse. On 13 November 2013, Balemaira began his final shot at establishing his innocence. If he succeeded he would be free, if he failed he was resigned to the fact that he had fought all the way to the highest court in the land and would serve whatever time was remaining of his six-year sentence. Hearing his case was the Chief Justice and President of the Supreme Court Justice Anthony Gates, Justice William Calanchini and Justice Daniel Goundar. Unhappy with how his Legal Aid Commission lawyer Romanu Vananalagi was approaching his Supreme Court hearing, Balemaira asked Justice Gates if his lawyer could be relieved and if he could argue his case himself. “This lawyer is not going back to prison if this appeal fails. I will,” he remembers telling the court. In a rare move, Justice Gates allowed Balemaira to argue the case himself, while his lawyer sat and listened. To succeed, Balemaira needed to satisfy one of the requirements for special leave. Either a question of general legal importance was involved, a substantial question of principle affecting the administration of criminal justice was involved, or substantial or grave injustice may otherwise occur if 28

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MERESEINI TAIVOCE

had also used the option of informing the police for them to take necessary legal action. “Had there been any consent, I do not expect a person to raise a false alarm. Therefore the fact that she had made a prompt complaint at the earliest opportunity in itself proves that she could not have given her consent to the above act... “It is also implausible to assume the complainant would make a complaint against a person whom she had met for the first time and against whom she had no animosity or ill will. Had there been an iota of consent she would not have acted in the manner she had acted. She would have tried her best to conceal the fact from anyone, above all her husband.”

leave was not granted. Balemaira had received help in writing his appeal from a prisoner her calls “my mentor”, while serving his sentence at Nasinu jail. In his argument, Balemaira said the courts below had failed to properly consider the significance of his semen on the crotch area of the player’s underwear, which he said could only have gotten there if she had put it back on after they had had sex. Twenty-three days later, on 6 December 2013, came the news Balemaira had been waiting for. The Supreme Court had accepted his argument and had acquitted him. Writing on behalf of the other two judges, Justice Goundar said: “The prosecution’s case was that the complainant’s underwear was removed by force and it remained on the floor near where the rape occurred on a bed until a forensic officer seized it as an exhibit. “The defence case was that the complainant had consensual sex with the petitioner and when one of the petitioner’s mates, Chad Miller knocked at their bedroom door, the complainant put on the underwear before the petitioner opened the door,”

Justice Goundar wrote. “The petitioner’s argument is that the only rational explanation for the semen found on the crotch region of the complainant’s underwear is that she did put on the underwear after the sexual intercourse as the petitioner said in his evidence. “The petitioner argues that the presence of the semen on the complainant’s underwear is inconsistent with her evidence that her underwear remained on the floor after the sexual intercourse.” The Supreme Court said the prosecution had failed to provide any logical explanation for the presence of semen on the netball player’s underwear when her evidence is that she did not put it on after the sexual intercourse. In a 12-page judgment, Justice Goundar wrote: “It is clear that the Court of Appeal failed to carry out a proper inquiry into the reasonableness of the trial judge’s verdict in this case. If the Court of Appeal would have applied the correct principles of unreasonable verdict, they would have reached the conclusion that we have reached regarding the inconsistency in the petitioner’s guilty verdict, resulting in a substantial and grave injustice. January 2014

FEATURE

On the road back ... Kaliova Vuki Balemaira, now 30, in a photo at left from 2009, was a promising national triathlete and enjoyed competitive cycling, right, when he was charged with rape in 2007. He had served three years of a six-year jail sentence before be was acquitted by the Supreme Court in December. Above, the Fiji Times report on his acquittal, which made no mention of the fact he had sacked his lawyer in the Supreme Court.

Freedom and rebuilding Immediately after news of the rape charge emerged, Balemaira’s girlfriend at the time left him. While awaiting trial, he begun a relationship with Janette Kaipio who supported him throughout the case and visited him regularly while he was in prison. However, the lengthy process and the strain of an absentee relationship was taking its toll. She told him while he could appeal to the Supreme Court if he wanted, after almost three years in the justice system she was not hopeful of a positive outcome. Kaipio did not realise Balemaira was adamant about pursuing the case to the end. So it came as surprise when she received a call from prison on 6 December. On the phone was Balemaira who said: “I’m coming home!” She initially thought it was a joke and asked to speak to a prison officer at the other end of the line to confirm the news. After starting to lose faith in the January 2014

YEE WAH SING

“The paucity of the evidence against the petitioner and the length of sentence that the petitioner has already served have led us to conclude that it is not in the interests of justice to order a re-trial.”

system, Balemaira’s acquittal was a boost. “I guess you hope that in the end, the system prevails,” Kaipio says. “I knew that he wasn’t the kind of person he was accused of being.” Kaipio says that it was in the Supreme Court that Balemaira felt his side of the story was truly heard for the first time. Balemaira, now 30, spent Christmas on an island in Lomaiviti and is trying to rebuild what he can of his life. “The stigma and embarrassment is indescribable,” he says. If he were to be taken back in time, he says, he would not have made the choice to have sex that day but it is a decision he realises he has to live with.

“There wasn’t any justice in the lower courts. But I truly believe my God is a god of justice. He was my perfect lawyer that day,” says Balemaira. What truly happened between the netball player and Balemaira that day in late 2007 is known only to them. Often an acquittal does not mean a rape did not occur. What it means is that the evidence was insufficient to support the charge. But it also does not rule out the fact that sometimes – very rarely – false charges of rape are made. In this case it was the word of a married national netball player against a young, happy-go-lucky athlete. And in the end, the highest court in the land R accepted that his version of events may republikamagazine.com | Repúblika |

POLITICS

Half a century of visionary politics The National Federation Party marked 50 years of existence in December 2013. Many of its policies and ideas are only today being recognised and implemented but with little credit to the party that first mooted them By Professor BIMAN CHAND PRASAD

he National Federation Party began as and has remained the common person’s party. Many of you may have come to understand that the party’s origins gained momentum in struggles of the cane farmers culminating in the sugar cane farmers’ strike of 1960, however the philosophical foundations for the quest for a just and fair society were laid over a longer period of time. The cane farmers’ struggles simply gave impetus to this. So it should be no surprise that the Federation of Cane Growers morphed into the Citizen’s Federation under which banner the NFP first contested the 1963 elections. In 1964, the party was formally registered as the Federation Party. Although the party was formalised as a political vehicle in the 1960s, the vision which guided its work was formulated decades before. The central founding platform of the National Federation Party was common roll. That is, one person, one vote, one value. That cause to unite our nation of diverse cultures and creeds began in earnest in 1929 and continued throughout the ensuing years. I leave it to you to imagine what the future of our country would have been had that inclusive vision became a reality. The National Federation Party can look back with pride and satisfaction on the great achievements of the party. It is therefore important for party members to reflect on the most significant achievements of our country over the last 50 years and when you do that you will find that the contribution of the 30

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National Federation Party is etched indelibly in all of them. I would like to reflect on some of the key issues that the NFP advocated over the last several decades. Some were achieved and some are still being pursued.The independence struggle in Fiji was launched by the National Federation Party when there were many other leaders and political parties for whom independence was a distant goal. The NFP believed then, as it believes now, in a fair, democratic and non-racial Fiji. Its vision did not come to fruition, but it was not due to lack of trying on its part. The NFP has often been better known as an opposition party. That label does an injustice to the party for it has never shirked its responsibilities and has readily participated in governance whenever it was in the national interest to do so. At Her Majesty the Queen’s command the NFP willingly participated as an equal partner in the transition to responsible government and its leader, the late A D Patel, served as Member (Minister) for Social Services in the first ever multi-party government in the 1960s. It was during that period that the NFP, through Patel, laid the foundations for social protection and institutions for economic and social progress that remain not only relevant today, but on whose back the nation is where it is today. FNFP Bill: A. D. Patel’s legacy to Fiji It was the late A D Patel, as Member for Social Services, who shepherded the Bill to create the Fiji National Provident Fund though the Legislative Council,

despite opposition from some of our own people. Patel had been advocating the provision of social security for the poorest sections of our community in the 1940s. Today, the FNPF is seen as a landmark achievement and a major source of national savings, a national retirement fund, and finance for economic growth. Higher and secondary education was also close to the heart of the founding fathers of NFP. Patel and his colleagues, including Swami Rudranandaji, were instrumental in starting Fiji’s first ever non-Christian, non-government secondary school, the Sri Vivekananda High School. Patel had called for the establishment of a University College of the South Pacific way back in 1956. As Member for Social Services, he shepherded the Bill to establish the University of the South Pacific in 1968, again despite opposition by some of our own people. The welfare of the sugar cane growers of Fiji was at the heart of NFP’s existence in the cane belt. There is no dispute therefore that the Denning Award was a signal achievement by the NFP for our farmers, saving many from certain ruin under the Eve Contract of 1961. Lord Denning is on record as saying that his award was deeply influenced by the powerful advocacy of the late A D Patel. Another issue of particular concern to our people has been the land leasing arrangements. The historical record is clear. The NFP played a crucial role in the passage of the Agricultural Landlord and Tenant Act which brought a semblance of stability to the agricultural sector of our country. There was dissent then and there are detracJanuary 2014

POLITICS

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‘If you read the historical record, the late A D Patel was advocating a common name for all Fiji citizens in the 1950s.’ Milestone ... The National Federation Party marked 50 years of its existence in December 2013, the oldest political party in existence in Fiji. Biman Chand Prasad is standing at left.

tors of the ALTA now, but no better solution is in sight. Let me go further and give you some more examples of what the NFP advocated in terms of policies and institutions that were designed to create a virtuous circle for developing more inclusive and economic and political institutions. Calls for common roll, name We now have in our country a military-led regime which appears to be in a hurry to impose what it claims as its own unique vision for Fiji. It is typical of such regimes to do what they do and to want to do so without the complexities of popular approval and accountability. If you examine carefully what the current regime is doing you cannot help but be amused to see that much of its so-called “non-negotiables”, etc, are in fact what the National Federation Party advocated for decades. Some in the present government claim credit for originating the concept of a common name for Fiji. If you read the historical record, the late A D Patel was advocating a common name for all Fiji citizens in the 1950s. In the debate on the Interpretation Bill in August 1967, he had said in the Legislative Council that all Fiji citizens should be called ‘Fijian’ and the indigenous Fijians, ‘Taukei.’ That was at a time when some of the present-day leaders and many of us were toddlers. His proposal was opposed by the Colonial rulers, as January 2014

well as the Fijian elite including the military. It was defeated by the forebears of some who are presently in power. In its quest for inclusivity, the National Federation Party has always shown respect for Fijian cultural protocols and traditions. At its convention in Ba in June 1968, the NFP moved that Fiji be declared a republic, with an elected Fijian head of state. If that proposal had been accepted, we might not be in the mess we are in today. The NFP wanted a free and democratic Fiji which respected the traditions of our indigenous people, not trample upon them. Jai Ram Reddy, while addressing the Great Council of Chiefs during the formulation of the 1997 Constitution, echoed similar sentiments and called for a united dream and vision for Fiji. Reddy was right when he advocated dialogue and discussion to arrive at a framework for democratic governance. Proportional representation Additionally, while strongly condemning the 1990 Constitution, Reddy reiterated the fact that any structure devised without the consent of the people will fail. That is the clear lesson of history and no political party or regime can ignore that. It is being sung from the rooftops in Fiji today that the idea of proportional representation originated with those currently in power. That is plain wrong.

It was the NFP which first mooted the idea in 1972 when its lead counsel, the distinguished British legal expert, Tom Kellock QC presented the NFP’s proposal for a PR system of voting to the Street Commission. The Commission recommended the concept, but sadly its report was not even tabled in Parliament. It was rejected by Ratu Mara’s Alliance Party who viewed it as a threat to their political hegemony. The truth is that a racial system of voting was not the idea of the NFP. It never was. It was forced upon the people by those in power for short-term political gain. And we are all paying the price of their myopic vision. Rights for all Colonial propaganda, partisan political posturing by a native elite, and the machinations of an entrenched minority white community always portrayed the NFP as being against the interests of ordinary iTaukei. Yet, it was the NFP which provided free legal advice to the Viti Chamber of Commerce, which it helped set up. The late A D Patel argued in 1961 that the CSR, or its wholly owned local subsidiary the South Pacific Sugar Mills Limited, be localised, with the industry jointly owned by the Taukei as landowners and Indian farmers as cane growers. What if that idea had come to fruition? The NFP argued in the Legislative Council that the gold mining industry republikamagazine.com | Repúblika |

POLITICS

in Fiji should be nationalised and run in the interests of the people of Fiji and not in the interests of a foreign multinational company. Much has been made of the proposal to reduce the voting age of Fiji citizens to 18 years. But this is not a new idea. The National Federation Party had proposed this in the negotiations for independence. The party had again tabled a motion for this in Parliament in 1977. In its submission to the Reeves Commission in 1995, the NFP made this same proposal again, which the Commission accepted and recommended. The recommendation was shot down by the crucial Joint Parliamentary Select Committee. It was said that at 18, Fijians (Taukei) were still children, not fit for adult responsibilities. But now they have changed their tune. The records of those deliberations are a matter of public record. By the same token the NFP has always advocated for women’s interests in participation in our economic and political systems. NFP’s submission to the Reeves Commission demanded equal rights for women, including equal citizenship rights, and the Commission so recommended. The idea was not invented yesterday. NFP’s vision: Secular state One of the cornerstones of NFP’s policies since its inception was a “secular state”. The party always advocated complete separation of church and state. It opposed the Sunday bans with all the power it could muster and it rejected the religious extremism and bigotry of sections of our own society. At the same time, the NFP continued to be a multiracial party. It has had amongst its leadership many prominent Fijian chiefs, military officers and individuals such as Ratu Mosese Tuisawau, Ratu Julian Toganivalu, Captain Atunaisa Maitoga, Apisai Tora, Isikeli Nadalo, Koresi Matatolu (deputy leader), Temo Sukanaivalu, Tui Macuata Ratu Soso Katonivere, to name a few. Many general electors who had the courage to break ranks from narrow, bigoted ethnic politics also joined the NFP. NFP for farmers and workers The NFP always stood beside our farmers and workers in their struggle for better wages and working conditions. The NFP has rightly opposed the draconian decrees which have sought to emasculate our rights of assembly and 32

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Ahead of his time The first-ever motion to lower the voting age from 21 to 18 years was called by Hon Sarvan Singh in June 1977. It was an idea that was mooted in the late 1960s by Singh, during the negotiations for independence. Singh was elected in the Macuata East/ Savusavu Indian Communal seat in the April 1977 general election. association enshrined in international conventions to which Fiji is a signatory. I believe the party will and must continue that struggle for fair and just working conditions for our people. I have given you only a brief history of some major principles and policies the NFP has stood for throughout its existence. The NFP in my view has played a constructive role in the chequered history of Fiji. Fiji is today at another critical juncture. It is at a point where we need political parties and leaders who understand history and who can learn from history. If we read that history carefully, we will note that most of what the NFP’s leaders advocated was visionary. They always believed in the principles of inclusive and participatory democracy, the rule of law, and an independent and unfettered judiciary. It always believed in the supremacy of the ballot box as the most legitimate way to bring about change in our public life. It believed in the rule of law and in the supremacy of Parliament as the only legitimate expression of the people’s will. In a democracy ultimately, it is the will of the people which should reign supreme. All political parties must therefore reject violence and dictatorship as an instrument of public policy. The NFP did it in the past and continued to do so after all the coups in Fiji and I have no

doubt that it will do so in the future. 1987 changed the course of our history forever. Our country was plunged into darkness. There was chaos and distress all around. Many of our best and the brightest left for other shores. Many continue to leave today. Fear stalked our people and continues today. The National Federation Party did not shirk its responsibility to the nation. Through patient dialogue and discussion, often in the most difficult of circumstances, the party engaged with the leaders of other communities to forge a peaceful path forward. The upshot of our effort was the passage of the 1997 Constitution. The rest is history. This history is important and the party must keep this in mind when it prepares for the general election in 2014. The NFP in the past has created space for dialogue and I know it has the capacity to create space for dialogue and discussion in the future. That would be the right approach. The NFP I believe will and should participate in any process which returns our country to full parliamentary democracy in accordance with internationally recognised principles and conventions of social, political and human rights. Let me say that no individual leader, party or institution has a monopoly on the wisdom and vision for this country. We need the collective wisdom of January 2014

POLITICS

Leading the charge ... NFP leaders, Siddiq Koya, middle, A D Patel, right, and K C Ramrakha appearing before the Denning Commission in 1969.

a wide cross-section of society in this country to create a sustainable vision for the future. History shows that in many countries politicians, riding high on unearned power, seem to think that the world began with them. Many of them have misused that power to serve their own interests. As I said before, we are now at a critical juncture in our history again. What is required now is patience and statesmanship, a steady hand at the helm, to lead our beloved nation back to the fundamentals of true democracy â&#x20AC;&#x201C; through democratic means, with the support of our people, and not against their will. Any solution imposed on the people without their consent will not succeed. That is the lesson of all history. That is why we need to go back to our people to ascertain their will and views to chart our future. Whatever way in which we interpret the events of the last seven years, Fiji is a changed country. It is this change that we have to understand, interpret and analyse to move this country forward. Adversity and crisis provides opportunities as well and I urge NFP to seek opportunity in the current situation. Taking NFP forward The general election to be held under the new Constitution provides us an opportunity to start the process of building January 2014

this country once again. I reiterate the call that has already been made by various NGOs and political parties, including the NFP, that the government should ensure that it moves quickly on putting in place all the provisions for the conduct of a free and fair election. It cannot afford to waste any time on this anymore. The Constitution mandates that the election be held before 30 September and this means that effectively the government has only seven months until July to have everything ready. So far it has not made the necessary appointments nor has it come out clearly on the electoral regulations. It must do this as matter of urgency so that there is enough time for political parties to understand the provisions and for the people to be educated on the new electoral systems and how it will be conducted. All of you present here should feel proud to have been associated with a political party which has always stayed on its course of fundamental principles. It is the only party in Fiji which was not born out of political expediency and crisis of the coups. It is the only party which has never supported any coups in Fiji. This is no mean achievement. I urge all of you to take this party forward and make it a force to reckon with in the next general election.

There is no denying that the NFP has not been without problems, but it is a party I believe that has the force of history behind it and that history suggests that it can look ahead with optimism and present itself as a credible political force in the next general election. For this the party will need good leadership at all levels and I know that the party is capable of producing those leaders. The next leader of the NFP will have a tough task ahead to steer the party and its success. He or she will also have the burden of ensuring that the party continues in the tradition of some its great leaders such the late A D Patel, the late Siddiq Koya, Jai Ram Reddy, Harish Sharma and the late Balwant Singh Rakha. They did not seek to promote personal agendas, and indeed how could they for the party is founded on principles and a vision for Fiji. That is what distinguishes the NFP from other parties that have come and gone that evolved around a single issue or around a single leader. The end of the issue or the demise of the leader spelt the doom of the party. The National Federation Party remains as relevant today as it was when it was R founded, and will continue as such. n Biman Chand Prasad is Professor of Eco-

nomics at the University of the South Pacific. This is an edited version of his key note address at the NFPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 50th anniversary celebration in Nadi in December. republikamagazine.com | RepĂşblika |

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CHEYENNE ROVA

A Fijian swims in Idaho

salon Cultural stimulus for the curious mind

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January 2014

Dispatch from the American Heartland One girl’s journey from Nadi to Iowa and the culture shock she is overcoming

By CHEYENNE ROVA

n August 2013, I left my family in Fiji behind to study and swim in a community college in a little town in Iowa, in the Midwestern United States, a region often labelled the ‘American Heartland’. As luck would have it, I was not going alone as my next door neighbour in Nadi, William Clark, is on the same swimming scholarship and is attending the same college. The journey was made a little easier because my parents flew with William and I to Los Angeles, but due to delays at immigration and customs in LA, we missed our connecting flight to Des Moines, Iowa via Phoenix, Arizona. This gave us an extra day with my parents as well as a night in Los Angeles, and it was hard to say goodbye the next afternoon when William and I finally prepared to board our flight to Phoenix. While waiting in the departure lounge for our five-hour flight to Phoenix, we met four other Fijian athletes, Miliakere Koyamainavure, Mataika Koyamainavure, Ratutira Narara Navunidakua and Roy Ravana Jr who were also coming to Iowa but attending a different school.

After several hours of flying we finally reached Des Moines, the capital of Iowa, around 10pm and we were greeted by our new coach Jonathan Jordan and a swim mate, Tian from Iowa Lakes Community College. After several more hours of driving we finally reached the college in the little town of Emmetsburg at around 3am, with just five hours of sleep before registration for classes began. Also attending the college is a good swim friend of mine from the Marshall Islands, Giordan Harris. Having another islander in college with William and I made us feel a whole lot better. Coming from Nasoso, Nadi to Emmestburg, Iowa I knew it was going to be a big culture shock. Everything is so different here, from the scenery, to the people, the food and the American English. Coming from a town where I would constantly see the sea and sugarcane fields, to a place where the nearest sea is more than 24 hours’ drive away, a place surrounded by corn fields, was something I had to get used to. Emmetsburg makes me think of Nasoso. The people are so friendly, kind and helpful. One of the many things I miss from back home is our fresh fruits, vegetables and seafood. republikamagazine.com

We’re in Palo Alto County where we have easy access to McDonalds, KFC, Taco Bell and many more. With the dollar-menus you’d think we would just be loving it but it’s been several months here and it’s not that great. I also picked up that the Americans eat potatoes with their meals like we would eat taro, cassava or rice with our meals. We rarely eat rice here and if we did it isn’t like how it’s cooked back home so that pretty much doesn’t count. Another interesting thing I found is that my American friends rarely drink hot tea. For them it is usually drunk cold and if they were to have a hot cup of tea it didn’t have milk in it but honey and when I told them that I drunk hot tea with milk they all found it quite disgusting. Communication was also a hard aspect to adjust to because we speak British English back home. Some things I would say no one would understand except for my British team mate, Grace. Some words we use my American friends find hilarious because for them it means something different. For example, I once asked for a serviette and they had no idea what it was so when I managed to find it they said it was only called napkins.

A little bit of Fiji there ... Celebrating Fiji Day in October in Iowa, Cheyenne Rova, and William Clark with their American friend Sierra.

Another example is jumpers which are called sweatshirts here. Biscuits are buns – for us biscuits are crackers and bun is just bread. What we would call runners or trainers they call tennis shoes, and they refer to a beanie as a hat. These are just some examples of words we found quite difficult to translate at first. School life is also different here. Mathematics classes are not taught using the metric system. For example, distances aren’t measured in metres but in yards or miles. Most of our homework is done online through a portal each student has on the school website whereas back home in Fiji homework is done in our exercise books. Each class does not have more than 25 students. Oh, and I thought our calculators back home were expensive. It’s nothing compared to the calculator you need here which costs about us$98. I am also taking a hybrid class which means it’s carried out over television. Such classes happen when the teacher is based in one of the five school campuses and she teaches students in all campuses at once over the TV. However, each campus has a proctor who sits in the class to assist with any problems a student may have.

Swimming pools are also measured in yards unlike our metres. Communication was also quite difficult when it came to swimming but with the help of my three coaches and amazingly supportive team mates, adjustment went smoothly. What we would call tumble turns is referred to as a flip turn, what we would call a freestyle kick is called a flutter kick and what we would refer to as a track suit is called warm ups. Our first weeks of practice here were not one of the best memories. It was hard. It felt like hell but I knew that it would pay off in the end when I swim at Nationals in Florida in March. Swim season has started here and will end in March. We’ve been attending various meets, some being a twohour drive away and some being as far as Chicago, nine hours away. I had my first college meet in Omaha, Nebraska on 1 November and to my amazement marshalling before a race is never done here, even at national level and you could be swimming in two meets at one time! Just like the distances being measured in yards, temperature is measured in Fahrenheit instead of Celsius. Because winter is just starting, and republikamagazine.com

snow is slowly falling the temperature has been below 25 degrees Fahrenheit which would be the same as -4 degrees Celsius. It’s so cold but thanks to my Pure Fiji bottled oils I am not doing too bad. Even though I did not spend Christmas back home, my lovely roommate Sierra and her beautiful family invited William and I over to their place in Portland, Oregon to spend the festive season with them. I am also thankful to one of my coaches back home, Casey Quimby’s family here who kindly invited us also to their place for Thanksgiving. As I write this, my swim team is expected to go for a swim camp in Puerto Rico at the end of December which is where I would have spent New Year. My journey so far has been amazing and I know this would not be possible without the support of my parents, Ben and Rosemary Rova, all my family and friends. The coaches, swimmers and parents of the Barracuda Swim Club, the principal, teachers and students of Nadi Muslim College, Fiji Swimming for seeing this through and the Oceania National Olympic Committee for allowR ing this to happen.

PAGE 38

Repúblika | salon

January 2014

Time to become a gentleman Coconut Cognition with King GREGORY RAVOI

RICARDO MORRIS

t’s a new year which means more laughter and tears more memories and more work to be done, so sober up people, put away the video games kids and let’s get down to business. Now is also that time of the year when everyone wants to improve their lives or drop bad habits and a new year is always a time when people make resolutions for the better. Unfortunately, we all know that only a handful actually stick to or achieve their resolutions at year’s end. I’ve learnt that many new year’s resolutions that are announced don’t usually last. So the best thing is to keep it to yourself and work on it. If you fail, you have only yourself to blame. But if you succeed, then you can proudly proclaim it come Christmas 2014. Let 2014 be the year we challenge ourselves to be better, learning from our mistakes and improving on our progress from the year before. A general election is coming up later this year and as young people we do have a huge say in the future of our country so it’s our responsibility to be aware of our civil responsibilities. Many young people say they are not interested in politics, but they forget the fact that political decisions, whether we like it or not, affect and shape our every-day lives. Being politically aware will also allow us young voters to make informed decisions when the time comes to vote. That is just one of the major issues that we should start thinking of as the year progresses. Another important issue that needs attention before we all get on with the new year is domestic violence. Domestic violence turning fatal is a regular feature in our daily news. But so many more cases are never reported. I have even heard of incidents in which random drunk men in Suva’s

Gregory Ravoi helping clean the Wainibokasi hospital in October with other young people.

nightspots hit women in retaliation when a woman shoves them away for cat-calling or sexually harassing them. The fact is men should not hit women, period. The thought of it should not even cross a man’s mind. It is a tragedy that domestic violence is common in all societies – and in Fiji it is shockingly high. The ever-growing issue reflects poorly on the values and character of perpetrators. Violence against women should never be accepted or thought of as normal. What may be the reason for such cowardly actions? Is it because some men are conditioned to not see it as wrong if they hit their spouse or partner because they feel entitled to? Women strive for equality because they want equal opportunities. Women want equal opportunities for employment and to be considered as equal competitors in the workforce and classrooms, not be looked down upon as less resourceful or weaker. For women who are enduring such cowardly crimes, I urge you not to stay silent but speak up and report it to the authorities or the Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre who are always there to provide support. Let 2014 be the year when men put the true meaning of “gentle” back into gentleman. Let us give women the respect and equality they deserve. republikamagazine.com

You don’t have to be extravagant about how you practise being a gentleman. Simple things such as changing the way you view and act towards women at home and in the work place would be a start. It is the year to be the gentleman. In the past year I had the opportunity to experience some of the difficulties that people living in rural areas face. I had the chance to witness firsthand the conditions many people in the country’s rural areas endure, when I joined a Methodist youth group which organised a clean-up at the Wainibokasi Hospital outside Nausori in October. The hospital serves three provinces – Tailevu, Rewa and Naitasiri – but many of its facilities are in a delapidated state. The facilities and equipment are old, out of date or non-existent. The Wainibokasi hospital board of visitors has taken it upon themselves to raise money to build a new ward for the hospital. Watch this space to keep up on further developments regarding Wainibokasi hospital and other charitable projects throughout the year. May you have a blessed and productive year. R n Greg Ravoi is the reigning Hibiscus King.

He is a graphic designer with Republika Media Limited.

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January 2014

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Making sport an economic priority

n industry featuring the talents of Polynesian people is rapidly rising, making a significant impact on the economic status of small Polynesian island states as well as the Polynesian diaspora in the United States, Australia and New Zealand. Three Polynesian island states feature predominantly in the sporting industry of rugby (union, league, and sevens) and American football. The three nations of Samoa, Tonga, and Fiji with a combined population of just over a million both living in the ‘homelands’ as well as in the diaspora, present to the world one of the most remarkable phenomenon in modern sport. They each present the highest numbers of professional rugby and American football stars per population – more than any other nation in the world. But it’s not just their involvement in these professional sports that matters. They also command huge amounts of financial resources that contribute quite significantly to the economic wellbeing of their families and island communities in general. Rugby as a sport has become a staple for the socio-economic development of the South Pacific, especially in Samoa, Tonga, and Fiji. The players are like a highly skilled professional migrant labour force whose wealth impacts their various communities. But there are as many who are nonmigrant because they are part of the diaspora communities in Australia, New Zealand, USA, and even in Europe. Some are part of a new generation of sporting Polynesians who were born and raised in these countries. Since the 1995 Rugby World Cup in South Africa and the launching of the professional era in rugby union, the legendary Jonah Lomu burst onto the international scene as the first superstar of rugby. He was also the highest paid. The NRL (league) and NFL (American football) were inquiring about this Tongan giant who could run like a 100-metre sprinter, with offers into the millions of dollars. Here also is an industry for Polyne42

| Repúblika | republikamagazine.com

sians that is sustainable. The playing life of a professional player may last from just four to 10 years, but then there are many younger professional players who are coming up the ranks ready to take their turn. There are a number of current international players who are children or grandchildren of previous professionals. Toby Faletau, one of the best Number 8 in world rugby, plays for Wales, but he is the son of Tongan national Kuli Faletau, who migrated with his family to Wales. The Vunipola name is legendary to Tongan rugby. Sione Vunipola was a captain of the national team. He had three sons that all played for Tonga – Fe’ao, ‘Elisi, and Manu. Their children – two of the Vunipola brothers – play for English clubs, and one plays for England. This is a story that can be repeated many times among other families, and the current crop of Polynesian players are part of a third generation of players at the forefront of this sport. There are over 30 Polynesian players in 12 senior squads in England, including the impressive Samoan winger, Manu Tuilagi, who has won games for England. In France there are over 50 Pacific Island “imports” currently playing top 14 professional rugby. There is a considerable number of Polynesians playing professionally in Australia and New Zealand – no fewer than nine of the 23-man Wallaby squad, and almost half of the All Blacks, including the Maori players. But that’s just rugby union. The rugby league game, with so many Polynesians featuring prominently in NRL, is an incredibly remarkable phenomenon in professional sport. Fiji, Samoa, and Tonga are three of the top rugby league nations in the world. Many of their players play professionally for the NRL teams. Some are major stars earning millions in their career. A Tongan team of NRL players was recently assembled to play for Tonga at the World Cup in England. The combined net worth of just 13 of these NRL players was over $3.5 million. But they chose to play for Tonga at the World Cup just for love of country and heritage. The most successful rugby league

team from the islands in 2013 was Fiji who made the semifinals at the 2013 World Cup. Rugby sevens is another professional sport that brings in millions for players. Fiji and Samoa have been very successful in their rugby sevens campaign in recent years, especially Fiji. The legendary Waisale Serevi remains the name most identified with and revered in the sevens game. The game has promoted tourism in Fiji and contributed significantly to its economy. Fiji’s sevens team thrashed the champion New Zealand team in the semifinals recently in Dubai (November 2013), and beat South Africa in the finals to take the cup. Fijian sevens players are in great demand all over the world. An NFL draftee could earn up to $10 million a year, and some of the Polynesians drafted have earned that much. For the 2013 season there were 74 Pacific Islanders on the NFL roster. That is a lot of millionaires playing football. Another thing to remember about NFL players is that all of them are university graduates. They have to be graduates to be drafted into the NFL. The financial estimates of earnings by Polynesian professional players are $200m for NFL; $100m for rugby union; $60m for rugby league; and $55m for sevens. That is an estimated total of $415 million, and growing. Even if only 20 per cent of those earnings flow back to the “homeland”, that is about $83 million. And the forecast for the future is good. The governments of Samoa, Fiji, and Tonga recognise the tremendous economic impact of the rugby and gridiron sporting industry. What is needed however is better involvement, both financially and otherwise, by these governments to ensure the development of these professional sports as a major part of economic development just like tourR ism and manufacturing. n Kalafi Moala is publisher and managing

director of the Taimi Media Network in Nuku’alofa, Tonga. A version of this article was first published on pacificpolitics.com, by the Pacific Institute of Public Policy, Port Vila. January 2014

*But facts are sacred. ~ CP Scott

By KALAFI MOALA

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