Fiji to remove union jack from flag, says PM Bainimarama

BBC News, 3 February 2015

After a national competition a new design for the flag of Fiji will be
unveiled in October

Fiji is to remove the UK's union jack from its flag, Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama has announced.

Mr Bainimarama, a former coup leader who was elected last year in Fiji's first elections in eight years, said it was "time to dispense with the colonial symbols".

The Pacific and nation gained independence from Britain in 1970.

New Zealand, which also has the symbol on its flag, will hold a referendum on whether to change it in 2016.

'Truly independent'

The current Fiji flag is light blue with the union jack - also known as the union flag - and a shield with the cross of St George and a lion. It also features a sugar cane, bananas, a palm tree and a dove of peace.

"We need to replace the symbols on our existing flag that are out of date and no longer relevant, including some anchored to our colonial past," Mr Bainimarama said.

"The new flag should reflect Fiji's position in the world today as a modern and truly independent nation state."

After a national competition, the new design will be unveiled on 10 October, the 45th anniversary of independence, Mr Bainimarama said.

He pointed to the fact that only four sovereign states which were once British colonies still retain the union jack as a national symbol: Australia, New Zealand, Tuvalu and Fiji.

Australia's foreign minister said there was no great demand to change the flag

New Zealand will hold a referendum in 2016 on whether to change theirs

And Tuvalu has not announced any plans to remove the Union Jack

New Zealand said last October that it would hold a referendum this year to decide on an alternative flag, and another referendum in 2016 on whether to officially adopt the new design.

After New Zealand announced its referendums, Australia's Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said there was "no great demand" in Australia to change the national flag.

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China’s Xi Targets Strategic Ties in Pacific

Jakarta Globe – AFP, Nov 21, 2014

Chinese President Xi Jinping, second from left, shakes hands with member of
parliament Raymond Huo, right, as Andrew Little, leader of the Opposition, left, David
 Shearer, third from left, and Phil Goff, fourth from left, look on in Auckland on Nov.21,
 2014. Xi is on a two day trip to New Zealand before heading to Fiji to meet leaders from
 Pacific island nations, where China has become a major aid donor in recent years.
(AFP Photo/Pool)

Suva, Fiji. Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Fiji on Friday on a whirlwind visit aimed at strengthening economic and strategic ties with Pacific island nations.

Xi’s visit comes after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, head of the world’s largest democracy, stopped over in Fiji to also court regional leaders who form one of the largest voting blocs at the United Nations.

Both leaders have targeted the Pacific as a vital stop on their way home from the recent Group of 20 summit in Australia.

Xi, who has already established a rapport with Fiji after visiting four years ago as vice president of China, will hold talks Friday evening with Fiji’s 2006 coup leader and recently elected prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama.

On Saturday, he will then meet a delegation of up to eight Pacific island leaders.

“An important agenda of my visit is to invite leaders of all Pacific island countries that have diplomatic ties with China to Fiji for discussions on ways to further grow China’s relations with these countries and jointly draw a blueprint for the bright future of our friendly exchanges and mutually beneficial cooperation,” Xi said in a statement released ahead of his arrival. “The friendly exchanges between the people of China and Pacific Island countries date back to a long time ago. We feel a natural kinship with each other.”

Countries involved in the talks along with Fiji include Samoa, Vanuatu, Niue, Tonga, Federated States of Micronesia, Cook Islands, and Papua New Guinea.

Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O’Neill, who missed Modi’s meeting, described China as a friend of the Pacific island states.

“China believes that all countries are equal members of the international community irrespective of their size, wealth and strength,” he said.

Sydney-based foreign policy think tank The Lowy Institute has estimated that from 2005 — 11 China handed out $600 million in so-called “soft loans” to Pacific countries such as Tonga, Samoa and Fiji.

Fiji television showed live coverage of Xi’s plane landing at Nadi airport, having made the journey from New Zealand, a country with which China agreed to expand its burgeoning trade relationship.

Among 17 new partnerships signed in New Zealand was one between Air New Zealand and Air China which paves the way for a strategic alliance on services between the countries.

Agence France-Presse

China, India to Court Pacific Nations in Fiji

Jakarta Globe – AFP, Nov 18, 2014

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, pictured, and Chinese President Xi will both hold mini summits during their Fiji stopovers this week. (EPA Photo/Narendra Shrestha)

Suva. Rival suitors India and China step up their courtship of Pacific island nations this week when Narendra Modi and Xi Jinping head to Fiji following the Group of 20 summit in Australia.

Indian Prime Minister Modi and Chinese President Xi will both hold mini summits during their Fiji stopovers, meeting with up to 12 regional leaders as they bid for the support of one of the largest voting blocs in the United Nations.

Sandra Tarte, director of the politics and international affairs program at the University of the South Pacific in Suva, said it is clear India and China want to build strategic ties with the Pacific.

“There is obviously an intention to have bilateral meetings and that’s why so many of these other country leaders are here, but from China and India’s point of view it’s the region that is important and the fact that are 12 votes at the UN,” Tarte told AFP.

The Asia-Pacific region has some “strategic relevance and importance, economically, politically and in terms of security,” she added

A likely central issue of the talks will be climate change, where low-lying Pacific islands would welcome assistance.

“China and India, they are not just global political and economic powers, but they are contributors to the problem of climate change and the Pacific Island countries are at the receiving end of climate change but do not necessarily contribute to it,” Tarte said.

“In the past there has been this deadlock between developed countries and these so-called developing countries on how to approach the issue and whether or not countries like China and India need to make concessions.

“For the small island countries it doesn’t matter who makes the concessions as long as they are made.”

‘Exciting time for Fiji and Vanuatu’

Modi arrives in Fiji on Wednesday for a three-day visit with Xi landing on Saturday.

The countries expected to be represented at the talks along with Fiji include Samoa, Tonga, the Cook Islands, Niue, Nauru, Vanuatu and the Federated States of Micronesia.

Vanuatu’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Sato Kilman who will meet Modi before his premier Joe Natuman arrives in Suva to meet Xi, saw benefits for all countries involved.

“This is an exciting time not only for Fiji and Vanuatu but also for everyone who cares about improving the economic growth and living healthy and productive lives,” he told the Fiji Sun.

Although Fiji has a substantial Indian population, Modi will be the first leader from New Delhi to visit since Indira Gandhi in 1981 and the first to have broad interaction with a wide range of island leaders.

But Tarte did not see India expanding its presence in the South Pacific to the same extent as China.

“India doesn’t have the same reach as China does, diplomatic reach. It’s economic ties are not that expansive or as developed,” she said.

“China has had a longer history of economic inter-relationships and it is part of the Pacific whereas India is part of the India sub-continent, it’s in the India Ocean so it doesn’t have the same ties.”

Sydney-based foreign policy thinktank The Lowy Institute has estimated that from 2005-11 China handed out US$600 million in so-called “soft loans” to Pacific countries such as Tonga, Samoa and Fiji.

Fiji, with 900,000 people, is by far the most populous and economically powerful of the South Pacific island nations and seen as a regional hub for business and diplomacy.

Agence France-Presse

Xi Jinping to visit Fiji for meetings with 8 Pacific island state leaders

Want China Times, Xinhua 2014-11-14

An illustration shows Xi Jinping's visiting route, Nov. 14. (Illustration/CNS)

Chinese president Xi Jinping's upcoming visit to Fiji and collective meeting with leaders from Pacific island countries will be a historical first for China, a senior foreign ministry official said Thursday.

Xi will attend the 9th G20 Summit in Brisbane, Australia, and pay state visits to Australia, New Zealand and Fiji. The summit is slated for Nov. 15 and 16 while the state visits are from Nov. 16 to 23.

Assistant foreign minister Zheng Zeguang told a press briefing that China has forged diplomatic ties with eight Pacific island countries, including Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Micronesia, Samoa, Tonga, the Cook Islands and Niue.

The total land area of the eight countries is 500,000 square kilometers and they comprise more than 1,800 islands. The total population in the region exceeds 8 million.

The countries occupying this area play an important role in the region and in the world, Zheng said.

Speaking highly of the relations between China and the eight countries, Zheng said several of the leaders have recently visited or attended forums or expos in China.

China has expanded cooperation with these countries in areas including economy and trade, agriculture and minerals, said Zheng, adding the total trade volume between China and these countries reached US$4.4 billion in 2013.

"The relations between China and the Pacific island countries are entering the prime time in history and will face more opportunities in the future," said Zheng.

He said China has provided economic and technological assistance within its capability to these countries and was welcomed by the local governments and people.

On the visit to Fiji, the first Pacific island country to forge diplomatic ties with China, Zheng said Xi will meet with leaders and exchange views on bilateral ties and issues of common concern.

Xi will also hold bilateral one-on-one meetings with leaders of the rest of the seven Pacific island countries during his stay in Fiji, said Zheng.

The Chinese president will deliver a speech on China's policy towards Pacific island countries and announce major measures that better bilateral cooperation and support development for the island countries, Zheng said.

He said a series of documents and deals will be signed during the visit, covering areas such as finance, education, training and infrastructure construction.

"I am sure the visit will chart a course for the future development of relations between China and Pacific island countries, and further cement the traditional friendship, " said Zheng.

Four Asia-Pacific Nations, Including Indonesia, to Lead Fiji Election Oversight

Jakarta Globe – AFP,  Aug 14, 2014

Fiji’s interim Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama is surrounded by security
 and supporters after speaking in Auckland, New Zealand on Aug. 9, 2014.
(AFP Photo / Michael Bradley)

Suva, Fiji. Fiji has agreed to four Asia-Pacific nations — Australia, India, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea — co-leading a monitoring group for the island nation’s first elections since a 2006 coup, officials said on Thursday.

The first observers will arrive in Fiji in the coming days following the signing of an agreement this week, acting Australian High Commissioner Glen Miles said.

“An important element of any election process is to have an observers’ mission participate — it gives everyone the confidence to participate,” he said after a signing ceremony in central Suva, the capital.

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said former cabinet minister Peter Reith would lead the Australian mission.

The election scheduled for September 17 represents the first opportunity for Fijians to vote since strongman Voreqe Bainimarama seized power in a military coup eight years ago.

The international community has long called for free and fair elections in the country and Bishop said the observer group’s job was to assess whether the outcome of the ballot broadly represented the will of Fijian voters.

“The multinational observer group will have freedom of movement throughout Fiji and will communicate with the Fijian government, political parties and other social and political organizations in Fiji,” she said.

Fiji has had four coups since 1987 stemming from tensions between indigenous Fijians and ethnic Indians descended from sugar plantation laborers shipped in by the British during the colonial era.

Bainimarama took power vowing to root out corruption and introduce a one-person, one-vote system that would end racial inequalities in the nation of almost 900,000.

His authoritarian regime did bring stability, but in the process it tore up the constitution, sacked the judiciary and tightened media censorship.

Restrictions have been relaxed in recent years but Amnesty International released a report last week saying Bainimarama was still presiding over a “climate of fear”.

Opinion polls in Fiji show 60 percent support for Bainimarama to be the legally elected prime minister, although he has pledged to accept the result of the election even if it does not go his way.

Agence France-Presse

SBY Becomes First Indonesian President to Visit Fiji

Jakarta Globe, Ezra Sihite, Jun 17, 2014

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono makes the first visit by a sitting
 Indonesian president to Fiji, in a three-day trip starting on June 17, 2014.
(Reuters Photo/Toru Hanai)

Jakarta. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono visited Fiji on Tuesday — the first visit by a sitting president of Indonesia to the island nation — in a move to strengthen ties with South Pacific states as well as to clear up diplomatic disagreements over the situation in Papua.

South Pacific countries, and bodies such as the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG), an intergovernmental organization made up of Melanesian states, have a history of supporting Independence for Papua and West Papua — issues sure to overshadow Yudhoyono’s visit.

Indonesia’s harsh efforts to suppress Papuan nationalism have met with widespread criticism in the region.

Yudhoyono will attend the second Pacific Islands Development Forum, currently underway in Fiji, where he has been asked to deliver the keynote speech on development programs.

The visit was initiated by the Fiji government in order to strengthen bilateral relations.

“My duty is to increase the partnership with those countries, and we will explain our policy in Papua correctly so that we can reduce any misinformation about Papu,” Yudhoyono told journalists at Halim Perdanakusuma airport in East Jakarta before his departure.

He cited Indonesia’s strong, although rocky at times, relationships over the past decade with Australia, East Timor, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea as evidence that stronger relationships could be developed with Melanesian states.

“They all respect the unity of Indonesia,” he said. “Therefore it is an important matter for geopolitics in the South Pacific and Southwest Pacific.”

Teuku Faizasyah, a member of the president’s special staff for foreign affair, said that Fiji was an important country in the South Pacific for Indonesia, as highlighted by the visit.

Yudhoyono ends his second five-year term in office in October.

The president is scheduled to have a private meeting with Fiji President Ratu Epeli Nailatikau and a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Voreqe Josaia Bainimarama. The two countries were set to discus collaboration in the arenas of culture, governance, maritime issues, regional and international affairs, and sports.

First Lady Ani Yudhoyono and several cabinet ministers were set to accompany the president for a three-day visit.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono meets Fijian President Ratu Epeli Nailatikau

in the Sheraton Hotel, Fiji, on June 18, 2014. (Twitter Photo/@SBYudhoyono)

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Shanghai police arrest runaway insurance executives in Fiji

Want China Times, Staff Reporter 2013-09-01

Chen Yi, former general manager of Shanghai Fanxin Insurance Agency
— Shanghai's largest insurance intermediary. (Internet photo)

Chen Yi, the former general manager of Shanghai Fanxin Insurance Agency, and consultant Jiang Jie were escorted back from Fiji by Chinese police on Aug. 19 after fleeing China with an alleged 500 million yuan ($81.7 million) of company money.

"I was experiencing a difficult time as my clients would withdraw large amounts of money every day so I would leave," Chen said after she was arrested.

The couple left for Hong Kong on July 24, flying to Korea before transferring to Fiji on July 28. Shanghai police issued a warrant for their arrest in a total 190 countries. On Aug. 17, Fiji police contacted their Shanghai counterparts to confirm that Chen and Jiang had entered the country.

"They may have felt that they would be busted sooner or later so they applied for related immigration documents in advance and had plenty of foreign currency," said Cheng Yiping, head of the Shanghai Police Department's investigation team. "We took off immediately once we confirmed their whereabouts, but unfortunately we missed the last flight from Hong Kong to Fiji."

Chinese visitors must first transfer in either Hong Kong or Korea to fly to Fiji and there are only two flights every week. Cheng said that officers immediately decided to fly to New Zealand for other connection choices.

Prior to their arrival, Fiji immigration officers were notified of the warrant issued against Chen and Jiang and were able to stop them at the airport before they left for another destination.

Cheng praised the quick actions of the immigration officers, who made the confirmation call to Shanghai just in time to stop the couple. "We would have missed them again if the call did not go through in time," Cheng said.　

References:

Chen Yi　　陳怡

Jiang Jie　　江傑

Cheng Yiping　　程一平

Fiji's former PM sentenced on corruption charges

Deutsche Welle, 3 Aug 2012

Former prime minister of Fiji, Laisenia Qarase, has been sentenced to one year in jail for corruption. Qarase was ousted during a 2006 coup after being democratically elected.

Fiji's former prime minister, Laisenia Qarase, was sentenced Friday to one year in jail on corruption charges. Qarase was convicted on nine charges of abusing his office and failing to perform his duties.

Court documents say the 71-year-old Qarase failed to disclose a private investment interest in three companies that he was helping manage in an official capacity.

The charges are related to his time as a director of a government investment company called Fijian Holdings from 1992 to 1995, when prosecutors said he put the interests of his family and home village before the public.

His supporters say the charges were politically motivated. Commodore Frank Bainimarama appointed Qarase caretaker prime minister in 2000 following a coup by ethnic Fijian nationalists. Qarase went on to win democratic elections in 2001 and 2006.

The military leader Bainimarama later accused him of corruption and causing racial strife by favouring indigenous Fijians over the ethnic Indian minority and appointed himself prime minister.

Judge Priyantha Fernando rejected defence pleas for a non-custodial sentence because of Qarase's age and poor health. "We wish to make it very clear that people in high office who abuse their power will be required to serve an immediate prison sentence," the Fijilive online news service quoted Judge Fernando as saying.

He said he would not give a suspended sentence "because the consequences for such a person is severe. Your actions are not only illegal but against moral values."

Security was tight around the court and the Fiji Broadcasting Corporation quoted a police spokesman saying officer numbers had been increased to "deal with any issue that will arise."

Bainimarama has made his disdain for Qarase clear.

New constitution

Bainimarama has promised to hold free elections in 2014. Fiji is drafting a new constitution ahead of the elections, which will likely include provisions to prevent convicted criminals running for office.

Many international organisations, including the European Union, British Commonwealth and the Pacific Islands Forum imposed sanctions on Fiji in protest at Bainimarama's 2006 coup.

The New Zealand and Australian governments announced Monday that they would relax sanctions to encourage Bainimarama to proceed with the elections he has promised.

hc/rg (AP, AFP, dpa)

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New Zealand offers assistance in Fiji's return to ballot box

New Zealand offers assistance in Fiji's return to ballot box

English.news.cn,   2012-07-23

              

WELLINGTON, July 23 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand will give 500,000 NZ dollars (396,762 U.S. dollars) to Fiji's Constitutional Commission and provide technical expertise to prepare for the country's transition from military rule with elections in 2014.

Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully announced the offer Monday after a visit to Suva over the weekend for talks with Fiji Foreign Minister Ratu Inoke Kubuabola.

"New Zealand's funding will support the establishment of the Constitutional Commission and help ensure it is well placed to carry out meaningful dialogue with Fiji citizens," McCully said in a statement.

"In recent weeks a technical expert from New Zealand Post (the national mail service) has worked alongside the Fiji Elections Office on electronic voter registration. I have offered to continue this support and provide additional personnel and resources to aid the enrolment effort," he said.

"New Zealand wants to see a genuine and inclusive constitutional process in Fiji that leads to a sustainable and stable form of government," said McCully.

"The establishment of a democratic government will benefit the people of Fiji and the wider Pacific region."

Last week, the New Zealand Police and security services searched the homes of several Fijians in Auckland in an investigation into an alleged plot to assassinate Fiji leader Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama, who seized power in a military coup in 2006.

New Zealand and other member states of the Pacific Islands Forum have implemented sanctions against the coup leaders and members of the military.

Editor: Mo Hong'e

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RI gives agricultural training to developing counties

Antare News, Thu, April 7 2011

Jakarta  (ANTARA News) - Agriculture officers of five developing countries are taking part in a two-week long training and apprenticeship program which opened in West Java`s resort area of Lembang on Thursday.

Retno LP Marsudi. (kemlu)

Director General of America and Europe at the Foreign Ministry Retno Marsudi opened the event held jointly with the Agriculture Ministry.

The event consists of international training on fruit and vegetable post-harvest technology for Asia Pacific countries and apprenticeship program for Comoros farmers.

The five countries are Bangladesh, Fiji, Laos, Sri Lanka and Timor Leste.

In her address Retno said the two activities were one of the manifestations of the Indonesian government`s commitment to help develop the agriculture sector of fellow developing countries.

"The agricultural sector is the important asset of Indonesia`s soft power diplomacy and for more than three decades Indonesia has played an active role in facilitating the exchange of experience in the agricultural sector through training, apprenticeship and dispatch of skilled workers to various counties in Asia and the Pacific and Africa," she said.

She expressed her belief that developing countries could contribute to improving the global food security which currently came under the spotlight from the international community.

Secretary General of the Agriculture Ministry Hari Priyono meanwhile said the government`s policies on national food security had yielded fruits with the attainment of self-reliance in rice in 2008.

"The agricultural sector is a strategic sector in the Indonesian economy and the Indonesian government will always try to meet the national consumption needs to ensure the public access to foodstuffs which constitutes one of human beings` basic rights." he said.

"Through the two activities the Secretary General of the Agriculture Ministry expects that the participants could improve their technical competence so that it could be applied to support the development of the agricultural sector in their respective country," he said.

Editor: Priyambodo RH

Fiji seeking Ri`s support to become observer in Asean

Antara News, Thu, April 7 2011

Related News

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Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Republic of Fiji is seeking Indonesia`s support for its bid to obtain observer status in ASEAN according to Fijian Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama during a courtesy call on President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono here Wednesday.

The Fijian prime minister is visiting Indonesia April 4-6 2011 ro strengthen his country`s relations with indonesia. .

After the 30 minutes meeting, Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Marty Natalegawa said that President Yudhoyono who acts as the 2011 ASEAN Chairman promised to convey the Fijian request to other ASEAN country members.

"They asked for Indonesian support to make Fiji an observer for ASEAN, and the president will convey it to other ASEAN member countries leaders," said Marty

Fijian Prime Minister in Indonesia is also to open his county`s representative office or Embassy to Indonesia.

Previously Indonesia is listed be referring to Fijian representative office in Tokyo, Japan, but Indonesia has set its embassy in Fiji since 2002.

Marty said that Fijian Prime Minister and President Yudhoyono also discuss on the Republic of Fiji Islands interest to learn more on democracy in Indonesian because it is considered to be successfully applied.

"Experiences on democracy in Indonesia were discussed. The Foreign Affairs Ministry has been working with the Fijian government in facilitating to provide some sort of information from the General Election Commission (KPU) with the Fijian counter part on how to hold a democratic election," Marty said.

Marty said that Fiji is going through a democrat ion process in the upcoming election which planned to be held on 2014.

Indonesia has also provided technical training to Fiji in the field of agriculture, fishery and diplomacy.

With the establishment of Fijian embassy in Indonesia, the two countries who have a diplomatic relation since 1974 will gain a stronger bond, where Indonesia also promised to provide more technical training courses to Fiji.

Editor: B Kunto Wibisono

Kenyan Mau Mau uprising documents released

BBC News, 6 April 2011

Thousands of files from former UK administrations are to be released by the government, including documents about the Kenyan Mau Mau uprising.

The British rounded up thousands of Kenyans
during the uprising

The publication coincides with a High Court compensation case brought by four Kenyans over alleged human rights abuses in the 1950s and 1960s.

Thousands were put in camps by the British during the uprising, and many were tortured or killed, say activists.

The government says too much time has elapsed since the alleged abuses.

Thirty boxes

London law firm Leigh Day & Co lodged a claim in mid-2009 on behalf of five elderly Kenyans.

It will be heard on Thursday when four will be present in court. One Kenyan has died since the case was lodged.

Lawyer Dan Leader said about 300 of the 2,000 boxes related to Kenya, and about 30 of those were relevant to the Mau Mau case.

They had been examining them, with historians, since the Foreign Office provided them about a month ago, he said.

Foreign Office minister Lord Howell told the House of Lords: "As a result of searches in connection with a legal case brought by Kenyan Mau Mau veterans against the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the FCO has decided to regularise the position of the 2,000 boxes of files it currently holds.

"The intention is to make as much of this material as possible available to the wider public."

Lengthy process

He said the process of transferring the documents to the National Archives "may take some years to complete".

The four Kenyans - three men and one woman aged in their 70s and 80s - are the lead claimants in the reparations case.

They want the UK government to acknowledge responsibility for atrocities committed by local guards in camps administered by the British in the pre-independence era.

The UK says the claim is not valid because of the amount of time since the abuses were alleged to have happened, and that any liability rested with the Kenyan authorities after independence in 1963.

The armed movement began in central Kenya during the 1950s with the aim of getting back land seized by British colonial authorities.

Historians say the Mau Mau movement helped Kenya achieve independence. But their actions have also been blamed for crimes against white farmers and bloody clashes with British forces throughout the 1950s.

Veterans say they suffered barbaric treatment, including torture, as the British suppressed the rebellion.

The Kenya Human Rights Commission has said 90,000 Kenyans were executed, tortured or maimed during the crackdown, and 160,000 were detained in appalling conditions.

'Selected documents'

Lord Howell said that "domestic records of colonial administrations" did not form part of British official records and they were kept by the individual states created at independence.

"It was however the general practice for the colonial administration to transfer to the United Kingdom, in accordance with Colonial Office instructions, shortly before independence, selected documents held by the governor which were not appropriate to hand on to the successor government."

The Foreign Office holds about 8,800 files from 37 former British Administrations, including Aden, Brunei, Cyprus, Fiji, Gambia, Jamaica, Kenya, Malaya, Malta, Mauritius, Nigeria, Northern Rhodesia, Palestine, Sarawak, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Swaziland, and Uganda.

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Indonesia steps in to fill the Fiji vacuum

The Jakarta Post, Duncan Graham, Contributor, Suva | Tue, 09/29/2009 11:03 AM

No entry: Fiji’s parliament building is locked up, a powerful symbol of the state of democracy in the small island nation. JP/Duncan Graham

One of the saddest sights in Suva, the capital of the tiny nation of Fiji, is the Parliament building.

It’s reputed to be a splendid example of Pacific Island architecture representing traditional Fiji values.

But this can’t be confirmed: The gates are locked and rusting, and weeds are pushing through the driveway. Three years ago, Fiji went through yet another coup and the power of the ballot box yielded to the rule of the gun.

There have been four coups in the past 22 years but this didn’t stop Indonesia opening an embassy in this troubled former British colony.

It was a smart move. As the Commonwealth and European Union punished Fiji for overthrowing democracy, other countries have filled the gap.

“Indonesia’s interests in the Pacific Islands used to be served by our embassy in Wellington, but because Suva is the hub of a growing region it was decided to establish a presence here in 2002,” said Indonesian Charge d’Affaires Pinardi Priambodo.

“Fiji doesn’t produce much so most of the trade is in Indonesia’s favor. In the past five years the growth rate has been 2.77 percent.

“The other issue that takes our time is caring for the interests of Indonesian seamen and sorting out disputes with employers. Many problems come about because the Indonesians haven’t read or understood the job contracts they signed back in Jakarta.”

Indonesia isn’t the only nation taking a new interest in a zone once dominated by Australia and New Zealand. The imposition of sanctions and other controls on aid, sporting contacts and government visits by fellow Commonwealth countries has created a vacuum largely exploited by China, which is now ramping up trade and aid.

Last year, Indonesia did business worth US$24.5 million (Rp 250 billion) in the Pacific Islands served through Suva. By Indonesian standards, it’s little more than a mid-size town with only 200,000 people, but it’s the biggest city in the South Pacific outside New Zealand, and a multicultural mix of locals, transients, other islanders, Indian traders and Europeans seeking a quiet life.

Indonesia’s natural sphere of influence has long been Southeast Asia but its push into the Pacific is logical, according to Pinardi.

There are historical Indonesian links with the peoples of Polynesia. The current theory is that they arrived about 3,000 years ago after traveling south from Taiwan and China, then moved through the Indonesian archipelago, the Philippines and then deeper into the Pacific, reaching Fiji via Tonga.

Although Indonesia isn’t part of the 16-member Pacific Islands Forum, it has the status of a “dialogue partner”. Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda attended the forum’s post-summit meeting in Queensland, Australia, in August this year.

Pinardi, who is also known as Pak Klik, a nickname that defies simple etymology, is single and “under 40”. He was previously stationed in Seoul where he specialized in economic issues, spending his spare time on the snowfields. By the time his tour of duty had finished, he’d skied seven of the 12 slopes near the Korean capital.

Seeing his love of snow, it fits the curious posting system of Foreign Affairs that he should be sent to a tropical island. He runs a staff of six Indonesians including four lively young diplomats seemingly uninfected by the past rigid bureaucracy of the Soeharto era (Pinardi labeled them “the fantastic four”), and five locals.

Unlike many embassies, it’s a relaxed low-security office. Despite the military coup and alleged human rights abuses, Suva isn’t full of soldiers and most locals seem indifferent to the political tension, more concerned with public service sackings, the devaluation of the Fiji dollar and the resulting high cost of living.

With no direct air links to Indonesia, there’s little demand for visas. For Indonesians wanting to see Fiji, the good news is that they don’t need visas, prices are cheap and they can stay for four months, enough time to explore the 300 lush, coral-fringed islands.

Indonesia has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Fiji to develop tourism but so far little has happened.

Pinardi arrived in Fiji in June after the departure of the last ambassador. The son of a Christian pastor and academic, Pinardi was born and educated in Salatiga in Central Java and educated at the Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta.

“I got into diplomacy by chance,” he said. “I planned to be a banker because I’d trained in economics. But when I went to get the transcript of my studies legalized I chanced to see an advert for the Foreign Service.

“I later spent 18 months at Monash University in Australia learning trade negotiation skills, knowledge that came in useful in Korea.

“In Fiji we’re not just concerned with trade. We’re very keen on providing technical assistance, sending Pacific Islanders for training in Indonesia.”

It’s a strange reversal of positions. While the big Western nations are giving aid to Indonesia, the Republic is busy providing assistance to the Pacific. This has ranged from training farmers in artificial insemination of dairy cattle, using the latest fishing technology and navigation aids, and rehabilitating people with disabilities.

“We’ve been passing on our skills in rice planting,” Pinardi said. “Farmers in Fiji used to broadcast their rice seeds. We’re training them in our system planting seedlings in rows while walking backwards.

We’ve also donated small agricultural tractors.

“The other skill we’re teaching is in the multiple uses of bamboo. Fiji people don’t do as much with bamboo as we do in Indonesia.”

So while other countries may consider Indonesia to be a poor, low-tech developing nation, Fijians have another view, particularly those who’ve been the lucky recipients of programs such as “capacity building for poverty reduction”.

The Indonesian touch can be found everywhere from imported Toyota Kijang vans through to handicrafts and women’s clothing. Fiji was once a big garment exporter but Commonwealth sanctions and cheap Chinese imports have crushed the industry, creating opportunities for smart Indonesian businesspeople — and not just clothing manufacturers.

Furniture is a sector where Indonesia has few competitors. The big resorts have been ordering large quantities of tropical-style rattan and water hyacinth chairs, tables and sofas that can be used inside and outside. They appeal to the environmentally conscious because they’re made from renewable materials.

“We want to improve people to people ties and build cultural understanding. We’ve been giving scholarships for higher studies at Indonesian universities, said Pinardi.

“Fijians are very musical people and great singers. We do have a set of angklung [bamboo xylophones] but no gamelan orchestra. Maybe in the future.”