Rudd advocates peaceful solution in Fiji

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd played down calls from a Pacific island leader for Fijian citizens to rise against the nation's military regime, instead advocating a peaceful resolution to the issue.
Mr Rudd criticised the recent arrest of Methodist church leaders by the Fijian military last month under emergency powers imposed by self-appointed leader Commodore Frank Bainimarama.
However he said a peaceful resolution was required.
His comments came after Niue Premier Toke Talagi told delegates at the opening ceremony of the 40th annual Pacific Islands Forum in Cairns that Fijians should challenge the regime.
He said the decision by Commodore Bainimarama to suspend elections until 2014 was unacceptable.
Fiji was suspended from the forum earlier this year after the strongman, who seized power in a bloodless coup in 2006, reneged on promises to hold an election in March this year.
'Perhaps the people of Fiji must now rise to challenge the undemocratic rule of the military regime and restore democracy for the sake of the future of their children,' Mr Talagi said.
Mr Rudd said the Australian government strongly advocated a peaceful solution to the challenges which lie ahead.
'The fact that a leader of a Methodist church can have their door banged on in the middle of the night and be taken off by the authorities, whacked into jail and charged with some trumped up offence, under the emergency regulations put out by the military government of Fiji is profoundly disturbing.
'It's a peaceful solution in which the peoples of the region and the peoples of Fiji must equally engage.'
Mr Rudd's sentiments were echoed by New Zealand Prime Minister John Key who rejected Mr Talagi's comments.
'I think they are unhelpful and it's not the stance or the options that New Zealand would encourage or consider,' Mr Key said.
'There is a peaceful way to resolve this and we want that to happen.'
He said the Fiji situation had not even been raised at the summit on Wednesday, though the nation's inclusion in a regional free trade agreement would be discussed at a leaders' retreat on Thursday.
A group of Fijian citizens, including Simione Kaieami, a minister in the government deposed by the military, protested outside the forum on Wednesday, urging action against the regime.
The group protested in typical Fijian style - staging a singalong with ukuleles and bowls of kava.

Pacific Forum: don’t mention the governance

Paul Oates & Keith Jackson

A four-day Pacific Leaders’ Forum begins in Cairns today, with a miscreant Fiji missing from the 14 nations following the trashing of Parliamentary rule in that country.
The agenda for the meeting highlights climate change, closer economic relations and Fiji's suspension from the group.
But there’s a big sleeper issue the Forum probably won’t get around to discussing: its own declared vision to “seek a Pacific region that is respected for the quality of its governance, the sustainable management of its resources, the full observance of democratic values and for its defence and promotion of human rights.”
If the Forum was to look at how best it could respond to each of the key issues nominated, it might have chosen to start with a fundamental matter that is plaguing an increasing number of Pacific nations right now: the Object of Government.
Lord Beveridge, the great turn of the 20th century British politician and political thinker, wrote: “The object of government in peace and in war is not the glory of rulers... but the happiness of the common man.”
Using Beveridge’s statement as a benchmark, how do Forum members measure up? After all, one of the best known political clarion calls ever sought that governments be "of the people, by the people and for the people.”
Let’s look at PNG, since it is the focus of this website’s concern. Has the current government succeeded in providing happiness for the common man or has it provided glory for some rulers?
Recent events seem to indicate there may be a certain leaning in one direction. In fact, one could say that the list gets steeper as each day passes. Forestry, climate credit trading, the Moti Affair, Taiwan millions, overseas property, rural decay, communal riots, not to mention the dismissal of Parliamentary rule.
If Fiji has been excluded from the Forum because it suspended Parliamentary democracy, shouldn’t recent events in PNG’s Parliament be considered in the same light?
Clearly the Forum should be dealing with the issue of PNG’s Parliament being virtually dismissed by the Somare government. Otherwise the law of double standard, or ‘what Australia wants Australia gets’, would seem to be in application.
Australia’s pursued a hard line on Fiji, to the particular discomfort of the Melanesian nations. Australia's line on PNG has been ... well, it has expressed no line. Not the merest breath of comment.
If the PNG Parliament been allowed a proper no-confidence vote last week and not adjourned in an unconstitutional manner, it is possible that Mr Rudd would have been talking with Sir Mekere Morauta instead Sir Michael Somare in Cairns today.
But Fiji is relatively small and relatively insignificant to Australia's national interest. PNG is the two ton elephant on our doorstep.
Realpolitik is the theory of politics that emphasises power ahead of morals or principles. It's leading practitioner was Otto von Bismarck.

TERRORIST TELENI: WHO’S HE FOOLING?

LATEST FIJI NEWS 132
Word from within the echelons of the Methodist Church is that the terrorist Police Commissioner Esala Teleni had rung the Church executives to confirm that he had not authorized and was completely unaware of the moves to detain senior executives of the Church over the last couple of days. What? One may ask, how could the head poncho of the Fiji Police force be unaware of the detainment of senior ministers and officers of the Church? Isn’t it true that just a couple of days ago, terrorist Teleni had issued a statement supporting the mentally deranged terrorist Prime Minister stating that there will be no permits issued for the Church’s Rewa conference?

If one gives this law-breaking leader of the Fiji Police the benefit of the doubt and were to believe he was unaware of the detainment of Ministers of the Church, then what is terrorist Teleni’s business telling the public? As servants of this oppressive regime, is it not the duty of his Police officers to make arrests and detain under the laws including the public emergency regulation? Or where in the law does it say that all arrests and detainment should first have the personal approval of the Police Commissioner?

The truth is, Teleni is lying; nowhere in the laws does it say that arrests and detainment may only be made at the express authority of the Commissioner. And the arrest of the Church General Secretary and 7 other senior ministers confirm that neither Bainimarama nor Teleni and the government have any respect for the prophetic role of the Church in standing up for God’s morality in the public domain. The more likely scenario is that terrorist Teleni is employing a smoke screen to hoodwink the Church. It is an attempt to fool the executives of the Church and stem the growing tide of anti regime sentiments. Having firmly made its stance for the restoration of basic rights, the rule of law, and a quick return to democracy as a means to alleviate the oppression and growing poverty, and after deciding that the Rewa conference will go ahead despite threats from the terrorists in power, the terrorist’s regime only weapon is either get the Church back on their side through whatever means or enforce their threat through force including the gun for which they will be held fully accountable either locally or by the international community.

So as the Church executives meet with terrorist Teleni today, let them be mindful of the real motive behind this visit. The Church is facing a serious test of faith. The Fiji community and the world is watching; good people agree and fully support the godly stance the Church has taken this far, and the Lord Jesus says that the price will be persecution. No matter what terrorist Teleni may say, by supporting and enforcing the new Methodists, terrorist Teleni has severely breached the right to belief and has declared war on other religions including the Methodist Church. Jesus teaches us to forgive; at Calvary he forgave but he died gruesomely standing up for God’s principles.


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Fiji is represented but not the Government of Bainimarama

Power to the people, the people of Fiji is well represented at the Cairns Pacific Island Forum but not the government of Frank the thief Bainimarama.A team of freedom fighters and members of the SDL govenment have been invited to the FORUM.

Meetings with individual Island leaders has been arranged.SWM is honoured to meet the US delegation.
For more on whats happening at the Pacific Island Forum always check back on http://www.solivakasama.org/
saionara.

Leaders Arrive in Cairns for 40th Pacific Islands Forum

Pacific Islands Forum Leaders have started arriving in Australia's northern city of Cairns for the 40th Forum which official opens on Wednesday 5th August 2009.
In his welcome printed in the Delegates' Handbook, Prime Minister of Australia, Hon. Kevin Rudd, MP said:"Australia is proud of its Pacific identity, underpinned by strong historical, sporting and people-to-people ties. We share maritime borders, harvest our livelihoods from fishing stocks and hold the same aspirations for a better future for ourselves and for our children. We look forward to strengthening these connections, and developing new ones, over the coming week."Prime Minister Rudd, who is the incoming Forum Chair said: "This year's Leaders' meeting occurs against a backdrop of transformation as the global economic crisis unfolds, and the international community looks afresh at its political and economic institutions.""The Forum is respected internationally as the pre-eminent decision making body for our region, and it will be up to us to craft a response to the global crisis that provides a strong base for sustainable development in our region."Prime Minister Rudd also urged the region to take up the challenge of responding to climate change."The December meeting in Copenhagen of parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change must advance a global solution that is comprehensive, effective and fair with support for vulnerable countries, such as those of the Pacific."It will be crucial that the nations of the Pacific Islands Forum come together as one and underline to international community the magnitude of the challenge our region faces."The Australian Prime Minister told his Pacific colleagues: "The Pacific Islands Forum Leaders' meeting is our forum to ensure that the collective voice of the Pacific is represented unequivocally on the world stage and heard clearly by world leaders."I look forward to working with you to build opportunities for future generations so that they may be able to enjoy a secure and sustainable Pacific future."

Coups have ravaged Fiji, says NZ PM

Multiple coups in Fiji have ravaged the country's finances as business investment and tourism plummets while poverty rises, New Zealand Prime Minister John Key says.
That issue, together with climate change and the global financial crisis will be top of the agenda at the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) in Cairns this week, Mr Key said at the Queensland University of Technology business forum in Brisbane on Tuesday.
"If you look at Fiji, just as one example (of the Pacific islands) of how the coup is impacting on the appetite of people to invest in Fiji," Mr Key said.
"We are seeing an increasing number of Fijians below the poverty line, quite alarming numbers actually, and that's not unique around the Pacific."
Fiji has been suspended from the PIF for delaying a return to democracy and faces suspension from the Commonwealth in two months if it fails to commit to new elections by 2010.
"The issue of Fiji will be raised but it's not my expectation that there would likely be a change in the position that was adopted at Port Moresby from the Pacific leaders," Mr Key said.
The global financial crisis has affected the Pacific Islands in two primary areas of tourism and repatriation of funds which have dropped by 10-20 per cent.
"There's an enormous trade imbalance," Mr Key said.
"We need to work on issues that will open trade into New Zealand such as quarantine roadblocks."

MSG member in trouble – Warnings of unrest in PNG over thwarting of parliament

There are calls for the Papua New Guinea government to reconvene parliament or risk civil unrest and the loss of foreign investment.
The call from non-government organisations, unions and women’s groups follows a vote to adjourn parliament until November, which was taken last week when the opposition was about to table a motion of no confidence in the government.
Jonathan O’ata, the chairman of the NGO group, Voices for Justice and Governments, says there is public anger at the adjournment and other government actions and a high risk that people may take the law into their own hands.
“People’s participation in trying to determine the outcome of these projects and have a say in it has been suppressed by a dictatorial leadership. It has not represented our interests and people all over the streets, all around the country are crying foul.”
Jonathan O’ata says NGOs are trying to harness public feeling into a peaceful show of dissatisfaction with the government.
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