Regional youth festival falls victim to Fiji's emergency laws

Updated June 29, 2009 17:49:20

The organisers of the Pacific Youth Festival in Fiji have received a list of participants, banned by the interim government from being involved. The event has become a political victim of the Fiji's emergency law, in place since the scrapping of the constitution earlier this year.


Presenter: Campbell Conney
Speaker:Jacque Koroi, Chair of the Committee which is coordinating the content of the festival; Peter Waquavanovono, President of Fiji's Young Peoples Concerned Network.

COONEY: Last week, the organisers of the Pacific Youth Festival were informed by Fiji's Ministry of Youth and Sport which is responsible for hosting it that the Ministry of Information and the military wanted details about speakers, including their speeches, as well as facilitators and organisers so they could be vetted.

The chair of the committee which is coordinating the content of the festival, Jacque Koroi, says they have now received the approved list.

KOROI: I can't say at this point what they were looking at, we weren't given any specific criteria as to how they were going to vet the speakers.

COONEY: And while Ms Koroi is not prepared to say who has been banned, she says many of those who were organised to take part are no longer allowed.

KOROI: There are a number of people who had been approached to be speakers and presenters, and they are not allowed now to make their presentations or facilitate sessions. So we have had to unofficially inform them and this will be followed up by an official letter by the Department for Youth and Sports.

COONEY: One group banned is Fiji's Young People's Concerned Network which has been lobbying for a return to democratic rule in Fiji since the 2006 coup.

President Peter Waquavanovono says the network was told last week it and its members were no longer welcome.

WAQUAVANOVONO: The reasons why it seems that we have not been allowed, we are not being allowed to participate in this particular festival is because we do not meet the standards that this particular interim government and also standards set forward by the military council which is they want speakers who will not tell the truth about what's happening in this country.

COONEY: Ms Koroi says since the interim government made it clear they would be exerting strong control over the festival, some international delegates and organisations have pulled out.

KOROI: We have organisations state that they are not happy with the political climate and have pulled out.

COONEY: Ms Koroi and many of her colleagues are part of the Pacific Youth Council which operates under the umbrella of the Secretariat of the South Pacific. But as mentioned, the festival is being run by the Ministry of Youth and Mr Waquavanovono says it's their decision who can and cannot be part of it.

WAQUAVANOVONO: We have been told by SPC that it's the sole prerogative of the government that is in power, it is their sole prerogative to pick who the speakers are and to pass judgement on how this festival runs.

COONEY: Radio Australia contacted the SPC asking for its position on supporting the festival in the face of it being censored. In a statement, it replied that as a non-political organisation it cannot comment on political matters, but is providing the same sort of technical assistance that it provides for other regional events when requested and it will also be providing seminars on health and agriculture.

Peter Waquavanovono says by its involvement, the SPC looks like it's supporting Fiji's military regime.

WAQUAVANOVONO: What I have been telling a lot of people at SPC lately and that is you better watch out how you are actually addressing it, because it seems like you are accepting the political incorrectness that is happening right now in this country, that is very undemocratic.

COONEY: And while the festival is going to happen despite strong censorship of its events, Jacque Koroi, believes it has lost some of its value.

KOROI: It does take some value out because people and persons selected who are based on the valuable contributions that they could make to this festival.