Fiji badly served by censorship

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COONEY: Since April when Fiji's Constitution was scrapped, it's only been what the interim government, the military which backs it and agencies like the police have judged as suitable which has been allowed to appear in the country's media, and over the past week, its censors have made sure the public there have only heard, seen and read what they have deemed acceptable in relation to the diplomatic battle, which has seen their heads of mission in New Zealand and Australia expelled as well as Fiji's expulsion of those countries heads of mission and the forced exit from Fiji of respected academic, Professor Brij Lal.

Pramod Rae, is General Secretary of Fiji's National Federation Party.

RAE: That is how the place operates, there is extreme media censorship. There is a view that the way that people have become silent and have stopped being critics of the regime. That is not correct, the criticism and the scrutiny of the regime continues. It is just the media are under such strict control, so it's not surprising these kinds of events are supported. But of course word gets around. Fiji is a small place. It does not take long for people to know.

COONEY: Mr Rae believes the interim government is being badly served by cutting off all voices of dissent.

RAE: They are actually doing themselves a great disservice, because word gets around of whose doing what and who can be bought for how much and those kinds of things are normal in this kind of environment. So as I said, they are doing themselves a disservice by clamping down the media in this way.

COONEY: Do you feel that things like nepotism, corruption, despite the fact that the interim government are saying that's why they came to power, to get rid of those things. Do you feel that those things are being seen to flourish at the moment over there?

RAE: Well, I think that is the general view that is happening, as well as bad decisions and I think Mr Bainimarama is surrounded by people who are giving him incompetent advice and wrong advice and wrong views. The decision that he took to expel the Australian High Commissioner and the New Zealand head of mission appears that is a very extreme step.

COONEY: Around the Pacific, the response to what's happened in Fiji is best described as subdued.

In Solomon Islands, the Special secretary to Prime Minister, Dr Derek Sikua, John Keniapisia said this.

KENIAPISIA: The new dimension that this problem has taken itself into is affecting international relations between our regional friends.

COONEY: And while Samoa's Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Salilele Malielengaoi, has previously been a harsh critic of coup leader and interim prime minister, Commodore Frank Bainimarama, when he was asked how the current situation can best be resolved. He's previous scorn for the commodore and his military-backed regime was nowhere to be heard.

MALALEGOA: We should pray a lot. I Epeli Nailatikau, being appointed president do swear that I well and truly serve the Republic of Fiji and the office of the president.

COONEY: In Fiji yesterday, all eyes were on the swearing in of Ratu Epeli Nailatikau, as the country's new head of state.

Previous president, Ratu Josefa IIoilo was seen as little more than a rubber stamp, supporting all proposals and policies of the military government. Ratu Epeli is a former commander and a former interim minister of Commodore Bainimamarama and he was not appointed by the Great Council of Chiefs, which has been disbanded by the interim government, but was appointed by the interim prime minister himself.

Pramod Rae says the new president may have all the power that office holds, but the way he got into that office means he does not really have the respect of Fiji's people.

RAE: I think the reaction and the lack of acknowledgment that this appointment draws is indicative of the fact that yes, you are sitting there, you can appoint the president, you can appoint two presidents. So it really does not make a lot of difference to the lives of ordinary people.