Fiji accuses Forum countries of ganging-up
Updated
Fiji's most senior representative to Australia has accused Forum countries of ganging-up on his country at the recent summit in Niue.
Suva's Acting High Commissioner to Australia Kamlesh Arya also claims that cheque book diplomacy won out in the moves against Fiji over
the return to democracy.
Presenter: Michael Cavanagh
Speaker: Fiji's Acting High Commissioner to Australia, Kamlesh Arya
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ARYA: What Fiji feels is that everybody that we're associated with is on a demand mode - you do this, you do that. So everybody is telling Fiji what to do, rather than asking Fiji what they could do to help find a solution. The non participation was basically stated by the prime minister, that the forum secretariat had advised Fiji that the post-forum dialogue will be held in New Zealand, to which our people did not have a visa. So naturally, they could not participate in the first forum dialogue and the position taken by Fiji seems to be legitimate in a sense that if you go to the forum and you can't pursue either bilateral discussions, it does not make any sense.
CAVANAGH: Are you saying that by not being allowed to go into New Zealand as part of the forum discussions, was that do you think a move by the Forum countries to try to freeze Fiji out then?
ARYA: What we are saying is that if you are prepared to isolate us, then do it in a more gentlemanly manner, don't do half-cocked things, that you can come to the forum, you can debate the issues that you are concerned with, but not the way the issue with Fiji is concerned with.
New Zealand very cunningly said you can come through to go to Niue, but you cannot be part of the post-forum discussions and dialogue on trade and every other matter, which any sovereign country would feel it as a slight and the decision taken by the prime minister is a valid one at that point in time. Fiji has begun to feel that the members of the forum, particularly Australia and New Zealand, are telling us what to do and not asking us how they could help do things, and my call to the forum as well as Australia, particularly is beginning to genuine engagement with Fiji and ask how Australia could help Fiji find a solution, instead of just every Monday morning, telling us have an election. There is much more than the election that Fiji wants to deal with.
CAVANAGH: The other forum countries themselves are fairly strong about the suspension. So there does seem to be fairly unanimous support throughout the Pacific.
ARYA: We perceive that the tone of the forum would have said that the perception that they had to follow or toe the line, that's basically what's emerging and if you recall the outcomes of the forum, Papua New Guinea which paid a special visit to Fiji to talk to our prime minister has become part of the band wagon, telling us what to do rather than asking us what to do and the forum then revealed that the Papua New Guinea and Australia have now signed the new partnership. So what we are also feeling that the outcome could have been influenced by the check book diplomacy that currently prevails within the forum. The aid decides the decision.
CAVANAGH: So you are saying in effect the smaller nations of the Pacific are being bought off by the larger, wealthier countries to isolate Fiji?
ARYA: Well, that seems to be the perception that the sidlining of Fiji outside the seasonal workers scheme, losing the current political position and the new agreements being signed by other Pacific Forum members with Australia particularly, is giving the perception that although in heart of hearts they may be with Fiji born on bilateral relations, they have no choice and therefore they took a position that they must bully Fiji into accepting their thinking, rather than helping Fiji by asking what they could do.
