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JUNE 15, <strong>2016</strong><br />
FIJILINK - John Key Visit Special<br />
09<br />
Labour MP condemns visit as lost opportunity<br />
David Shearer<br />
When Prime Minister<br />
John Key described<br />
the aftermath of<br />
the 2006 military<br />
coup in Fiji as “ancient history,”<br />
it became obvious that his diplomatic<br />
visit to Fiji (from <strong>June</strong> 9 to<br />
<strong>June</strong> 10, <strong>2016</strong>) might not go according<br />
to plan.<br />
It just did not sound honest<br />
when only two years ago Fiji finally<br />
had democratic elections<br />
following the 2006 military<br />
coup.<br />
No one should write off eight<br />
years of military rule endured<br />
by the people of Fiji so glibly,<br />
and as though they never<br />
happened.<br />
An embarrassment<br />
The result has been an embarrassment<br />
for our Prime Minister<br />
and New Zealand as a whole.<br />
Instead of playing the gracious<br />
host, and playing to Key’s naive<br />
offer of putting the past behind<br />
us, Fijian Prime Minister Frank<br />
Bainimarama used the opportunity<br />
to harangue New Zealand<br />
in front of the assembled media.<br />
Bainimarama refused, as is<br />
usual at the joint PM media<br />
briefing to answer questions<br />
from the New Zealand media -<br />
and our media meekly obliged<br />
by not asking any.<br />
Frank Bainimarama and John Key at the Press Meet held at the Office of Fijian Prime Minister in Suva on Friday, <strong>June</strong> 10, <strong>2016</strong>.<br />
Picture by Sanjesh Narayan of Radio Tarana.<br />
Either he was scared of having<br />
to face journalists that have<br />
not been bullied into submission<br />
as the Fiji media has been;<br />
or he felt answering questions<br />
was beneath him. Either<br />
way, accountability to the public<br />
is clearly not part of the lexicon<br />
of Fiji’s democracy under<br />
Bainimarama.<br />
Serious concern<br />
Media freedom is a serious<br />
concern. New Zealand journalists<br />
Michael Field and Barbara<br />
Dreaver were banned from visiting<br />
Fiji as part of the media<br />
delegation from New Zealand -<br />
both are experienced specialist<br />
Pacific affairs correspondents<br />
who should have been there.<br />
There have also been issues<br />
with the functioning of Fiji’s<br />
Parliament.<br />
Only two weeks ago, a prominent<br />
opposition MP was banned<br />
from Parliament for two years<br />
by the Privileges Committee<br />
dominated by the governing<br />
Party for simply calling a minister<br />
a ’fool’, a disproportionate<br />
penalty.<br />
Democracy undermined<br />
It was a reminder to us all<br />
that despite its general election,<br />
Fiji still lacks some of the basic<br />
tenets of a democracy. They<br />
are the very issues that should<br />
be discussed during a top-level<br />
diplomatic visit - but our Prime<br />
Minister seemed determined to<br />
ignore them on last week’s trip -<br />
or laugh them off.<br />
In fact, allowing himself to be<br />
manipulated as he did, Mr Key’s<br />
visit did a huge disservice to all<br />
the people working to bring a<br />
free media, democracy and human<br />
rights to Fiji.<br />
New Zealand has always stood<br />
side by side with Fiji and we<br />
have a warm, close friendship<br />
with its people - and we always<br />
will.<br />
We sent flights, an aid ship<br />
and our service people to Fiji<br />
in response to the devastation<br />
caused by Cyclone Winston.<br />
In times of emergency it is important<br />
to stand by our friends.<br />
But it is just as important to<br />
speak up when things are not<br />
right rather than looking the<br />
other way.<br />
Retrograde step<br />
At a government-to-government<br />
level, this trip has taken<br />
our relationship backwards<br />
rather than forwards.<br />
Last week’s visit was a chance<br />
for John Key to put democracy<br />
and human rights on the<br />
agenda, but he did not take the<br />
opportunity.<br />
Predictably, it backfired.<br />
Instead of newspaper headlines<br />
and photos covering Prime<br />
Ministerial meetings with Fiji’s<br />
human rights organisations,<br />
media representatives and opposition<br />
parties, the defining<br />
images of Key’s Fiji visit were<br />
of Frank Bainimarama defending<br />
the 2006 coup, criticising<br />
New Zealand journalists and<br />
standing by his media restrictions<br />
- while our Prime Minister<br />
looked on.<br />
David Shearer is an elected<br />
Member of Parliament from<br />
Mt Albert in Auckland and<br />
Labour Party’s spokesman for<br />
Foreign Affairs. Please read<br />
our response to the above article,<br />
‘Journalists aware of<br />
Questions ban’ and other related<br />
stuff in this Special Report.<br />
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