The Fiji government has warned that unvaccinated people in the vaccine-eligible population are 17 times more likely to die if they contract covid-19 than those that are vaccinated.

Health Secretary Dr James Fong said this strongly indicated that many of the unvaccinated deaths were preventable.

He is urging Fijians to get vaccinated against covid-19, including the booster shot, amid a third wave which began last November.

“I strongly urge anyone who hasn’t been vaccinated to get vaccinated now because covid-19 is here to stay, and omicron will not be the last variant,” Dr Fong said.

“And if you are vaccinated, but know someone who isn’t, please also encourage them to protect themselves by getting vaccinated.”

The vaccine rollout for children aged 12 to 17 is also underway, with 43,241 of them already having had both doses.

Meanwhile, Fijians who are unvaccinated against covid-19 are still being refused entry to a number of public spaces.

Health Minister Dr Ifereimi Waqainabete said this included houses of worship, sporting venues and high-risk businesses.

“Those who are in charge of these venues, businesses and houses of worship must ensure that they check the vaccine status of all those who enter their premises,” Dr Waqainabete said.

As of 18 February 2022, 93.1 percent of Fiji’s adult population of 844,000 were fully vaccinated against covid-19.

More than 800 deaths attributable to covid-19 have been recorded in Fiji.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Three more children have died from covid-19 in Fiji, taking the death toll since the pandemic hit the country in 2020 to 791.

The Fiji government also confirmed on Wednesday that a 10-day-old infant, 8-year-old girl and 13-year-old boy are among 12 covid-19 patients who have died.

There are 223 new cases in the community, with a total of 1980 patients in isolation.

Health Secretary Dr James Fong said all three children were from the Northern Division.

He said the baby had died at home before she could be taken to hospital.

He said the eight-year-old had a significant congenital medical condition that likely contributed to her death.

“The 13-year-old male was admitted for nine days at Nabouwalu Hospital in Bua before he passed away,” Dr Fong said.

“He had a significant congenital medical condition, and an assessment made by medical consultants confirmed that his pre-existing conditions contributed to his death. He was not vaccinated.”

Four-day intervals
Dr Fong said that due to the time required by clinical teams to investigate, classify and report deaths, a four-day interval is given to calculate the seven days rolling average of deaths, “based on the date of death, to help ensure the data collected is complete before the average is reported”.

“Therefore, as of January 20 the national 7-day rolling average for covid-19 deaths per day is 4.1, with a case fatality rate of 1.32 percent.”

Dr Fong said there were 155 covid-19 patients in hospital.

The Health Ministry also recorded nine more covid-19 deaths between January 8-22.

Latest deaths

* A 70-year-old man from the Northern Division died at home on January 14. He was not vaccinated.

* A 98-year-old woman from the Western Division died on arrival at Lautoka Hospital on January 16. She was fully vaccinated.

* An 81-year-old woman, also from the west, died at home on January 16. She was fully vaccinated.

* A 74-year-old man from the west died on arrival at Tavua Hospital on January 18. He had pre-existing medical conditions and was not vaccinated.

* A 75-year-old woman from the west died at home on January 20. She was fully vaccinated.

* A 72-year-old woman from the Central Division had died at home on January 21. She had pre-existing medical conditions and was fully vaccinated.

* A 46-year-old woman from the Western Division died at home. She was not vaccinated.

* A 78-year-old man from the Eastern Division died at home on January 21. He was fully vaccinated.

* A 79-year-old man from the Central Division had died on arrival at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital in Suva on January 22. He was fully vaccinated.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Fiji’s Ministry of Health and Medical Services has reported 1280 new covid-19 community cases since the last update on January 5.

“We have recorded a total of 1280 new cases; of which 348 new cases were recorded on 06/01/2022, 320 new cases were recorded on 07/01/2022 and 612 new cases in the last 24 hours ending at 8 am this morning,” the ministry said in a statement on Saturday evening.

Of the 1280 cases recorded since the last update, 619 cases were recorded in the Central Division; 535 cases were recorded in the Western Division, 114 cases were recorded in the Northern Division, and 12 cases in the Eastern Division.

Overall, there have been 57,187 cases recorded, with 69 percent of the cases from the Central Division, 27 percent of the cases from the Western Division, 1 percent of the cases from the Eastern Division, and 3 percent from the Northern Division.

Fiji’s national 7-day rolling average is 349 daily cases calculated for 4 January 2022.

There are five covid-19 deaths to report:

• The first covid-19 death to report is of an 89-year-old female from Taveuni who died at home on January 4. She had pre-existing medical conditions and was not vaccinated.
• The second covid-19 death to report is of a 55-year-old male from Nausori who died at home on January 4. He had a pre-existing medical condition, received his first dose of the covid-19 vaccine in mid-July and the second dose in mid-August. He was fully vaccinated.
• The third covid-19 death to report is of a 61-year-old female from Caubati who died at home on January 6. She had multiple pre-existing medical conditions that contributed to her death. She was not vaccinated.
• The fourth covid-19 death to report is of an 83-year-old female from Suva who died at home on January 7. She had received her first dose of the covid-19 vaccine in mid-June and the second dose in mid-August. She was fully vaccinated.
• The fifth covid-19 death to report is of a 27-year-old male from Nausori who died at home on January 7. He had a significant predisposing medical condition that was assessed by the attending doctors to have contributed to his death. He received the first dose of his covid-19 vaccine at the end of July and his second dose, mid-September. He was fully vaccinated.

There has been a total of 709 deaths due to covid-19 in Fiji.

Rohit Deo is a Fiji Times reporter. Republished with permission.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

The Australian government is assisting its citizens stranded in Fiji who also claimed they were mistreated by locals — claims rejects by tourism authorities — after testing positive to covid-19 when they arrived in the country on Boxing Day.

The move follows claims by an Australian family that they were locked in their hotel rooms and ignored by the staff soon after returning positive results for the coronavirus.

Fiji reopened its borders to international travellers on December 1 and that 30,000 visitors had arrived in the country since.

Tourism Fiji said about 75,000 people had booked to stay in hotels and resorts across the country through to the end of January.

Australia is Fiji’s largest tourism market with more than 40 percent of the visitors from Down Under.

In a report, dated 4 January 2022 and aired on Australia’s Channel 7 network, Jacqueline Hoy claimed that what was supposed to be a dream holiday in Fiji had quickly turned into a nightmare for her family.

Hoy said their ordeal began when her brother tested positive for covid-19 soon after the family arrived at Nadi Airport from Sydney on December 26.

Claim family was separated
She also claimed her family was separated and support was scarce.

Hoy said they were locked in their hotel rooms and did not get any food for three days — with calls for help to the hotel staff ignored.

“It is an absolute nightmare,” Hoy told the network. “On arrival at the hotel to check-in, there was no signage, no hand sanitiser and we waited four hours at the reception to check into our room.

“We didn’t get access to our rooms until 11.30pm. We were forced to sign a consent form which basically waived all our rights in relation to covid-19, access to our reports and medical records.

“I haven’t seen any medical reports, I’ve only been told I’m covid positive and I can’t leave my room in 10 days.

“We’ve been told that if any of our family members are seen together, coercing in the corridors — those who are negative will have to stay an extra seven days.”

The family is working with the Australian High Commission in Suva to get them home.

Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) said it was providing consular assistance, in accordance with the Consular Service Charter, to the family.

“Due to privacy obligations we are unable to provide further information,” the DFAT said in a statement.

Tourism Fiji refutes tourist’s claims
Tourism Fiji chief executive officer Brent Hill has rejected Hoy’s claims saying this is not the full story.

Hill did not respond to a request for comment from RNZ Pacific but he told local media that the stakeholders in Fiji’s tourism industry took these allegations seriously and were facilitating both sides of the dispute.

The hotel in question on the popular Coral Coast strip has refused to comment.

Fiji’s Hotel and Tourism Association said its investigation had also found that Hoy had made false claims.

The association’s chief executive, Fantasha Lockington, said 30,000 visitors had already visited Fiji over the last five weeks and the majority of them had a wonderful experience.

Both Tourism Fiji and FHTA are expected to release a joint statement soon.

Fiji is currently battling a third wave of the coronavirus with a total of 3009 active cases in isolation and the death toll at 704.

Fiji’s Health Ministry said there were 1555 covid-19 cases recorded since January 1 with 372 of them confirmed on Wednesday.

Health Minister Dr Ifereimi Waqainabete said the Australian woman’s claims of mistreatment by the locals were concerning.

Dr Waqainabete said he had viewed the Channel 7 report, adding that the safety of all visitors to Fiji was important.

“I’ve seen her talking and certainly she does not look too unwell — so we are thankful for that. Certainly, as I’ve alluded to the fact that she is being able to be fully vaccinated also supports her in that regard.

“But her health and safety is very important. That is something that we’ve been working on with Tourism Fiji and the Fiji Hoteliers Association.”

Dr Waqainabete said he had visited some of the hotels and resorts to check their standard operating procedures before Fiji’s borders reopened.

There are occasions where some challenges would be faced, he said.

“I am also grateful that there have been thousands and thousands of visitors that have come through to Fiji safely and have gone back home safely. And that is a testament to the processes that we have in place.”

Be prepared for challenges, Australians told
Covid-19 remains an ongoing global health risk, and Australians who travel overseas during the pandemic have been urged to be aware of the continued challenges associated with international travel.

A government travel advisory states that Australians travelling overseas must be fully prepared, to closely monitor the covid-19 situation in their intended travel destinations and arrange suitable travel insurance.

They are also encouraged to consult the Smartraveller website for the latest travel advice and the Global Covid-19 Health Advisory.

Travel advice in relation to Fiji is available at Fiji Travel Advice & Safety/Smartraveller.

Australians have also been told that the reopening of their borders is not a return to the pre covid-19 international travel environment.

“All travellers need to be aware of risks and take care regardless of where they travel,” a government travel advisory stated.

“This includes having sufficient funds to meet their travel needs and ensuring they have travel insurance and fully understand the details of their insurance, especially regarding contracting covid-19.”

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Fiji’s Health Ministry is concerned that people are not taking the new omicron variant of the coronavirus seriously.

Fiji reported two cases of the variant more than two weeks ago — both patients had arrived in the country from Nigeria on November 25.

Health Secretary Dr James Fong said more than 70 countries had reported cases of omicron and it was probably in most countries, even if it had not yet been detected.

He said if there was an outbreak in Fiji, it could again overwhelm the health system.

Dr Fong said vaccines alone would not get any country out of the crisis, and that nations must prevent the spread of omicron with mask wearing, hand washing, and social distancing.

“I anticipate that if we are looking at a third wave right now, based on what’s happening at the moment, we are looking at early next year — probably around the January to February period,” he said.

“We’re concerned that people are dismissing omicron as mild. Surely, we have learned by now that we underestimate this virus at our peril.

Risk of overwhelming health systems
“Even if omicron does cause less severe disease, the sheer number of cases could once again overwhelm unprepared health systems.

“Vaccines alone will not get any country out of this crisis. Countries can — and must — prevent the spread of omicron with measures that work today.

“It’s not vaccines instead of masks. It’s not vaccines instead of distancing. It’s not vaccines instead ventilation or hand hygiene. Do it all. Do it consistently. Do it well.”

Dr Fong also said the evidence suggested a small decline in the effectiveness of vaccines against severe covid-19 disease and death, and a decline in preventing mild disease or infection.

“If a variant is transmissible enough, stringent border and community measures will only delay the inevitable entry and spread of current and future variants of the covid-19 virus, especially as the omicron variant is also spreading into some of our travel partner countries,” Dr Fong said.

“To protect ourselves, our loved ones and our country, we must all get vaccinated when it is our turn.

“And even with our high vaccination levels, we must maintain covid-safe habits: mask wisely by carrying a well-fitted mask when you leave your home and wear the mask properly in public indoor spaces, public service vehicles and outdoor crowded spaces.

Sharp reminder for caution
“Open windows to improve ventilation; avoid poorly ventilated or crowded spaces; 2-metre physical distancing and ensure you are wearing a mask if you cannot maintain distance; cough or sneeze into a bent elbow or tissue, wash your hands frequently with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitiser.

“The discovery of omicron is a sharp reminder to ourselves that the key to avoiding future restrictions and lockdowns is for us all to remain cautious about how we engage in the greater freedom we will enjoy.

“Whilst the easing of restrictions is needed to facilitate livelihoods, we must ensure that together with vaccination, we continue to observe our covid-safe measures and avoid contained spaces and crowds.”

Dr Fong said following the delta outbreak in Fiji, it was understandable that many would feel the urge to relax and celebrate now that case numbers were low, especially during the festive season.

“And many of us have let our guards slip. We are all human.

“But this must stop as vaccination and the Covid Safe measures are the only way to safely navigate our way through the pandemic while facilitating socio-economic recovery and well-being.”

19 new cases in community
Dr Fong confirmed 19 new cases of covid-19 in the community.

This brings the total number of active cases to 116, including two cases of the omicron variant of the coronavirus, he said. Seven of the latest cases were recorded last Thursday while 12 on Friday.

Dr Fong said there were seven covid patients in hospital in critical condition.

He said with Fiji’s international  open to tourists, the public is being urged to take Omicron seriously.

“The threat of cases coming in through our borders will always be there for as long as the word pandemic is applied throughout the world. And the only that we can protect ourselves is ensuring good adherence to our covid health measures.”

There are no deaths to report and the toll remained at 697, Dr Fong said.

“We have recorded 612 covid-19 positive patients who died from serious medical conditions they had before they contracted covid; these are not classified as covid-19 deaths,” he said.

“For this second wave, there have been 52,553 cases recorded, with 71 percent of the cases from the Central Division, 28 percent from the Western Division, and 1 percent of the cases from the Eastern and Northern Divisions.

“Our national 7-day rolling average is 5 daily cases calculated for 13 December 2021.”

Close to 92 percent of Fiji’s adult population is fully vaccinated, Dr Fong said.

He said 38,321 children aged 12-17 are also fully vaccinated against covid-19 while 57,697 have received their first dose.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Fiji’s opposition National Federation Party has blamed 1150 pandemic deaths on the Bainimarama government’s “shameful and despicable” ego-driven leadership.

“Stop bragging and taking the Lord’s name in vain when you have presided over the single biggest disaster and loss of lives in our country’s 51 years of independence,” said Dr Biman Prasad, a former professor of economics at the University of the South Pacific.

“Talk about issues like how to alleviate poverty that reached almost 30 percent at the time of the so-called ‘Bainimarama Boom’ but has now escalated to about 50 percent due to economic depression caused by covid-19.”

This is the message to Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama from Dr Prasad after a message posted on the Fiji government social media page this week showing the prime minister as saying the battle against covid-19 pandemic was about to end — and declaring he had proved critics wrong and was in firm control.

“This is a national leader who brags about himself and claims he will secure every Fijian from clear and present danger,” Dr Prasad said in a statement.

“The prime minister forgets what he announced at the start of the second wave of the pandemic on April 19.”

“Then, he spoke about a grave and present danger to the lives of our people and the need to comply with strict measures and enforcement of lockdowns to contain and eliminate the virus.

‘1150 citizens’ lose their lives
“Almost six months later with the virus out of control due to the PM’s egoistic and ‘My Way or the Highway’ leadership in deciding to open up containment zones, 1150 citizens have lost their lives through no fault of theirs and more than 51,200 people have so far been infected”.

The Johns Hopkins University global covid dashboard (with data supplied by the Fiji government) states 649 deaths and 51,386 confirmed cases in Fiji as at today.

“And in a bid to keep a lid on the death toll and rate of infection, the Health Ministry split the death toll into two categories as well as significantly reduced testing and contact tracing.”

Dr Prasad claimed the ministry was now announcing deaths that occurred in the last three months saying it took time to investigate and determine the cause of death.

“It is shameful and despicable that instead of sympathising with the families who have lost loved ones and offering his genuine and sincere condolences, the PM showers himself with praise for his handling of the crisis,” Dr Prasad said.

“Does he have the courage to go to each individual family, undoubtedly, still grieving the loss of a loved one, and tell them that he is in firm control and protecting them from the grave danger posed by the pandemic?”

‘From containment to containers’
It was the prime minister, his government and their “From containment to containers” policy — allowing the virus to spread freely by opening up containment zones and installing three 12m container freezers as morgues — who must be held responsible for the “needless loss of life of our citizens and heaping pain, suffering and misery on the people”.

“The nation is at the crossroads, at odds with itself, due to failed leadership. Yet, we have a PM who says he is in firm control of the situation,” he said.

“This is symptomatic of a typical dictator who thinks he or she is always right despite the fact that people are dying, poverty is increasing and people are struggling to put food on the table.

“This façade must end at the next elections,” Dr Prasad added.

Fiji faces a general election next year.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

More than 800 cases of covid-19 have been reported in Fiji for the last 48 hours to 8am on Monday and the first case in the north has been reported.

The Fiji government also confirmed 26 deaths, bringing the toll to 394.

That compares with 958 cases and 23 deaths in the previous 48-hour period.

Health Secretary Dr James Fong said 817 new cases were confirmed in both the Western and Central DivisionS on the main island of Viti Levu.

He said of the latest cases, 500 were from the west and the rest from the central.

Dr Fong said 350 new cases and 23 deaths were confirmed yesterday while 467 cases and three deaths were reported on Sunday.

He said all the victims died between August 11 and 15, and aged 43-86 years.

“We have 23 covid-19 deaths to report on Monday – 20 of them from the west and three from the central division. There were three victims from Sunday.

“The 7-day rolling average of covid deaths in the Central Division is five and 3 in the West.”

There are 208 positive patients who died but Dr Fong said their deaths were caused by pre-existing medical conditions and not due to covid-19.

Fiji now has 22,494 active cases in isolation, with more than half of them at home.

There have been 394 deaths reported, with 392 of them from this latest outbreak that began in April.

This came after the country’s second largest island – Vanua Levu – recorded its first case of covid-19 last weekend. As of midnight, movement has been restricted in the area for 14 days, the Health Ministry said.

It said contact tracing teams had identified 33 primary and 70 secondary contacts of the patient who worked at the Nabouwalu Wharf in Bua. All the contacts have tested negative for covid and remain under quarantine.

“As a precaution, an area of restricted movement will be initiated from within Nabouwalu for the next 14 days,” Dr Fong said.

“The containment area will extend from Raralevu-i-Cake to Wainisevu and along the coast of Nabouwalu Village.

“The two checkpoints maintained in the containment will be checkpoint one opposite the Nabouwalu market controlling movement into the main road that runs into the containment area and checkpoint two at Raralevu-i-cake past Nabouwalu village towards Wainunu.

“The objectives of this containment zone protocol is to facilitate heightened community surveillance, conduct more contact tracing, escalate our covid safe community engagement program and to increase vaccination coverage in targeted areas throughout the Nabouwalu containment zone.”

Dr Fong said movement into and out of the containment area would be restricted to facilitate essential service provision and access to groceries and post-office services.

He said the office of the provincial administrator and subdivisional medical teams has been carrying out community awareness on other specific movement restriction protocols.

“They will continue this awareness exercise throughout the next couple of days. The northern health team is setting up clinic sites at the Solevu Immaculate Conception Junior Secondary School, the Bua Nursing Station and the Lekutu Health Centre to cater for the health needs of those living outside the containment area.

“Nabouwalu hospital will also be used by the health teams for emergency care only.”

300 plus covid patients in hospital
There are 309 covid-19 patients admitted to hospital — 118 are at the Lautoka Hospital, 49 at the FEMAT field hospital, and 142 are at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital, St Giles and Makoi hospitals.

Dr Fong said 38 patients are in severe condition and 15 critical.

A total of 652 people have been screened and 179 swabbed in the last 24 hours, “bringing our cumulative total to 456,883 individuals screened and 79,508 swabbed to date.

“As of the 15th August, 41 individuals were screened and seven swabbed. This brings our cumulative total to 790,410 individuals screened and 69,932 swabbed by our mobile teams.

“A total of 308,570 samples have been tested since this outbreak started in April 2021, with 351, 431 tested since testing began in March 2020. 848 tests have been reported for August 15th. The 7-day daily test average is 1538 tests per day or 1.7 tests per 1000 population.”

Fiji’s seven-day average daily test positivity is 29.1 percent. The World Health Organisation (WHO) threshold is at five percent.

Dr Fong said as of 15 August, 533,705 people had received their first dose of the vaccine and 211,496 both jabs.

“This means that 91 percent of the target population have received at least one dose and 36.1 percent are now fully vaccinated nation-wide.

“We are currently doing a mop up exercise of our first dose campaign, which will allow us to specifically target specific communities with low coverage, and subsequently also correct and update the total eligible population for our current vaccination program.

“Fijians can check the Ministry’s vaccine dashboard to find real-time data on first-dose and second-dose numbers at the national, divisional and sub-divisional levels.”

Dr Fong said the average daily new cases is 429 cases per day or 485 cases per million population per day.

He said there had been a drop in cases reported per day recently. But the daily testing numbers had also decreased around the same time due to the change in testing policy in the Suva-Nausori containment zone.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

A VIEW FROM AFAR: In this episode, Paul Buchanan and Selwyn Manning are joined by Dr David Robie to discuss how Covid-19 has become a trigger of instability in the wider Pacific Region.

Dr David Robie is editor of AsiaPacificReport.nz and a renowned expert on Melanesian and Pacific affairs.

In this, the first of a two-part SPECIAL, we analyse how Covid-19 has been a trigger of instability across the Pacific region.

And specifically, for this episode, we deep dive into instability in Melanesia focusing on:

• Security issues in Papua New Guinea
• Indonesia’s interests in dividing regional groups such as the Melanesian Spearhead Group
• a security crisis that has developed in Fiji, after the recent detention of nine politicians and activists who dared to criticise former military coup leader, Frank Bainimarama’s government.

Please do join the conversation via:

• Facebook.com/selwyn.manning
• Youtube
• Twitter.com/Selwyn_Manning

You can also see this podcast as video-on-demand, and earlier episodes too, by checking out EveningReport.nz or, subscribe to the Evening Report podcast here.

Or, subscribe to A View form Afar via your favourite podcast syndicator below:

LIVE PODCAST: In this episode of A View from Afar Paul Buchanan and Selwyn Manning are joined by Dr David Robie to discuss how Covid-19 has become a trigger of instability in the wider Pacific Region.

Dr David Robie is editor of AsiaPacificReport.nz and a renowned expert on Melanesian and Pacific affairs.

In this, the first of a two-part SPECIAL, we will analyse how Covid-19 has been a trigger of instability across the Pacific region.

And specifically, for this episode, we deep dive into instability in Melanesia focusing on:

• Security issues in Papua New Guinea
• Indonesia’s interests in dividing regional groups such as the Melanesian Spearhead Group
• AND a security crisis that has developed in Fiji … after the recent detention of nine politicians and activists … who have dared to criticise former military coup leader, Frank Bainimarama’s government.

Join us at midday New Zealand time (8pm US EDST) and join the conversation via Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube.

WE INVITE YOU TO PARTICIPATE WHILE WE ARE LIVE WITH COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS IN THE RECORDING OF THIS PODCAST:

You can comment on this debate by clicking on one of these social media channels and interacting in the social media’s comment area. Here are the links:

• Facebook.com/selwyn.manning
• Youtube
• Twitter.com/Selwyn_Manning

If you miss the LIVE Episode, you can see it as video-on-demand, and earlier episodes too, by checking out EveningReport.nz or, subscribe to the Evening Report podcast here.

The MIL Network’s podcast A View from Afar was Nominated as a Top  Defence Security Podcast by Threat.Technology – a London-based cyber security news publication.

Threat.Technology placed A View from Afar at 9th in its 20 Best Defence Security Podcasts of 2021 category. You can follow A View from Afar via our affiliate syndicators.

The frequent detention and questioning of some of Fiji’s political leaders by the police late last month for merely engaging in public debate on the contentious iTaukei Land Trust Bill No. 17 has raised questions about Fiji’s claim to be a champion of human rights.

All this has happened when the country was losing its grip on the escalating covid-19 pandemic, and experiencing the worst economic crisis in its history. The only silver lining for Fiji was the glittering Olympic gold won by its Rugby 7s men’s team and bronze by its women.

But these temporary celebratory moments should not divert attention away from the long-term implications of the repressive responses to alternative ideas by the government.

The coercive measures were justified by the police and government as important for sustaining national security, an often arbitrarily defined term. The rationale is that comments against the bill by politicians have the potential to stir up racial tension and public discord.

At the centre of the controversy is the attempt by the government to liberalise the use of indigenous Fijian land and give more power to lessees to carry out such things as sub-leasing and mortgaging without the consent of the iTaukei Trust Board (ITB), which was established in 1940 to administer indigenous land.

Opposition to the bill spans a variety of political positions. Those on the nationalist end of the spectrum argue that it was part of a “Muslim conspiracy” to alienate indigenous land. Certain individual keyboard warriors even resorted to the use of online racial threats.

The more moderate ones argue that given the cultural and racial sensitivity around land issues, the bill was insensitive and itself a security threat. There was nevertheless consensus that the process used to push through the bill lacked proper and meaningful consultation with landowners and the public generally and thus lacked democratic legitimacy.

One of the fears raised is that removing the regulatory process of subleasing and mortgage by lessees can lead to the Vanuatu situation where 90 percent of land on the main island, Efate, has been alienated through extensive subleasing and selling by foreign investors with little income for the landowners.

To get their land back at the expiry of the lease period, landowners have to pay back millions of dollars worth of land improvement value, something no one is able to do.

Cycle of vengeance
The response by Fiji’s government and the police was to invoke the Public Order Act, a leftover from the British colonial days, which was made even more coercive through the 2012 Public Order Amendment Decree by the then military government. The Act gives the police unlimited powers to arrest anyone they deem to be a threat to public order and safety.

The arrests of leading opposition politicians, MPs and former prime ministers have raised a number of fundamental questions about human rights and freedom of expression in Fiji’s struggling constitutional democracy.

One of the critical issues is that the institutional norms, political psyche and behaviour associated with military coups have been embedded implicitly in Fiji’s constitutional and legislative systems.

Despite the elections and global projections of being a vibrant democracy, the arbitrary use of repressive means to suppress alternative views remains a lingering issue.

Well-meaning actions and words by citizens are securitised and considered a threat, while the entire security apparatus of the state is let loose on so-called perpetrators of instability.

The second point here is that this military psyche permeates through society in various subtle ways, creating a culture of fear and distrust and worsened by what people see as the government’s uncompromising tactics in micro-management of the civil service, as well as the use of the merit system as a tool of nepotism and patronage in civil service and board appointments.

Normalisation of the use of fear and psychological intimidation in the civil service, Parliament and society generally may result in short-term compliance but can spawn silent resistance which can explode into a major security issue in the future.

Driver of political antagonism
A third and related factor here, resulting from the hardline stance of the government, is the way in which Fiji politics has taken a dangerously dichotomous cycle of vengeance and counter-vengeance as a driver of political antagonism.

Both sides of the political divide have dug into their trenches with hardly anyone in “No Man’s Land” to keep a sense of restraint. The repressive tactics will only fuel counter-vengeance sentiments at a time when the country needs to focus on covid-19 and associated problems.

A fourth issue here is the battle for the moral high ground. The government policy of “racial blindness” has given them the licence to cast almost anyone who raises issues relating to identity and culture as “racist” or trying to inflame racial strife. This is certainly the case with the bill in question.

Public criticism of acts of nepotism, patronage and racial favouritism by government have often been constructed with racial lenses and thus framed as security threats.

Sociological research in various countries has shown that the policy of so-called racial blindness is ironically a racist prism in itself because it does not allow one to appreciate the value of racial diversity and it can actually be used as a Trojan horse for cultural nepotism and ethnic patronage by states. Many have accused the Fiji government of doing exactly that.

Who benefits from development in Fiji
The fifth and last point relates to what the bill represents in terms of the broader development strategy of Fiji. Because of the four points raised above, the efforts of the government to sell its rationale have not gone smoothly.

The critical question here is whether the bill was originally intended to benefit the landowners or was it to serve the interests of foreign investors and other local entrepreneurs who have been part of the government’s lobbying and patronage system.

I do not want to speculate on this but the point here is to do with what type of development is best for the landowners?

Covid-19 has shown us the fundamental fragility of the tourism-based economy and the need to strengthen the land-based social solidarity economy. This requires developing a comprehensive land innovation plan which includes training for landowners in modern agriculture, developing food processing plants and creating global markets in a holistic way throughout the value chain.

This will allow landowners to commercialise and acquire direct benefits from their land, empower them economically and address prevalent poverty.

A number of communities in Fiji have been able to do that at a very localised level, making millions of dollars even without any government support. A much larger model to look at is the multi-billion dollar Ngai Tahu indigenous corporation in New Zealand’s South Island.

Rather than remain passive lease money recipients and subservient players in the market economy as the current system promotes, landowners can be active players in the market.

The land bill in question will simply perpetuate the system of post-colonial servitude. Rather than making minor “administrative” adjustments which will only benefit some foreign and local individual entrepreneurs as the bill suggests, it is time to relook at alternative, equity-based and innovative development strategies with landowners as active participants and direct beneficiaries as empowered partners with other investors.

This will address the issues of poverty and inequality as well as create a much more favourable climate for national security for all.

The future of security in Fiji depends not on using repressive tactics to impose government’s will on the population, but on using an approach which incorporates equitable and people-centred development strategies, empathetic political governance and a reconciliatory way to unite different ethnic, cultural and political groups.

Arresting political leaders will only exacerbate tension and shamefully reveal the deeper structural and normative weaknesses of the ruling political class.

Dr Steven Ratuva is a global award-winning political sociologist and is director of the Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies at the University of Canterbury.This article was first published by RNZ News and is republished with the permission of the author.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Six infants who tested positive to covid-19 are in stable condition at Lautoka Hospital in the west of Fiji.

Health Secretary Dr James Fong confirmed this to The Fiji Times this week. The infants and their mothers were from a community in lockdown in Nadi.

They were recently assisted with basic supplies by the Foundation of the Rural Integrated Enterprises and Development (FRIEND). A post on the FRIEND Fiji official social media page said they responded to a request for assistance from the community in lockdown in Nadi.

FRIEND Fiji then facilitated the request after a donor purchased baby essential packs.

The packages were delivered to the mothers in need last Thursday.

“We pray for the speedy recovery of infants and their mothers,” FRIEND Fiji said in a recent Facebook post.

“Please keep them in your prayers.”

Mothers, babies transferred
Meanwhile, Dr Fong also confirmed that some mothers and babies from the Colonial War Memorial Hospital’s (CWMH) Neo-Natal Intensive Care Unit in Suva had been transferred to Lautoka Hospital because of escalating covid-19 cases at the CWMH.

While he could not confirm the numbers, he said, however, that the ministry had activated that contingency protocol.

RNZ Pacific reports there have been 121 new covid-19 cases confirmed in Fiji as health officials identify two new clusters.

The total number since the outbreak started in April is now 1373.

Dr Fong said a new cluster had been identified within the Rewa Emergency Operations Centre, possibly linked to the Vunimono cluster.

Fiji Village Online reports there are two new cases for this cluster.

A new cluster is also at the Town House Hotel in Suva where Colonial War Memorial (CWM) Hospital and Incident Management Team (IMT) staff are being accommodated.

Two key issues
In an editorial about lockdowns and sticking to the covid rules, The Fiji Times stressed that two issues stood out in the face of the announcement of new covid-19 cases.

While there was great importance placed on the announcement of the daily figures, other issues had also been raised on different platforms, the Times said.

“For instance, the Head of Health Protection, Dr Aaalisha Sahukhan, said lockdowns [had] not contained the spread of covid-19 in the Lami-Suva area,” the newspaper said.

While it was an important tool, Dr Sahukhan had pointed out, it had had a socio-economic impact on the population.

She had shared her view during a webinar on covid-19 organised by the Fiji National University.

“We’re coming to a point now where from the health perspective, yes lockdowns are an important tool, but also we have come to a limit of applying those lockdowns because of the impact on the community,” Dr Sahukhan said.

The capital had gone through periods of extreme lockdowns “which we call curfew lockdowns [lasting] as long as four days.

“Unfortunately, even this level of lockdowns and our containment efforts has not contained the effect within the Lami-Suva area.”

Republished with permission.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz