Fiji Before the Storm: Elections and the Politics of Development

217 Pages·2013·12.525 MB·English

by  Brij V. Lal

Fiji Before the Storm

Published by ANU E Press
The Australian National University
Canberra ACT 0200, Australia
Email: [email protected]
This title is also available online at http://epress.anu.edu.au
National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry
Title: Fiji before the storm : elections and the politics of development / Brij V. Lal, editor.
ISBN: 9781922144621 (pbk.) 9781922144638 (eBook)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Subjects: Constitutional law--Fiji.
Fiji--Politics and government--20th century.
Fiji--Economic conditions.
Other Authors/Contributors:
Lal, Brij V.
Dewey Number: 320.99611
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying
or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.
Cover photo courtesy of AP Photo/Edward Wray.
This edition © 2012 ANU E Press
Contents
Tables and figures vi
Glossary viii
Contributors x
Acknowledgments xi
Map xii
Chapter one The future of our past 1
Brij V. Lal
Chapter two The Fiji Islands in transition: personal reflections 7
Sitiveni L. Rabuka
Chapter three A time to change: the Fiji general elections of 1999 21
Brij V. Lal
Chapter four Understanding the results of the 1999 Fiji
elections 49
Robert Norton
Chapter five Elections and the dilemma of indigenous Fijian
political unity 73
Alumita Durutalo
Chapter six Peripheral visions? Rabi Island in Fiji's general
election 93
Teresia K. Teaiwa
Chapter seven Land, Lome and the Fiji sugar industry 111
Padma Lal
Chapter eight Inshore fisheries development in Fiji 135
Joeli Veitayaki
Chapter nine Women and politics in Fiji 149
Chandra Reddy
Chapter ten Economic challenges facing Fiji before the storm 161
Biman Prasad
Chapter eleven Madness in May: George Speight and the unmaking
of modern Fiji 175
Brij V. Lal
References 195
Index 203
vi
Tables and figures
Tables
4.1 Support for parties in Fijian urban communal contests:
first preference votes 52
4.2 Indian communal voting, 1992-99 52
4.3 Fiji's population and registered voters by ethnicity 56
4.4 Ethnic composition of House of Representatives, after 1999
elections 59
4.5 'Dummy' candidates fielded by the NFP and SVT in 20 open
electorates 60
4.6 Effects of preferential voting: actual results compared with
hypothetical 'first-past-the-post' outcome 60
4.7 Cross-ethnic first preference voting in open electorates 67
5.1 Number of members in provincial constituencies 82
5.2 Votes polled by political parties in the 1994 general elections 83
5.3 Votes polled by political parties in the 1999 general elections 86
7.1 Sugar cane production and payments received by growers and
millers, 1995-97 113
7.2 Expiry of agricultural farm and cane leases in Fiji, 1997-2005 114
7.3 Agenda of reform for the Fiji sugar industry 122
9.1 Women's political representation in national legislatures
in Pacific Island countries, 1994 153
9.2 Percentage and number of females in the three broad civil
service categories, 1990-96 156
9.3 Numbers and gender ratios-candidates and elected
members of municipal councils, 1997 159
10.1 Commercial banks' lending rates in selected sectors 162
10.2 Sources of Fiji government revenue, 1991-98 166
10.3 Fiji's net budget deficit as a percentage of GDP 168
10.4 Fiji's total external and domestic debt 170
10.5 Expiration of agricultural farm and cane leases in Fiji,
1997-2005 172
Symbols used in Tables
n.a. not applicable
not available
zero
insignificant
vii
Figures
4.1 Fijian communal contests: percentage of first preference
votes and percentage of seats won 50
4.2 Indian communal voting: percentages of first preference
support for the FLP and the NFP in the 19 electorates 53
4.3 Ethnic composition of the open electorates 54
4.4 Support for major Fijian political parties, 1966-99 58
4.5 Support for parties in the open contests-first preference votes
and seats won 58
4.6(a) Effects of preferential voting-percentages of first preference
vote and final vote for winning candidates: open electorates 61
4.6(b) Effects of preferential voting-percentages of first preference
vote and final vote for winning candidates: Fijian communal
electorates 61
4.7 Cross-ethnic first preference voting in open electorates 66
7.1 Input-based institutional structure proposed in the Industry
Action Plan 129
7.2 Proposed Sugar Cane Research and Extention
Institute structure 129
7.3 Integrated systems analytical framework 132
7.4 Nested scales of analysis 133
10.1 Fiji's merchandise exports and imports, 1991-97 168
10.2 Investment level in Fiji, 1970-98 169
10.3 Fiji government's expenditure, 1991-97 170
viii
Glossary
ACIAR Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research
ACP African, Caribbean and Pacific
ADB Asian Development Bank
ALTA Agricultural Landlord and Tenant Act
ALTO Agricultural Landlord and Tenants Ordinance
ANC All National Congress
ATA Alternative Trade Arrangements
AV Alternative Vote
BLV Bose Levu Vakaturaga or Great Council of Chiefs
CAP Common Agricultural Policy
CDF Commodity Development Framework
CEDAW Convention on the Elimination of Discimination Against Women
CGE Central Government Expenditure
CLFS Commercial Loans to Fijian Scheme
CDA Christian Democratic Alliance
COIN Coalition of Independent Nationals
CPO Central Planning Office
CRC Cooperative Resesarch Centre for Sustainable Sugar
Production
CSIRO The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
DMDP Viti Levu Dynamic Multiracial Democratic Party
DP7 Seventh National Development Plan
DP8 Eighth National Development Plan
DP9 Ninth National Development Plan
EC Earth Charter
EEC European Economic Community
EEZ Exclusive Economic Zone
EIMCOL Equity Investment Management Company Limited
EU European Union
FAB Fijian Affairs Board
FAD Fish Aggregation Device
FAO Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations
FAP Fijian Association Party
FEA Fiji Electricity Authority
FEMM Forum Economic Ministers Meeting
FFA Forum Fisheries Agency
FFI Fiji Forest Industry
FHC Fijian Holdings Company Limited
FIS Fiji Intelligence Security Service
FLP Fiji Labour Party
FNP Fijian Nationalist Party
FNPF Fiji National Provident Fund
FSC Fiji Sugar Corporation
FSR Farming Systems Research
FSRC Fiji Sugar Research Centre
FTIB Fiji Trade and Investment Board
GATT General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
ix
GDP gross domestic product
GIS Government Information Service
GVP General Voters Party
HART Housing Assistance and Relief Trust
ICM International Catchment Management
ILO International Labour Organisation
IMF International Monetary Fund
IRM Integrated Resource Management
IWRAM Intergrated Water Resource Assessment and Management
JPSC Joint Parliamentary Select Committee
LMC Landell Mills Commodity
LUC Land Use Commission
MAFF Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
MPI Ministry of Primary Industry
NATCO National Trading Corporation
NFP National Federation Party
NLC Native Land Commission
NLTB Native Land Trust Board
NMA National Marketing Authority
NVTLP Nationalist Vanua Tako Lavo Party
PAFCO Pacific Fishing Company
PAND Party of National Unity
POTT Party of the Truth
PRB Public Rental Board
PSA Fiji Public Service Association
RFMF Republic of the Fiji Islands Military Forces
RFTP Rural Fisheries Training Programme
RRRT Regional Human Rights Education Resource Team
SCOF Sugar Commission of Fiji
SEAPAT South East Asia and the Pacific Multidisciplinary
Advisory Team
SPARTECA South Pacific Regional Trade and Economic Cooperation
Agreement
SPC South Pacific Commission
SPS Special Preferential Sugar Agreement
SRRA Strategic Regional Resource Assessment
SVT Soqosoqo ni Vakavulewa ni Taukei
UGP United General Party
UN United Nations
UNDP United Nations Development Programme
UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization
USAID United States Agency for International Development
USP University of the South Pacific
VAT value-added tax
VKB Vola ni Kawa Bula
VLV Veitokani ni Lewenivanua Vakaristo, or Christian Democratic
Alliance
WTO World Trade Organization
WUF Western United Front
Contributors
Alumita Durutalo teaches in the School of Social and Economic
Development at the University of the South Pacific and is pursuing graduate
research focusing on indigenous Fijian political developments.
Bdj V. Lal is Professor of History and Director of the Centre for the
Contemporary Pacific at The Australian National University.
Padma Lal is a resource economist and currently Director of the
Environment Program in the National Centre for Development Studies at
The Australian National University.
Robed Nortron is a political anthropologist with long term interest in Fiji
politics at Macquarie University.
Biman Prasad is an economist at the Fiji Centre of the University of the
South Pacific at the Laucala Campus.
Sitiveni Rabuka, executor of the 1987 coups, is a former Prime Minister of
Fiji whose partnership with Indo-Fijian leader Jai Ram Reddy, secured the
passage of Fiji's 1997 constitution.
Chandra Reddy is a political and social activist and community organiser
with longterm interest in issues of gender and politics in Fiji.
Teresia Teaiwa is a creative artist and scholar teaching Pacific studies at
Victoria University of Wellington.
Joeli Veitayaki is a marine resource economist and currently co-ordinator
of the ocean studies program at the University of the South Pacific.