Govt needs to stop grandstanding and deal with the pressing issues at home – Shamima Ali

Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre Coordinator, Shamima Ali says the Government must be transparent and accountable and make public a detailed report on the use of every dollar of donor funds for the COP26 trip to Glasgow.

Ali says if you want the world to be transparent and accountable on climate change, you should also practice what you preach.

She says the report must also include payment of allowances to the Prime Minister, the Attorney General and other members of the large delegation.

Ali has also questioned the need for Fiji to send such a large delegation to COP26, numbering to about 36 and asked for a report on what role each member of the delegation played.

The Crisis Centre Coordinator says this is exorbitant, unnecessary, and extremely insensitive when many families cannot even afford enough food to feed their families because of the COVID crisis.

Ali says while our people are suffering and struggling to put food on the table, the Government’s large attendance at COP26 was yet another clear signal that it did not care for the people and is completely out of touch with their day-to-day realities.

She says while we are being told that the donors are footing the bill, surely, the money could be better used to mitigate climate change in Fiji or more, fix our ailing healthcare facilities with beds, oxygen tanks, doors and windows, equipment, proper morgues instead of putting bodies in containers or providing food to people who can barely afford a day’s meal.

Ali says as per the norm, our leaders have a habit of talking big on the international stage about talanoa, climate justice, united-approach, leaving no one behind and bipartisanship – and do the opposite at home.

She says at COP26, the Government claimed that it has involved various stakeholders in designing its mitigation plans and adaptation measures to combat the impact of climate change.

Ali asks who did the Government consult with and were the inputs of critical stakeholders such as academics and Pacific climate experts from the University of the South Pacific included.

She says this Government continues to talk about the voice of the Pacific, but has abandoned the very university that runs courses and researches on climate change.

Ali also asks what happened to the talks of engaging civil society organizations who are very engaged with the communities facing the full brunt of climate change.

She says the entire process was tightly controlled, it was not inclusive of the representative grassroots organizations of the people who are the real survivors of climate catastrophes, and sadly, an important piece of legislation – the Climate Act – was rushed through Parliament in September without time being allowed for a proper debate, discussion and consultation.

Ali says while we talk big on the world stage on what other countries should be doing to mitigate the impacts of climate change, we should not forget the Freesoul Real Estate saga and the devastation it caused to the foreshore at Malolo Island by dumping waste and ripping out part of a reef in a pristine environment, breaching Fiji’s own environment laws.

She says one just needs to make a trip around Viti Levu to see how acres of mangroves and wetlands have been destroyed to make way for construction sites.

Ali says we are also being told of reefs being removed in Taveuni to create waves for surfing.

She says we seem to be very least bothered about fixing these issues at home, but the Prime Minister and his Minister for everything, who is now the Pacific's High-Level Champion for Oceans at COP26 are very busy extracting money from the Climate Fund.

Attorney General, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum had earlier said that the travel, accommodation and allowances of the 30-plus Fijian Government delegation attending the United Nations Conference on Climate Change in Glasgow, Scotland are fully funded by various donors.

Sayed-Khaiyum revealed this during a talanoa session after he was asked by a former British Army veteran as to who paid for the Government delegation to attend COP26.

He replied that it was not from Government coffers.

According to a Government statement, Sayed-Khaiyum says different agencies, such as the Pacific Islands Forum assisted the team and other agencies including Oceans Pathway Partnership, European Union, United Nations Capital Development Fund and United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

We have sent further questions to Sayed-Khaiyum and the Acting Permanent Secretary for Economy, Shiri Goundar regarding the donations and expenditure of the Fijian delegation.

Goundar says the Government may provide further details later.