The year that was – Part 1

As we enter into what we believe will be a quiet festive season, on the political front at least, we start a series of columns that will review the extraordinary year that was and look forward to 2024 and what it may mean for the various forces, political or otherwise, that drive our nation in directions still to be determined.

We start by recalling December 2022 and what a bizarre and frightening time it was. At the YB we have found it useful to take some time to remind ourselves of where this year began. After a year of political freedom and open public debate, without the threat of early morning knocks on the door followed by visits to Totogo, it seems as if that pre-Christmas 2022 world operated in another dimension.

Yeah yeah there is plenty to grumble and mumble about but at least we CAN grumble and mumble safely and freely, and that in itself, is the biggest achievement of 2023. The early removal of the infamous “media decree” opened the space for public debate and discussion, a very new experience. Added to that, the Government quickly displayed that they were open to public feedback and comment - another novelty for the people of Fiji.

The final result, the Coalition just getting across the line, has provided much of the backdrop to what has happened in the last year. The fact that the two senior partners in PAP and NFP have had to depend on a dysfunctional junior in SODELPA created much of the drama. We will discuss the state of SODELPA and its future in a later column, but it really has got in the way of the coalition delivering on their promises.

But let’s start with some praise. Along with the political fault lines running through the coalition the Government has had to contend with the lurking fear of military intervention, amplified by various, largely offshore social media commentators who delight in promoting wild gossip. This causes fear and uncertainty that in turn threatens our future as a democratic nation. YB can only hope that Fijians are becoming more sceptical of these sources of information. Remembering that they feed off a still active disinformation program driven by disgruntled supporters of the previous government.

Fortunately, we have had some brave and strategic leaders in both the Government and the military that have navigated us through this stressful time. The culmination, contrary once again to the fervent wishes of some in social media, the recent visit by the Prime Minister to “inspect the troops.” This in turn will lead into a review of the Military led by the highly respected former RFMF Chief of Staff, Jim Sanday.

It hasn’t been easy, bitter divisions run or ran deep between many senior military officers and the Prime Minister linking back to the trauma of 2000. However, there is a determination amongst the military community both active and retired to move past coups and intervention in civilian administration. There is much to this story, but YB would like to highlight a couple of key players who have been instrumental in getting us to this very positive place.

Our international partners namely Australia, New Zealand, USA, and Britain have all been active in training and developing our Military with one condition, NO COUPS! As part of this, there has been the timely secondment offshore of a number of key officers who COULD have come under pressure to try and disrupt the democratic process.

This has set the backdrop for the masterful leadership shown by the Commander Major General Kalouniwai. Since his appointment he has been steadily preparing the way for a return to true democracy and post-election he has been able to manage the expectations of both his troops and the political establishment.

The appointment of Pio Tikoduadua as Minister of Home Affairs was also a masterstroke. Many of the current military command were his subordinates when he was serving, and respect for chain of command lingers on in military circles. He has been able to build a level of trust between Government and the Military that has set the ground for change. The appointment of Mason Smith as his PS added significantly to this process of trust building.

As stated, this all leads to the appointment of Jim Sanday to Chair the review. There was mention of a review earlier in the year, but we believe on the advice of the Commander this was allowed to germinate quietly until the time was right to tackle this important issue. There is much to talk about, quite apart from the obvious, like for example the value of peace keeping. The Fiscal Review Committee revealed just how much this is costing the taxpayers!! But all of this is for another column.

Stay tuned for Part Two next week.