My name is Prerna Lal. I am a freelance writer, social media expert, aspiring attorney and life-long student. This blog signifies a departure from thinking in binary terms of black/white, male/female, legal/illegal.
// November 11th, 2009 // No Comments » // Fiji Coup Coverage
It’s Pirate of the Fiji Islands, the third sequel. The first two starred Sitiveni Rabuka but he was dethroned by George Speight for the third movie, which really crashed and burned at the box office. Despite the apparent failure of the brand, the producers have brought it back with a new face hoping against hope for a hit this time.
Feel free to use Fiji Freedom Bloggers.
// November 8th, 2009 // 2 Comments » // Fiji Coup Coverage
I finally broke my silence and spoke out in the media against the repressive Fijian regime. And now I probably cannot come back home. Who would want to go back to Fiji in this state?
People are not too happy, but as an academic, I do need to stand up and make a statement against this. In Germany, the intellectuals did not speak till it was too late. This poem penned by Pastor Martin Niemöller was targeted at German intellectuals during Hitler’s rise to power and is apt for what is happening in Fiji:
First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak out for me.
Look at it this way: First they came for the ‘racists’ like Qarase. Now he is called a ‘terrorist’–a conveniently borrowed term from the Western world, which uses it sparingly to label and target dissidents. Then they came for the judiciary. Then they went after the media, bloggers and journalists. Finally, now the target is academics. Who is next? Is there any freedom of speech left in my beautiful country? The government-controlled media did not even publish anything about this latest atrocity.
Everyone has to speak up. No one is free when some are oppressed.
There is one thing that I do need to clarify. I oppose a hard diplomatic stance to Fiji. Sanctions or encouraging military invasion in Fiji from the ANZ South Pacific hegemony only makes the regime turn inwards and become more oppressive, making the path to reforms increasingly difficult.
// November 5th, 2009 // No Comments » // Fiji Coup Coverage
They raided the law society in Fiji, sacked the judiciary, put journalists in jail, punched and deported academics. I have a BA in Political Science, an MA in International Relations, currently a law school candidate and enthusiastic blogger. What am I supposed to do when I go back? Can I go back?
We go to foreign countries (in this case, dragged), have our accents ridiculed, adjust to different cultures, customs and ways of life while still yearning to come back home. Many of us see no reason why Fiji cannot be a thriving country instead of the pariah state it is turning into.
But what incentive do we have to come back to Fiji when our own are being detained, interrogated and deported?
The last Fijian student I spoke to was trying to get into a nursing program so that she could get a visa and adjust her status to live in the United States instead of going back. My own sister (MS in Engineering) married and became an American citizen. None of them have gone back to Fiji lately.
After getting citizenship here, it costs $3000 per person to reinstate the Fijian residency. What’s the incentive Bainimarama? Your criminal activities and infringement on basic human rights and liberties? Is that how you will treat your educated Fijians when they decide to give up their privileges to come back and serve Fiji? There is no reverse colonial effort here. We simply want to be proud of Fiji instead of hanging our heads in shame each time you do something utterly ridiculous.
Technology is the great equalizer. The illegal military regime can ban the press and throw out academics. What is it going to do about online media and blogs? Are you going to ban the Internet too and start hunting down bloggers in other countries?
And yet, after everything that the illegal regime has done, some people still hope and think that Bainimarama is the best thing for Fiji. Really? People in Germany also thought that Adolf Hitler was their only hope until it was too late. For people to sanction this behavior under the guise of ‘refuting colonial intentions’ is uneducated and ill-advised. Wake up! You always have another option. Another Fiji is possible. You don’t need the likes of Qarase and Bainimarama to lead you into the future.
// November 4th, 2009 // 2 Comments » // Fiji Coup Coverage
Dear Illegal PM of my country,
I hope this email gets to you or gets published in a medium that can reach you. Unfortunately, you seem to have isolated yourself from the press instead of using it to gain leverage over your opposition.
I supported your coup in 2006 because I really did believe that you did the right thing by getting rid of the racist and homophobic Qarase. But what you have done since then has been atrocious: cracking down on the media, detaining and deporting journalists, breaking diplomatic ties with countries and acting like ‘the law.’ Deporting Dr. Brij Lal is the last straw.
How do you expect your ‘best and brightest’ academics, journalists, solicitors and entrepreneurs to come back home and contribute to Fiji when you keep infringing on freedom of speech by throwing us in jail and deporting us anytime we cast doubt on your (false) promises?
How do you expect us to put our minds together and work on pressing issues of concern to Fijian society when you censor and eliminate our voices?
This goes beyond a diplomatic attack on our colonial cousins in Australia. Dr. Brij Lal is an exemplary Indian scholar on the Girmit and Indenture system with profound knowledge Fijian history and the current political situation in Fiji. In fact, he is probably one of the minds to tap in order to lead the country. And now I really hope Dr. Lal publishes a bunch of work against your illegal regime.
I love Fiji. But your military regime saddens and shames me,
-Prerna
–
Law School Candidate
Masters in International Relations
Blogger | Change.org
// November 4th, 2009 // 3 Comments » // Fiji Coup Coverage
Now illegal Prime Minister of Fiji, Voreqe ‘Coupster’ Bainimarama has totally pissed me off with his detention expulsion of leading academic Dr. Brij Lal from the Fiji Islands.
An Australian academic of Indo-Fijian descent, Brij Lal was detained by the military in Suva yesterday and given 24 hours to leave the country. He had recently spoken out against the regime, saying he was doubtful that democracy would be restored in 2014. The U.S. says it deplores this action, even though Obama was congratulating Fiji on democratic rule just a month ago. Make up your mind America.
Bainimarama, how do you expect your ‘best and brightest’ academics, journalists, solicitors and entrepreneurs to come back home when you keep infringing on freedom of speech by throwing us in jail and deporting us anytime we cast doubt on your (false) promises?
As a wanna-be politician, have you ever heard the phrase “keep your friends close, your enemies closer?”
What are you telling your bright Fijian students studying at foreign universities, hoping and dreaming to serve Fiji one day, when you silence the voice of a leading Fijian academic?
This goes beyond a diplomatic attack on our colonial cousins in Australia. Dr. Brij Lal is an exemplary Indian scholar on the Girmit and Indenture system with profound knowledge Fijian history and the current political situation in Fiji. In fact, he is probably one of the minds to tap in order to lead the country. And now I really hope Dr. Lal publishes a bunch of work against your illegal regime.
Dumb move Coupster.
// November 1st, 2009 // No Comments » // Fiji Coup Coverage
The latest press freedom index rankings released by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has Fiji plunging 73 places to 152 after a crackdown on the media by Fijian dictator Frank Bainimarama.
No criticism whatsoever is allowed of Commodore Bainimarama or the military regime. Under Section 16 (1) of the Emergency Regulations (titled “Control of Broadcast and Publications”), if the Permanent Secretary for Information (Lieutenant Colonel Neumi Leweni) “has reason to believe that any broadcast or publication may give rise to disorder … or promote disaffection or public alarm, or undermine the Government” then he “may, by order, prohibit such broadcast or publication”.
As a consequence of this policy, Baimarama moved soldiers into newsrooms for weeks to censor stories. Foreign journalists were deported, including Rex Gardner, publisher of The Fiji Times. A Fiji One TV reporter, Edwin Nand was thrown into jail for reportedly transmitting information overseas. Recently, a Mother Jones reporter doing an investigative piece on Fiji Water was kidnapped, questioned and almost raped.
When the Permanent Secretary of Information was asked whether censorship regulations of Fiji media would be relaxed, he replied that if it was up to him, it would be kept in place for another 5 years.
// October 27th, 2009 // No Comments » // Desi-Indian, Ethnic Studies, Fiji Coup Coverage
In response to the fourth coup in the Fiji Islands in as many as seventeen years, the international community demanded the restoration of democracy and order in the country. While Sitiveni Rabuka, Fiji’s first coup leader, expressed regret over introducing the concept of military takeover in the country, Dr Brij Lal—an architect of Fiji’s 1997 Constitution—said that Fiji has a ‘coup culture’ in that there is little respect for law and order, and coups will continue because the people responsible for them are never really brought to justice. Coupster and leader of the current illegal regime, Commodore Bainimarama has exploited the problems in Fiji to grab and retain power, while doing little to alleviate the suffering of the poor and working classes. He is yet another opportunist with little understanding or answers to the deep-seated problems plaguing the island nation.
‘Fiji, the way the world should be’ is an advertising slogan from the late Pope John Paul which has met its demise after four and half coups. The idea that this place is a Paradise has penetrated the Euro-American imagination. This is supplemented in a large part by the tourist industry in Fiji, making slogans and myths that paint a romantic picture of Fiji, hiding the grim difficulties that the multi-ethnic nation is trying to resolve. The National Geographic website states that “the Fiji Islands comprise 333 islands in the South Pacific, with beaches, coral gardens, and rain forests.” It forgot to mention that Fiji also includes people that have survived European colonization and are now struggling with European concepts like multi-ethnic democracy, sovereignty, parliament, and law amidst fresh colonization from tourists.
// October 27th, 2009 // No Comments » // Fiji Coup Coverage, Human Rights
While Fiji does not have the best record on ‘freedom of religion,’ the U.S. Department of State report is overwhelmingly balanced on the issue even though it notes instances of persecution.
There was some concern the religious crusade instituted by the Police Commissioner resulted in coercion within the police force to convert to Christianity. There were isolated reports of societal abuses or discrimination based on religious affiliation, belief, or practice. According to police statistics, reported incidents of sacrilege decreased from 39 in 2006 to 22 in 2007. Of the 21 reports of robbery and/or desecration of places of worship in 2007, 12 involved Christian churches, seven involved Hindu temples, and two involved mosques. Police surmised that many incidents had more to do with theft than with religious intolerance.
Several Hindu temples were attacked during the reporting period. In August 2008, a private temple in Ba was reportedly destroyed by arsonists. Following a string of temple desecrations in October, Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama ordered a special investigation. Bainimarama stated that ending racism against Indo-Fijians was a priority for his administration.
There were isolated problems for religious groups viewed as outside the mainstream seeking to establish congregations in some villages and outer islands. In a few cases, local traditional leaders prevented groups from proselytizing or holding meetings.
I think it is fair to say that coupster Bainimarama respects freedom of religion even though his administration is not exactly capable of handling persecution. Freedom of expression, especially speech, is another matter altogether.
