The SDL Party wants Fiji to be declared a Christian State, Christianity to be the state religion and Fijian to be the national language of the state. The SDL (Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua) was founded in 2001 by Laisenia Qarase. It is widely seen as the successor to the Alliance, the former ruling party that had dominated Fijian politics Read more
Australia and New Zealand will reappoint High Commissioners to Fiji and relax travel sanctions affecting members of its government. This announcement was made following a meeting in Sydney on Tuesday attended by New Zealand Foreign Minister Mr McCully, Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr and Fijian Foreign Minister Ratu Inoke Kubuabola. The decision has met with Read more
Ro Teimumu Kepa, who heads the Burebasaga Confederacy, says her letter to Commodore Bainimarama simply stated that the role of the Great Council of Chiefs in the life of Fijians should not be discounted. An opinion article in a pro-government newspaper criticised her for threatening a calamity, but she says she was simply raising the Read more
Three floods in three years have destroyed or severely damaged homes and businesses in Nadi, Fiji’s third largest town. Graham Davis reports these repeated disasters are being “regarded as no coincidence”. Davis says that developments upstream and downstream are contributing to the severity of the flooding problem. “In truth, the town has always sat on Read more
Fiji’s Prime Minster last week announced that a consultation process will take place on Fiji’s constitution between July and September. There has been speculation that this announcement would give an opportunity for a change in policy towards Fiji in Australia and New Zealand. New Zealand Foreign Minister, Murray McCully, has already broken ranks and begun to engage with Fiji. While Read more
The Fijian leader, Frank Bainimarama, has strongly denied claims made by two prominent former local journalists – writing in the New Zealand media – that he made three coup attempts before his successful takeover in December 2006. In his interview with Grubsheet in Suva, the Fijian leader said the allegations were “not true”. In the Read more
The Fiji Literary Festival was held in Nadi from 2 to 9 October 2011. Speakers included Graham Davis, an independent Fiji-born journalist and publisher of the political blog Grubsheet, and Fiji Ministry of Information permanent secretary Sharon Smith-Johns. Both addressed issues regarding the role of the media in Fiji. Davis asked, “In reporting in Fiji which version Read more
The interim Fijian Government says it expects Australia to respond positively to a request to extradite Ratu Tevita Mara. It may be disappointed because the Australian and New Zealand Governments appear see Mara as a credible figure around which to base a serious challenge to Commodore Bainimarama Mara began his campaign in Australia by invoking the mana of his father, Read more