Nothing Wrong With Speaking Our Mind and Posing Relevant Questions to Development Partners

Who said we cannot stand up to the United States or any other developed country for that matter and seek clarifications on important issues like climate change?

There is nothing in the international diplomacy handbook that says we can’t.

The size of the country does not matter but, respecting its sovereignty rights is paramount.

This principle governs international relations and bilateral relations between countries.

The controversy over the exclusion of Fiji from a climate summit has been fuelled by politicians and their cohorts whose political agenda is to discredit the Government at every opportunity.

They are rediculing the action of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in summoning Tony Gruebel, the Charges de Affaires of the American Embassy in Suva to a meeting with Ratu Inoke Kubuabola to clarify the situation. Ratu Inoke is Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama’s Special Envoy to the Pacific Islands Forum.

Ratu Inoke asked a legitimate question on why Marshall Islands was invited and not Fiji the incoming chair to PIF or Tuvalu which holds the current chair. Mr Gruebel clarified that Fiji was going to be invited to the ministerial meeting. The world leaders summit has a different format and

PIF is not required there.

The cynical remarks by those who belittled Fiji’s response smacks of arrogance and a colonial hangover. The question that who is Fiji to question the USA represents this superiority complex - a throwback from a colonial past.

Sadly some among us are caught in that paradigm because it suits their political agenda.

Politics aside, Fiji has the right as a sovereign nation to ask countries that it has established diplomatic relations with to explain the reasons for their decisions.

In this case, Mr Gruebel has explained the reasons why Fiji was excluded.

Secondly, he has explained the USA position over the threat by Micronesia to pull out from PIF in the dispute over the selection of the Secretary General.

The Gruebel-Ratu Inoke meeting was a normal meeting at that level to clarify issues that Fiji has a right to understand.