Fiji’s Foreign Vital for Growth Affairs Politics Development
Fiji’s foreign policy is paramount with the 2022 general election now in the books.
Foreign policy experts say Fiji’s major international partners - Australia, New Zealand, and the People’s Republic of China are closely monitoring the outcome of the election.
Robin Nair said the international community would accept the result of the election, as long as it’s a credible election.
Mr Nair, a former Fijian diplomat, is a current adjunct professor at the Cairns Institute at the James Cook University in Australia.
He served as Fiji’s ambassador in Abu Dhabi from July 2012 to October 2015.
He was also the permanent secretary for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from May 2016 to May 2019, apart from holding other portfolios within the Fijian Government.
Mr Nair and Dr Sandra Tarte of the University of the South Pacific (USP) share the same sentiment that Fiji’s approach to international and regional politics would remain the same should Fiji continue with the same political structure, led by the FijiFirst party, over the next four years.
Dr Tarte is the associate professor and acting head of school for the School of Law and Social Sciences at USP.
She is the director politics and international affairs programme.
WHAT’S FIJI’S CURRENT INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS POLICY
Fiji takes advantage of the pres
ence of China, Australia, and New Zealand in the Pacific, says Mr Nair.
Fiji stands by the notion that it is friends to all its international partners and enemies to none.
“We still have the dominance of Australia and New Zealand, and then we have China,” he said.
Mr Nair said the present Fijian Government had cleverly used the competition between Australia, New Zealand and China in the Pacific to receive benefits.
“(Present Fiji Government) knows that Australia and New Zealand are too preoccupied with China, that they will try to buy their favour, throw money at them, without any accountability.”
Mr Nair added that Fiji would play the game.
“They will put China against Australia and New Zealand anytime to get benefits from both sides, but I don’t think anything will change should we have the same Government.
“I think the losers won’t be the international community if they carry on like that. It will be the people.”
Mr Nair said there was competition being played.
“So, there’s geopolitics being played, and they pretend that they are intervening, particularly Australia and New Zealand, intervening in the interest of the Pacific people.”
(Present Fiji Government) knows that Australia and New Zealand are too preoccupied with China, that they will try to buy their favour. - Robin Nair, former Fiji diplomat.
AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND
Mr Nair said Australia and New Zealand were only concerned about their own interests in the region, not so much the Pacific people, including Fijians.
“Australia and New Zealand used to pride themselves by saying that their foreign policies are values based, but it’s no longer. Their foreign policy is totally played out in the Pacific in their national interest.
“We can understand their national interest, we can’t argue about that. But they have shown that their national interest is really superior to the national interest of the Pacific Islanders, in our case, higher than, more important than the Fijians.”
Mr Nair said both countries had failed to look at the governance of Fiji.
“They’ll have to show a little bit more interest in the governance of Fiji. And the new (Fijian) Government, they’d want to see that the government will be based on a moral fibre. They’d want Australia and New Zealand to know that they did not appreciate their foreign policy towards Fiji, in terms of turning a blind eye to governance issues.”
Mr Nair added the new Government would be aware that Fiji would still need Australia and New Zealand.
“We need them for guidance, not only economically and development, we need them to show a little bit more interest in helping us develop good governance practices.”
Dr Tarte said all countries prioritised their own interests, and national interest came first.
“But certainly it’s a question of how those interests are aligned with interests of other countries.
“And Australia wants to be in a close relationship with the Pacific Island countries, and to do that,
Australia needs to listen to what the Pacific Island countries wants, it’s a mutual thing.
“If Australia wants influence in the Pacific, it needs to be working with the island countries, it’s not a one way, especially with their concern of China in the Pacific.”
Mr Nair said international politics was as such in the region that geopolitics played in favour of the present government of Fiji,
CONSEQUENCES OF TAKING ADVANTAGE OF COMPETITION IN THE PACIFIC
Mr Nair said if Fiji does not carefully analyse and regroup its international policies, then the people of Fiji would be the most affected.
“There will be the loss of freedom, the loss of human rights and the loss of good governance.”
Mr Nair claimed that the people of Fiji would suffer from the type of governance seen over the past 16 years.
FUTURE OF FIJI’S INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
Dr Tarte said foreign policy was not on anyone’s agenda in the 2022 general election, or the manifestos of the political parties.
But international cooperation is important for Fiji’s growth and development.
Dr Tarte says that should the FijiFirst party prevail again, there would be no change to its foreign policy.
“If (FijiFirst) wins, they will think that the people have endorsed their foreign policy, (FijiFirst) would assume that they have endorsed all that policy, even the debt policy,” Mr Nair said.
However, Dr Tarte and Mr Nair both believe that a new Government would spell changes to Fiji’s foreign policy.
“Assuming Rabuka’s government is sworn in, they will continue the same foreign policy fundamentals as the FijiFirst Government, but there would be slight changes to the to personnel holding office.”
Dr Tarte said Fiji’s current relationship with China was likely to remain.
“Fiji’s relationship with China has not been as close as it once was, because we have become closer now with Australia, New Zealand and the United States of America. I think it’s balancing out more. I don’t see any major change with China either,” she said.
“I don’t think it’s a good thing necessarily for democracy, regardless of this situation we are in.”
Mr Nair said a new Government would mean a different tone to how the country is governed.
“The new Government will have the same principles of governance
and something in common in terms of governance is concerned with the developed world rather than with China.”
Mr Nair said the new Government would be very careful, how they trade and deal with China.
“We all need China. China is very much part of the international community.
“China is a very important country both militarily and economically important to Fiji.
“We will need to have a good relationship, but will have balanced the relationship in terms of the way we deal with them.”