New Fiji Government and what it means for anti-corruption advocacy

 Fiji now has a new Government led by Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka. He replaces Frank Bainimarama’s FijiFirst Party that had been in power for 16 years. 

Bainimarama had instigated a military coup in 2006. At that time, he claimed that he had wanted to “clean up” Fiji from corruption. While his government made many strides on socio-economic development, there were allegations in later years of nepotism in the appointment of his relatives to senior Government positions. His authoritarian democracy stifled local government elections, limited free speech and freedom of assembly. Bainimarama had held democratic elections in 2014 under a new constitution and won by a landslide.

Rabuka the new Prime Minister of the Coalition Government had previously carried out two military coups in 1987. He had also served as the democratically elected prime minister from 1992 to 1999. From Rabuka’s conservative pro-Fijian nationalist image in 1987, he had re-invented himself to become an inclusive statesman advocating for multicultural harmony in Fiji.

Bainimarama’s Government is credited with ratifying the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) and the setting up of the highly regarded national anti-corruption agency, the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption. One senior official from one of CLCT Integrity Fiji’s donor partners noted that FICAC is an anti-corruption agency in the Pacific that actually works and is efficient. In the Corruption Perceptions Index 2021 (released in Jan 2022) Fiji scored 55 out of 100 and was ranked 45 out of 180 nations. To be ranked in the top 50 least corrupt nations was commendable.

Rabuka’s political party had stated in their manifesto that they would phase out FICAC and have its functions undertaken by the Fiji Police Force or the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. To do this, Rabuka would need to amend the Constitution. There are indications that he will not phase out FICAC but review its modus operandi.

(r to l) Elsie Pickering, Josa (Amania!) Grace Konrote, Qalo Lesinawai and Rusula Cavalevu

Integrity Fiji Youth and Community Officer Grace Konrote said that at the outset, the NGO leaders realised that under the repressive Fiji Media Act, they had to be courageous and speak out even if that meant spending time in a police cell or hauled off to prison.

“We either spoke out or joined a less assertive group like say knitting or mat weaving. Our strategy was to be diplomatic and constructive in our advocacy.” Their testing moment came in early 2021 when the Bainimarama Government planned to introduce the Draft Police Bill. The Draft Bill proposed that a police officer should be allowed to seize, without warrant, any electronic storage device found in any crime scene. It would be lawful for any police officer to use reasonable force on any person who failed to comply. There were provisions to deploy police as soldiers subjected to military law during emergency situations.

https://www.fijivillage.com/news/Youth-for-Integrity-welcomes-PMs-comments-that-Draft-Police-Bill-will-not-go-in-its-current-form-to-Parliament-4rf5x8/

Qalo Lesinawai a part time event organiser for Integrity Fiji said that with the new Rabuka Government, they hoped that the oppressive Fiji Media Act would be repealed. This would allow them to do their anti-corruption advocacy without fear.

Elsie Pickering another part time event organiser said that the other issue they had to get used to were trolls who hounded them on social media. “We are not saying that they were sympathisers of the previous Government. We just had to develop thick skins and not lose sight of the reason our NGO was created and that is to support anti-corruption advocacy.”

What does the future hold?

The current political situation is still an unfolding narrative. The current government has a very slim majority. While there is hope that it will last the full 4 years, we must anticipate that the situation is fluid and can change. Integrity Fiji remains hopeful as the new coalition government has publicly stated that they will put more focus and attention on good governance which is a pre-condition for anti-corruption work in any society.

https://fijisun.com.fj/2022/12/26/good-governance-top-priority-kamikamica/?fbclid=IwAR3VI16CRsOlYJ5ud9EWOo9vHdRHStn8NnC-MHF4kC_QQ6R9l6iFsmgdEOU

Chairperson Jofiliti Veikoso acknowledged the great support Integrity Fiji had received from its partners in the Fiji National University, the anti-corruption agency FICAC, the Ministry of Economy’s Procurement Office, UN agencies, local embassies and high commissions, other NGOs and civil society. “Democracy can be cumbersome and long winded. However, we cannot go back to the old ways. For anti-corruption advocacy to thrive, we need lots of democracy in Fiji!”

Talanoa with the Fiji Supervisor of Elections – Lead Up to 2022 General Election

 Sakeo Moce

“SoE exhorted youth leaders to encourage their friends and family to cast their votes during election day.”

On the 22^nd of November 2022, Youths4IntegrityFiji, the youth network of Integrity Fiji organised a talanoa session with the Fiji Supervisor of Elections Mr Mohammed Saneem. The talanoa was to learn about the electoral processes and how the Fiji Election Office will expedite the process of the General Election 2022.

Sakeo Moce (Integrity Fiji Board Secretary) pictured with Supervisor of Elections Mohammed Saneem
 Overall, the session was very informative and insightful. We had initially set up the conference room at Tanoa Plaza International Hotel in a classroom structure but Mr Saneem suggested that we arrange the chairs close to each other and in a round-table discussion format. I thought this was cool as it allowed us to sit with him and listen to his Talanoa.

Talanoa Begins

Mr Saneem started the Talanoa by highlighting the current social cultural and socio economic context in Fiji, the role of governments in addressing the needs of the people, and some of the good progress and tangible changes that he observed overtime from when he was young to the Fiji of today. He then briefly talked about the National General Election and its role in effecting change in society and how it’s important for young people to participate in the whole process.

He said that youths can be candidates, polling agents, managing polling venues and most importantly youths needed to cast their vote. He mentioned that the youngest candidate is 21 years old.

He highlighted the role and the importance of youth to challenge the norms in society where some people always look at young people as immature, lack the experience and knowledge but overlooked the fact that young people are the torch bearers of the future, bring with them the energy, the excitement, dedication, willingness and the new ways of thinking to contribute positively to the development of society through the electoral process and beyond.

Saneem asked the youth leaders if they can stop being the biggest cheer leaders but advocate for their engagement in leadership position. He highlighted that the youngest polling venue manager in this year general election is an 18 years old individual who had participated well during the series of training they conducted Fiji.

He highlighted that some political parties objected to this saying that 18 years old is too young and should not be managing polling booths, to which he replied 18 years old is capable of doing and achieving anything provided they are trained and supported well.

SOE also highlighted and explained very briefly the electoral process, starting from voter registration, how the voting booth will be set up, how voting will take place, how the ballot papers will be managed before and after it has been used, how it will be stored, how voting and ballot papers will be monitored, how it will be counted, the role of polling agents and observers and how election results will be finalised and announced. All these information according to him is available in FEO website.

He also shared his concerns about the lack of interest from people to cast their votes during elections. He believed that some people registered with their office just for the sake of getting the voter ID cards and not necessarily to use it for voting during election day. He shared stories of a Bouncer from a Night Club in Suva who came to him with an envelope full of Fiji Voter ID card belonging to some young people who forgot to collect it from the Night Club Bouncer when they checked in. He mentioned that another person came to him with a box of voter ID card because people forgot to collect it after being served at the counter.

He also highlighted that out of the 9,000 plus people registered from overseas, only 400+ have applied for postal voting.

SOE responses to some our questions

If there is a Natural Disaster (God Forbid) then adjustments to the Fiji General Election may  happen and there are various factors such as severity of the natural disasters, recovery time etc will need to be considered in making any decisions in response to a crisis.

When asked about what could be some of the reasons for low voter turnout – he said that we just have to wait after the elections to learn about the reasons from the public about the electoral process. He said that in order for people to trust the process, political parties need to accept the final election results when it comes out. This spurred a lot of discussion and the youth leaders continued to be so inquisitive to learn about what can be done to address the low turnout that seems to be the trend in Fiji Elections. 

The SOE requested everyone to share one or two matters about what motivates them to go and cast their votes during election. Several young people spoke their minds and talked about things like employment opportunities, educations etc and Mr Saneem spoke about the benefits of voting and he gave an example of how he wrote a letter to the SDL government in 2006 requesting if the prize of "normal" meal in McDonalds can be reduced, and in that year, the Fiji Government actually reduced the prize of a meal serve from $7+ to $5+.

In my opinion, all the possible reasons given by the people as to why they don’t want to vote is valid, as they are sharing it from their owned lived experience. In order to address this, firstly, we need to organise this raw data into a body of knowledge through a proper and robust methodology, otherwise known as doing research about it, to investigate the factors influencing low turnout and the predisposing factors that influence the self-efficacy of the electorate in order to turn up and cast their votes during elections. Secondly, we need to organise the knowledge together to develop evidence-based strategies that would address this underlying issue of low turnout and the root causes through the construction of Theory of Change. This will also allow us to identify the critical assumptions that contributes to the success of the interventions, the risk that would hinder its success and also the partners and stakeholders that needs to work together to change the situation in terms of making strategic interventions that would increase the participation rate during the election day(s). In fact, I shared this with a friend who also attended this talanoa.

When asked about what’s the issue with the “Rock the Vote Campaign”, - he mentioned that under the Fiji campaign law no one is to engage in activities that bribe people to vote for them. It is illegal.

He added that Rock the Vote or Bring the Vote campaign is the US concept and it usually organised by Civil Society Organisations. He mentioned that CSO should be able to implement the concept in Fiji, but provided that apply for approval first from FEO just to make sure that everything about the program and/or project is in conformity to the current electoral laws of Fiji. He plead with the youths to encourage their friends and family to cast their votes during election.

Saneem described and explained the process of voting and what happens at different stages. He encouraged people to be observers and polling agents from their political parties to assist and observe the whole process. He highlighted that it’s important for polling agents and observers to be trained so that they know how to observe the process and don’t have to make unnecessary remarks. He also highlighted that he organised a similar talanoa with political parties to allow them to have accurate information about the whole electoral process.

We would have asked a lot of questions but the time was so short and we had to end the talanoa, have a group picture and enjoyed finger foods and network with everyone presents during the talanoa.

Young Fijians Discuss Corruption Issues and Voting Challenges in Upcoming Fiji National Elections 2022

Grace Konrote and Lati Shalom

With the writ for the Fiji National Elections 2022 expected any day soon (after the current Parliament has come to the end of its life – adjourned  sine dine), we did a talanoa discussion with high school and University student leaders on Tuesday 6 September, 2022. It was noted that the Global Corruption Barometer 2021 had recorded relatively low figures for political corruption but that Fijian youths should remain vigilant to ensure that these figures did not rise but brought further down. The GCB 2021 Survey for Fiji recorded that 4 percent were offered bribes in exchange for votes; 17 percent said that members of Parliament are corrupt, and 12 percent said that local government reps are corrupt. The youth leaders were inspired by the GCB 2021 findings that 83 percent of the Fijian public had expressed that ordinary people can make a difference in the fight against corruption.

Why were young people not enthusiastic about the upcoming 2022 Fiji National Elections? What can be done to overcome this lethargy? How can youths be encouraged to take active political roles?

 It was noted that in the 2018 Fiji National Elections only 62.79 percent of youths aged 18 to 20 had voted. The voting figure for those aged 21 to 30 was 60.4%. (In comparison, the voter turnout for those aged 41 to 50 was 81.73 percent and 74.7 percent for voters aged 31 to 40.) The FEO report noted that one of the 3 reasons for the low voter turnout was ‘disinterest.’

High school and University student leaders participating in our talanoa discussions said that they were bored, uninterested and not enthusiastic about Fiji Politics.

“Yes I have registered to vote but I am not sure if I’ll vote. I am not fired up by the candidates announced by parties. They look grog-doped and seem to be looking for work,” one Year 13 student said. “We need to see younger candidates.”

“We haven’t seen their manifestos. What are they offering young people in terms of jobs?” another Uni student asked.

A Year 12 girl from a prominent girl’s school piped up, “The opposition parties seem to be fighting amongst themselves.”

Her friend added, “They should unite and work together if they want to form the next government.”

Two students spoke up in support of the assistance provided by the Fiji First Government.

“But isn’t that a form of election bribery?” one male Year 13 student asked

“The writ of elections has not been announced yet. Campaigning has not yet started. This is Government assistance, not bribes,” one protested.

“But won’t the debt levels rise with all those handouts? Someone will end up paying for it in future,” the Year 13 boy persisted.

“Yeah, tell me about it,” another student said trying not to sound cynical while the rest laughed.

Do your parents discuss politics, elections, democracy with you?

All youths (with the exception of one) said that there were no discussions on these issues with their parents.

Yes, they had heard their parents griping about the economy, media freedom, health issues, politics and current affairs but the impression they got was that these discussions were only meant for the 4 walls of their homes. It was not meant to be aired outside their homes.

It seemed that discussions of Government political leaders was like talking about Lord Voldemort (the villain in the Harry Potter novels)– most parents dared not utter the names of the Honourable PM or AG in public (in a critical way).

“The walls have ears and what goes around comes around,” a student quipped trying to be funny.

Two students whose parents worked in senior government positions were emphatic that their parents would vote FijiFirst as they had done a lot of great things.

“But isn’t voting a secret thing that only the voter and God would know?’ another student asked. “Will they really vote for FF?”

The two students protested that they could not speak for God but were adamant that their parents would vote for the ruling party.

How can we change the mindset of youths and encourage them to vote?

It was suggested that manifestos should be presented with good illustrations (rather than the format of long technical essays.)

Promises should be costed and explanations should be provided on how it will be funded.

Party leaders and candidates should not mumble their words and speak clearly.

The date of the elections should be known 6 months in advance rather than being announced abruptly.

Free transport should be provided on election day.

Messages on encouraging young people to vote should also be done though films, songs, art and other creative ways.

Youths4Integrity is supported by Transparency International and will be organising more talanoa sessions and looking at creative ways of encouraging more young Fijians to vote.

Jared Misaele: A Fijian Youth for Integrity (International Youth Day - Feature 1)

 Jared Misaele: A Fijian Youth for Integrity (International Youth Day - Feature 1)

Jared and youth leaders conceptualise new social media ideas on anti-corruption at their July 12^th workshop

Jared,15, attends Jai Narayan College located in Suva City, Fiji and is in Year 11. When he is not helping his dad in their landscaping business, he is in the gym keeping fit. Jared is part of a group of dynamic high schoolers responsible for conceptualising integrity and anti-corruption tiktoks, films, contemporary dances, posters and other expressive arts on integrity and anti-corruption themes. (Integrity Fiji is National Contact for Transparency International and all its Board Members and Staff, with the exception of the Executive Director, are millennials in their twenties!)

Apart from coming up with new ideas, Jared has been very actively involved in participating in contemporary dances, acting in youtube videos, posing for posters and supporting Youths4IntegrityFiji in its integrity and anti-corruption advocacy.

 Jared’s mum is Australian and his dad is Fijian. He is loath to cutting his hair which has nice curly locks. “Can I tell my teacher that it’s multicultural for me that I’m Australian-Fijian and that I can keep my hair style?” he asked Grace Konrote the Coordinator of Youth Programs.

“That’s going to be a hard sell because the school rules says that everyone has to cut their hair very short and it applied to all students,” Grace said as gently as possible. “It’ll grow back again,” Grace added dumbly. They both laughed.

Recently Jared and his team put together a youtube video on resisting peer pressure. Do the Right Thing! Have Integrity!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aT7n6KRkr3g&t=39s

One of the highlights for Jared was during the Workshop organised with the Fijian Elections Office to explain Fiji’s electoral process and to encourage more young people over 18 to vote. The 18 to 25 demographic group recorded the lowest percentage of voters in the 2014 and 2018 National Elections. The Supervisor of Election Mohammed Saneem appointed Jared to be the Supervisor of Elections to conduct mock elections amongst the workshop participants.

As Supervisor, Jared had to tally votes and follow all the calculation methods used in the Fijian Electoral System. That gave him important insights into elections and what it entails.

This year’s International Youth Day celebration for Youths4IntegrityFiji is a special one given that the Chief Guest is the European Union Ambassador to the Pacific Mr Sujiro Seam. All Pacific multilateral and UN agencies are based in Suva City.

Jared and youth leaders will be responsible for organising the event. There will be special anti-corruption songs sung to choreographed dances. 

There is a tiktok competition on the theme of Anti-Corruption and everyone, like Jared, are planning their productions. The winners will be announced on International Youth Day.

Something is rotten in Melanesia!

Joseph Veramu

In the early seventeenth century, Shakespeare wrote the play Macbeth, which featured the famous line: “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark".  Today, when it comes to corruption at least, Denmark is far from rotten: the country was ranked first (with a score of 88) in the 2021 Corruptions Perception Index (CPI) – an annual index which measures perceived levels of public sector corruption by experts and the business community.

 Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for a handful of Melanesian countries also included on the latest CPI. Amongst the 180 countries assessed globally, Fiji ranked highest amongst the Pacific countries with a similar score to Dominica at 55 out of 100. 100 indicates very clean and 0 very corrupt. Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and PNG stagnated with scores similar to China, Hungary and Niger at 45, 43 and 31 respectively. PNG continues to rank the lowest on the index amongst the Pacific countries.

 While the CPI relies on experts to assess levels of corruption, a newly released survey shows that Melanesian citizens are also concerned about corruption.  The Global Corruption Barometer Pacific 2021 Survey – measures public perceptions of, and experiences with corruption.  Findings from Fiji noted that 68% of citizens think that corruption in government is a very big problem. The report also noted that, in comparison to other Pacific nations, more citizens in Solomon Islands and PNG were concerned about corruption. A staggering 97 percent in Solomon Islands and 96 percent in PNG said that corruption in government is a very big problem. In Vanuatu, the percentage of people who think that corruption is a very big problem in government was 73%.

 Can more be done to curb corruption and improve these findings?

  In most Melanesian nations, governments have made progress through law reform and policy development to meet key global anti-corruption commitments they have signed onto - such as the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC), and relevant targets under Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16. However, sometimes these well-meaning policies are not effectively translated into tangible actions in the annual plans of Ministries tasked with promoting transparency and accountability. 

 For example, an Inter-press Services (IPS) Report on 7/2/2022 quoted Busa Jeremiah Wenogo, a development economist in the capital of Papua New Guinea (PNG), Port Moresby, noting that “kickbacks offered to government officials to facilitate payment is still rampant. Most big civil and building contracts tend to have very strong political connections and ties, which means that the procurement process is still weak.” The same IPS report also quoted Ruth Liloqula, Chief Executive of Transparency Solomon Islands. She told IPS from the capital, Honiara that the most corrupt individuals and institutions in the country are members of parliament and companies extracting natural resources.

 It is also noted that there is sometimes a tendency to personalize culture. Tribal or kinship links are sometimes exploited by people in powerful positions for personal gain. This calls for governments to ensure greater accountability of political decision makers. It should be mandatory that public officials should publicly disclose their income and assets. These disclosures should be linked with mechanisms to identify and monitor potential conflicts of interest. There should be improved accountability in the use of discretionary public funds and ensuring that law enforcement institutions and the judiciary can effectively sanction high-level corruption.

 Integrity Fiji (Fijian civil society organisation focussed on anti-corruption) has recognised the value of collaborating with multiple stakeholders.  Working with the Ministry involved in government procurements has helped to ensure that vendors and suppliers are familiar with ethical compliance procedures. The Fijian Civil Society Organisation (CSO) also found that working closely with United Nations agencies like United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has been very helpful in providing best practices on anti-corruption strategies under the provisions of UNCAC. In the case of UNODC Pacific, they have excellent procurement resources and expertise to assist government procurement officers develop proactive competency skills in ethical processes.

  The CPI 2021 and other corruption surveys recently conducted in the region reveal that the situation has not changed for the better. This calls for evaluating the effectiveness of various activities in national anti-corruption plans. It may mean that “same old-same old’ activities where workshops are held in poverty-stricken villages, and long lectures in air-conditioned hotel settings are done away with because of their ineffectiveness. Governments in the anti-corruption space should be actively monitoring, re-strategising and adopting best practices as needed to ensure anti-corruption efforts yield impact in communities – particularly for those most marginalised.

 In Fiji, Papua New Guinea (PNG), Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, curbing public sector corruption is challenging. All is not well at the top of the political hierarchy in Melanesia. CSOs in the anti-corruption space can sometimes feel like Hamlet – sleep walking through anti-corruption advocacy as the ‘rank and gross’ spirits of corruption refuse to be curbed! Things must be done differently to start seeing some improvements.

 Joseph Veramu is Executive Director of Civic Leaders for Clean Transactions (CLCT) Integrity Fiji – Transparency International’s National Contact in Fiji

Tuvalu and Smaller Pacific Nations Must Have Proactive Anti-Corruption Policies

 The article also appeared in the Fiji Times of Feb 12, 2022 Joseph Veramu

Regional and global news media outlets are reporting that Tuvalu's Foreign Minister Simon Kofe has been nominated for the Nobel peace prize by Norwegian politician Guri Melby. Mr Kofe received global media prominence during COP26 when he gave an impassioned speech (that went viral) while standing knee-deep in the sea to highlight rising sea levels due to climate change. Saving Tuvalu, Kofe said, was akin to saving the world. There is much that the smaller Pacific Island states can do, for example, in accessing climate finance to assist in climate mitigation and adaptation strategies. There is also the cautionary argument that working with non-state actors in the anti-corruption space can help these nations overcome corruption issues that inevitably creep in when huge amounts of funds are being disbursed. Non state agencies represent citizen groups in small island states and although their discussions may be time consuming and raucous at times, they provide a vital kind of grassroots democracy that can inform parliamentary debates and decisions

Kofe’s nomination has also been positive in bringing attention to the smaller Pacific island nations (GDPs of between $200m to $500m), with vibrant cultures and sustainable marine practices, that are very rarely featured in media reports, unless they are sinking! Most of the publicity has usually centred around Tuvalu’s closest neighbour Fiji (GDP-$13b) which held the leadership of COP23. It is a refreshing change to see Tuvalu coming into prominence on the global climate change stage. Tuvalu leaders have a reputation for being robust in their climate change arguments especially in Pacific Forum Leaders’ meetings. Their strategy of presenting important climate change messages standing in knee deep water ensures their message becomes viral.

In 2019, then Tuvalu Prime Minister Sopoaga wanted regional leaders including Australia to endorse the Tuvalu Declaration, a strongly worded call to action from the Smaller Islands States grouping. Australia had resisted because it would have affected its massive coal exports and the language of the Declaration referred to climate change as a ‘crisis’ which the Australian Prime Minister did not agree with. The BBC on 12/10/21 reported leaked COP 26 documents showing nations lobbying to change the key climate report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the UN body tasked with evaluating the science of climate change. The BBC reported a senior Australian government official rejecting the conclusion that closing coal-fired power plants is necessary, even though ending the use of coal was one of the stated objectives of COP26. Australia was also part of a group of developed nations arguing in favour of emerging and currently expensive technologies designed to capture and permanently store carbon dioxide underground.

A Transparency International blog piece noted that “Many of the countries (no Pacific country is included in the list) judged most vulnerable to the most visible effects of climate change are also countries where experts perceive high levels of corruption in public services.

To access Global Climate Funds, it is important that small Pacific Island states like Tuvalu and Kiribati, for example, adhere to the same compliance standards as larger nations and not be treated any differently. These nations need to have robust anti-corruption agencies that investigate allegations and also have the expertise to successfully prosecute corruption cases. While the Global Corruption Barometer Survey 2021 did not cover Tuvalu, it surveyed 3 other similar smaller nations. The results are insightful. Blissful small islands are sometimes prone to corruption, despite our perceptions that they don’t often happen in paradise!  In Tonga, Kiribati and the Federated States of Micronesia it was reported that 38%, 64% and 61% respectively, of people paid a bribe for public services in the previous 12 months. The argument is made here that small Pacific Island states should not be ignored in anti-corruption strategies targeting internal corruption and international money laundering, for example.

The UNDP Pacific Office reported on 14/12/21 that it is supporting Tuvalu and Pacific nations to assess the climate-security risks and support them to design and implement risk management solutions that are sustainable, inclusive and catalytic. In 2021, Tuvalu was also part of the UNDP Pacific’s virtual knowledge forum to exchange experiences and views on ‘Intelligence-Led Financial Disruption of Corruption.’ The approach aimed to gather relevant information on various corruption offences and convert the information into useful intelligence by relevant Tuvalu agencies to identify facilitators of corruption.

Earlier in the article I alluded to the important role of non-state actors working in the anti-corruption space. For Pacific states with limited expertise in anti-corruption advocacy, working constructively with CSOs in this space can be beneficial in preventing corruption. A Transparency International blog piece noted, for example, that “Carbon offset markets have been found to present a myriad of corruption risks and fraud…Clearly defined social, environmental, and anti-corruption safeguards should be installed in climate project activities. A complaints mechanism and mandatory local stakeholder consultation procedures need to be created to avoid and swiftly address adverse local impacts.”   

A strong argument is being made for small Pacific Island nations to engage proactively with non-state players. A Transparency International blog article noted that, “The mandate of climate justice is not just environmental. It also calls for the protection of communities most vulnerable to it, often at the frontlines of fighting the climate crisis.”

While Mr Kofe of Tuvalu and other Pacific Island leaders stand in global climate change forums, in designer suits, to expound on their nations’ environmental plight, it is important that the people who make up these vulnerable nations are actively involved in grassroots democratic forums that take their insights and wisdom into serious consideration. CSOs in the anti-corruption space have built up a constructive body of knowledge working with communities and are better placed to work with Pacific Islands states in developing policies, accessing resources and other plans for promoting sustainability.

Joseph Veramu is an Executive of CLCT Integrity Fiji, the accredited National Contact for Transparency International in Fiji. 

Corruption Perceptions Index and the Anti-Corruption Landscape for Young Fijians

Shalom Tehilatti, Grace Konrote and Samu Walosio

In 2005 when Fiji’s Corruption Perceptions Index came out, we were 5, 3 and 6 years old respectively. We were too young to understand the implications of Fiji having a score of 40 out of 100. For the next 8 years from 2006 to 2013, Fiji had a military Government. Fiji was also not featured in the CPI until the latest release in 2022. (It needed a minimum of 3 international sources of data which was not available!)

We constantly hear remarks that we see the illiberal democracy we now have as normal as we did not live through a liberal democracy milieu. The CPI journey from 2005 to the deafening silence in between has reflected our own journeys from childhood to young adulthood, living through the COVID-19 pandemic and the limitations of public freedom, not to mention the corruption that it usually breeds. Life has not been easy in 2020 - 2021, because Fiji relies on tourism and when they stopped coming, we struggled.

Credit where it is due

We feel that we have to give credit where it is due. We may not always agree with the way things are run in Fiji but in their own fumbling way, the Fijian Government has scored 55 out of 100 in 2021. This gives it a rank of 45 out of 180 countries. A New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade Officer (We were funded by them in 2019 and continue to receive their funding through Transparency International) noted that Fiji is a country where its anti-corruption agency (set up under the provisions of UNCAC) actually works. 

We just feel that Fiji should not feel smug comparing our score to Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands or PNG. As the hub and the largest economy in the South Pacific, Fiji should be aspiring to emulate Australia and/or New Zealand.

Politically aware and active

Going back to our point on living in an illiberal democracy, we feel that we should be politically aware and be active in ensuring that democracy is nurtured and that human rights is protected. We are inspired by the statement of Ms Delia Ferreira Rubio the Chair of Transparency International that, “Human rights are not simply a nice-to-have in the fight against corruption. Authoritarianism makes anti-corruption efforts dependent on the whims of an elite. Ensuring that civil society and the media can speak freely and hold power to account is the only sustainable route to a corruption-free society. “

Transparency International’s analysis showed that upholding human rights is crucial in the fight against corruption, with countries who violate civil liberties scoring lower on the CPI.

Transparency International noted that since 2012, 90 per cent of countries have stagnated or declined in their civil liberties score. They add that corruption undermines the ability of governments to guarantee the human rights of their citizens. This affects the delivery of public services, the dispensation of justice and the provision of safety for all. In particular, grand corruption committed by high level officials usually combines the large-scale, transnational theft of public funds with gross human rights violations.

  Young people need to be anti-corruption fighter

Although many young Fijians of our generation are more interested in Uni studies and getting employed afterwards, we feel that they should be more politically active, questioning how they are ruled and fighting to curb corruption. Our demographic group had the lowest margin of voters in the 2014 and 2018 National Parliamentary Elections. One youth leader (perhaps uncharitably) quipped, “One set of thieves gets replaced by another. The political party name may change but the politicians’ motivations don’t seem to change. Why waste our time?”

This is the kind of thinking that breeds corruption in high places. We can change the way things are done by strengthening the integrity pillars of Parliament, the Judiciary, the Civil Service, Religious and Cultural Institutions. We should move towards a culture of integrity. We plead with the Fijian mainstream media not to be timid and to have the balls to be courageous in exposing corrupt acts.

There is no indication that voters in the 18-25 age group will vote in huge numbers in the 2022 Fijian National Elections despite the well-meaning efforts by the Fijian Elections Office. Not a week goes by without a headline from the mainstream media reporting on squabbles and bickering from the opposition parties. “They’re always fighting,” JonJon (He has a nice Fijian name but prefers to be called by his nickname!) said. ”If they are forever fighting and all parties are run by ex-military officers then it’s just not worth it to go out there and vote for one set of army types with another.”

Fijian CPI journey

The Fijian CPI journey for Fiji from 2005 to 2021 is also a story ‘in progress’ for us at Youths for Integrity and our NGO, CLCT-Integrity Fiji.  We have to model good behaviour. We are currently having our organisational and project audits. We have also faced some challenges working with conservative institutions run by baby boomers.  They find our emphasis on ‘social media education’ and our almost religious ‘Children of the Corn’ (their words!) devotion to our anti-corruption work quite unnerving.

We have our work cut out for us – The CPI 2021 results for Fiji has come out and the hard work needs to be done to ensure that Fiji’s score in 2022 increases rather than decreases.

We are so thankful for the wonderful support provided to us by Board Members and Staff of Transparency International New Zealand, the TI Pacific Office and all friends and well-wishers throughout the world. It means so much to us in our fight against corruption.