the system

letters

The system serves the system

I have recently noticed a popularly subscribed view that land use in Fiji and Hawaii are similar. I would like to correct this misconception.

The agrarian scene in Hawaii is one of constant awareness by the authorities in order to maxi mise productivity, investment and equity for all concerned.

Rural land use in Pacific island countries is a sensitive issue and efficient regulatory dispute processes are crucial to progressive land administrta tion.

This is fully taken into account in Hawaii. Parties to a land dispute have access to all normal judicial processes and these are carried out by a highly qualified and experienced judiciary.

In Fiji, things are very diffe rent. All land disputes have been placed in the care of a one-man tribunal with no gen eral legal qualification and no previous legal experience.

Appeal against the decisions of this tribunal is limited to a single central tribunal again one person which relies for evidence on a record compiled and presented by the lower one-man tribunal whose judge ment is the subject of the appeal.

Independent recording of evidence by the parties is not permitted. The system is almost worthy of the Ayatollah Khomeini and is a seedbed for potential injustice.

The consequences are stag nant land development and productivity and an almost total absence of meaningful new agricultural investment and de velopment over the past decade.

While it can be said that both Hawaii and Fiji are both major

island groups, both are multi racial and share the advantages of climate and western influ ence, the agricultural land use policies cannot be compared.

In Hawaii the system serves the nation. In Fiji the system serves the system.

In Hawaii multi-billion dollar

land developments are con tinually improving while in Fiji things are stagnating, largely due, I suggest, to the impedi ment presented by a farcial and unworkable disputation proce dure and the apathy of the government.

Maybe the coming election in

Fiji will bring about change and progress. But in the meantime intending investors should com pare systems, records and re sults in Fiji and Hawaii. They are markedly different.

Henry Y. Tiu,

Waianae, Honolulu.