Happy to be back

By Asha Chand

Fiji’s re-entry into the Commonwealth fold after a lapse of 10 years has set the ball rolling for the country in terms of technical aid pack ages and training programmes under the Commonwealth banner.

When membership lapsed soon after the 1987 military coups which were staged by then brigadier-general and now Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, Fiji was shut out from all Commonwealth programmes. A popular sporting nation, she could not even participate in the Commonwealth Games.

But with the return, the Commonwealth Games in Malaysia next year would per haps be the first major event the country will participate in after the re-entry. And Fiji’s high commissioner to the United Kingdom, Filimoni Jitoko, is busy arrang ing meetings, forums, study attachments and visits by technical cooperation groups to Fiji.

Even Rabuka regrets the failure to rejoin the Commonwealth 10 years ago.

“My only regret is that we did not come back then,” he said during the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in October. He said no efforts had been made because at that time Fiji was being led by two paramount chiefs who did not see it fitting to return. We did not make any efforts in the past 10 years because it would have been unchiefly to go back into a home from where they had been ... I can use the word expelled from,” Rabuka said.

He said there was an underlying regret even in leaders of the other CHOGM members that Fiji was not approached to seek re-entry. Rabuka compared the Fiji situation 10 years ago to what is happening in countries like Nigeria which has several political prisoners. He said compared with all these other nations, Fiji’s situation was at least reasonable - there was no blood shed during the two military coups and a few weeks later the country had returned to civilian rule. “Our example can never be emulated by anyone ... perhaps we are small enough to be so close,” he said. He said Fiji was given a warm reception at the Commonwealth. “Fiji is very happy to be back in the Commonwealth. Now we want to be an example to the world,” he said. “I still think Fiji is the way the world should be,” Rabuka said. ■