[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 144 (Monday, December 1, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1667-E1668]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      HISTORICAL RECORD OF OPINION EDITORIAL ON DIPLOMACY IN FIJI

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                       HON. ENI F.H. FALEOMAVAEGA

                           of american samoa

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, December 1, 2014

  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to include, for 
historical purposes, an opinion editorial on diplomacy in Fiji.

                     [From The Hill, Jan. 25, 2012]

                Landlubber Diplomacy Won't Work in Fiji

           (By Rep. Eni F.H. Faleomavaega (D-American Samoa)

       Having no policy of its own, the U.S. marched in time, 
     applying section 508 sanction law which severed U.S. aid to 
     Fiji. U.S. sanctions, however, have had no consequence 
     because U.S. aid to Fiji was less than $3 million per year.
       Of consequence is Pakistan. In 1999, when General Pervez 
     Musharraf overthrew the democratically-elected government of 
     then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the U.S. waived 508 
     sanction law, despite the fact that for nearly ten years 
     General Musharraf never made good on his promise to resign 
     his military commission and hold free, fair and transparent 
     elections in Pakistan.
       The U.S., like Australia and New Zealand, cooperated with 
     Pakistan's regime--even providing billions in aid--because we 
     understood then like we should understand now that engagement 
     is vital to our interests and necessary if our long-term 
     objectives are peace, stability and democracy.
       Do Australia, New Zealand and the U.S. consider Fiji vital 
     to our interests? If not, I believe we should given China and 
     Iran's growing presence in the region. If so, we need a new 
     way forward.
       The U.S. can no longer rely on landlubber diplomacy which 
     seeks to force democracy by isolation. Every tautai 
     (navigator) knows--democracy can't be forced. Force is 
     contrary to the order of democracy and contrary to our innate 
     desire to choose.
       To succeed in Fiji, we must start from the beginning. The 
     legacy of Fiji's colonial past has never been fully resolved 
     since Fiji gained its independence in 1970. To date, Indians 
     control many of the small businesses. Australia and New 
     Zealand control major banking and commercial enterprises, and 
     indigenous Fijians control much of the communal land and 
     military establishment, with

[[Page E1668]]

     serious divisions existing between traditional leaders and 
     lower-ranking Fijians.
       So far, no resolutions have been established to provide 
     balance and fairness to both Fijians and ethnic Indians. In 
     the past 20 some years, Fiji has had four coups and three 
     constitutions. In the two coups of 1987 and the political 
     crisis of 2000, ethnic tensions played major roles.
       Until we understand this beginning and begin to converse 
     about it, democracy will not get underway. Having had several 
     discussions with interim Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama 
     and dozens of others during my visits to Fiji, I believe U.S. 
     leadership can help strengthen bilateral ties and improve 
     regional conditions.
       By employing smart diplomacy in Fiji--which has been the 
     hallmark of President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary 
     Clinton's foreign policy initiative even in Myanmar--I have 
     every hope that we can achieve equal suffrage and other 
     political, economic and social reforms targeted under the 
     ``Strategic Framework for Change,'' just as the interim Prime 
     Minister seeks.

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