 The third quarter of 2007 saw some changes in the Commission, with the Acting Chairperson, Mr. Rodney Acraman leaving to continue his retirement after 6 eventful months in the Commission. The Acting Chairperson did an enormous amount of work during his time with us. He supported me personally in my work in writing legal reports and investigating complaints relating to the December 5 th events, and kept the 'wolves' from the door in all other respects so that, under his protection, staff were able to carry out the work mandated under the Constitution and our Act. I found myself deeply admiring the strength and courage of FHRC staff in being able to deal with major challenges in the last quarter.
The Elections and Media Inquiries undertaken by the Commission in August were in line with our strategic and corporate plans which state that we are expected to conduct public inquiries annually. The Commission had failed to undertake any inquiry in 2006; two inquiries were therefore due to take place in 2007. The decision to undertake an inquiry into whether the right of people to vote in the 2006 elections was respected arose out of public interest in "democracy" especially after allegations were made against the 2006 elections by complainants who felt that their voting rights had not been respected. The Report of the Elections Inquiry can be found on our website. The second Inquiry, into freedom and independence of the media, was undertaken to review whether, and to what extent, we could claim these rights in Fiji . The Media Inquiry arose out of a request to FHRC by international NGO Article 19 to submit an entry for its anniversary publication on a wide range of subjects relating to freedom of the media, including ownership and scope of operations as well as work conditions of journalists and professionals. The Media Inquiry report is still being finalized. Next year, subject to finance, the Commission will undertake another public inquiry on a relevant subject. We find the inquiry mode to be an excellent method for gauging the vox populi or public voice, especially since parliament has been suspended. We know that democracy is a precious but fragile political condition that can be easily manipulated or rigged. It is a pity that a number of civil society organizations in Fiji , and purported human rights advocates, have not addressed important issues on democracy. We have to ask why. Our type of democracy has been used to shield cronyism, abuse of office and structural human rights violations. I agreed with Mrs Sonya Gandhi when she told a conference which I attended earlier this year that, 'sometimes democratic forms hide undemocratic practices' . We should pay heed to such observations; human rights cannot be protected adequately under false pretences or delusions about democracy. The challenge is to find out how everyone in Fiji can have a voice in decision-making. This is a human rights issue no less than a political one. To Top of Page |
