IS the frosty political climate thawing?
First Fiji’s Interim Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama announces that his government wants to resume diplomatic relations with Australia and then Fiji appoints a New Zealander as Supervisor of Elections.
Bainimarama’s speech to an Australia Fiji Business Council meeting last week also included an appeal to the Australian government to restart its development assistance program which was suspended after the 2006 coup.
The statement is effectively a Fijian welcome mat strategically placed before an open door.
The appointment of an outsider, who has no connection to the Interim Government and no experience organising ballots, to oversee Fiji’s election process is also designed to soothe doubts about Fiji’s dedication to democracy.
Maurice Coughlan, an Auckland lawyer, takes up a three-year appointment in early May.
