PRIME Minister Voreqe Bainimarama’s decision to attend the 50th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders meeting marks a significant turnaround for Fiji after he declared ten years ago that he wouldn’t attend the regional meeting because of Australia and New Zealand says academic Associate Professor Sandra Tarte.
Ms Tarte is the head of school and director for politics and international affairs at the University of the South Pacific.
Her comments comes after Mr Bainimarama confirmed outside Parliament last week that he would attend the regional meeting in August that would be held in Tuvalu after a lapse of ten years.
When questioned on the issues he would discuss at the forum, he said that he was not aware of the meeting agenda.
Ms Tarte said it was also important to note that Fiji had re-engaged with the forum over the past years resulting in the marked improvement of relations between Australia and New Zealand.
“So the criticisms that Bainimarama leveled in the past are perhaps less salient today. The Forum Secretariat, under the leadership of Dame Meg Taylor, has also become a champion of what has been dubbed ‘the new Pacific diplomacy’ – which Bainimarama was instrumental in forging; that is the Pacific islands being more assertive in promoting their collective interests and determining their future.”
As the PIF has taken on this mantle, we are also seeing Australia and New Zealand focusing on alternative strategies to maintain influence: through bilateral partnerships as well as new regional arrangements,”she said.
Ms Tarte said it was important to note that PIFs was the only forum where all regional leaders meet which Bainimarama should be part of.
