PM: This has been a good meeting of the Pacific Islands Forum. The challenge before us was, in a word, democracy. How to defend it, how to preserve it, and how to restore it here in our own region.
When we met at the Pacific Islands Forum in Niue last year, the challenge was the message we sent to the Interim Government of Fiji and whether the Pacific Islands Forum was going to be fair dinkum about the restoration of democracy in Fiji. Well, through the Niue declaration last year, we demonstrated that was the case. And through the Port Moresby communiqué today, we have done so again.
What has occurred here in Port Moresby is for all countries in the region to send a loud and clear message to the government, the interim government in Fiji that they must return to the ballot box, and they must send the soldiers back to the barracks. That's a message which is important within Fiji. It's a message which is important right across the South Pacific region.
This is a region where Australia has fundamental interests. And part of those fundamental interests is to ensure that our neighbourhood is a democratic neighbourhood. On the content of the actual communiqué, what we had today was a resolution on the part of Pacific Island leaders to establish a clear and unequivocal timetable for the restoration of democracy in Fiji.
A clear timetable for 1 May for the Interim Government of Fiji to declare its intention to hold an election, and secondly for that election to be in fact held by the end of this year. Failure to do so will result in automatic suspension from the meetings of the Forum.
That has never occurred before in the history of the Pacific Islands Forum. This therefore was an important threshold for the Pacific Islands leaders to cross. And they've crossed it today, and they've done so unanimously. And the reason is, all countries within the neighbourhood, all leaders within our regions, are resolved that democracy is too fundamental a principle to be sacrificed and a line has to be drawn in the sand. A line that's been drawn in the sand with this communiqué.
Over to you.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister. Ilya Gridneff, AAP. Considering the capricious nature of Bainimarama, Commodore Bainimarama, how likely are you expecting this communiqué to be lived up to or has to be followed through?
PM: The Interim Government of Fiji has shown complete contempt for its previous commitments to hold democratic elections by March of this year. They gave that commitment to a meeting of the Pacific Islands Forum way back in 2007. The Pacific Islands Forum gave them until March of 2009 to hold an election. The Interim Government of Fiji has thumbed their noses at that. Therefore, we Australia, are sceptical, deeply sceptical about the bona fides of this political leader, and the Government, interim Government, that he represents. Nonetheless, the timetable which has been agreed upon by Pacific Islands leaders, provide ample and reasonable time to conclude whatever internal consultation has to be done within Fiji itself, and for the physical preparation of an election this year. Otherwise suspension follows. And that is the decision, clear cut which has been taken here unanimously in Port Moresby today.
JOURNALIST: So you are expecting suspension will happen?
PM: The ball now is very much in the court of the Interim Government of Fiji. Let's see what they do. The Pacific Island leaders have been reasonable, flexible but firm. They've established timelines in the sand. At which point, no further discussion, automatic suspension would ensue if an election is not held this year.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, Steve Marshall from the ABC. The region's given Fiji a lifetime, a lot of time. Why extend their timeframe, why not call for tougher sanctions and internationalise those things - call upon UN or the Commonwealth (inaudible).
PM: Well the United Nations and the Commonwealth are separately engaged in the internal processes of consultation within Fiji as we speak. And of course, other forums stand ready to assist with those consultation processes among the political parties. But in the history of the Pacific Islands Forum which is a long one, never before has an automatic tripwire for suspension been concluded by leaders. This is a break from past convention, and that is because Fiji has broken past conventions. Namely, the honouring of democracy in our region.
Also, it's important for the Forum to speak with one voice. And we have. Countries large, countries small. Melanesian states, Micronesian states, Polynesian states. Those with the closest possible relations with Fiji and those somewhat more removed. Unity across the region is important and it sends a clear message to the body politic within Fiji itself that this action by the military must be drawn to a close.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, Paul Toohey from The Australian newspaper.
PM: Hi Paul Toohey.
JOURNALIST: Hi, how are you?
PM: Good. I am Kevin Rudd from the Australian Government.
JOURNALIST: What do you do?
PM: I used to be from Queensland and I was here to help.
JOURNALIST: Given what we know about this guy, well firstly, have you ever spoken to him?
PM: No. Not that I can recall. May have been in some gathering somewhere, in case any of your photographic archives find me at some time 1986 in (inaudible), Brisbane or something, I don't know.
JOURNALIST: Do you think the threat of suspension is likely to put a (inaudible) in his power?
PM: You know the key thing here is for the region to speak with a clear voice about what the region stands for. You see either this region is one which says that a military coup is acceptable, or is one which says it is not. And what we've done today and through the communiqué in Niue last year is say it is not. And there is a clear timetable through which suspension will ensue. So we as a region have spoken with a clear voice of democratic resolve.
The second thing is this. We've also said loud and clear to the good people of Fiji, that it's time their Government returned the soldiers to the barracks and restored the democratic process. Because their friends and neighbours within the region do not regard this as right. Those two principles are important and they've been upheld today in the deliberations of the Forum.
JOURNALIST: But (inaudible) more handy if he speaks at the UN General Assembly (inaudible) removing racism and ethnically stacked elections and things like that. And he wants electoral reform before he has an election. Do you think he's got time to get in electoral reform before the end of this year?
PM: The resolve of the Pacific Islands Forum is that he has ample time in 2009 to draw these processes to a conclusion and to proceed to the ballot box. This has also been the clear reflection of the time it would take to hold an election by the ministerial contact group we have engaged separately with the Interim Government of Fiji. Time is a plenty, and remember in 2007, the Interim Fiji Government said then that 18 months later in March of 2009, no if's no buts no maybes, they go to the ballot box, and they didn't. So, Pacific Islands in the countries and the leaders have said, here's a test, you've got to pass it, this year's it, otherwise automatic suspension ensues. And that is what is new in this declaration.
JOURNALIST: It's been repeated by everyone who's come across it in the wires today that it could take five to ten years for the reforms that he wants to bring about. And the representative of Fiji, that was the Attorney General that was here, repeated the need for these reforms saying that you know we had four coups in the last two decades and if we rush this, there's no point having false elections that is perpetuating the same problems. Is this timeframe too short?
PM: Well those remarks about five to ten years, which were conveyed in the Fijian media today underlines the problem. You said that the Attorney General of the Interim Government of Fiji made reference to timelines. I quizzed directly (inaudible) Attorney General about five to ten years in his leaders' statement in Fiji yesterday. And I myself concluded that the answers were not satisfactory. You see, you can't allow this to drift on forever. You have to be clear cut about it. You have to be reasonable given the complexities of Fijian internal political life, but flexibility with a firm timeline is what we have agreed upon, after long and constructive and positive deliberations, and I'll commend the chairmanship of the Premier of Niue and the Grand Chief for hosting this important meeting. Remember in the history of the Forum, this hasn't been done before. It is new, and this with a significant stake (inaudible).
JOURNALIST: (inaudible)
PM: Well the Chair of the Forum, the Premier of Niue, consistent with the communiqué of the Niue Forum meeting, was under an obligation to convene a meeting at the mutual convenience of 13, 14, 15 individuals across the region, and did so, and that was agreed to be here in Port Moresby today. In fact the Niue communiqué called upon us to meet by the end of December. So the Chairman was doing the right thing. The Chief was also doing the right thing and doing everything possible to ensure the head of the Interim Government of Fiji could attend. He chose not to be here and remember, he chose not to attend in Niue last year with an excuse that was entirely unbelievable.
JOURNALIST: Is it your view Prime Minister that the people of Fiji suffer at this time under Frank Bainimarama?
PM: I believe that anyone who is deprived of their democratic voice, anyone who is deprived of fundamental freedoms of the press, and for goodness sake let's look at what's happened with the publisher of the Fiji Times today, are deprived of the lifeblood of being in a normal, democratic community. All people deserve, have a right to free access to the media and information. As I said earlier today, in a direct remark to the Attorney General of the Interim Government of Fiji, the decision to effectively expel the publisher of the Fiji Times is an absolute outrage. On a day when the Interim Government is seeking to convince us that it's all fine and dandy. The same day that the head of the Interim Government of Fiji says it might be five or ten years before they restore democracy. Again, the Forum reflected on all these factors, and that's why we have such a clear and unequivocal statement, and a process for automatic suspension.