Page 6 - November 2021 IB FINAL

View From The West

POLITICAL BEDFELLOWS

By Dennis Rounds

Preparations are well underway in Fiji where the political
machinery is already being greased in readiness for the next
General Election, scheduled for late 2022.
Living here in the western cane belts, I’m reminded of that
American politician, Ed Gillespie, who said “politics swings
like a pendulum.”
I can’t help but wonder whether the sugar and tourism
industries will be the “pivot” which determines how our po-
litical pendulum swings next year.
It must be my “western bias”, but the reality is the Fijian
economy has grown largely off the backs of these two major
west-based industries.
And people in western Fiji are all too familiar with the con-
sequences of how a spiralling “financial nose-dive” suffered
by both the sugar and tourism industries will impact on their
own livelihoods. National Federation Party and the Fiji Labour Party are hoping
At least two political parties, the Fiji Labour Party (FLP) disgruntled sugar and tourism workers will swing the vote in
and the National Federation Party (NFP) recognise this grow- their favour – even if it means only a couple of seats being
ing concern and have strategically begun their electioneering taken away from Frank Bainimarama’s FijiFirst Party.
campaigns riding on the backs of disgruntled cane farmers and Should that happen, Fijians could find themselves with an
hotel industry workers. interesting political leadership issue at the next General Elec-
Admittedly, the FijiFirst government has unwittingly “added tion.
fuel to the fire” of growing dissent by reneging on its promise Opposition parties (with the exception of the Social Demo-
of guaranteed cane prices to farmers and what is viewed as cratic Liberal Party – SODELPA and the National Federation
its indifference to the plight of travel industry workers, many Party) have begun efforts to unite in their efforts to unseat
of whom are being “re-employed” – post COVID - on reduced the FijiFirst government.
salaries. However the alliance appears fragile and already the leader
National Federation Party leader, Professor Biman Prasad, of the Unity Fiji Party, Savenaca Narube, has publicly lament-
claims canegrowers have lost $10.13 million in earnings over ed the fragmentation that exists.
the past two years. “The initiative by the Fiji Labour Party, the Freedom Alli-
He says the losses can be attributed to farmers being short- ance and Unity Fiji towards the unification of the opposition
changed F$2.79 per tonne of cane for the 2019 season and parties before the 2022 election have revealed the agendas of
$2.94 per tonne for last year’s crop. several opposition parties to fight the election on their own,”
Professor Prasad has also launched a scathing attack on the he said.
FijiFirst government for what he has described as an insolvent “I respect the views of all opposition parties. At least we
Fiji Sugar Corporation (FSC) which “needs a massive financial now know where each of us stand.”
investment to maintain its status as a viable entity in the “But I lament that when this election is our best chance in
future”. 16 years to change the government, some of us are betting
He claims proof of FSC’s insolvency “lies in Government’s on history, and the razor polls. We do not seem to have learnt
moves to compulsorily acquire shares held by minority from the last two elections,” the Unity Fiji Party leader and
shareholders and individuals at half a cent (0.005 cents) per former Reserve Bank of Fiji Governor said.
share”. Perhaps Mr Narube has forgotten what Charles Dudley War-
As the major shareholder (90%) in FSC, the government, ner once said - that “politics makes strange bedfellows”.
through its Ministry of Economy, has written to minority share- The leader of the newly formed People’s Alliance Party,
holders advising them of the decision to “compulsory acquire” Sitiveni Rabuka, can probably also confirm for him Good-
their shares at the stated price. man Ace’s counter argument that “Politics makes estranged
Apparently, Section 263 of the Companies Act 2015, empow- bedfellows”!
ers anyone holding at least 90% of shares in a company to bid
for the remainder of the shares. editor@islandsbusiness.com
The share price offered has sent shock waves and resent-
ment among minority shareholders. Dennis Rounds is a former owner of Islands Business and a
If indeed politics swings like a pendulum, then both the veteran journalist.

6 Islands Business, November 2021