Bulaman Blog - März 2007

30. März 2007, 20:00

Da kommt es also wieder, das wahrscheinlich in Fidschi am meisten ersehnte Wochenende: Hongkong Sevens. Es geht hier um die besten Rugbynationen der Welt, etwa 32 davon. Fidschi ist seit Beginn des Tournaments immer ein Kronfavorit gewesen. Anders als beim "normalen" Rugby kämpfen hier Teams mit je 7 Spielern gegeneinander. Das Spielfeld ist aber gleich gross wie beim "normalen" Rugby. Also muss extrem viel gerannt werden. Wahrscheinlich geht deshalb das Spiel nur 2 x 10 Minuten.

Bulagirl ist natürlich total aus dem Häuschen, denn "ihr" Team hat heute jedes Spiel gewonnen. Das gegen Sri Lanka, das gegen Portugal und um 11.00 auch noch das gegen Schottland. Gegen wen die unter dem Altmeister Waisale Serevi geführte Mannschaft spielen wird, ist noch ungewiss. Aber dennoch sage ich den Fidschis: lako Viti!!

Ja, früher konnte man das HK 7s regelrecht hören. Jeweils am Samstagnacht war es komisch still. Dann plötzlich brach in den Häusern in der Umgebung Jubel aus. Es wurde gerufen, gelacht, geschrieen, gejohlt. Man wusste damals dann, dass Fidschi wieder einen 'try' gemacht hat. Hat Fidschi dann gewonnen, wurde die ganze Nacht durchgebechert, sei es mit 'yaqona' (Kava), Fiji Bitter (Bier) oder Bounty Rum (52°!!! - aber wirklich einer der besten Rums, die ich kenne). Verlor Fidschi, war das aber eben halt auch ein Grund zum Feiern.

27. März 2007, 6:00

Heute etwas früher aufgestanden, so habe ich noch etwas Zeit, nach langem wieder mal was in dieses Blog zu schreiben. Die "Fiji Times" bringt heute einen recht guten Analyse-Artikel von Robert Matau:

Unspoken Aussie price of dollars

The writing was on the wall for Australia in Fiji. Big brother Down Under, if you may, or self-proclaimed knight in shining armour, Australia's billions were being scrutinised by our intelligence analysts'.

The analysts were watching Australia's influence in the Pacific.

These were not Johnny-come-lately analysts but people who had served in missions alongside Australian command in Bougainville, East Timor and had received training in Australian military academies.

The analysts were telling those who would listen that while Australia was pumping in money, it was pulling tight those proverbial purse strings.

Be it in good governance, poverty alleviating projects, infrastructural improvements or rural projects, the Australian dollar found its way around the backyard of many a Pacific country.

At the same time, terms were being dictated in the corridors of power.

Money always came at a price.

Greg Urwin's appointment as Secretary-General of the South Pacific Forum was another item that fuelled the analysts' fire.

Our analysts were telling those who would listen that Australian bureaucrats poured more money into countries that had more resources.

In 1996, a third of Australia's budget of $1.5billion went into the Pacific ($509million).

They even donated naval patrol boats that could only do just that patrol. The analysts told those who would listen that without weapons, the so-called patrol boats were simply equipped for carrying personnel and not to defend the Pacific's sovereignty or protect fisheries.

Australia's relationship with their South Pacific brothers meant it was committed to long-term projects to assist with national development efforts.

Australia's assistance to the Pacific focussed more on:

• economic reform and strengthening governance;
• law and justice, democratic institutions and conflict resolution;
• service provision, including in regional and provincial areas.

Australians still fund major health projects, thereby improving the limited resourced health systems of island nations. It provides training in the management of health services and the maintenance of equipment and infrastructure.

Among them, the Taveuni Rural and Community Health Project aimed to improve the overall health of the people of Taveuni through the development of an integrated community health service.

The Australians have always expressed their keen interest in the Pacific, and ensuring a political stability of its liking was maintained.

A strategy that one analyst said was bugging him was the fact that Australia was redirecting aid to policing rather than the military aspect of security.

That analyst spent a stint on Bougainville where he saw how the army was frustrated with its budget cut while trained elements stood up against the police.

For Fiji, the fears were growing with the naming of Andrew Hughes as Commissioner of Police.

Similarly, the fears were that the Fijian dominant army was going to be weakened by a police force that would listen to the Australian mandated commissioner.

It began intensifying when Hughes introduced the Police Tactical Response unit which had its own powerful weaponry.

Such was the intensity of the analysis that when Hughes was trying to stand off with the military, his family was threatened. He subsequently left.

The suspicions were that when police took over completely, the army would take a back seat in security similar to the Solomons.

The other fears were that the government could influence the police while those who were responsible for the 2000 coup were at large.

Hence the investigation against Bainimarama was a sign for the army to step in.

The analysts were there for the army and they read it and acted upon it.

Unfortunately the SDL government was not one of those who would hear.

The analysts claimed the SDL was also allegedly setting up another mineral sap for Big Brother in Fiji through some new bills.

The analysts were saying that another slap in the face was when the Australians built an armoury for the Fiji Military Forces.

However, without the proper weapons what use would an armoury be another naval patrol boat issue, the analysts said.

The analysts said Australian interests leaned heavily towards Papua New Guinea, Bougainville, the Solomon Islands and Fiji. Because this is where minerals and resources are concentrated, the analysts were telling those who would hear.

The analysts said the Aussies' attention was being redirected towards their North, closer to their Pacific neighbours.

This started when they started selling some military bases in the South and moved closer to the North where they could assemble their own forces in case of any threat from Indonesia and Malaysia.

The analysts said that move was prompted when former Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka started to look to Malaysia, a sovereign State that has a close affinity to Fiji because Fijians practically liberated the republic during the Malayan campaign.

The focus on Malaysia came after Australia closed its doors on Fiji in 1987.

While Australia was playing buddy to a number of Pacific nations, it was not so buddy with Fiji on issues like sugar where Fiji competed with Australia and Brazil for the world market, the analysts told those who would listen.

The analysts wanted us to believe that the Pacific should learn to stand alone.

While Australians are still treated with some contempt, the Pacific has learnt to live with its neighbours.

Then the money well started to dry up and the analysts were just beefing the egos of those who would hear. Or what they wanted to hear.

So while Australians and other donors pulled their money out those who had heard said so what?

But the way those who had heard were talking, it looked like for a moment that we would become that island.

But, we need $53million to recover, take a census and draw up new election boundaries.

The way we are asking for help now, shows that our island is not as remote as we were made to think.

Maybe in the future, analysts, who speak to those who will listen, should paint a clearer picture of that environment before passing judgment.

17. März 2007, 19:00

http://intelligentsiya.blogspot.com/ - eine Webseite mit Gedanken über Fidschi. Komisch, aber irgendwie habe ich das Gefühl, dass jemand in dieser Gruppe deutsch verstehen muss. Denn das Blog ist mit einer deutschen Benutzeroberfläche versehen.

Wer dahinter steht, weiss ich auch nicht. Aber der Armee scheinen diese Blogger ein Dorn im Auge zu sein. Denn die "Fiji Times" berichtete am 12. März:

Bloggers defend online actions

Monday, March 12, 2007

THE people behind an online blog have rejected claims by the interim administration that they are inciting violence through their website.

"What the military is doing is information warfare and a propaganda campaign focusing on Intelligentsiya as a sort of enemy of the State we're not," said the writers of behind the site called Intelligentsiya.

"We are just concerned that 10 or 20 years from now, if nobody stands up to military intimidation on our lives now, we don't want to regret not speaking out."

The bloggers made the comments in response to the military's efforts to locate them.

"The army is trying to clamp down on any dissenting view and using the state of emergency as justification," they said.

"But the people of any country should be free to peacefully question and challenge their ruling power without fear."

They said their site was about intelligent and passive resistance.

"We don't pretend to be a major news outlet," they said.

"We are bloggers and a blog implies it is personal to those involved. Media outlets are free to use our stuff if they verify it. However, we do try to check the tips that come to us first before we post them.

"The military was angered by a story we posted on a death which we have reason to believe did occur."

Army spokesman Major Neumi Leweni said they were still looking.

"No we have not identified them," he said.

"We are still looking."

Fiji Media Council chairman Daryl Tarte could not be reached for a comment.

Last week Interim Prime Minister and army commander Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama said he supported media freedom but warned that journalists who ran false and malicious stories would be taken in for questioning.

He cited the example of journalists running reports from websites such as Intelligentsia without validating them.

13. März 2007, 18.45

Habe in der Zwischenzeit nicht nichts gemacht. Aber irgendwie war ich immer busy. Es stehen noch ein paar Fidschi-Webseiten für mich an. Natürlich wird wahrscheinlich wie immer nicht bezahlt. Aber man nennt dies dort halt einfach "social service".

Und den werde ich wohl leisten müssen.

Hoffe, bald mehr in diesem Blog erzählen zu können. Man braucht halt einfach Zeit - welche ich abends nicht mehr habe (dann möchte ich nämlich flach liegen)

1. März 2007, ca. 19:30

Wieder einmal bin ich mit meinem Fidschi-Tagebuch in Verzug. So fange ich am besten von hinten an.

Dieser Leserbrief in der "Fiji Times" ist aufschlussreich:

Name-brand accessories

WHEN Laisa Digitaki wrote about her ordeal at the hands of the military, I at first sympathised with her.

On a second reading, I noticed that she went into considerable detail about certain aspects of her experience, which I found disturbing and quite frankly, after the second reading, my sympathy went right out the door.

She started by explaining that the soldiers came to her home, which had an electronic gate and a security guard.

All right, not everyone has that luxury.

Then in the process of describing what happened to her, she proceeds to itemise her name-brand accessories, including her shoes, sunglasses, etc.

It was quite unnecessary and simply shows the vanity of the person.

She also mentioned that her ex-husband is now her "live-in partner".

What is that, a tax ploy?

All she had to do was to say that when the soldiers arrived, she was not dressed appropriately and when they asked her to accompany them, she changed into other clothes.

The itemising of each piece of clothing and accessory was unnecessary and shows arrogance and a disdain for other people.

Many citizens in Fiji have questioned the action of the pro-democracy activists including Ms Digitaki, who were absent during the 2000 crisis.

Where was the support for the democratically elected FLP, held hostage for 50-plus days?

The FLP was not an Indian-dominated party as George Speight, Rabuka and company led us to believe, as the majority of the Cabinet were Fijians, including Adi Koila Nailatikau.

Why wasn't there any sign waving and protest then?

Was Ms Digitaki one of the "shadowy figures" described by sacked police commissioner Andrew Hughes?

I hope, in the course of investigating Fijian Holdings Limited, the authorities will also look at how people such as Ms Digitaki, Laisenia Qarase and others may have benefited from inside information, enabling them to buy shares in FHL and therefore have an unfair advantage over regular poor Fijians out there in the provinces who couldn't afford the so-called "name brand" accessories.

A question that still needs to be answered by Mr Qarase is who authorised the conversion of the original $20million loan to FHL into an outright grant?

Inoke Suguturaga
Honolulu
Hawaii

 

Inoke ist korrekt, als das die Verteilung dieser "Super-Aktien" schlau eingefädelt wurde. Natürlich wurde das Ganze in den lokalen Zeitungen publiziert. Aber nicht alle Leute haben täglich Zugriff zu Zeitungen. Weiterentfernte Inseln erhalten die Zeitung meist einen Tag später.

Man darf gespannt sein, ob bei diesem Aktien-Deal auch noch eine Untersuchung starten wird. Könnte durchaus sein.

Müsste eigentlich sein.

***

Da lese ich heute in der "Fiji Times", dass irgendein Australier im Yaqara Studio City ein neues Filmproduktionsstudio einrichten wolle. Würde mich nicht kratzen, aber er schwafelt etwas von 450 Millionen Fidschidollars, also etwa 380 Millionen CHF.

Hier zunächst mal der Artikel:

A $450MILLION movie production studio could begin operations in Fiji as early as next month, according to the Australian company that's behind the project.

New South Wales-based Beach Hut Media will operate the studio from the Yaqara Studio City, said chief executive officer, Brett Goldsworthy, at a press conference at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry yesterday.

The company has been registered under the name Beach Hut Media Fiji.

It will operate from the University of the South Pacific's Yaqara Campus site.

Mr Goldsworthy said they were hoping to employ many talented locals to be part of the team.

He said while the production studio would not be anything as big as Warner Brothers, they did hope to contribute to Fiji's economy and bring in much-needed investment and employment.

Mr Goldsworthy said he was very impressed with the students he saw at the Fiji Institute of Technology School of Arts campus.

He hopes to introduce producers from overseas markets to invest in Fiji and get films produced here.

Mr Goldsworthy, who was born in Papua New Guinea but is an Australian citizen, said he understood the Pacific culture and would not have any problems dealing or working with locals.

He said the first part of the project would see about 25 feature films being produced in Fiji.

The focus of the animated movies will be for the younger crowd that can enjoy a good family fun movie.

Mr Goldsworthy said he would be bringing in United States-based scriptwriters into the country this month.

He said he would also be engaging in talks with FIT on the project soon.

He also planned to invest in other areas like the pearl industry.

Mr Goldsworthy said the current political situation did not deter an investor like him from doing business in Fiji.
End of story

 

Man googelt mit "Beach Hut Media" rum. Und erfährt nicht viel. Irgendwie ging die Firma mit einer 120-Millionenklage gegen Fujitsu vor Gericht.

Die Website ist outdated. Keine Einträge nach Oktober 2006.

Und nun kommt dieser Typ und proklamiert 450 Millionen!

Be aware, kann ich den Leuten in Fidschi nur sagen.

***

Ein Sandeep Sekhar aus Indien sagt, impliziert, dass die IT-Industrie in Fidschi das nächste wollmilch-eierlegende Tier der Nation sein könne.

Können, ja. Aber will das jemand? Will das die jetztige Politik?

Interessant wird die Ankündigung erst, als ich erfahre, dass er meine früheren Arbeitgeber, Vinod Patel, erwähnt.

Immerhin ist Vinod Patel eine Firma mit fast 1000 Arbeitern.

Gehört habe ich mal, dass sie SAP installieren wollen.

1994 habe ich ja bei dieser Firma SBT Pro eingeführt, eine integrierte Lösung basierend auf dem alten Microsoft FoxPro 2.6.

Natürlich hatte die Software Mängel. Aber wir hatten immerhin den ganzen Quellcode (source code) des Programms.

Mit SAP wird da nix mehr gehen.

Muss mich mal erkundigen, wie weit Vinod Patel jetzt ist. Vor allem, wie viel das Ganze kosten soll.

Wahrscheinlich wird man noch mehr hier darüber erfahren können.

Hier mal der Artikekl von der "Fiji Times":

ICT has room to grow: Sekhara

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

FIJI'S Information and Communication Technology industry could become a billion dollar industry if properly developed, says a professional from India who is in the country to meet the interim administration.

Sandeep Sekhar said the industry could be next to tourism within the next five to 10 years if the interim government focuses on developing the industry.

Mr Sekhar will meet with the interim government to discuss how to develop ICT industry.

Mr Sekhar, who has been in the ICT industry for the past 17 years, is the founder and chairman of one of the leading IT companies in India.

"We have worked with the Fiji National Provident Fund and other companies such as Vinod Patel to bring local solutions and technologies to Fiji," Mr Sekhar said.

Mr Sekhar said Fiji's industry was far behind global standards.

"Global ICT industry is running in fourth or fifth generation and majority of the technologies that I have witnessed here is on first or second generation."

With the sugar and garment industries not performing well, Mr Sekhar said the interim administration should look at other sectors such as service industry.

He said the interim administration should fix infrastructure, and provide incentive program to create an environment for ICT companies to come to Fiji.

He said ICT companies should not only service the domestic but international markets including Australia and New Zealand as this would bring in foreign revenue and create employment in the country.

"Fiji naturally has potential compared to other island countries. We should take advantage of this."

Mr Sekhar said his company had plans to operate its service centre in Fiji if an enabling environment for the ICT industry was created.

He said there was a knowledge gap which needed to be plugged in.

"The only way to plug this is a lot of large organisations of private and government needs to adopt IT. So that local talent is created. After some time there is huge local talent that can serve other countries such as US, Australia," he said.

Mr Sekhar said the IT solutions in Fiji were mainly outdated.

He said the latest solutions were adopted by the Native Land Trust Board and Vinod Patel but people were not experienced enough to handle this.