After 10 years, Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama will this year attend the Pacific Islands Forum.

He confirmed this to the Fiji Sun yesterday. This year’s forum which is the 50th Forum meet will be held in August, hosted by Tuvalu.
Mr Bainimarama had snubbed the Forum since 2009 after previous Australian Governments had attempted to strong-arm Fiji into holding elections in 2009.

Mr Bainimarama and Fiji have maintained that Australia and New Zealand should not have voting powers in the Forum.
Australia and New Zealand had been very confrontational since 2006.

They had led the charge in placing sanctions against Fiji and went to the extent of disallowing family members of all military officers’ entry into their countries.

In 2009, they mounted pressure for elections to be called. Fiji did not relent and went on to boycott the Leaders meeting at the Forum. We have instead sent ministers in recent years.

While Fiji has accepted Mr Bainimarama’s attendance, Australia and New Zealand need to be wary that Fiji’s stance on the two countries and their influence on the Forum has not changed.

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