'Shine A Light': Fiji Continuing Struggle Against Corruption

The absence of a robust whistleblowing legislation in Fiji means we are far from eliminating corruption in our private and public sectors, says an advocate of anti-corruption in the Pacific.

Graham Leung echoed statements strongly shared by the United Nations Pacific Regional Anti-Corruption, Integrity Fiji/Transparency Fiji, political party leaders and several regional and international agreements, such as the Teieniwa Vision, and the Inda-Pacific Economic Framework, that Fiji endorsed.

Mr Leung, a Fiji-based legal expert, was the former chairperson of the Pacific Islands Law Officers Network (PILON) Working Group on corruption.

He said there was a heavy price for not eradicating corruption.

"It erodes confidence in the country and discourages foreign investment.

Ultimately, it is the poor and the public that will carry the burden of corruption," Mr Leung said.

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Pacific Regional Anti-Corruption Adviser, Marie Pegie Cauchois, said whistleblowing was a key tool to detect corruption.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Biman Prasad, said whistle blowing was good, but it needed to be managed effectively because of misinformation that could be spread through social media.

"I am not sure whether we can legislate that (whistleblowing) as a country, as a law," Mr Prasad said.

"I would encourage organisations which are more prone to corruption and mismanagement to have whistleblower policy to allow people to come forward and provide information, not only to prosecute people but to stop the loopholes that people use to engage in corrupt practices."

As a continuation of the Shine A Light articles published over the past six consecutive Fiji Sun Weekend editions on the use of $360 million of taxpayers' money to rehabilitate schools and homes affected by Tropical Cyclone Winston in 2016, we dissect Fiji's effort in fighting corruption and why legislating whistle-blowing is long overdue.

Fiji Labour Party leader Mahendra Chaudhary, Unity Fiji party leader Savenaca Narube, former parliamentarian Niko Nawaikula, and construction and engineering industry experts have called for the establishment of a commission of inquiry to ascertain whether there were any financial discrepancies and mismanagement.

Questions put to the Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, Minister for Trade and Cooperatives, Small and Medium Enterprises, Manoa Kamikamica, on the coalitions stand in setting up a commission of inquiry to investigate Government-funded projects, remain unanswered.

Mr Prasad said FICAC was an important institution.

He said when the coalition was in Opposition, they had questioned how FICAC was used by the previous Government as an institution to target the Opposition and critics of Government.

FICAC was established on April 4, 2007, to eradicate the prevalence of corruption and systematic abuse, and the misuse of public funds and office throughout the public sector.

IS FIJI DOING ENOUGH OF FIGHT CORRUPTION?

Joseph Veramu, the outgoing executive director of Integrity Fiji/ Transparency Fiji, said the Government, through FICAC, was doing excellent work to curb corruption, having developed a five-year strategic plan spanning from 2024 to 2029.

Mr Veramu said stakeholders in the public and private sectors, including civil society and CSOs

should join hands to support FICAC in its work.

However, Mr Leung believes a lot more work needs to be done, and the capacity of the Fiji Police Force and FICAC regarding white collar crime needed improvement.

"Local expertise in forensic ac-counting trained in tracing the proceeds of crime need to be developed," he said.

He added the recent surge in drug-related crimes underscored the need for the authorities to make greater and more robust efforts at tackling those problems.

Eradicating corruption means:

■          Having laws on unexplained wealth;

■          Laws on extradition and mutual assistance that assist anticorruption efforts;

■          Witness and victim protection laws; and

■          Laws on asset seizure and proceeds of crime need to be reviewed and where gaps exist, strengthened. Mr Prasad said sometimes in the past investigations were on minor issues and not on how millions of dollars of public money was used.

WHISTLEBLOWING

A handbook produced by the PILON Working Group for its member countries, titled "Who, What, Why of Whistleblower Protection for the Pacific", highlighted that helping to expose corruption, whistleblowers promote an informed society and provide an essential and valuable service to the public.

While statutory bodies such as the Fiji Roads Authority, Housing Authority, have whistleblower policies, the challenge is enforcement.

"It's all very well to have good policies, but if they are not implemented or underpinned by strong laws, it remains simply that, a policy. Good and effective policies are a start, but it's only the beginning," Mr Leung said.

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