Let him grow

Fijian Prime Minister, Frank Bainimarama is a “kid” who does not understand issues of international relevance.

As a matter of fact, according to Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Sa’ilele Malielegaoi, he is so young “he just cannot see beyond a (military) drum.”

“All he knows about are military stuff. He doesn't have any understanding about issues of international importance.” He added that Bainimarama is much like the “kids who write for the newspaper.”

Tuilaepa did not say which newspaper he was referring to.

But the Prime Minister was responding to Bainimarama calling him a “lap dog” for Australia and New Zealand.

“I consider Bani as fresh, young. Of course the words he mentioned are not the words of a matured leader,” said Tuilaepa.

“They are the words of a very young leader, still to develop into maturity, so I give him that benefit to grow, to develop and I forgive him.”

On Wednesday, Mr. Bainimarama said Tuilaepa only sings to the tune of New Zealand and Australia.

“He attacks his dog, he attacks his rugby team, he attacks everything he can get his hands on,” Mr. Bainimarama said. “He is talking about me playing drums. At least I can play an instrument. All he can do is bark and dance to tunes until they feed him again.”

Mr. Bainimarama’s comments were made in response to Tuilaepa’s verbal barrage last week, during which he rubbished the call by the Fijian Prime Minister to remove Australia and New Zealand from the Pacific Islands Forum.

Asked yesterday if he was insulted by Mr. Bainimarama’s comments, Tuilaepa said he was not.

“You asked for my opinion and that is what I meant. And I am sorry for my friend because another media man told me yesterday, that Bainimarama was saying that he was never going to consider me as a brother because I dance to Abbot’s music and Mr Key’s music.”

Tuilaepa said that whatever Bainimarama thinks, he would consider him as a very close brother.

“You see, sometimes your love is expressed in the way you say things.

If you are harsh, it is indicative of the depth of the love that exists between you and your brother."

“And I said that I only know of one dance. It’s a Samoan clap dance and I dance to the beat of the pate.

Incidentally, Abbot and Key don’t even know how to beat the drum, the pate. "

“But Bainimarama knows how to clap dance, knows how to beat the pate, that’s why I made mention of the drummer. He’s also a good drummer.”

Tuilaepa said he was asked last week about his reaction to Bainimarama’s opinion that New Zealand and Australia should be excluded from the Forum. Tulaepa had gone over the history of the Forum when the leaders of Fiji, Tonga and Samoa decided in the early 1970’s that a respectable organization representing the independent countries ought to be set up.

The rationale behind the proposal was that the leaders of these three countries were unhappy with the way the South Pacific Commission conducted its affairs.

Many times, the leaders of the three countries were in the position to give finality to any issue, but when it came to representatives from the territories, there was always uncertainty. They often proposed to defer an issue until they contacted a colonial power, which was looking after their affairs at the time.

That was the background to the formation of the Forum, as told by Tuilaepa.

Originally the thoughts were to form the Forum of just Tonga, Samoa and Fiji. “But then later, the reality of the economic circumstances we were in, we're developing countries needed finance to develop...”

This forced the three leaders to invite Australia and New Zealand to become members of the Forum.

All this was explained to the media previously, who had asked Tuilaepa of his views about Mr. Bainimarama’s position.

“I referred to the issues as being too sensitive. I thought Bainimarama, the leader of Fiji, did not fully comprehend the implication of the decisions he has made for Fiji to come in only if NZ and Australia [were excluded]."

“We cannot do that! We need them! We need Australia and also New Zealand to assist us with our development.”

Tuilaepa explained that he had made mention in a form of proverbial reference.

“What I really mean is that Bainimarama is new to the job. He needed time to grow in understanding of the importance of Australia and New Zealand to be in the Forum."

“The issue of influence, you know, if you come in as a leader and you think you are being influenced, then you should never be a leader in the first place. That’s why a leader is a leader. He leads from the front.”

Tuilaepa referred to the Pacific way of not interfering in whatever form.

“We let our colleagues do what they want. We don’t often express an opinion. And for months and months and months, Bainimarama, immediately after he took over the reign of Government as a dictator in Fiji, he has been accusing the leaders of the Pacific as being influenced by Australia and New Zealand."

“That’s the point when I decided to preach the Pacific way and [started] throwing my darts at Bainimarama."

“Not so much to hurt him but to make him understand the difficult situations, economically, that all the Pacific Island countries are in."

“That many are not well endowed with the necessary natural resources to fund the projects.”

But Tuilaepa wanted that one’s country must be self-sufficient before making such comments. And that is not the case in Fiji.

“We have to exercise extreme wisdom in order for our people to benefit with help from our donor partners. That is what was behind my intervention, although I delivered it in my usual Samoan way, humorous way…”