Eddie Walsh

“Fiji has very publicly ‘looked north’ in the wake of its suspension from the Pacific Islands Forum. It has been quite upfront about its desire to supplement traditional relationships with Australia, New Zealand and other Pacific Island countries with enhanced relationships with non-traditional partners, including China. However, it remains clear that Fiji is very sensitive to its treatment at the hands of its Pacific neighbors (including Australia and New Zealand) and that it desires a return to a situation where those relations are ‘normalized.’ Fiji’s relations with its partners ‘in the region’ will always be more important - for historical, cultural and geopolitical reasons - than its relations with Beijing. Any hedging strategy attempted by Suva was always going to be constrained by this fact.”

“Although we are not a large trading partner of Australia, we do fit an important cog in the whole machinery of the export industry.”

Eddie Walsh: - Assuming the elections happen and you live up to your commitments, do you see the relationship with Australia being easily normalized?

Ambassador Winston Thompson: - I would think so. Presumably, once we have elections and installed an elected government, then there would be a completely different situation from the point of view of what has been there previously. One would hope things would be totally normalized.

Eddie Walsh: - But do you see any major obstacles to normalizing relations? After the last couple of years, are you concerned at all about bias or pre-judgments on either end? Will history and the past be an obstacle?

Ambassador Winston Thompson: - No, I don’t think so. There have been good relations. We get something like 300,000 Australian visitors per year which is quite a big statement of what the average Australian feels. And, I think that is reflected generally in Australia.

“If a country like ours goes through these sorts of situations but maintains peace and stability and good governance, that really then negates any need for anyone else to come along and do something. The conditions in Fiji did not warrant any outside intervention.” Ambassador Winston Thompson

In May, the Government of Japan hosted the Sixth Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting (PALM6). Leaders from 16 Pacific islands countries were invited to attend. While Japan has always maintained strong interests in the region, there are indications that Japan is steadily increasing its strategic engagement with the region. Ambassador Winston Thompson addresses how this could impact Fiji’s relations with other Western powers.

Image Credit: Vectorportal.com (via Flickr)

“The clampdown on the media in Fiji was really a clampdown on the media becoming extreme in inciting instability and making outrageous statements. We have a comparatively unsophisticated media industry. Our people do not have the experience to be able to say things in a way that conveys what they want to say but keep the language within limits so that it does not incite people or cause people to do silly things.” Ambassador Winston Thompson (6/29/12)

Eddie Walsh: - The Lowy Institute's 2011 Fiji poll probably had some impact on Western government perceptions. Even if it was rejected by some, it was recognized as a legitimate poll. How big of an impact do you think it had on the Australian government approach to Fiji?

Ambassador Winston Thompson: - I am sure behind the scenes it had a big effect even though they did not admit it publicly. I am sure (the poll) would have influenced thinking within (the Australian government). But, because of the political sensitivities at the time, they couldn’t admit it.

Eddie Walsh: - Even though your neighbors did not side with you on the coup, do you think that Fiji’s diplomatic efforts to get your neighbors and other countries to oppose external intervention played a big role in your relations with Australia since the coup?

Ambassador Winston Thompson: - I think most of neighbors, other than one or two, were supportive of Fiji - not of what Fiji did but rather that it should be assisted in tidying up what it needed to tidy up and getting back to a democratic system. Most countries around us did that. And now, friends to the north – further afield from our Pacific neighbors. We continue to get support from Japan, China, India, Indonesia, and Malaysia. All of these countries are very supportive.

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