It amazes me that any Fijian players, officials, or associates of the repressive regime should be allowed into New Zealand for the Rugby World Cup. Fiji is lucky in the respect that it’s regular citizens are allowed into the country and it is complete arrogance on the part of the military regime and the IRB’s Mike Miller to think that New Zealand would back down on any ban.
Let’s be clear here, despite the pretty tourist brochures Fiji is a fully fledged military dictatorship with all the symptoms of a brutal and oppressive control of the country. Perhaps Mr Miller would like to spend some time on the wrong side of the regime rather than worrying about the coffers of the IRB.
You don’t want to be on the wrong side of the Fijian dictator.
Amnesty International has been tracking the regime and in March this year noted that “At least 10 politicians, trade unionists, government critics and other Fijians have been arbitrarily arrested and subjected to severe beatings and other forms of torture and ill-treatment in the last two weeks at the hands of the Fijian military, before being released.” This in the run up to a planned peaceful protest against the regime in Suva.
This is not uncommon, it is simply the latest in a series of incidents over the past years. There are allegations of torture and murder by the military and full censorship of media is in place.
The economy is in trouble with international ratings agencies ranking it “negative.” Investment is low, unemployment is high, GDP is dropping, and agencies note in a round about way the risk of poor financial practices.
Democracy is dead, health issues are on the increase, people are suffering at the hands of the regime. International agencies are effectively stifled from doing their job to support the average Fijian, information is processed by the military, stand over tactics and fear are being used to run the country, those that step out of line face beatings, torture, and worse.
Despite all this evidence the Fiji regime has the temerity, arrogance, to suggest that they are being treated unfairly. That it is unfair that they, the ruling elite, can’t get on a government sponsored plane and spend weeks at the Rugby World Cup enjoying themselves while their country falls into ruin.
Further, the IRB thinks it is unhelpful for us to have this debate in public. In my opinion this displays a total lack of empathy for the people of Fiji, is tantamount to supporting a dictatorship that has tortured it’s countrymen, is arrogant to think that New Zealand will break the ban over a rugby game, and displays a motivation that is questionable on any ethical scale.
My view is that the entire team should be banned. Pure and simple. New Zealand needs to make a strong stand on the Fiji regime. The Fijian team represents that regime and it should be banned as one of it’s international emissaries.
Then again, maybe the dictator will boycott the Rugby World Cup and save us the trouble.
