Contexts - Rough Guide to Fiji - page 318

hendra Chaudhry as minister of finance, with Bainimarama acting as interim prime minister.
But instead of elections, 2009 saw a major constitutional crisis for the country. Bainim-
arama's government was declared illegal by the Court of Appeal, and he and the government
resigned, only for the president to promptly dismiss the Court of Appeal ruling and reinstate
Bainimarama as prime minister. Public Emergency Regulations , clamping down on the me-
dia and curtailing Fijians' freedom of speech and assembly, were put in place, and only lifted
in 2012. The media remains parochial and bland, and it's rare to hear criticism of the govern-
ment.
But Bainimarama has gained genuine popularity by trying to put an end to Fiji's coup cul-
ture (an aim ironically achieved via a coup) and by attempting to reduce the power of the ar-
chaic chiefdoms. His government's People's Charter aims to “rebuild Fiji into a non-racial,
culturally vibrant and united, well-governed, truly democratic nation that seeks progress and
prosperity through merit-based equality of opportunity and peace.” Long-promised elections
are finally scheduled for September 2014: in March, 2014, Bainimarama stepped down from
the military in order to run as a legitimate candidate.
Tourism and the economy
Fiji's great economic hope lies in tourism and, fickle though the industry can be, visitor
numbers have bounced back after each coup. However, with the proliferation of overseas in-
vestors in the industry it is increasingly difficult to ensure that tourist profits are reinvested in
Fiji. One solution seems to be the development of community ecotourism as seen at Bouma
National Heritage Park .
Tourism aside, the future of industry on the islands looks bleak. The country's dependence
on imported produce has crippled Fiji's balance of trade. Sugar , once the mainstay of foreign
income and the exclusive domain of Indian commerce, has slipped desperately in price, and
preferential price agreements from the EU are set to expire in 2017. Fishing rights within
Fiji's huge Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) offers some hope for sustained development,
but with many of the fishing permits being sold to Taiwanese fishing boats, and without a
policing unit to rid its waters of illegal longline fishing vessels, there is great fear of rapid
depletion of fish stocks. Fiji's greatest success in recent years has been the export of bottled
drinking water : several brands, especially Fiji Water, now compete successfully on global
markets.
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