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Australia must balance its commitment to liberal democracy while keeping Pacific Island nations on side, a recent report has outlined.
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Australia’s Melanesian and Pacific approaches have long been considered of existential importance to the independence of the nation. Indeed, remarking on British Australasian defence policy, Otto von Bismarck himself is believed to have suggested that the Empire’s regional defence strategies mirrored an Australasian Monroe Doctrine — in which the presence of any foreign power was considered unacceptable.
While Australia and its allies maintain political and military power in the region — which includes leading most of the region’s aid programs — Australia faces an uphill battle balancing its commitment to liberal democracy while keeping the regional elites on side.
This test will be pronounced during the upcoming Fijian election.
According to ASPI’s Lucy Albiston and Blake Johnson in The Strategist, Australia must prepare for when these two challenges collide — where Australia must balance a potentially undemocratic result with maintaining regional status.
This concern is not farfetched, with the two analysts observing that both contenders for the nation’s leadership are former coup leaders Frank Bainimarama and Sitiveni Rabuka. To make matters more complex, Prime Minister Bainimarama has refused to commit publicly against using force to seize power with Rabuka slated to win.
“Should Fiji’s election again be plagued by undemocratic practices, Australia will have to balance its close friendship with the country and its commitment to democracy in the region, seeking not to sacrifice one for the other,” the pair argued.
While some observers have expressed concern over military involvement in the election, the pair contend that the head of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF) has seemingly upheld the democratic ideal.
“Giving us some relief from fears of a military-led intervention, this week the commander of the RFMF, Major General Jone Kalouniwai, encouraged all RFMF personnel to vote in the election, noting how important the result would be for Fiji’s future,” the pair continued.
“In no uncertain terms, Kalouniwai stressed honouring the democratic process and respecting the outcome of the poll.”
While the military’s public commitment to the outcome of the election is a silver lining, autocratic tendencies have started to undermine Fiji’s processes at the highest levels.
“In November, prominent Indo-Fijian lawyer Richard Naidu was found guilty of contempt of court for pointing out a spelling mistake in a court document — a charge brought against him by Bainimarama’s closest political ally, Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum,” the pair noted.
Albiston and Johnson argued that this places Australia in a uniquely challenging position. While the country must uphold democracy and the liberal rules-based order, it cannot do so in a way that will nudge regional actors toward China as in 2006.
The pronounced relationship between Fiji and China was on show in mid-October, when PM Bainimarama congratulated Xi Jinping on his re-election. Fijian media outlets warmly reported on the Prime Minister’s show of affection.
“Bainimarama says the friendship between Fiji and China has stood the test of time and the two nations continue to tackle global challenges together in the spirit of mutual cooperation, partnership, and respect,” fijivillage reported.
“He reaffirmed Fiji’s commitment to strengthen relations with China.”
While China has been deepening their relations in the region with greater non-material influence, recent research published in the Lowy Institute’s The Interpreter demonstrates that support for China is not universal in the country.
“Recent research finds that Pacific scholars, university students and non-government organisations have concerns about the debt risks, environmental impact and inadequate local benefits of Chinese aid projects,” Denghua Zhang wrote.
“The majority of surveyed university students in Papua New Guinea and Fiji would oppose more Chinese aid to their countries if they became leaders in the future.”
