Phil Goff has burst forth over Fiji with an ill-informed judgement about Fiji.
He must have his head well buried deep down in the clay. Obviously the only people briefing him on Fiji are the seat warmers and leakers of MFaT.
The Labour Party’s Phil Goff says the question that will be asked next week is if the 2014 elections will be free and fair.
“I think we have to engage with Fiji. We have to promote and encourage it to do the right thing by its people. Respect their human rights, respect the right to free speech, to have an independent judiciary and a free media. So engagement is important, but we need to be very careful that all the movement is not simply from the side of the Forum, and there is no reciprocation from within Fiji itself.”
Phil Goff says Fiji needs to be aware that if its promises aren’t delivered on, there are consequences.
All other countries have moved on from what he is saying here – including New Zealand. Where has he been these past few months?
Note Phil Goff’s demands for respect for human rights, free speech, an independent judiciary and a free media. Where were his calls for all those things when he signed a free trade agreement with China?
And what are these consequences that he speaks of? More of the same, a freeze out that hurls Fiji into the arms of China? Phil Goff is a fool.
I think I’ll go and do something that Phil Goff has so far failed to do, go to Fiji and engage with them.
