COUPS, PORNO FLICKS, AND SNAKE GODS

Misa Telefoni

I started my week in Fiji attending the wedding of Tui Meredith and Lester Kwong. It was a wonderful family wedding and we had a large contingent from Apia including many from my family, the Merediths, my sister Lani Keil and three of her children from Auckland.

Tui is working her way up the corporate ladder at ANZ in Auckland, while her husband Lester has a thriving consulting business. Among their many talents, he speaks perfect Mandarin and Tui is fluent in Japanese.

Kalougata, Blessing Or Devil’s Curse?

Sir James Ah Koy is at the forefront (Post 18/10) of a raging debate on a third and fourth generation curse on Fiji by the original translators using kalougata over 200 times in the Bible to mean “blessing”.

Gata means snake in Fijian as it does in Samoan, and kalougata literally translated is snake god.

Sir James believes this denotes the devil, and should not desecrate the Fijian Bible by appearing as the word “blessing”. He has even offered to help scholars find a new Fijian word for blessing and fund the printing of a new Fijian Bible without the offensive word “kalougata”.

Fijian Sex Story

This is the title of a pornographic video that was anonymously delivered to the Fijian Times, and then on to the Police for investigation.

The scenes were allegedly shot on location, with local and overseas actors, in luxury resorts in Suva, Nadi, and Pacific Harbour. One explicitly lurid scene was brazenly shot under the Savusavu Jetty in Vanua Levu.

Nobody seemed aware such activity was taking place, so we need to be vigilant that this type of exploitation does not happen here in Samoa.

Coup Talk

Most army chiefs, as recently done in Thailand, just stage a coup. They do not talk about it first.

Fiji’s Commodore Frank Bainimarama is the exception. He issues a statement from the Middle East confirming the army has given the Fijian Government three weeks to shape up or ship out. Appropriate language for a naval commander!

Shape up includes dropping the controversial Reconciliation, Tolerance and Unity Bill and the Qoliqoli Bill. The Qoliqoli Bill allows native landowners to claim fees so resort tourists can use “their” beaches. Obviously resort owners must pay these bills, and were totally unaware of such added costs, when they committed millions to building these resorts.

Commodore Bainimarama enjoys showing visitors to his office the uncovered bullet holes from when he was lucky to escape with his life during the Speight coup.

With these memories fresh on his mind, he is clearly not going to sit back and see coup leaders released, especially mutinous army people. It is a difficult “Catch 22” type of situation.

We shall have to wait and see if coup talk will eventually lead to coup action, but the good Commodore should know that if he cries wolf too often, then he will not be believed, even when the wolf comes walking in the front door.

Solution to Fiji’s Woes?

According to Sir James Ah Koy, take out the word “kalougata”, and you solve coup threats and porno flicks, as well as a myriad of other social diseases including incest, HIV, increasing crime rates, corruption in the civil service, disease and rat infestations. These are just a few of the social ills he highlights in his article.

We must commend Samoan translators of our Bible, the word “faamanuiaga” is from the root word “manuia” and is an excellent translation of the word blessing.

Public And Media Pressures Work

In one week the ANZ Bank in Fiji introduced and then meekly withdrew substantial hikes in bank charges.

The resulting public outcry and extensive media coverage succeeded in putting an end to this substantial increase in bank charges.

ANZ’s general manager was quoted as saying: “the reverse in fee increases would not have an impact on the bank’s business.”

The lingering question then is: “Why introduce them in the first place?”

You guessed it. They thought they could get away with it!

The more power to the people, and an alert media. Not to mention, the influence of competition, because some of the other banks did not follow suit.

Dedication

Fiji’s economic infrastructure, especially in tourism, is so strong that it will obviously survive anything. New multi million dollar resorts in Momi Beach outside Nadi (Marriott and Ritz-Carlton) mean that the economy will continue to grow and should prosper.

So Fiji is thriving in spite of itself. In spite of coup talk, porno flicks, and the windy wet weather we experienced.

It will even survive the Qoliqoli Bill. Most beach resort hotel operators seem resigned to paying the fees on behalf of their guests. When you have made a multi-million dollar hotel investment, you do not have too many other options.

Fiji will also survive because of the indomitable spirit of the Fijian people. Their gracious hospitality, excellent warm service, and wonderful sense of humour.

The Fijian people took one sport, Rugby Sevens and became world champions at it.

The Spirit of the Fijian is essentially encapsulated in Waisale Serevi. He has brought fame to the sport of Sevens Rugby, and focused world attention on Fiji. This same spirit lives on in VJ Singh, the only man to replace Tiger Woods as the World’s No. 1 golfer, for any substantial length of time.

I dedicate this week’s column to Waisale Serevi, Vijay Singh, and the spirit of the Fijian.

I already dedicated this column earlier this year to Sir James Ah Koy, who is being knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in London on 29 November, his 70th birthday. A fitting tribute to a great Fijian and Pacific Island citizen.

I also dedicate this column again to those erudite religious scholars who translated the bible into Samoan. It is technically, still the best form and substance of the Samoan language in existence. And so it should be.

We can continue to bless our people in Samoa everyday, without any hint of thereby honouring a “snakegod”