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RNZ News
23-04-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Why special measures to boost Fijian women's political representation remain a distant goal
Opposition MP Premila Kumar, is one of only five women in the Fijian parliament. 11 March 2025. Photo: Parliament of the Republic of Fiji Despite calls from women's groups urging the government to implement policies to address the underrepresentation of women in politics, the introduction of temporary special measures (TSM) to increase women's political representation in Fiji is remains a distant goal. This week, leader of the Social Democratic Liberal Party (Sodelpa), Cabinet Minister Aseri Radrodro, and opposition MP Ketal Lal expressed their opposition bjection to reserving 30 percent of parliamentary seats for women. Radrodro, who is also the Education Minister, told The Fiji Times that Fijian women "are capable of holding their ground without needing a crutch like TSM to give them a leg up". Lal called the special allocation of seats for women in parliament "tokenistic" and beneficial to "a few selected individuals", as part of submissions to the Fiji Law Reform Commission and the Electoral Commission of Fiji, which is undertaking a comprehensive review and reform of the Fiji's electoral framework. Their sentiment is shared by Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, who said at a Pacific Technical Cooperation Session of the Committee on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) in Suva earlier this month , that "putting in women for the sake of mere numbers" is "tokenistic". Rabuka said it devalues "the dignity of women at the highest level of national governance." "This specific issue makes me wonder at times. As the percentage of women in population is approximately the same as for men, why are women not securing the votes of women? Or more precisely, why aren't women voting for women?" he said. Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka Photo: Parliament of the Republic of Fiji The Prime Minister doubled down on his position on the issue when The Fiji Times asked him if it was the right time for Fiji to legislate mandatory seats for women in parliament as the issue is gaining traction. "There is no need to legislate it. We do not have a compulsory voting legislation, nor do we yet need a quota-based system. However, Rabuka's Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs and Deputy Speaker Lenora Qereqeretabua holds a different view from his. Qereqeretabua, from the National Federation Party, said in January that parliament needed to look like the people that it represents. "Women make up half of the world's population, and yet we are still fighting to ensure that their voices and experiences are not only heard but valued in the spaces where decisions are made," she told participants at the Exploring Temporary Special Measures for Inclusive Governance in Fiji forum. She said Fiji needed more women in positions of power. "Not because women are empirically better leaders, because leadership is not determined by gender, but because it is essential for democracy that our representatives reflect the communities that they serve." Lenora Qereqeretabua on the floor of parliament. 12 March 2025 Photo: Parliament of the Republic of Fiji Another member of Rabuka's coalition government, one of the deputy prime ministers in and a former Sodelpa leader, Viliame Gavoka said in March 2022 that Fiji had "continued to shamelessly lag behind in protecting and promoting women's rights and their peacebuilding expertise". He pldged at the time that if Sodelpa was voted into government, it would "ensure to break barriers and accelerate progress, including setting specific targets and timelines to achieve gender balance in all branches of government and at all levels through temporary special measures such as quotas..." However, since coming into power in December 2022, Gavoka has not made any advance on his promise, and his party leader Radrodro has made his views known on the issue. Fiji women's rights groups say temporary special measures may need to be implemented in the short-term to advance women's equality. Photo: RNZI/Sally Round Fijian women's rights and advocacy groups say that introducing special measures for women is neither discriminatory nor a breach of the 2013 Constitution. In a joint statement in October last year, six non-government organisations called on the government to enforce provisions for temporary special measures for women in political party representation and ensure that reserved seats are secured for women in all town and city councils and its committees. "Nationally, it is unacceptable that after three national elections under new electoral laws, there has been a drastic decline in women's representation from contesting national elections to being elected to parliament," they said. "It is clear from our history that cultural, social, economic and political factors have often stood in the way of women's political empowerment." They said temporary special measures may need to be implemented in the short-term to advance women's equality. "The term 'temporary special measures' is used to describe affirmative action policies and strategies to promote equality and empower women. "If we are to move towards a society where half the population is reflected in all leadership spaces and opportunities, we must be gender responsive in the approaches we take to achieve gender equality." The Fijian parliament currently has only five (out of 55) women in the House - four in government and one in opposition. In the previous parliamentary term (2018-2022), there were 10 women directly election to parliament. According to the Fiji Country Gender Assessment report , 81 percent of Fijians believe that women are underrepresented in the government, and 72 percent of Fijians believe the greater representation of women would be beneficial for the country. However, the report found that time and energy burden of familial, volunteer responsibilities, patriarchal norms, and power relations as key barriers to women's participation in the workplace and public life. The Fiji Women's Rights Movement (FWRM) board member Akanisi Nabalarua believes that despite having strong laws and policies on paper, the implementation is lacking. Nabalarua said successive Fijian governments have often paid lip service to gender equality while failing to make intentional and meaningful progress in women's representation in decision making spaces, reported. Labour Party leader Mahendra Chaudhry said Rabuka's dismissal to the women's rights groups' plea was premature. Chaudhry, a former prime minister who was deposed in a civilian coup in 2000, said Rabuka should have waited for the Law Reform Commission's report "before deciding so conclusively on the matter".
CNN
14-02-2025
- CNN
Tennessee man sentenced to life in prison for murdering his wife during their Fiji honeymoon
A man from Memphis, Tennessee, was sentenced to life in prison for murdering his wife during their honeymoon in Fiji in 2022, a court official said on Friday. Bradley Robert Dawson, 40, will have to serve at least 18 years in prison before he can be considered for release, a Fiji High Court registry official in Lautoka said. Dawson was convicted in December of murdering his wife, Christe Chen, who was 36, at the exclusive Turtle Island resort in the Yasawa archipelago two days after the newlyweds arrived in the South Pacific nation. He then fled by kayak to a nearby island. He was sentenced by Justice Riyaz Hamza on Wednesday. Hamza told Dawson he had shown disregard for Chen's right to life and her personal liberty. 'Your conduct after the incident was appalling. Having inflicted serious and life-threatening injuries to the deceased you fled the scene of the crime, leaving the deceased alone and helpless,' Hamza said, according to The Fiji Times newspaper. Chen's body was discovered in the couple's room by resort staff with multiple blunt trauma wounds to her head after the couple was heard arguing and did not appear at breakfast or lunch the next day. Dawson pleaded not guilty to the charge and was tried over eight days. His lawyer Anil Prasad told the court that prosecutors had failed provide sufficient evidence to convict Dawson, the Fijian Broadcasting Corp. reported. Prasad said that while the prosecution alleged that Dawson was planning to flee Fiji, authorities failed to acknowledge that many of the couple's personal belongings remained at the resort. Prasad also said Dawson had no injuries to suggest he had been involved in a physical altercation with his wife. But the judge said he was satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that Dawson and no one else had committed the crime. Under Fijian law, prisoners can apply for parole after serving a minimum term set by a court, although the parole board is currently unstaffed. Critics argue the lack of an effective parole option is a cause of prison overcrowding. David Naylor, an Australian National University expert on Pacific law and regulation who has lectured in Fiji, said that after serving 18 years in prison, Dawson could apply to the national Mercy Commission to be released with a pardon from the Fijian president. He could also apply for his life sentence to be reduced to a fixed term, which would set a release date, Naylor said. Dawson worked in the information technology department at Youth Villages, a nonprofit child welfare and support organization based in Memphis. An online records search showed no criminal arrests for Dawson in Shelby County, which includes Memphis. The Turtle Island resort, where the pair stayed, is an exclusive and remote 500-acre island that accommodates only 14 couples at a time. Yasawa is a group of about 20 volcanic islands in the west of Fiji, a nation of 930,000 people.
CNN
14-02-2025
- CNN
Tennessee man sentenced to life in prison for murdering his wife during their Fiji honeymoon
A man from Memphis, Tennessee, was sentenced to life in prison for murdering his wife during their honeymoon in Fiji in 2022, a court official said on Friday. Bradley Robert Dawson, 40, will have to serve at least 18 years in prison before he can be considered for release, a Fiji High Court registry official in Lautoka said. Dawson was convicted in December of murdering his wife, Christe Chen, who was 36, at the exclusive Turtle Island resort in the Yasawa archipelago two days after the newlyweds arrived in the South Pacific nation. He then fled by kayak to a nearby island. He was sentenced by Justice Riyaz Hamza on Wednesday. Hamza told Dawson he had shown disregard for Chen's right to life and her personal liberty. 'Your conduct after the incident was appalling. Having inflicted serious and life-threatening injuries to the deceased you fled the scene of the crime, leaving the deceased alone and helpless,' Hamza said, according to The Fiji Times newspaper. Chen's body was discovered in the couple's room by resort staff with multiple blunt trauma wounds to her head after the couple was heard arguing and did not appear at breakfast or lunch the next day. Dawson pleaded not guilty to the charge and was tried over eight days. His lawyer Anil Prasad told the court that prosecutors had failed provide sufficient evidence to convict Dawson, the Fijian Broadcasting Corp. reported. Prasad said that while the prosecution alleged that Dawson was planning to flee Fiji, authorities failed to acknowledge that many of the couple's personal belongings remained at the resort. Prasad also said Dawson had no injuries to suggest he had been involved in a physical altercation with his wife. But the judge said he was satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that Dawson and no one else had committed the crime. Under Fijian law, prisoners can apply for parole after serving a minimum term set by a court, although the parole board is currently unstaffed. Critics argue the lack of an effective parole option is a cause of prison overcrowding. David Naylor, an Australian National University expert on Pacific law and regulation who has lectured in Fiji, said that after serving 18 years in prison, Dawson could apply to the national Mercy Commission to be released with a pardon from the Fijian president. He could also apply for his life sentence to be reduced to a fixed term, which would set a release date, Naylor said. Dawson worked in the information technology department at Youth Villages, a nonprofit child welfare and support organization based in Memphis. An online records search showed no criminal arrests for Dawson in Shelby County, which includes Memphis. The Turtle Island resort, where the pair stayed, is an exclusive and remote 500-acre island that accommodates only 14 couples at a time. Yasawa is a group of about 20 volcanic islands in the west of Fiji, a nation of 930,000 people.
CNN
14-02-2025
- CNN
Tennessee man sentenced to life in prison for murdering his wife during their Fiji honeymoon
A man from Memphis, Tennessee, was sentenced to life in prison for murdering his wife during their honeymoon in Fiji in 2022, a court official said on Friday. Bradley Robert Dawson, 40, will have to serve at least 18 years in prison before he can be considered for release, a Fiji High Court registry official in Lautoka said. Dawson was convicted in December of murdering his wife, Christe Chen, who was 36, at the exclusive Turtle Island resort in the Yasawa archipelago two days after the newlyweds arrived in the South Pacific nation. He then fled by kayak to a nearby island. He was sentenced by Justice Riyaz Hamza on Wednesday. Hamza told Dawson he had shown disregard for Chen's right to life and her personal liberty. 'Your conduct after the incident was appalling. Having inflicted serious and life-threatening injuries to the deceased you fled the scene of the crime, leaving the deceased alone and helpless,' Hamza said, according to The Fiji Times newspaper. Chen's body was discovered in the couple's room by resort staff with multiple blunt trauma wounds to her head after the couple was heard arguing and did not appear at breakfast or lunch the next day. Dawson pleaded not guilty to the charge and was tried over eight days. His lawyer Anil Prasad told the court that prosecutors had failed provide sufficient evidence to convict Dawson, the Fijian Broadcasting Corp. reported. Prasad said that while the prosecution alleged that Dawson was planning to flee Fiji, authorities failed to acknowledge that many of the couple's personal belongings remained at the resort. Prasad also said Dawson had no injuries to suggest he had been involved in a physical altercation with his wife. But the judge said he was satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that Dawson and no one else had committed the crime. Under Fijian law, prisoners can apply for parole after serving a minimum term set by a court, although the parole board is currently unstaffed. Critics argue the lack of an effective parole option is a cause of prison overcrowding. David Naylor, an Australian National University expert on Pacific law and regulation who has lectured in Fiji, said that after serving 18 years in prison, Dawson could apply to the national Mercy Commission to be released with a pardon from the Fijian president. He could also apply for his life sentence to be reduced to a fixed term, which would set a release date, Naylor said. Dawson worked in the information technology department at Youth Villages, a nonprofit child welfare and support organization based in Memphis. An online records search showed no criminal arrests for Dawson in Shelby County, which includes Memphis. The Turtle Island resort, where the pair stayed, is an exclusive and remote 500-acre island that accommodates only 14 couples at a time. Yasawa is a group of about 20 volcanic islands in the west of Fiji, a nation of 930,000 people.
NBC News
14-02-2025
- NBC News
Tennessee man sentenced to life in prison for murdering his wife during their Fiji honeymoon
MELBOURNE, Australia — A man from Memphis, Tennessee, was sentenced to life in prison for murdering his wife during their honeymoon in Fiji in 2022, a court official said Friday. Bradley Robert Dawson, 40, will have to serve at least 18 years in prison before he can be considered for release, a Fiji High Court registry official in Lautoka said. Dawson was convicted in December of murdering his wife, Christe Chen, who was then 36, at the exclusive Turtle Island resort in the Yasawa archipelago two days after the newlyweds arrived in the South Pacific nation. He then fled by kayak to a nearby island. He was sentenced by Justice Riyaz Hamza on Wednesday. Hamza told Dawson he had shown disregard for Chen's right to life and her personal liberty. 'Your conduct after the incident was appalling. Having inflicted serious and life-threatening injuries to the deceased you fled the scene of the crime, leaving the deceased alone and helpless,' Hamza said, according to The Fiji Times newspaper. Chen's body was discovered in the couple's room by resort staff with multiple blunt trauma wounds to her head after the couple was heard arguing and did not appear at breakfast or lunch the next day. Dawson pleaded not guilty to the charge and was tried over eight days. His lawyer Anil Prasad told the court that prosecutors had failed to provide sufficient evidence to convict Dawson, the Fijian Broadcasting Corp. reported. Prasad said that while the prosecution alleged that Dawson was planning to flee Fiji, authorities failed to acknowledge that many of the couple's personal belongings remained at the resort. Prasad also said Dawson had no injuries to suggest he had been involved in a physical altercation with his wife. But the judge said he was satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that Dawson and no one else had committed the crime. Under Fijian law, prisoners can apply for parole after serving a minimum term set by a court, although the parole board is currently unstaffed. Critics argue the lack of an effective parole option is a cause of prison overcrowding. David Naylor, an Australian National University expert on Pacific law and regulation who has lectured in Fiji, said that after serving 18 years in prison, Dawson could apply to the national Mercy Commission to be released with a pardon from the Fijian president. He could also apply for his life sentence to be reduced to a fixed term, which would set a release date, Naylor said. Dawson worked in the information technology department at Youth Villages, a nonprofit child welfare and support organization based in Memphis. An online records search showed no criminal arrests for Dawson in Shelby County, which includes Memphis. The Turtle Island resort, where the pair stayed, is an exclusive and remote island that accommodates only 14 couples at a time. Yasawa is a group of about 20 volcanic islands in the west of Fiji, a nation of 930,000 people.
