We Say 1

Savenaca Siwatibau.

In the troubled times that all the Pacific's islands states are experiencing, how many other Savenaca Siwatibau's are there to balance and counter the lack of political and bureaucratic integrity that afflicts governance in the region? Terribly few. Mr Siwatibau was one of the finest minds produced by the Pacific Islands in recent decades'

The number of people who can be said to be of practically unblemished character is very small indeed. There is a very small number of them in the Pacific Islands. That number, whatever it may be, was lamentably reduced by one on October 3 with the death, at the age of 62, from cancer, at Christchurch, New Zealand of Savenaca Siwatibau, the Vice Chancellor of the University of the South Pacific.

Mr Siwatibau was a man of acute intelligence, of grace, charm, perception and charity, and of absolute integrity.

He was modest. He was approachable, relaxed, unflappable and had the magnificent gift of explaining complex matters easily in clear and simple terms.

In the troubled times that all the Pacific's islands states are experiencing, how many other Savenaca Siwatibau's are there to balance and counter the lack of political and bureaucratic integrity that afflicts governance in the region? Terribly few.

Mr Siwatibau was one of the finest minds produced by the Pacific Islands in recent decades.

His career, first as a public servant in Fiji, later in regional and international circles, and finally as Vice Chancellor of the University of the South Pacific (USP) deservedly earned him a wide circle of admirers. He began his working life as a meteorologist who turned to economics, became an economic planner and rose to become Governor of the Reserve Bank of Fiji. He was holding that position at the time of the first coup in Fiji in 1987. It was in no small measure due to his influence and the wide respect he was held in that the collapse of the economy was avoided.

Soon afterwards, he moved to Vanuatu to be director of the office maintained there by the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. He remained there for more than 10 years.

His self-removal to Port Vila was to some extent influenced by a desire to remove himself from the racist-motivated political events in Fiji he had such open distaste for.

His work as a regional bureaucrat added to and widened the lustre of his reputation.

In Fiji, he resisted being drawn into politics partly because of the unsavoury racist nature of them but also because the hustings were of no appeal to him.

He however attracted the political enmity of people jealous and, quite likely, fearful of his obvious integrity. Some of them used the fact of his smattering of European ancestry to make a spiteful attempt to expunge his name from the Vola ni Kawa Bula‹a register that is proof of a Fijian's right of access to communally owned land and other customary benefits. The number of people, including Fijians, who fully accepted him as being Fijian was somewhat larger and the attack on him aroused disgust.

From Port Vila, Mr Siwatibau became an ever more vocal and cutting critic of corruption, bad and foolish government and fiscal irresponsibility. It was plain that he was often alluding to the affairs of Fiji.

He was Pro Chancellor of USP in the 1990s. His appointment as Vice Chancellor in 2000 was in the view of some belated. There were hints that his earlier candidacy for the post advocated not by him but his admirers was thwarted by malevolency from some quarters of the upper echelons of government in Fiji.

After the sordid coup of 2000‹the product of racism, corruption and greed for wealth and power‹Savenaca Siwatibau's name was canvassed again by some of his admirers, as the ideal person of independence, integrity and impartial to lead the country as head of an interim government.

But that idea was of no appeal to him. He preferred to plunge himself into his new responsibility as head of a unique university he was intent on making more of practical relevance to the region served by it.

He still found time to perform other important duties, one being the chairmanship of an institution created by the Fiji Government after the coup of 2000 to promote reconciliation between the country's Indian and Fijian communities.

The early death of Siwatibau is a grievous loss to the university, where during his short time there he made such a mark to the Pacific Islands region, and not least to his native country.