Opposition Member of Parliament, Premila Kumar says Fiji has unnecessarily found itself at the centre of attention due to its decision not to support a humanitarian truce for Israeli’s and the Hamas militants at the United Nations Emergency Session.
Kumar said such a stance from the Coalition Government suggests that the government’s approach to international diplomacy, especially regarding conflicts, may not fully reflect the principles of humanitarianism and neutrality that are often associated with peacekeeping missions and international cooperation.
She said that the decision by Fiji, in practice, conveys a lack of empathy for the civilians affected by the conflict…sadly, the Government is promoting war and not peace is disheartening.
“At a regional level, the lack of a collective stance by the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) members, a political body representing Pacific nations, is a significant factor in understanding the dynamics of Fiji’s decision not to support the humanitarian truce at the United Nations.”
Kumar highlighted the division was particularly evident in the case of Australia chose to abstain from the resolution, indicating a nuanced approach that it neither supports nor rejects the truce, while New Zealand supported the resolution.
She said this demonstrates that even with the regional body, member states had divergent views on the best course of action.
“The lack of a unified regional approach could potentially impact the effectiveness of a PIF as a collective diplomatic and political entity,” Kumar added.
