As each day passes, the events are proof that there is no easing of the “emergency” in sight. Fiji’s Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum says that despite the detention of journalists, the censoring of the media and the constitution upheaval, life in Fiji is normal. Yeap, that sounds like normal day to day activities. He forgot to add the seizing of the Reserve Bank and the devaluation of the Fiji Dollar.

Just the devaluation issue alone makes one wonder if all that was in Bainimarma’s suitcases a couple of weeks ago when he left the country was just his clothes. What a windfall could be had by someone who knew the currency was going to be devalued. Especially if that someone had just been paid a large settlement for unused leave, but that is timely speculation.

Back to Mr. Sayed-Khaiyum’s “normal” comment. The detention of citizens without charges does not speak well for the Attorney General’s idea of normal. Sad comment from the country’s head law enforcement officer. Yes, there are people on the street but far fewer of them. The stores I’ve seen have people buying great quantities of items trying to stave off as long as possible the horrible inflated prices that are just days away.

Normally, it is easy to spot the tourists in downtown Suva, they tend to stand out. Normal would have those same numbers still present. Can’t spot a single one today, that’s abnormal.

What foreign owned resort, as most of them are, is going to keep their prices static as they have to pay more for the goods they have to import to serve their tourist guests? This is an island nation where almost everything is imported. All of those items just went up in price. And to top it off, the government’s 12.5% VAT is based on the increased prices so that gets added to the price paid. Yes, the exchange rate may have improved but all the other economic consequences of the devaluation will keep tourists from flooding to these shores as the government so brightly suggests will happen.

It’s the calm before the storm as the people of this country, who already exist at a subsistence level, struggle to make their meager dollars stretch to buy the essentials. Crime rates will rise faster than the prices. Only foolhardy brave (or foolish) tourists will venture out of the safety of the tourist resort confines. Those dollars they brought to these shores, mostly in the form of credit cards, will depart via the same electronic transaction that they paid with as they settle their resort bills. Little of it will stay on these shores for a resort’s labour expenses are minor compared to the debt service to foreign banks to pay the loans on these elaborate resorts.I’m afraid your title “The calm after the storm?” is backwards. It should read, “The calm before the storm?” for who knows what is on Bainimarma’s agenda for tomorrow.

As each day passes, the events are proof that there is no easing of the “emergency” in sight. Fiji’s Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum says that despite the detention of journalists, the censoring of the media and the constitution upheaval, life in Fiji is normal. Yeap, that sounds like normal day to day activities. He forgot to add the seizing of the Reserve Bank and the devaluation of the Fiji Dollar.

Just the devaluation issue alone makes one wonder if all that was in Bainimarma’s suitcases a couple of weeks ago when he left the country was just his clothes. What a windfall could be had by someone who knew the currency was going to be devalued. Especially if that someone had just been paid a large settlement for unused leave, but that is timely speculation.

Back to Mr. Sayed-Khaiyum’s “normal” comment. The detention of citizens without charges does not speak well for the Attorney General’s idea of normal. Sad comment from the country’s head law enforcement officer. Yes, there are people on the street but far fewer of them. The stores I’ve seen have people buying great quantities of items trying to stave off as long as possible the horrible inflated prices that are just days away.

Normally, it is easy to spot the tourists in downtown Suva, they tend to stand out. Normal would have those same numbers still present. Can’t spot a single one today, that’s abnormal.

What foreign owned resort, as most of them are, is going to keep their prices static as they have to pay more for the goods they have to import to serve their tourist guests? This is an island nation where almost everything is imported. All of those items just went up in price. And to top it off, the government’s 12.5% VAT is based on the increased prices so that gets added to the price paid. Yes, the exchange rate may have improved but all the other economic consequences of the devaluation will keep tourists from flooding to these shores as the government so brightly suggests will happen.

It’s the calm before the storm as the people of this country, who already exist at a subsistence level, struggle to make their meager dollars stretch to buy the essentials. Crime rates will rise faster than the prices. Only foolhardy brave (or foolish) tourists will venture out of the safety of the tourist resort confines. Those dollars they brought to these shores, mostly in the form of credit cards, will depart via the same electronic transaction that they paid with as they settle their resort bills. Little of it will stay on these shores for a resort’s labour expenses are minor compared to the debt service to foreign banks to pay the loans on these elaborate resorts.

Who’s really adding the fuel here? The fuel and the matches all originate from Bainimarama.

Did we just devalue the dollar which is undoubtedly another spark being added to the ready-to-be-lit bonfire?