Transcript
MICHELLE REDDY: Because it falls on a Saturday and because it is between peak traffic hours it would be an inconvenience for the citizens of Fiji for a march to take place. And so they denied our application twice.
DON WISEMAN: Is Saturday a day when there is more activity on the roads than the rest of the week.
MR: Of course it is Saturday is a day that a lot of people take time to come for shopping, you know meet family members and generally hang out in town. But it is also a really good day to have a march because that is when you also have people who are outside of their working hours and you have the general public. And the route that we want to march is the usual route that we take every time we march on World Human Rights Day. It just so happens that this year it falls on a Saturday and so to me I think, we are only asking for one hour we are not asking for a whole day and I understand that traffic would be at peak hours at that time but surely working with the Fiji police force who has in the past managed traffic as well. So I do not think that it is really an inconvenience, I mean World Human Rights Day is celebrated world over whether it is on a Saturday or not. I think the decision that is made by the Fiji roads authority not to allow us to have a march for only one hour we strongly disagree with that decision.
DW: Do you think you will be able to change their minds?
MR: Well we are hoping that and we are pleading that they do reconsider the decision on not granting us a permit.
DW: What about a different route that day?
MR: The route that they are suggesting us to take does not go through the main city and I think for the NGO coalition, I mean we have had this in the past, the marches are meant to create awareness, meant to create visibility and for a lot of people you know Human Rights Day is something that they don't talk a lot about. There is only a very certain number of organisations and individuals who work in the human rights area, who are aware of the day. Hence the need to have the same route because we have always had it and it also attracts a lot more of public members to be part of the march and to also come to the public exhibition and it really is about visibility and encouraging members of Fiji to be part of the celebrations.
DW: The Fiji government hasn't got a great reputation in terms of its attitudes towards human rights. Do you think this has in anyway influenced what the roads authority has decided?
MR: Well I wouldn't know if that has influenced it. I mean the Fiji government has had instances where they don't have a very good human rights record. However in the past few months the rhetoric is that they do support human rights, they talk about the bill of rights as a fundamental chapter of the constitution. So I am hoping that one the government but also in particular that the Fiji roads authority really reconsiders. World Human Rights Day occurs only once in a year and it is on the 10th and so to me it really isn't a big ask for a permit to be given for one hour for a march.