HON. INIA SERUIRATU'S KEYNOTE ADDRESS AT CPA CONGRESS

19/09/2019


The President of the CPA Fiji Branch and Members of the Council;

Distinguished Participants;

Ladies and Gentlemen. 

 

Bula vinaka and a very good morning to you all.

 

I’m delighted to be here to open the CPA Annual Congress. For those of you visiting Fiji for the first time, allow me to pass on a special Bula and welcome. And to those of you who are returning to Fiji: Welcome home. 

 

Any of you who have been to our country within the last ten to 15 years have seen for yourselves how transformational this era has been for Fiji. Hosting a gathering of this significance is testament to the remarkable progress we’ve made in expanding a robust network of reliable infrastructure, establishing consistent access to high-quality services and sustaining a booming Fijian economy that has attracted historic flows of private investment. This Shangri-La Hotel just underwent its own 50 million-dollar renovation -- the beauty of which speaks for itself. 

 

This annual congress in only the latest in a string of major regional and international gatherings we’ve had the privilege to hold on Fijian shores. We’ve played host to annual meetings of prestigious financial institutions, including the Asian Development Bank, high-level government summits, such as the Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers and the pre-COP meeting ahead of the Fijian Presidency of COP23, along with major sporting tournaments, corporate events, concerts and more. But I believe this congress -- with its range of accomplished speakers -- to be among the most prestigious and future-focused discussions we’ve ever hosted in our country, with an audience of over 500 that includes CEOs, finance professionals and government leaders. 

 

I’m a big fan of the theme of this year’s congress, “Business as Unusual”. In many ways, this focus on the unexpected speaks to how Fiji has upended the status quo in taking our nation to historic heights of achievement. As a nation of over 300 islands, there are few blueprints for national development we can apply directly to our national planning and decision-making. One-size-fit all solutions don’t fit us comfortably, and never will. We’ve needed to be innovative. We’ve needed to do away with traditional notions of development in favour of solutions tailored to our own people’s ambitions. And when we have taken on lessons and experience from our partners in development, we’ve adapted that knowledge to the realities we face on the ground. As I’m sure the creative thought-leaders in this room can attest -- we know that if we aren’t innovating, we aren’t growing as a nation. And -- in an age of rapid technological development -- that puts any company or country at risk of falling behind. 

 

For decades, Fiji had found itself in that position; stuck on the sidelines while much of the world sped ahead on the back of new technologies. We remained stagnant, rooted in a past more defined by political uncertainty than by any progressive vision for the future. But that has changed. Under the leadership of our Honourable Prime Minister, our nation is rapidly making up lost ground. We’re in the game and we’re keeping pace, using new technologies to grow new industries, put forward new inventions and inspire new imaginings of what our nation can become. 

 

Through a programme of unprecedented investment and a commitment to working with the right partners, with the right expertise, to develop and roll-out new technologies, we now have in place a sophisticated ICT foundation. 

 

Today, 95 per cent of all Fijians now have access to cellular data. We’ve also deregulated the sector, and brought in competition that has driven down prices and improved the quality of services on offer by giving consumers more choice in the marketplace. Today, call charges, text and broadband rates are the lowest they have ever been, at the highest speeds we’ve ever seen. 

 

Our investment has given us the ability to make high-quality digital television – through the Walesi platform – available nationwide. It’s allowed us to roll-out free Wi-Fi hotspots on all Fiji National University campuses and in public parks across the country. It’s allowed us to begin rolling out online government services through our new digitalFiji initiative, undertaken in partnership with the Singaporean Government. digitalFIJI currently gives Fijians 24/7 access to government contacts and the ability to submit feedback, make online payments, register new births online and register company names, with a range of new offerings currently in development. And later this morning, our Honourable Prime Minister will be unveiling Fiji’s first-ever e-Passports; making travel easier for our people and making our borders more secure. And we’ve just introduced a range of incentives to bring the convenience of cashless transactions to more of our people. 

 

In fact, it’s our unprecedented progress in the ICT sector that has made such a favourable destination for events of this nature. I know the staff and management of the Shangri-La, and our other major hotels certainly appreciate these opportunities, as does our national carrier, Fiji Airways. But the biggest benefit -- in my view -- is that Fiji has a chance to imbue our perspective into conversations of global importance and consequence. 

 

Fiji and the Fijian people are embracing the digital age with an energy and enthusiasm that matches any of the world’s larger, more advanced economies. The inherent beauty of this rapid uptake is that it has empowered everyone, ordinary people at the grassroots to the highest levels of government, to give voice to their own creativity and connect more widely with the rest of the world. In many ways, digital tools can level the playing field in an economy. For businesses, digital strategies to build sales and apply a growing body of data gives guppies every chance to grow into prize gamefish overnight. But these new levels of access and connectivity are simultaneously bringing a new range of challenges; challenges that the entire global community is still struggling to fully address. 

 

I sit at the intersection of global governance and domestic policy-making, as the Fijian Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence and National Security. The work of my Ministries demands an intensifying focus on trends in the technology arena. What we’ve found has compelled a total re-assessment of the traditional security strategies at the community level, at our nation’s borders, and within Fiji’s larger participation in the frameworks charged with the defence of the entire Pacific. 

 

New technologies have meant that our borders are no longer only physical in nature. Our people’s data -- one of the world’s most valuable commodities -- can, at times, be only a click away from exploitation. And our institutions -- the very basis of our democracy -- can be besieged by nameless and faceless online threats. 

 

I do a fair job at managing the budgets of my ministries, but I’m no accountant. Still, I know accounting -- like technology -- touches every industry and every sector of every nation’s economy. And the understanding within your profession of technological advancements can re-make entire industries and dramatically boost a nation’s competitiveness. 

 

I’ve had the chance to read through your programme over the next two days. In my view, the range of topics in front of you represent some of the compelling and pressing of the day. 

 

In Fiji, we feel the presence of global big-tech companies -- some with net values 100 times the size of own GDP -- who have hundreds of thousands of users in Fiji. These companies are rarely ever registered entities in our country, they don’t have any Fijian offices, they don’t even have the capacity to translate our vernacular languages to sort through threats and hate speech. Regardless, these companies are an ever-present force in our people’s lives, they play significant roles in our economy, and they have a serious impact on our national security. 

 

How do governments ensure the rules and community guidelines these companies have on the books are enforced? Who places checks on the organisation’s who can bounce across borders, unchecked, and buy influence in the forms of advertisements and propaganda on our social media? How do we protect our citizens from online abuse or criminal networks from using these platforms to coordinate their activities?

 

When it comes to the advancement of digital technologies, the Asia-Pacific region is surging to the front of the pack -- how do we, as Pacific island countries, capitalise on that opportunity? Fijians love using new technology. But truly transformative technologies can’t only see our people as mere “users”. How do we put more of our people in the offices of the companies driving these advancements –– making the transition from user to creator? How can we leverage technology to preserve our unique cultures and identities? I’ve previously served as the Fijian Minister for Agriculture -- seeing the advances in what’s been dubbed the “ag-tech boom” is re-defining farming as we know it. What steps can countries like Fiji take -- today -- to give ourselves a competitive advantage in building an adaptable, scalable and innovative agro-sector? 

 

And when it comes to embracing these transformative technologies, how do we assure that our entire societies are uplifted, mitigating a widening “digital divide” that only benefits the privileged few who are armed with the tools and capacity to succeed in a modern economy? How can we ensure that digital literacy isn’t a language of the elite, but an enabler for the disadvantaged? How do we safeguard trustworthy and reliable information and news online, and teach our citizens to distinguish fact from falsehood? 

 

These are the questions burning in my mind. I believe the answers lie in opening doors of communication with the leaders of the tech revolution. I believe it lies in showing the world that Fiji and the Fijian people aren’t afraid of change. We openly embrace it. And we’re ready to work with leaders in the digital space to help chart a path to a more inclusive digital future. One where massive economic opportunities are realised, one where online spaces are safe and secure for all people, and one where the interests and perspectives of Fijians and all Pacific people are represented at the global tech decision-making table. 

 

I hope that I can get the wheels turning in some of the minds represented in this room today about how Fiji, and our fellow Pacific nations, can wield your expertise and experiences in meeting these challenges and seizing these opportunities. And while I have you all here; I should add, in ICT along with a range of other sectors, Fiji’s embrace of digital technology has established our nation as the hub of technology, development and innovation in the Pacific. We have a young population, with over half of our population under the age of 28, and we’re fielding the most educated and talented workforce in history. If there’s a place to make an investment, start a company, or even establish a regional hub for your business; it’s Fiji. Just something to think about! 

 

Once again, I welcome you all to our country and wish you a productive two days of discussions. 

 

Vinaka vakalevu. Thank you.