11 Paddling on Both Sides of the Canoe …
213
Fig. 11.2 A Bible is open on the arm of a sofa while a family rebuilds their home on Qoma Island,
Fiji. February 2016 (Source Image courtesy of the author)
Following Winston there were issues around the deployment of relief assets. When speaking
with friends, colleagues and community members working in relief deployment, there were
rumours of Fijian military personnel taking and selling supplies intended for Winston victims.
It was also known that representatives of the Fijian government had distributed faulty information associated with the national declaration of emergency and aid request. More specifically, some of the bank account numbers for donations had been altered so that funds were
being syphoned into third-party accounts. Some of these corruption charges were briefly
acknowledged by the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC) and the
National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) in a press release in March (Fiji Independent
Commission Against Corruption (FICAC) 2016). Little wonder given such incidences that
the people I observed seeking assistance beyond their own families and trusted community
members were more comfortable relying on their local churches, parishes and faith-based
organisations. (Gard and Veitayaki 2017: 161)
213
Fig. 11.2 A Bible is open on the arm of a sofa while a family rebuilds their home on Qoma Island,
Fiji. February 2016 (Source Image courtesy of the author)
Following Winston there were issues around the deployment of relief assets. When speaking
with friends, colleagues and community members working in relief deployment, there were
rumours of Fijian military personnel taking and selling supplies intended for Winston victims.
It was also known that representatives of the Fijian government had distributed faulty information associated with the national declaration of emergency and aid request. More specifically, some of the bank account numbers for donations had been altered so that funds were
being syphoned into third-party accounts. Some of these corruption charges were briefly
acknowledged by the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC) and the
National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) in a press release in March (Fiji Independent
Commission Against Corruption (FICAC) 2016). Little wonder given such incidences that
the people I observed seeking assistance beyond their own families and trusted community
members were more comfortable relying on their local churches, parishes and faith-based
organisations. (Gard and Veitayaki 2017: 161)