Come to the dictatorship of Fiji – and get a red face like Gordon Brown

The Foreign Office’s travel advice to people visiting Fiji is clear — don’t talk politics, expect police roadblocks and be prepared for riots at any time. Critics of the military regime are arbitrarily detained or beaten and three have died in custody, say human rights groups.

The Pacific island nation, ruled by a military dictatorship, was thus a surprising choice for Gordon Brown to promote as a suitable holiday destination for winter-weary Britons.



How exactly No 10 and the Labour Party gave approval for an image of the Prime Minister — complete with scarlet hibiscus tucked jauntily behind his right ear — to emblazon advertisments for Fiji is a matter of dispute. But they did. (The image has been changed since yesterday.)

The end result is a full-scale diplomatic incident and global embarrassment for Mr Brown as politicians in Fiji, Australia and New Zealand express outrage.



“The last thing we want to have is some of our big leaders in the world sending out signals that may be interpreted wrongly,” said Ted Young, who was a senior member of the democratically elected government deposed in the military coup of 2006. The situation here in Fiji is very bad at this point in time. This regime would grab on to anything to give itself international support and recognition.”

Steven Kenny, client services manager at DK Advertising, a small London-based agency, admits that he was “in some respects” surprised that No 10 agreed to his request. He says he made about seven calls to press officers in Downing Street and the Labour Party and showed the artwork to Labour officials before being given permission. Privately No 10 officials say that there was a “misunderstanding” over the adverts and that the proposed artwork was not cleared at the proper level.