More likely, Mr Bainimarama stayed at home to avoid rebukes for reneging on the commitment he made at last year's PIF summit in Tonga to hold elections by March 2009.

ECONOMIST: Fiji and the Pacific Islands Summit

In Round 1 of the PIF program, the RFP-EZ team opened the door to small businesses by building a platform for small, creative businesses to more effectively sell to the Federal Government.

WHITEHOUSE: Presidential Innovation Fellows

But he missed this week's annual summit of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) in Niue, one of 13 island microstates which, with Papua New Guinea (PNG), Australia and New Zealand, make up the PIF.

ECONOMIST: Fiji and the Pacific Islands Summit