The Fiji Farce
The latest twist in the Fiji Farce is that Commodore Bainimarama is being appointed Prime Minister, plus he is staying Army Chief. So Bainimarama will be in charge of pushing through the legislation legalising his coup.
It is such a pity that Fiji has had a series of venal and weak-willed Presidents who have played along with the coups.
It shows what a liar Bainimarama is, saying he never wanted power for himself, and would hand power over as quickly as possible.
Maybe when Fiji finally gets a legal Government again, they could give Bainimarama the Saddam treatment – that might put an end to this cycle of coups. Okay no death penalty I agree, but’s let’s settle for life imprisonment for treason.
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Tags: International Politics
January 5th, 2007 at 12:10 pm
DPF, have you read the rpoert from the Fiji HRC?
January 5th, 2007 at 12:25 pm
David, you seriously need to read the Fiji Human Rights Commission report rather than simply spouting the governments talking points about the coup.
http://www.humanrights.org.fj/publications/2007/Investigation%20Report%20on%20Events%20of%20December%206%202006.pdf
January 5th, 2007 at 12:30 pm
“Helen and Co have been supporting a corrupt and racist “elected” Fijian Government for years. The coup has been peaceful and conducted very amicably so far. Perhaps Fiji is showing signs of cultural progress!
I think the reaction of Clark is beautifully hypocritical and designed to show how strong she is on an international stage and once again distract us all from the corruption, lies and taxes perpetuated and forced upon all of us.
Fiji is a backward little Island country. No one has been killed. Who gives a toss?”
I posted the above on December 6th.
Now that the United Nations appears to fully support my position I am doubting my right wing credentials.
January 5th, 2007 at 1:35 pm
Yes David I do not think this is so clear cut. For instance the previous Government was required to have ethnic indians part of the Government but steadfastly refused to implement that, thus breaching the constitution. They got around it by continuing to delay delay delay meanwhile corruption was rife (not a ground in its-self for the Coup) but the continuing unconstitutinal nature of the Qarase Government meant that things were going to be forced somehow. I also think Helen Clark had a very very superficial grasp of the issues and then made some off the cuff remarks. John Howard to be fair, is no better. Neither have won prizes. What if the USA was as badly briefed on issues of importance to us given that our importance to the USA is about the same as Fiji is to us.
January 5th, 2007 at 2:04 pm
Life sentence for what?
Getting rid of a racist, undemocratic, corrupt government without any bloodshed?
Don’t be ridiculous. He’s a hero and Fiji will be much the better for his actions. As for assuming the position of interim Prime Minister, how you construe that as seeking power is beyond me. His actions are a relinquishment of the extent of his previous power.
January 5th, 2007 at 2:59 pm
Posturing superceded tribal culture is a failed way to deal with the 21 century.
That also applies to Fiji.
January 5th, 2007 at 3:15 pm
Whaleoil – I have read the report. It is merely the opinion which has no more standing that we would give to our HRC. They are not the equal of Crown Law.
I didn’t like the Quarase Govt policies. They were bad and wrong. But you don’t get to depose Govts just because they have bad policies.
They won a general election just six months ago. They had a mandate. A coup is the last resort and it fails the neccessity doctrine by a long long shot in this case.
Bainimarama strikes me as quite unbalanced, maybe even mad. And it is obvious he is going to remain dictator fo Fiji for many years to come.
January 5th, 2007 at 3:46 pm
“So Bainimarama will be in charge of pushing through the legislation legalising his coup.”
Sounds much the same as “So Labour will be in charge of retrospective legislation legalising the misuse of public funds for election campaign funding” to me.
Sure the drivers are different, the behaviour is however the same.
January 5th, 2007 at 3:56 pm
The FHRC report is partisan and misleading on the legal precedent set by the Yabaki case, emphasising the High Court decision regarding the President’s right to dismiss an elected government, rather than the subsequent Court of Appeal decision (which placed greater weight on a no confidence decision in the House). Author of the report, Shaista Shameem, has been accused of compromising the independence of Commission and the Fiji Human Rights Commissioner has distanced herself from the report, saying that it was neither commissioned nor sanctioned by the Commission and is presumably the personal opinion of the author.
A Fiji Times editorial today reflects some of the local criticism of the report.
http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?item=leader
There is so much available online and it is being updated frequently, so there is plenty of opportunity to keep abreast of unfolding events (hint, hint, MSM).
January 5th, 2007 at 4:27 pm
David, where is your contrary reputable ‘opinion’ to lay off against that expressed in the FHRC report? You say they won a general election six months ago but it was an illegitimate election as detailed in the report. Where is your ‘opinion’ which contradicts a key aspect of the whole episode, namely the apparent constitutional right and indeed duty of the military to intervene in the process of government? (Why are you not asking why this key piece of information has never been mentioned in our MSM or by out politicians?)Qarase had no mandate for most of thethings they he was about to do. The report specificlly details the measures for which there was no mandate and the manner in which the election was unconstitutional.
Bainimarama unbalanced? No. Far from it, in fact. It appears Bainimarama has done his legal and political homework a damned sight more carefully than any NZ politician, diplomat or journalist. During my last visit to Fiji in October I did not find anyone, either Fijian or Indo who had anything but praise for the Commodore. You can argue semantics until the cows come home but in this case, you’ll be wrong.
New Zealand and Australia will go back with their aid caps in hand before you can say Jack Robinson or Bula vinaka. They have no choice if they want to maintain any respect and influence at all in the region.
Qarase will have no problem finding a job. Labour needs to replace its crook in Mangere. He’ll fit in well.
January 5th, 2007 at 5:05 pm
Qarase’s government didn’t win a General Election, they rorted one ably assisted by our very own Labour Party.
Qarase was a puppet of the Great Council of Chiefs which is as bent a a whole factory of banana’s.
People I know who know FB tell me he is no more mad than you or I or even unbalanced. He has simply had enough of the shenagins of the GCC and was in the single most important position to effect change.
This coup is so unlike the other three it is not funny. People erroneously keep comparing the two. FB’s coup rather than being racist and seperatist like the other three is a coup for all Fijian’s regardless of race and why he enjoys a large amount of support across racial boundaries.
Ask anyone who has lived or is living in Fiji what this means and they will tell you what i am. Ask anyone who has only ever been to Fiji for a holiday and they’ll trot out all the talking points of Clark, Peters and Farrar.
January 5th, 2007 at 11:54 pm
I’ve only ever been on holiday to Fiji, and yet I agree with Whaleoil. I was so against the racist attitude of the last two coups that I refused to go to Fiji for ten years, went last year to find the situation worse if anything. David, before you went away, you said you’d make use of any coup to go there for a holiday .. may I encourage you.
January 6th, 2007 at 9:39 am
“It is such a pity that Fiji has had a series of venal and weak-willed Presidents who have played along with the coups.”
Is that anything like having a weak-willed Governor-General, who agrees to sign retrospective legislation that validates a rorted election? I understand that something like that might have happened in a supposedly advanced Pacific country recently.
Pots and kettles.
January 6th, 2007 at 1:19 pm
See the Herald’s response to Shameem’s report today (well-argued, IMO):
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/466/story.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=10417926
January 7th, 2007 at 9:04 pm
One needs to be circumspective on the issues, and not just relying on what the recent report has stated.
Whether Corruption, illegality or not of the qarase govt, a coup was already wrong. get that right!
The courts are the better judges than the military.
January 8th, 2007 at 1:12 pm
Kona “The Courts are better judges than the military”. Really? Which planet do you come from?
January 9th, 2007 at 1:42 am
This cursed thing is enough reason for an overthrow of any government, by any means.
http://www.fijibuzz.com/Resources/Bills-and-Acts/The-Qoliqoli-Bill-2006.html
Any sacrifice is worth it.
To have my children, grandchildren, and descendants deprived of a fair and equal right to the use of and access to and over the ocean, no bloody way.
Thank you Bainimarama.
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