Fiji – Trouble in Paradise?
FIJI | Wednesday, 8 November 2006 | Views [1155]
The political and security situation in Fiji is currently unstable. The relationship between the country’s civilian government and its military has deteriorated to the point that there are now fears of a military coup. The head of the army, Chief Commodore Voreqe ‘Frank’ Bainimarama, has accused the Fijian government, led by Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase, of threatening Fiji’s political and social fabric and demanded that they step down. The government responded to this ultimatum by trying to oust Bainimarama while he was out of the country. Their attempt failed and Bainimarama reiterated his demand. He has cancelled all military leave and mobilised the country’s reservists. As a consequence, the atmosphere in Fiji is uneasy. There are reports that Fijian civilians are stockpiling food in anticipation of violence and the Australian and New Zealand governments have both sent warships to the area in order to evacuate their nationals should fighting erupt. Although there have been no outbreaks of violence and people are remaining calm, the situation has the potential to deteriorate rapidly and civil unrest cannot be ruled out.
Fiji is no stranger to coups - there have been three in the past 20 years and the military is a powerful player in Fijian politics. The country is also beset with ethnic tensions, despite a multi-racial constitution. This latest crisis is largely the result of two pieces of legislation that Bainimarama believes will jeopardise the stability and prosperity of the south Pacific nation. Firstly, Bainimarama and his senior officers are enraged by the nationalist government’s plan to offer amnesties to those involved in a coup in 2000. In that coup, indigenous Fijian nationalists deposed Fiji’s first ethnic-Indian prime minister and attempted to kill Bainimarama. He played a central role in re-establishing law and order and democracy, and is unsurprisingly hostile toward efforts to release some of the coup’s ring leaders. Bainimarama believes that their release will simply return Fiji to the lawlessness of 2000. The government argues that the pardoning legislation is an essential step for national reconciliation. Secondly, the military is also opposed to government attempts to transfer ownership rights of Fiji’s reefs and waterways to native Fijians. They have stated that such a law will serve only to entrench ethnic and tribal divides, fuelling resentment and encouraging violence.
In an effort to prevent such legislation being passed, Bainimarama and the military have applied tremendous coercive pressure. On 16 October, while visiting Fijian troops in the Middle East, Bainimarama issued Qarase’s government with a 6 November deadline to either abandon the controversial pieces of legislation or resign. In a thinly veiled threat, Bainimarama then swiftly revoked all military leave, mobilised Fiji’s military reservists and organised a series of military exercises in the capital, Suva. The government responded by attempting to remove Bainimarama while he was abroad. The government offered the top military job to Lieutenant Colonel Meli Saubulinayau, hoping to remove the outspoken Commodore from the political equation. Unfortunately for them, Saubulinayau rejected the offer and, along with senior officers, pledged his continued support to Bainimarama. The tension between the two parties escalated further on 1 November when troops defied police officers and seized 7.5 tons, or 600,000 rounds, of ammunition from a wharf in the capital city.
It was thought that the crisis might have eased on 4 November when Qarase said he had dropped his plans to offer pardons to those implicated in the 2000 coup. Both he and the military also made conciliatory noises about meeting with Fiji’s Great Council of Chiefs in order to find a solution to the current crisis and the council has been successful in mediating during past troubles such as the putsch in 1987. However, on 8 November 2006, Bainimarama appeared to dismiss both Qarase’s concession about the amnesties and the likelihood of a successful meeting with the Great Council of Chiefs. In an often confusing and rambling speech at a press conference in Suva, Bainimarama levelled a series of accusations and demands at the Qarase government. He claimed that Qarase had consistently lied, acted corruptly and ignored the rule of law. He dismissed the Great Council’s ability to mediate saying that it only ever meets ‘to suit the government’s agenda’ and he reiterated his demand for the disputed bills to be dropped. Although Bainimarama’s speech may simply be an effort to coerce maximum compromises from Qarase and his cabinet, his aggressive rhetoric is pushing both parties into a corner. Qarase has already compromised once and considering that he won a comprehensive re-election in May, he might feel that he has a substantial popular mandate. If that is the case, the potential for an explosive confrontation between the two parties remains high. As a consequence, red24 advises that caution should be exercised at all times and all large gatherings should be avoided. Additionally, even if a coup fails to materialise, the current combination of military sabre-rattling and top-level personality clash is untenable. Only the removal of Bainimarama or Qarase is likely to distil tension in the medium term.
Tags: travel safety, fiji
<< Previous Story Next Story >>
Add your comments
