The Fijian government has dropped its plans to grant amnesty to participants and backers of the 2000 coup. While I'm pleased with this result - the Reconciliation, Tolerance and Unity Bill was a poorly-disguised political stitch up designed to shield members of the government from prosecution - I am appalled by the manner in which it has been achieved. While Prime Minister Qarase denies that the backdown was due to military pressure, there is simply no other way of seeing it; the unelected military has effectively vetoed the actions of the democratically elected government it is supposed to protect by threatening a coup. If this was done by Muslims, people would be screaming "terrorism" - and that is exactly what it is. Unfortunately, there seems to be very little the Fijian government can do about it.
Actually, there is one thing they can do about it: disband the army. They're now a clear threat to the constitutional order, and certainly a greater threat than anything they are supposed to be "defending" against. Unfortunately, this is easier said than done; Army chief Commodore Bainimarama has in the past accused the government of trying to "weaken the army", and any attempt to reduce its size to a more reasonable and less threatening level might itself result in further threats to overthrow the government.
I seem to recall that several years ago, the Fiji Military was a significant export earner for Fiji (they had a lot of troops in UN peaekeeping, where I think you get paid in USD - that's how NZ paid for some APC upgrades a few years back).
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure that they will want to give up that overseas-earner.
On another level, who's going to tell the people with the guns that they can't have guns any more...
Buff
Was it George Bush who said democracy is a turbulent thing? To me, Fiji is still teetering along consitutionally, and that's a good thing. They have come back a long way from the dark place they were. While this has been a testing issue, these crises both test the system and help to define the democratic institutions.
ReplyDeleteSo maybe this is good. Just like all the British constitutional crises that have helped to develop and define the Westminster system over hundreds of years.
The trial of Sitiveni Rabuka is revealing events that were covered in the Fiji press and expat commentariat at the time, but not in our MSM. It's worth following for a better understanding of the background to Bainimarama's current stance.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/dominionpost/0,2106,3856970a6000,00.html
Re. Muslims in Fiji politics, prominent figures include:
ReplyDeleteAhmed Ali, who died suddenly last year. An academic with a long involvement in conservative politics, he was appointed by Qarase to the role of Vice-President of the Senate in 2004.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmed_Ali_(politician)
Siddiq Koya, leader of the National Federation Party at the time of Independence, who could have been Fiji’s first Indo-Fijian PM when the party unexpectedly won the 1977 election. However, internal wrangling meant the NFP could not form a government and Ratu Mara’s Alliance Party returned to power. During the negotiations on the 1970 Constitution, Koya had shown his willingness to work with the Fijian elite led by Mara.
Apisai Tora, a Fijian convert to Islam, who was sentenced to eight months in jail for his part in the 2000 coup.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apisai_Tora