Former Fijian Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry, who was ousted by George Speight and President Iloilo during the 2000 coup, has joined Commodore Bainimarama's interim government as finance minister.
Up until now, Choudhry has denied supporting the coup. Now we know where he really stands. By joining the military regime, he implicitly lends his mana to the illegal and unconstitutional means by which it gained power - and to its policy of thuggery, oppression, and murder. I had expected better from him. But at the end of the day, he is just another politician - and one who clearly has no higher principles beyond his own pursuit of power.
Oh dear. This just keeps getting worse :-(
ReplyDeleteThanks for the updates. Even though they are not good news I really appreciate them.
Does the UN care about this at all? What about the Pacific Forum? I can't understand why there appears to be no international attempts to resolve this, beyond Winston putting out media statements. ARGH!
The UN has called for a full restoration of democracy, and the Pacific Islands Forum is currently debating Fiji's suspension. They do care, but Fiji's new rulers don't.
ReplyDeleteAn article by Graham Davis, published in The Australian last Saturday, and in the Fiji Times today, hints at worse to come as longstanding rivalry between powerful Fiji clans comes to a head.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21016623-5001561,00.html