The Republic of Fiji Military Forces’s (RFMF) assurance that it will accept the results of next year’s election has been welcomed, but there remain concerns about its the RFMF’s impartiality. Since 1987, there have been military three coups in Fiji within a year after elections. In an interview last week, RFMF chief of staff Colonel Read more
Pita Nacuva, the ousted Speaker of the House of Representatives has called Fijians to forgiveness. Nacuva was sworn in as the House of Representatives Speaker on Monday, June 5, 2006. And while he had little time to serve, he has forgiven those involved in the events of December 5, 2006, leading the removal of the Read more
Fiji’s system of patron-client politics must end if the nation is to resolve its coup culture and facilitate a path towards democracy, says the Archbishop of Suva, Peter Chong. He says the present system is divisive and breeds a culture of coups and silence. Chong said interim Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama has used the patron-client Read more
New Zealand foreign Minister Murray McCully has set out new terms under which New Zealand might relax some of its sanctions on the Fijian Government led by Commodore Frank Bainimarama.
McCully said that if Fiji were to request that New Zealand should exempt new civilian appointees to the cabinet or to permanent secretary’s roles coming in to replace military people currently occupying those roles, “then we’d certainly consider lifting the sanctions as far as those individuals were concerned.”
Read the article...New Zealand foreign minister Murray McCully says he’s keeping an open mind about sanctions on Fiji, after Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama announced plans last week to consult the public on a new constitution, which is expected to be ready by next February.
Commodore Bainimarama, who seized power in a 2006 coup, said the new constitution would enshrine principles of one-person-one-vote, an independent judiciary and transparent governance.
According to a media report, Mr McCully said Wellington saw the consultation as a step in the right direction for Fiji, and it was keeping an open mind about post-coup sanctions.
“We’ve never ruled out looking at the sanctions,” he said.
Read the article...
Voreqe Bainimarama has condemned Australian and New Zealand policies in the Pacific while new power brokers are at work in their backyard. Shunned by Canberra and Wellington since Bainimarama’s 2006 coup, Fiji now has new friends – such as Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, making the first ever visit to the region by a Russian leader. Read more
The Fijian leader, Frank Bainimarama, has strongly denied claims made by two prominent former local journalists – writing in the New Zealand media – that he made three coup attempts before his successful takeover in December 2006. In his interview with Grubsheet in Suva, the Fijian leader said the allegations were “not true”. In the Read more
In November 2006 Andrew Hughes, an Australian who was the Police Commissioner in Fiji rang The New Zealand Police Commissioner to see if any offence under New Zealand law existed for which the New Zealand Police could arrest Bainimarama while he was visiting the country. At the time it was reported that a request had been Read more
A hearing has been set for four senior Methodist leaders in Fiji to face charges of organising and participating in a meeting in contravention of the Public Emergency Regulations in 2009. Suva lawyer Aseri Vakaloloma, who is representing Methodist leaders Reverend Tomasi Kanailagi and Reverend Manasa Lasaro, submitted an affidavit with Reverend Kanailagi’s medical report, Read more
A call by a former President of the Fiji Methodist Church for soldiers not to obey the coup installed military government has been called hypocritical by an overseas democracy campaigner.
Reverend Josateki Koroi says that Christian soldiers in the Fiji Military Forces should carefully weigh up their religious obligations if ordered to shoot at people.
Read the article...