Fiji crisis of 2005-2006
Encyclopedia
The tension between Fiji
's government and Military forces
, which had been simmering for more than two years, appeared to escalate in late December 2005. Tension between the government and the Military had been simmering throughout the year, with Commodore Bainimarama and other Military officers making strongly worded public statements opposing certain government policies, including the early release from prison of persons implicated in the Fiji coup of 2000
, and the government's promotion of controversial legislation
to establish a Commission with the power to grant amnesty to perpetrators of the coup.
Frank Bainimarama
, Commander of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces, publicly challenged Home Affairs Minister Josefa Vosanibola
and his Chief Executive Lesi Korovavala
on 22 December to visit the Queen Elizabeth Barracks and dismiss him.
The Commander declared that he would ignore any written dismissal; the minister and the chief executive would have to confront him in person. If the minister refused to follow his advice, he could run the Military on his own, he said. Bainimarama also stated his intention to commandeer Korovavala's office, and claimed to have ordered Army engineers to secure it. "I do not care where he will go to. All I know is that I will now be stationed in that office," the Commander declared. The Commander also suggested that the government should consider dismissing Vosanibola, and that if the Minister failed to take his advice, removing him from office would be his next step.
and Assistant Police Commissioner (Crime) Kevueli Bulamainaivalu said that Commissioner Andrew Hughes
was monitoring the threats made against Korovavala. Anare Jale, meanwhile, told Fiji Village
that the police would be asked to intervene if Commodore Bainimarama tried to remove Korovavala from office. That afternoon, Home Affairs Minister Vosanibola told Fiji Village that he had briefed Vice-President Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi
and Attorney-General
Qoriniasi Bale
in the morning. The threats were being taken seriously, he said, and "appropriate action" would follow.
Joji Kotobalavu
, the Chief Executive Officer in the Prime Minister's Department, who chaired an emergency meeting of officials on the 28th, claimed that Vice-President Madraiwiwi had summoned Bainimarama during the afternoon, but Military spokesman Captain Neumi Leweni
denied this. Also present at the meeting were Anare Jale, Solicitor-General
Nainendra Nand
, and the Acting CEO of Home Affairs, Saverio Baleikanacea.
Leweni claimed that in seizing the office of the Home Affairs CEO, Bainimarama was merely appropriating an office that had originally been allocated to the Military, but which had not hitherto been occupied by them. The whole of the second floor of Government Buildings was supposed to be allocated to the Army, Leweni said. The Military was not concerned about the emergency meeting, Leweni said, as it would deal directly with the persons involved.
Vosanibola was quoted on 29 December by the Fiji Times
and Fiji Live
that there was no cause for alarm, and that everything was under control. He had taken personal charge of the matter, he said. The commissioning of Judge Advocate Leung for the court martial retrial would be processed "soon", he promised. Fiji Live also reported that Vice-President Madraiwiwi would be meeting Commodore Bainimarama in the first week of January 2006 in an effort to defuse the tension.
In a further development, Bainimarama declared on the last day of 2005 that he would no longer recognize Josefa Vosanibola as the Minister
in charge of the Military Forces. "The Military now is on its own and is not answerable to anyone", the Commander said. In convening the court martial retrial, the Military would now act unilaterally, he said. He repeated his challenge to the government to dismiss him.
The Commander went on to say that much of the Qarase
government's legislation was "racist", and that the government was tailoring its legislation to suit only a very few people, not the country as a whole. "I am the one who is standing for democracy and the rule of law because the Government and its officials only want the laws to be made to suit them", he said.
Captain Leweni criticized Vosanibola on 3 January 2006 for involving the Office of the President in the dispute. "The RFMF will now ask the minister why they are going back to the very office they have disobeyed by not processing the appointment of the judge advocate made by the President", Leweni said.
. Rumours of a coup plot had been fabricated by certain government officials overreacting to the Commander's comments, in an attempt to discredit the Commander and the Military, which did not want a coup, Leweni said.
Bainimarama's criticism of government decisions was not limited to legal issues. On 6 January, he condemned the earmarking of F$90,000
for the planned visit of American evangelist
Benny Hinn
, saying the money should have been given to the poor.
, Assistant Commissioner of Police Operation, confirmed the previous evening that a shipment had been received, insisting that the arms were merely replacements for old ones.
Military spokesman Captain Neumi Leweni strongly criticized the shipment, and called on the government to reveal its motives for supplying the weapons to the police force. The arms had actually been purchased for Fijian soldiers serving in Iraq
, Leweni claimed, before being diverted to the police, and the Military wanted an explanation.
The concern of the Military was supported by Fiji Labour Party
(FLP) parliamentarian
Lekh Ram Vayeshnoi
, and by Ema Druavesi
, General Secretary of the Fijian Political Party (SVT). Vayeshnoi called for an investigation into what he said was a misuse of funds, involving the diversion of arms bought for the Military to the police. Druavesi blamed Home Affairs Minister Josefa Vosanibola for the diversion of the shipment, and questioned the government's motives in arming the police. "Is the government relying on the police to be used in a confrontational between the two security forces? Blood of Fijians is going to flow if there is a confrontation," she declared. She called on the police to return the weapons to the Military.
Lieutenant
Saula Tuikoro, a former Fiji Intelligence Service agent, told the Fiji Sun on 8 January that the diversion of the shipment was a sinister move on the part of the government to counter the Army. The weapons were more modern and of superior quality to those possessed by the Military, Tuikoro said. He saw this as a threat to national security. "(The) government is now equipping the police to take on the army," he claimed.
Police Commissioner
Andrew Hughes defended the shipment on 9 January. The Fiji Village news service reported him as saying that the weapons had been purchased from the police budget and were low-power weapons, unsuitable for military use. They would be used only in life-threatening emergencies by officers from the Police Tactical Response Unit, a new mobile police team based in Nasinu
, Hughes said.
The issue flared up again in March. On the 15th, Fiji Live quoted Leweni as accusing the police of purchasing F$1.5 million worth of weapons from South Korea. The shipment allegedly included 123 pistol
s, 30 submachine gun
s, and assorted warfare equipment. He also charged Commissioner Hughes with complicity in the deal, which he said had been masterminded by the Australian Defence Review Team as part of a package to reduce the size of the Military and transfer most of its duties to the police. Hughes was deliberately arming Fijians
against Fijians, he said. Commodore Bainimarama went further: the shipment had been intended for the Military, he claimed, and had been diverted to the police by the government.
Hughes expressed surprise at the strong language, and said that the Military was mistaken. The arms had been purchased as per the government's budget allocation to the police, he claimed, for the purpose of countering "armed criminals" such as terrorists. He was also disappointed that the Military had spoken to the media rather than to him directly, he said.
Hughes and Bainimarama met on the 16th and agreed afterwards that the disagreement had been due to a misunderstanding. Hughes accepted some responsibility for having failed to explain the details of the shipment and its purpose sooner. This had been unintentional, he insisted.
The statement came in response to comments made by Acting Foreign Minister Pita Nacuva
in a newspaper interview, claiming that the attitude of the Military was merely a sour grapes. "It is obvious from Nacuva's comments that the Government makes light of the sour relationship between the Government and the army in past years. The Government would be very naïve to underestimate the intention of the military in this instance," the statement tersely said.
Commodore Bainimarama, for his part, declared that if the government's "racist" policies continued, the Military would not hesitate take control of the country. "To the government the military says this is no petty issue. You have the choice to make it right for the nation," the Fiji Live news service quoted him as saying. The death of soldiers in 2000 had yet to be avenged, he said, and the policies of the government prevented the "dark days of 2000" from being erased. He said that political decisions smacked of "a bulling government, lacking in character."
On 11 January, Bainimarama denied a report that he had met secretly with Vice-President Madraiwiwi. He told the Fiji Live news service that the report, published earlier in the Fiji Sun, was not correct, and that he was still waiting for a meeting to be scheduled. On the afternoon of the 12th, however, he told the Fiji Village news service that the meeting had in fact taken place, but said he was not in a position to reveal what had been discussed.
Both before and after the crisis was resolved on 16 January with a truce brokered by Acting President Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi, the crisis generated a great deal of comment, both locally and internationally.
The faultline between indigenous and Indo-Fijians, which has defined Fijian politics
for the last generation, was much less evident in this event. The main players on both sides were ethnic Fijians. Indo-Fijian-led parties appeared divided in their response, with the Fiji Labour Party (FLP) coming close to endorsing a military coup and its chief rival for the Indo-Fijian vote, the National Federation Party
condemning it.
Commodore Bainimarama dismissed Lieutenant Colonel
Jone Baledrokadroka, the Acting Land Force Commander and effectively the second most senior officer in the Military, on 13 January, alleging insubordination. He subsequently accused Baledrokadroka of plotting a mutiny
with "outside" encouragement, implicating the government, and of threatening to shoot him. Baledrokadroka said the allegations were "lies". The confrontation had come about, Baledrokadroka claimed, when Bainimarama had issued him with a "treasonous" order, which he had refused to obey, and accused the Commander of plotting a coup.
Pending a meeting scheduled for 16 January between the Prime Minister and Military Commander, convened by Vice-President Madraiwiwi, the Sunday Star-Times in New Zealand anonymously quoted what it claimed was a senior indigenous Fijian politician under investigation for coup-related offences, as saying that any effort to dismiss Bainimarama could lead to "a bloodbath." The Sunday Star-Times quoted him as expressing doubts that it would come to that, however, because the Commander knew too much. He did not elaborate.
The Sunday Star-Times also noted that unlike previous crises, which were, or were widely seen to be, between indigenous Fijians and Indo-Fijians, the latter were largely absent from the latest conspiracies.
issued a statement on 14 January 2006 accusing Lesi Korovavala, the Chief Executive Officer of the Home Affairs Ministry, of having conspired with Home Affairs Minister Josefa Vosanibola to arrange a secret meeting between Baledrokadroka and Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase, in an attempt to depose Bainimarama. This was Koroi's second controversial statement in less than a week, having said on Fiji Television
on the 11th that the FLP would support a military coup.
Qarase angrily denied the allegations against him and the two public servants on the 15th, challenged Koroi to substantiate them, and said that he had filed charges against her for inciting violence, rebellion, and instability. "This is an outrageous allegation and everything that she is talking about is an absolute lie," the Fiji Sun quoted him as saying of Koroi's allegations. He was not mollified by a later statement by the FLP that her remarks had been taken "out of context." "Television pictures do not lie," Qarase said. He was still indignant on the 18th, condemning FLP leader Mahendra Chaudhry
for trying to divert attention from Koroi's statement. Wild allegations were a "hallmark" of the FLP, Qarase claimed. He announced that a complaint had been laid with the police.
The same day, however, Commodore Bainimarama, however, supported the FLP's claims. At a press conference, he alleged that the Military had tapped
a telephone conversation in which Baledrokadroka was asked to elicit support from senior officers for the removal of Bainimarama.
Powerful people were trying to remove him, he claimed, in order to derail his work to prosecute perpetrators of the 2000 coup.
Meanwhile, police spokeswoman Sylvia Low had confirmed the day before that a complaint had been received from the Military, calling for an investigation into possible collusion between Baledrokadroka and government officials over an alleged attempt to incite a mutiny. On 20 January, Low told the Fiji Times that two complaints had been received concerning Jokapeci Koroi, one from Home Affairs Minister Josefa Vosanibola concerning her public endorsement of a potential Military coup, and the other from Lesi Korovavala, Chief Executive Officer of the Home Affairs Ministry, concerning allegations she had made about his alleged role in an alleged army mutiny on 12 January.
The Fiji Sun quoted Regional Development Minister Ted Young
on 21 February as saying that Koroi's endorsement of a possible coup had resulted in a major downturn in the tourism industry.
, the Deputy Leader of the Fiji Labour Party (FLP), had met with Bainimarama at Suva
the Queen Elizabeth Barracks on the 15th, a day before Bainimarama's crucial meeting with the Prime Minister at Government House. Military spokesman Captain Neumi Leweni strongly denied claims that Bune's visit had been to influence the Commander to continue with his anti-government campaign. The meeting had been above-board, Leweni said. Bune clarified that his meeting with the Commander had not been as a representative of the FLP.
He said that his public attacks on government policies had begun when the government had started interfering with the judicial process. A unilateral government decision in 2003 to commute the sentences of soldiers involved in the Labasa
mutiny
that took place while the coup was in progress, had been taken without consulting the Military, he claimed.
A statement issued by Madraiwiwi said that following a frank discussion, both men had agreed to put the "national interest" first. Commodore Bainimarama had agreed to consult the Ministry of Home Affairs before making any further statements to the media. Prime Minister Qarase, in turn, had promised not to interfere with police investigations into alleged accomplices of the 2000 coup perpetrators, and had agreed to "address" the Military's concerns over controversial legislation, including the Reconciliation, Tolerance, and Unity Bill. The Military Commander and the Police Commissioner would both be allowed to attend meetings often National Security Council
as Observers. "Both recognised the need to put the national interest first. In the light of that consideration, the Prime Minister has agreed that the Commander and the Commissioner of Police be invited to participate in the Security Council as observers," the Acting President said. On 18 January, however, the Prime Minister clarified that the Commander and the Commissioner would attend Security Council meetings only by invitation, and only when deemed necessary.
In addition, it was agreed that the Prime Minister would from now on deal directly with the two officers, rather than through subordinate ministers or civil servants. He would meet regularly with the Commander to discuss matters of mutual concern, he said. "These meetings will create a new avenue for dialogue between the Government and the military rather than discussions in the media," Prime Minister Qarase told the Fiji Live news service.
The Prime Minister also revealed on 17 January that he had promised the Commander that the upcoming general election
would be conducted independently, without government interference.
Madraiwiwi called on both parties to be cautious and responsible in their dealings with each other. "It is critical that elements in the Government and the military exercise circumspection and discretion in their dealings with each other at all times," he said.
The meeting had also reestablished normal channels of communication between the government and the Military, Madraiwiwi said. He thanked both men for the way in which the meeting had been conducted.
On 20 January, Bainimarama attempted to clarify his view of the agreement on Fiji Television. His agreement not to talk to the media was conditional, he said, on being allowed to make representations to the government. If the government failed to address his concerns, he was not precluded from commenting publicly, he considered. He made the remarks with respect to his complaint against Lesi Korovavala, Chief Executive Officer of the Public Service Commission, whom the Military wants removed.
It was revealed on 26 January that the meeting had been tape recorded at the request of Commodore Bainimarama, with the approval of Acting President Madraiwiwi. The tape is now the property of the Military, according to Fiji Television, and is now being studied by senior Military officers.
The same day, Commodore Bainimarama strongly denied allegations made by Baledrokadroka that he had been planning a coup. According to the Fiji Times, he denied that there was by connection between his own media statements and the expected retirement in March of President Ratu Josefa Iloilo
or the absence from the country of parliamentary Speaker, Ratu
Epeli Nailatikau
, himself a former Military commander. Nailatikau's visit to Fijian troops serving as peacekeepers
in Iraq was at his own request and had been approved by the Home Affairs Ministry, he said; the Military had nothing to do with it. Likewise, the expected Presidential election was the prerogative of the Great Council of Chiefs
, he said; it was nothing to do with the Military.
Bainimarama also claimed to have been aware of Baledrokadroka's ambition to hold the position of Commander, and to have monitored him for five weeks before dismissing him.
Leweni announced on 20 January that four senior army officers had been appointed the day before to investigate the alleged mutiny plot. The four officers would not be named until they had completed their work, Leweni said.
revealed to the Fiji Times on 19 January that they had received a formal complaint from Commodore Bainimarama about Lesi Korovavala, the Chief Executive Officer of the Home Affairs Ministry. Bainimarama accused Korovavala of having instigated an alleged threat of mutiny by Lieutenant Colonel Jone Baledrokadroka, the then-Acting Land Force Commander. Earlier, Bainimarama had claimed evidence of a telephone conversation between Baledrokadroka and somebody from outside the camp; the Fiji Times implied this to be Korovavala. The Fiji Village news service, meanwhile, reported that the Military had gathered information that Baledrokadroka had met with Korovavala on a number of occasions.
Korovavala told Fiji Village that the allegations were false, and had been referred to the police. Huggett also confirmed that the PSC had received a letter from Korovavala denying the allegations.
Military spokesman Captain Neumi Leweni said that nothing short of Korovavala's removal would satisfy the Military. This had been a key Military demand before the accord brokered by Vice-President Madraiwiwi on 16 January, and quickly surfaced again. Radio Gold reported on the 17th that Bainimarama had raised the issue at the meeting with Madraiwiwi and Qarase, accusing Korovavala of having caused the friction between the government and the Military. Accordintg to Radio Gold, Bainimarama had told them that he suspected that Korovavala had telephoned Baledrokadroka to arrange a meeting with the Prime Minister, and that he had evidence to support his claim.
Jioji Kotobalavu, the Chief Executive Officer of the Prime Minister's Department, claimed that the Prime Minister was not responsible for the contracts of chief executives and could not interfere.
Meanwhile, Home Affairs Minister Josefa Vosanibola told Fiji Television that he, too, had received a copy of Bainimarama's letter. Korovavala had written to the PSC to deny the charges, he said.
Lawyer Isireli Fa said that Korovavala had asked his firm to study the matter and to protect his interests.
Huggett revealed on 20 January that the previous day's meeting of the PSC had decided to appoint an independent team to investigate Bainimarama's complaint against Korovavala. The team would try to deal with the complaints within three months, Huggett told the Fiji Times.
or treason
ous.
Vosanibola also questioned the integrity of the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions
, asking why it was taking so long to investigate the threatening telephone calls made to several Ministers and senior civil servants in April 2005.
Military spokesman Captain Neumi Leweni said that the Military had not been informed of the complaint, and was trying to ascertain its basis.
Bainimarama reacted angrily to the revelation, accusing the government of breaching the accord brokered by Acting President Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi on the 16th. He announced his intention to respond on the 27th, warning that the Prime Minister and Home Affairs Minister "had better be ready."
The Fiji Times reported that Prime Minister Qarase had refused to answer questions pertaining to the latest disagreement, and had switched off his cellphone when contacted. Later, however, he told the Fiji Village news service that he would personally investigate Vosanibola's actions, to prevent any recurrence of the long-running impasse between the government and Military.
On 27 January, Vosanibola made any withdrawal of his complaint conditional on an apology from Bainimarama. This provoked an angry response from the Commander on the 29th. He called for Vosanibola, whom he described as "beyond help," to be dismissed and charged. The demand that he apologize for his threats against the government was ridiculous, he said. "Asking me to apologise for making that statement is an insult to the working people of this nation because, simply, it is my job," the Fiji Live news service quoted him as saying. He defined the role of the Military as ensuring security and the well-being of the people of Fiji, which he accused "people like Vosanibola" of failing to do. The Commander's latest statement came notwithstanding the Government House agreement not to speak to the media without consulting the Military. "No one is going to attack the military without any retaliation from the military – not even under any agreement," he defiantly declared.
said that the government had failed to grant soldiers' ration allowances or job evaluation exercises, despite the budget allocation, and raising the matter with the Prime Minister had proved futile.
Rabukawaqa said that after his weekly meetings with Acting President Madraiwiwi and his fortnightly meetings with Prime Minister Qarase, he would write to both men about issues he wanted addressed. Madraiwiwi replied to the letters, he said; Qarase did not. "We feel that he was just making a fool of us and we have advised the commander not to hold any more meetings with him," Rabukawaqa said.
Home Affairs Minister Josefa Vosanibola responded by saying that Rabukawaqa's comments were not justified, and that concerns that had been raised were being looked into.
The Fiji Sun quoted the Prime Minister (6 March) as saying that Bainimarama's decision to withdraw from the talks was "unfortunate." Progress had been made during the course of the discussions, he claimed. What really went wrong was that he expected me and my Government to follow orders. In other words, to do everything he wanted," he later claimed.
reiterated earlier warnings to Bainimarama on 24 February 2006, saying that the passage of legislation was not up to the Military. "People can have whatever opinions they like on the laws but in the end the parliament should make those laws not the military," the Sydney Morning Herald quoted him as saying. Supported by his New Zealand counterpart, Winston Peters
, he warned that another coup would be devastating, not only for the Fijian economy
but also for its international relationships. The Military responded by asking Downer to stay out of Fijian politics, saying that Australians could not know what it was like to live through a coup.
Fiji's Home Affairs Minister Josefa Vosanibola added that the Military had no authority to interfere with government business. The Commander's stated intention to withdraw from meeting the Prime Minister was disrespectful to the highest office in the land, he told Fiji Live.
The Fijian Military responded on the 28th, saying that the safety and security of Fiji were the business of the Military. Spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Orisi Rabukawaqa was quoted in the Fiji Times as saying that the views expressed by the Australian and New Zealand foreign ministers were disrespectful and irresponsible. He claimed that the security of the nation and its citizens was constitutionally
entrusted to the Military, a claim that Vosanibola had disputed.
Fiji Live reported on 1 March that the Military had called on Prime Minister Qarase to discipline Home Affairs Minister Vosanibola. Military spokesman Captain Neumi Leweni accused Vosanibola of deliberately failing to understand the constitutional prerogatives of the Military. According to Leweni, the 1997 Constitution affirmed the role given to the Military in the 1990 constitution. "If Vosanibola cannot understand simple English than he is not worthy to continue in his cabinet portfolio," he said. He accused Vosanibola of committing three serious acts of insubordination since 1983, the most serious, he said, in 2005 when he allegedly tried to thwart President
Ratu Josefa Iloilo's decision to appoint Graeme Leung
as Judge Advocate of the court martial retrial of former soldiers convicted of their roles in the mutiny that took place at Suva's Queen Elizabeth Barracks on 2 November 2005.
Commodore Bainimarama concurred with Leweni. He told Fiji Live that Vosanibola was incompetent and unfit to hold office. "This kind of incompetent people should not be voted in," he said. "We should vote for only competent people."
In an interview with ABC Television
reported by Fiji Live on 3 March, Downer reiterated his earlier opposition to Military interference in politics.
Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi to mediate.
His proposed campaign was endorsed by Poseci Bune, Deputy Leader of the Fiji Labour Party, but condemned by Ropate Sivo, General Secretary of the Conservative Alliance
(whose dissolution he is resisting), and by Saula Telawa
, President of the New Nationalist Party
. The Sun quoted Sivo again on the 12th, calling for Bainimarama's arrest, saying that the Commander himself had a case to answer for his own role in the events of 2000. He accused Bainimarama of fomenting instability and of discouraging foreign investment.
Home Affairs Minister Josefa Vosanibola said on 12 March that he was losing patience with the failure of the President and Vice-President to discipline the Commander. "I respect Government House but the time has come for them to act," the Fiji Times quoted him as saying. "Why has Government House been sitting on this?"
SDL campaign director Jale Baba
said that the Military's proposed actions were illegal, and inconsistent with historical reality. He claimed that the policies of the Qarase government were identical to those pursued by the Military when it appointed Qarase as Prime Minister in the first place.
Former Prime Minister
Sitiveni Rabuka
, despite his support for certain government policies opposed by the Military, endorsed the Military's campaign on 12 March, according to Fiji Village. Rabuka, himself a former Commander of the Army, said that the proposed actions of the Military were constitutional.
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
's government and Military forces
Military of Fiji
The Republic of Fiji Military Forces are the military of the Pacific island nation of Fiji. With a total manpower of 3,500 active soldiers and 6,000 reservists, it is one of the smallest militaries in the world. However, most of its surrounding island nations have no militaries at all...
, which had been simmering for more than two years, appeared to escalate in late December 2005. Tension between the government and the Military had been simmering throughout the year, with Commodore Bainimarama and other Military officers making strongly worded public statements opposing certain government policies, including the early release from prison of persons implicated in the Fiji coup of 2000
Fiji coup of 2000
The Fiji coup of 2000 was a complicated affair involving a civilian putsch by hardline Fijian nationalists against the elected government of a non-native Prime Minister, Mahendra Chaudhry, on 19 May 2000, the attempt by President Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara to assert executive authority on 27 May, and...
, and the government's promotion of controversial legislation
Reconciliation and Unity Commission (Fiji)
The Reconciliation and Unity Commission is a proposed government body to be set up if the Reconciliation, Tolerance, and Unity Bill, which was introduced into the Fijian Parliament on 4 May 2005 is passed...
to establish a Commission with the power to grant amnesty to perpetrators of the coup.
Military chief challenges government to dismiss him
CommodoreCommodore (rank)
Commodore is a military rank used in many navies that is superior to a navy captain, but below a rear admiral. Non-English-speaking nations often use the rank of flotilla admiral or counter admiral as an equivalent .It is often regarded as a one-star rank with a NATO code of OF-6, but is not always...
Frank Bainimarama
Frank Bainimarama
Commodore Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama, CF, MSD, OStJ, Fijian Navy, known commonly as Frank Bainimarama and sometimes by the chiefly title Ratu , is a Fijian naval officer and politician. He is the Commander of the Fijian Military Forces and, as of April 2009, Prime Minister...
, Commander of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces, publicly challenged Home Affairs Minister Josefa Vosanibola
Josefa Vosanibola
Josefa Bole Vosanibola is a Fijian politician, who has served as Minister for Home Affairs since 16 December 2004, when he was appointed by Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase to succeed Joketani Cokanasiga...
and his Chief Executive Lesi Korovavala
Lesi Korovavala
Dr. Lesi Korovavala is a Fijian civil servant, who is currently the Chief Executive Officer of the Ministry for Home Affairs. He is a former senior Military officer with a doctorate in military studies, he reached the rank of Lieutenant Colonel...
on 22 December to visit the Queen Elizabeth Barracks and dismiss him.
The Commander declared that he would ignore any written dismissal; the minister and the chief executive would have to confront him in person. If the minister refused to follow his advice, he could run the Military on his own, he said. Bainimarama also stated his intention to commandeer Korovavala's office, and claimed to have ordered Army engineers to secure it. "I do not care where he will go to. All I know is that I will now be stationed in that office," the Commander declared. The Commander also suggested that the government should consider dismissing Vosanibola, and that if the Minister failed to take his advice, removing him from office would be his next step.
Emergency meetings and mediation
On 28 December, Deputy Police Commissioner Moses DriverMoses Driver
Moses Driver is a Fijian police officer, who is the immediate past Deputy Commissioner of Police. In this capacity, he assisted Commissioner of Police Andrew Hughes.A major part of Driver's work was pursuing investigations into the Fiji coup of 2000....
and Assistant Police Commissioner (Crime) Kevueli Bulamainaivalu said that Commissioner Andrew Hughes
Andrew Hughes (police)
Andrew 'Andy' Hughes is a senior officer of the Australian Federal Police who, until recently, served as the Chief Police Officer for the Australian Capital Territory . The CPO position is similar to the role of Australian Commissioners of Police, that is, the chief executive of the ACT Policing...
was monitoring the threats made against Korovavala. Anare Jale, meanwhile, told Fiji Village
Fiji Village
The Fiji Village is an online news service in Fiji. Published daily, it covers political, business, sporting, cultural, and other news items, and also includes the Yellow Bucket commentary, an editorial which does not necessarily reflect the views of the Fiji Village owners or staff, according to...
that the police would be asked to intervene if Commodore Bainimarama tried to remove Korovavala from office. That afternoon, Home Affairs Minister Vosanibola told Fiji Village that he had briefed Vice-President Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi
Joni Madraiwiwi
Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi is a Fijian lawyer, politician and was the Vice-President of Fiji from 2004 to 2006. He was sworn in on 10 January 2005, following his nomination by President, Ratu Josefa Iloilo and his subsequent approval by the Great Council of Chiefs on 15 December 2004...
and Attorney-General
Attorney-General (Fiji)
Fiji's chief governmental legal officer is the Attorney General. According to the Constitution of Fiji, the Attorney-General is required to be a qualified lawyer and sits in the Cabinet. The office of the Attorney-General is the oldest surviving executive office in Fiji, having been established...
Qoriniasi Bale
Qoriniasi Bale
Qoriniasi Babitu Bale is a lawyer and political leader, who has served twice as Fiji's Minister for Justice and Attorney-General, most recently from 2001 to 2006, when he was deposed in the military coup of 5 December...
in the morning. The threats were being taken seriously, he said, and "appropriate action" would follow.
Joji Kotobalavu
Joji Kotobalavu
Jioji Kotobalavu was Fiji civil servant. He was the Chief Executive Officer in the Prime Minister's office, but was dismissed on 7 December 2006 by the military junta which had seized power on 5 December. He received his formal notice of dismissal on 13 December.Kotobalavu was a career civil...
, the Chief Executive Officer in the Prime Minister's Department, who chaired an emergency meeting of officials on the 28th, claimed that Vice-President Madraiwiwi had summoned Bainimarama during the afternoon, but Military spokesman Captain Neumi Leweni
Neumi Leweni
Neumi Leweni is a Fijian Army officer and diplomat, who holds the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He hails from the Lau Islands. He joined the Military in 1974 and by 2006 was one of two official spokesmen for the Military, the other being Lieutenant Colonel Orisi Rabukawaqa. In August 2007, he...
denied this. Also present at the meeting were Anare Jale, Solicitor-General
Solicitor-General (Fiji)
The Solicitor-General of Fiji is the Chief Executive Officer of the Attorney-General's Chambers, and as such assists the Attorney-General in advising the government on legal matters, and in performing legal work for the government...
Nainendra Nand
Nainendra Nand
Nainendra Nand was the Solicitor-General of Fiji from 1997 to 2006. He had previously worked in the Office of the Attorney-General since 1983. He was dismissed from office on 7 December 2006 for refusing to cooperate with the military junta which seized power on 5 December.Nand was educated in the...
, and the Acting CEO of Home Affairs, Saverio Baleikanacea.
Leweni claimed that in seizing the office of the Home Affairs CEO, Bainimarama was merely appropriating an office that had originally been allocated to the Military, but which had not hitherto been occupied by them. The whole of the second floor of Government Buildings was supposed to be allocated to the Army, Leweni said. The Military was not concerned about the emergency meeting, Leweni said, as it would deal directly with the persons involved.
Vosanibola was quoted on 29 December by the Fiji Times
Fiji Times
The Fiji Times is a daily English-language newspaper published in Suva, Fiji. Established in Levuka on 4 September 1869, it is Fiji's oldest newspaper still operating....
and Fiji Live
Fiji Live
Fijilive is an online newspaper and business and cultural directory in Fiji. The site is owned by the Future Group of Companies owned by Fiji entrepreneur Yashwant Gaunder....
that there was no cause for alarm, and that everything was under control. He had taken personal charge of the matter, he said. The commissioning of Judge Advocate Leung for the court martial retrial would be processed "soon", he promised. Fiji Live also reported that Vice-President Madraiwiwi would be meeting Commodore Bainimarama in the first week of January 2006 in an effort to defuse the tension.
In a further development, Bainimarama declared on the last day of 2005 that he would no longer recognize Josefa Vosanibola as the Minister
Cabinet (Fiji)
Fiji has the Westminster system - executive authority is vested nominally in a President, but exercised in practice by a Cabinet of Ministers, presided over by the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister is formally appointed, but not chosen, by the President: the President must appoint as Prime...
in charge of the Military Forces. "The Military now is on its own and is not answerable to anyone", the Commander said. In convening the court martial retrial, the Military would now act unilaterally, he said. He repeated his challenge to the government to dismiss him.
The Commander went on to say that much of the Qarase
Laisenia Qarase
Laisenia Qarase is a Fijian political figure. He served as the sixth Prime Minister of Fiji from 2000 to 2006. After the military quashed the coup that led to the removal of Mahendra Chaudhry, Qarase joined the Interim Military Government as a financial adviser on 9 June 2000, until his appointment...
government's legislation was "racist", and that the government was tailoring its legislation to suit only a very few people, not the country as a whole. "I am the one who is standing for democracy and the rule of law because the Government and its officials only want the laws to be made to suit them", he said.
Captain Leweni criticized Vosanibola on 3 January 2006 for involving the Office of the President in the dispute. "The RFMF will now ask the minister why they are going back to the very office they have disobeyed by not processing the appointment of the judge advocate made by the President", Leweni said.
No more coups
Bainimarama assured his senior officers, however, that he was not contemplating a coup, according to a statement from Military spokesman Captain Neumi Leweni quoted that day in the Fiji SunFiji Sun
The Fiji Sun is a daily newspaper published in Fiji. Owned by Sun News Limited, it was first published in September 1999. An internet edition is also published....
. Rumours of a coup plot had been fabricated by certain government officials overreacting to the Commander's comments, in an attempt to discredit the Commander and the Military, which did not want a coup, Leweni said.
Calls for government to resign
In a fresh attack on 3 January 2006, Bainimarama called on the government to resign. The government had no intention, he said, of closing the events of 2000, and was continuing to promote racist legislation. "They have let people out of jail on one excuse or the other. How can they (the Government) sleep at night – do they have a clear conscience?" He went on to call for its resignation. "This government is incompetent," the Fiji Times quoted him as saying. "It's better that they resign so that better people can do the things that is supposed to bring us good."Bainimarama's criticism of government decisions was not limited to legal issues. On 6 January, he condemned the earmarking of F$90,000
Fijian dollar
The dollar has been the currency of Fiji since 1969 and was also the currency between 1867 and 1873. It is normally abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or alternatively FJ$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
for the planned visit of American evangelist
Evangelism
Evangelism refers to the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. The term is often used in reference to Christianity....
Benny Hinn
Benny Hinn
Toufik Benedictus "Benny" Hinn הין; born December 3, 1952) is a televangelist, best known for his regular "Miracle Crusades" – revival meeting/faith healing summits that are usually held in large stadiums in major cities, which are later broadcast worldwide on his television program, This Is Your...
, saying the money should have been given to the poor.
Arms shipment to police
The Fiji Sun reported on 8 January 2006 that the Military was monitoring a shipment of arms sent to the Fiji police force the previous week. Police spokesman Samuela MatakibauSamuela Matakibau
Samuela Matakibau is a Fijian police officer, who holds the position of Assistant Police Commissioner Operations.On 28 January 2007, Matakibau was arrested by the Republic of Fiji Military Forces for alleged firearms offences. This followed a Military raid on his Suva home, which allegedly...
, Assistant Commissioner of Police Operation, confirmed the previous evening that a shipment had been received, insisting that the arms were merely replacements for old ones.
Military spokesman Captain Neumi Leweni strongly criticized the shipment, and called on the government to reveal its motives for supplying the weapons to the police force. The arms had actually been purchased for Fijian soldiers serving in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, Leweni claimed, before being diverted to the police, and the Military wanted an explanation.
The concern of the Military was supported by Fiji Labour Party
Fiji Labour Party
The Fiji Labour Party is a political party in Fiji, which holds observer status with the Socialist International. Most of its support at present comes from the Indo-Fijian community, although it is officially multiracial and its first leader was an indigenous Fijian, Dr. Timoci Bavadra. It is...
(FLP) parliamentarian
House of Representatives (Fiji)
The House of Representatives is the lower chamber of Fiji's Parliament. It is the more powerful of the two chambers; it alone has the power to initiate legislation...
Lekh Ram Vayeshnoi
Lekh Ram Vayeshnoi
Lekh Ram Vayeshnoi, is a Fijian politician of Indian descent. He was one of the youngest members to be elected into Parliament in 1992. He has represented the Nadroga Indian Communal Constituency, which he won for the Fiji Labour Party in the parliamentary elections of 1992, 1994, 1999, 2001, and...
, and by Ema Druavesi
Ema Druavesi
Ema Druavesi is a Fijian political organizer, who currently serves as General Secretary of the Fijian Political Party, officially known by its Fijian name, Soqosoqo ni Vakavulewa ni Taukei, or SVT.-References:...
, General Secretary of the Fijian Political Party (SVT). Vayeshnoi called for an investigation into what he said was a misuse of funds, involving the diversion of arms bought for the Military to the police. Druavesi blamed Home Affairs Minister Josefa Vosanibola for the diversion of the shipment, and questioned the government's motives in arming the police. "Is the government relying on the police to be used in a confrontational between the two security forces? Blood of Fijians is going to flow if there is a confrontation," she declared. She called on the police to return the weapons to the Military.
Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
Saula Tuikoro, a former Fiji Intelligence Service agent, told the Fiji Sun on 8 January that the diversion of the shipment was a sinister move on the part of the government to counter the Army. The weapons were more modern and of superior quality to those possessed by the Military, Tuikoro said. He saw this as a threat to national security. "(The) government is now equipping the police to take on the army," he claimed.
Police Commissioner
Commissioner of Police (Fiji)
Fiji has a unified national police force, the Fiji Police, whose motto is Salus Populi.The Fijian Commissioner of Police title had been held by Australian police officer Andrew Hughes since 2003 but after the 2006 takeover of the Government the post has been reserved for a local.The Commissioner is...
Andrew Hughes defended the shipment on 9 January. The Fiji Village news service reported him as saying that the weapons had been purchased from the police budget and were low-power weapons, unsuitable for military use. They would be used only in life-threatening emergencies by officers from the Police Tactical Response Unit, a new mobile police team based in Nasinu
Nasinu
Nasinu is an urban area on the island Viti Levu in Fiji. It is officially designated a "Town" despite its population . Nasinu is the most populous municipality in Fiji, having overtaken that of Suva , and is one of Fiji's fastest-growing towns...
, Hughes said.
The issue flared up again in March. On the 15th, Fiji Live quoted Leweni as accusing the police of purchasing F$1.5 million worth of weapons from South Korea. The shipment allegedly included 123 pistol
Pistol
When distinguished as a subset of handguns, a pistol is a handgun with a chamber that is integral with the barrel, as opposed to a revolver, wherein the chamber is separate from the barrel as a revolving cylinder. Typically, pistols have an effective range of about 100 feet.-History:The pistol...
s, 30 submachine gun
Submachine gun
A submachine gun is an automatic carbine, designed to fire pistol cartridges. It combines the automatic fire of a machine gun with the cartridge of a pistol. The submachine gun was invented during World War I , but the apex of its use was during World War II when millions of the weapon type were...
s, and assorted warfare equipment. He also charged Commissioner Hughes with complicity in the deal, which he said had been masterminded by the Australian Defence Review Team as part of a package to reduce the size of the Military and transfer most of its duties to the police. Hughes was deliberately arming Fijians
Fijian people
Fijian people are the major indigenous people of the Fiji Islands, and live in an area informally called Melanesia. The Fijian people are believed to have arrived in Fiji from western Melanesia approximately 3,500 years ago, though the exact origins of the Fijian people are unknown...
against Fijians, he said. Commodore Bainimarama went further: the shipment had been intended for the Military, he claimed, and had been diverted to the police by the government.
Hughes expressed surprise at the strong language, and said that the Military was mistaken. The arms had been purchased as per the government's budget allocation to the police, he claimed, for the purpose of countering "armed criminals" such as terrorists. He was also disappointed that the Military had spoken to the media rather than to him directly, he said.
Hughes and Bainimarama met on the 16th and agreed afterwards that the disagreement had been due to a misunderstanding. Hughes accepted some responsibility for having failed to explain the details of the shipment and its purpose sooner. This had been unintentional, he insisted.
Threat to remove government
In another apparent escalation of the dispute, the Military released a statement on 9 January 2006, to be published in newspapers the following day, threatening to take control of the country if the government failed to "continue the good fight". It was the military that had entrusted the present government with restoring order and rebuilding the nation in 2000, the statement said, but instead it was continuously promoting "racist" policies and programmes to justify its existence to the indigenous community.The statement came in response to comments made by Acting Foreign Minister Pita Nacuva
Pita Nacuva
Pita Kewa Nacuva is a Fijian politician, who served as Speaker of the House of Representatives from June to December 2006, when a military coup deposed the government and resulted in the dissolution of Parliament...
in a newspaper interview, claiming that the attitude of the Military was merely a sour grapes. "It is obvious from Nacuva's comments that the Government makes light of the sour relationship between the Government and the army in past years. The Government would be very naïve to underestimate the intention of the military in this instance," the statement tersely said.
Commodore Bainimarama, for his part, declared that if the government's "racist" policies continued, the Military would not hesitate take control of the country. "To the government the military says this is no petty issue. You have the choice to make it right for the nation," the Fiji Live news service quoted him as saying. The death of soldiers in 2000 had yet to be avenged, he said, and the policies of the government prevented the "dark days of 2000" from being erased. He said that political decisions smacked of "a bulling government, lacking in character."
On 11 January, Bainimarama denied a report that he had met secretly with Vice-President Madraiwiwi. He told the Fiji Live news service that the report, published earlier in the Fiji Sun, was not correct, and that he was still waiting for a meeting to be scheduled. On the afternoon of the 12th, however, he told the Fiji Village news service that the meeting had in fact taken place, but said he was not in a position to reveal what had been discussed.
Reactions to the crisis
- See main article: Reaction to Fiji crisis of 2005-2006Reaction to Fiji crisis of 2005-2006The crisis that saw a virtual breakdown in relations between Fiji's government and military forces in late 2005 and early 2006, generated fears of civil unrest and even a military coup...
.
Both before and after the crisis was resolved on 16 January with a truce brokered by Acting President Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi, the crisis generated a great deal of comment, both locally and internationally.
The faultline between indigenous and Indo-Fijians, which has defined Fijian politics
Politics of Fiji
Politics of Fiji takes place within the framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic. Fiji has a multi-party system with the Prime Minister of Fiji as head of government. The executive power is exercised by the government...
for the last generation, was much less evident in this event. The main players on both sides were ethnic Fijians. Indo-Fijian-led parties appeared divided in their response, with the Fiji Labour Party (FLP) coming close to endorsing a military coup and its chief rival for the Indo-Fijian vote, the National Federation Party
National Federation Party (Fiji)
The National Federation Party is a Fijian political party founded by A.D. Patel in November 1968, as a merger of the Federation Party and the National Democratic Party...
condemning it.
The Baledrokadroka incident
- See main article: Baledrokadroka incidentBaledrokadroka incidentThe Baledrokadroka incident was a series of events taking place in the Pacific republic of Fiji in 2006, involving an ongoing public feud between the government and military. Tensions took a dramatic turn for the worse on 11-13 January, with reports of unusual troop and naval deployments, crisis...
Commodore Bainimarama dismissed Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
Jone Baledrokadroka, the Acting Land Force Commander and effectively the second most senior officer in the Military, on 13 January, alleging insubordination. He subsequently accused Baledrokadroka of plotting a mutiny
Mutiny
Mutiny is a conspiracy among members of a group of similarly situated individuals to openly oppose, change or overthrow an authority to which they are subject...
with "outside" encouragement, implicating the government, and of threatening to shoot him. Baledrokadroka said the allegations were "lies". The confrontation had come about, Baledrokadroka claimed, when Bainimarama had issued him with a "treasonous" order, which he had refused to obey, and accused the Commander of plotting a coup.
Suva calm, but ...
Police Commissioner Andrew Hughes announced that police officers were resuming "normal duties," following a personal assurance from Commodore Bainimarama that there was no threat to national security. The national security alert had been unnecessary and the rumours sweeping the nation had been "media generated," he considered. He also denied rumours that weapons recently purchased by the police were to counter the Military should the need arise. "They are not in any sense part of a program initiated by government by me or by anybody else to equip the police to somehow ... counter any military threat," he insisted. "There is no way the police are gearing up to take on that role."Pending a meeting scheduled for 16 January between the Prime Minister and Military Commander, convened by Vice-President Madraiwiwi, the Sunday Star-Times in New Zealand anonymously quoted what it claimed was a senior indigenous Fijian politician under investigation for coup-related offences, as saying that any effort to dismiss Bainimarama could lead to "a bloodbath." The Sunday Star-Times quoted him as expressing doubts that it would come to that, however, because the Commander knew too much. He did not elaborate.
The Sunday Star-Times also noted that unlike previous crises, which were, or were widely seen to be, between indigenous Fijians and Indo-Fijians, the latter were largely absent from the latest conspiracies.
Conspiracy theories, complaints, and investigations
In the aftermath of the crisis, a number of conspiracy theories have been advanced, some of which have sparked investigations and legal proceedings.Josateki Koroi's allegations
Fiji Labour Party President Jokapeci KoroiJokapeci Koroi
Jokapeci Talei Koroi was a Fijian politician. She was currently the President of the Fiji Labour Party and a Senator. She was appointed to the Senate in 2002 as one of 8 nominees of the Leader of the Opposition, Mahendra Chaudhry....
issued a statement on 14 January 2006 accusing Lesi Korovavala, the Chief Executive Officer of the Home Affairs Ministry, of having conspired with Home Affairs Minister Josefa Vosanibola to arrange a secret meeting between Baledrokadroka and Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase, in an attempt to depose Bainimarama. This was Koroi's second controversial statement in less than a week, having said on Fiji Television
Fiji Television
Fiji Television Limited is Fiji's television network. It was founded on 15 June 1994 as the first permanent television broadcasting network in the country, although television had previously been introduced temporarily in October 1991 to broadcast the Rugby World Cup as well as Cricket World Cup....
on the 11th that the FLP would support a military coup.
Qarase angrily denied the allegations against him and the two public servants on the 15th, challenged Koroi to substantiate them, and said that he had filed charges against her for inciting violence, rebellion, and instability. "This is an outrageous allegation and everything that she is talking about is an absolute lie," the Fiji Sun quoted him as saying of Koroi's allegations. He was not mollified by a later statement by the FLP that her remarks had been taken "out of context." "Television pictures do not lie," Qarase said. He was still indignant on the 18th, condemning FLP leader Mahendra Chaudhry
Mahendra Chaudhry
Mahendra Pal Chaudhry is a Fijian politician and the leader of the Fiji Labour Party...
for trying to divert attention from Koroi's statement. Wild allegations were a "hallmark" of the FLP, Qarase claimed. He announced that a complaint had been laid with the police.
The same day, however, Commodore Bainimarama, however, supported the FLP's claims. At a press conference, he alleged that the Military had tapped
Telephone tapping
Telephone tapping is the monitoring of telephone and Internet conversations by a third party, often by covert means. The wire tap received its name because, historically, the monitoring connection was an actual electrical tap on the telephone line...
a telephone conversation in which Baledrokadroka was asked to elicit support from senior officers for the removal of Bainimarama.
Powerful people were trying to remove him, he claimed, in order to derail his work to prosecute perpetrators of the 2000 coup.
Meanwhile, police spokeswoman Sylvia Low had confirmed the day before that a complaint had been received from the Military, calling for an investigation into possible collusion between Baledrokadroka and government officials over an alleged attempt to incite a mutiny. On 20 January, Low told the Fiji Times that two complaints had been received concerning Jokapeci Koroi, one from Home Affairs Minister Josefa Vosanibola concerning her public endorsement of a potential Military coup, and the other from Lesi Korovavala, Chief Executive Officer of the Home Affairs Ministry, concerning allegations she had made about his alleged role in an alleged army mutiny on 12 January.
The Fiji Sun quoted Regional Development Minister Ted Young
Ted Young
Ted Young is a Fijian politician, who served in the Cabinet of Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase from 2001 to 2006. He was Minister for Regional Development from 2001 to 2006, when he became Minister of State for Provincial Development...
on 21 February as saying that Koroi's endorsement of a possible coup had resulted in a major downturn in the tourism industry.
Poseci Bune's meeting with Bainimarama
It was confirmed by the Military on 17 January that Poseci BunePoseci Bune
Poseci Waqalevu Bune is a Fijian politician, who has served as Deputy Leader of the Fiji Labour Party . From June to December 2006, he served as Minister for the Environment, one of nine FLP ministers, in the multiparty Cabinet of Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase...
, the Deputy Leader of the Fiji Labour Party (FLP), had met with Bainimarama at Suva
Suva
Suva features a tropical rainforest climate under the Koppen climate classification. The city sees a copious amount of precipitation during the course of the year. Suva averages 3,000 mm of precipitation annually with its driest month, July averaging 125 mm of rain per year. In fact,...
the Queen Elizabeth Barracks on the 15th, a day before Bainimarama's crucial meeting with the Prime Minister at Government House. Military spokesman Captain Neumi Leweni strongly denied claims that Bune's visit had been to influence the Commander to continue with his anti-government campaign. The meeting had been above-board, Leweni said. Bune clarified that his meeting with the Commander had not been as a representative of the FLP.
Bainimarama clarifies
The Fiji Times printed a statement from Commodore Bainimarama on 16 January, the same morning that he was meeting the Prime Minister with Acting President Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi as mediator, insisting that there was nothing political about his antigovernment pronouncements. He had never commented except when he believed that government policies were undermining national security, he claimed. "I really don't have any business in the political running of government. My outbursts are not political. It's about national security," he told the Fiji Times. "Security to me and the RFMF means a clean and corrupt-free country," he added.He said that his public attacks on government policies had begun when the government had started interfering with the judicial process. A unilateral government decision in 2003 to commute the sentences of soldiers involved in the Labasa
Labasa
Labasa is a town in Fiji with a population of 27,949 at the most recent census held in 2007.Labasa is located in Macuata Province, in the north-eastern part of the island of Vanua Levu, and is the largest town on the island. The town itself is located on a delta formed by three rivers - the...
mutiny
Mutinies of Fiji coup of 2000
Two military mutinies took place in connection with the civilian coup d'état that rocked Fiji in 2000, the first while the rebellion instigated by George Speight was in progress, and the second four months after it had ended....
that took place while the coup was in progress, had been taken without consulting the Military, he claimed.
The Government House truce
At a two-hour meeting at Government House, the official residence of the President, that ended around noon on 16 January, Acting President Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi succeeded in brokering a truce between the Prime Minister and the Military Commander. The two men arrived separately, Prime Minister Qarase five minutes ahead of schedule and Bainimarama twelve minutes late.A statement issued by Madraiwiwi said that following a frank discussion, both men had agreed to put the "national interest" first. Commodore Bainimarama had agreed to consult the Ministry of Home Affairs before making any further statements to the media. Prime Minister Qarase, in turn, had promised not to interfere with police investigations into alleged accomplices of the 2000 coup perpetrators, and had agreed to "address" the Military's concerns over controversial legislation, including the Reconciliation, Tolerance, and Unity Bill. The Military Commander and the Police Commissioner would both be allowed to attend meetings often National Security Council
National Security Council (Fiji)
The National Security Council is, as its name indicates, the Republic of Fiji's National Security Council.It was established in 1990, through the Fiji Intelligence Service Decree, by the interim government which followed the 1987 coups d'état...
as Observers. "Both recognised the need to put the national interest first. In the light of that consideration, the Prime Minister has agreed that the Commander and the Commissioner of Police be invited to participate in the Security Council as observers," the Acting President said. On 18 January, however, the Prime Minister clarified that the Commander and the Commissioner would attend Security Council meetings only by invitation, and only when deemed necessary.
In addition, it was agreed that the Prime Minister would from now on deal directly with the two officers, rather than through subordinate ministers or civil servants. He would meet regularly with the Commander to discuss matters of mutual concern, he said. "These meetings will create a new avenue for dialogue between the Government and the military rather than discussions in the media," Prime Minister Qarase told the Fiji Live news service.
The Prime Minister also revealed on 17 January that he had promised the Commander that the upcoming general election
Fiji election of 2006
The Constitution of Fiji requires general elections for the House of Representatives to be held at least once every five years. The latest election was held on 6-13 May 2006. Acting President Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi issued a proclamation on 2 March, effective from 27 March, dissolving Parliament...
would be conducted independently, without government interference.
Madraiwiwi called on both parties to be cautious and responsible in their dealings with each other. "It is critical that elements in the Government and the military exercise circumspection and discretion in their dealings with each other at all times," he said.
The meeting had also reestablished normal channels of communication between the government and the Military, Madraiwiwi said. He thanked both men for the way in which the meeting had been conducted.
On 20 January, Bainimarama attempted to clarify his view of the agreement on Fiji Television. His agreement not to talk to the media was conditional, he said, on being allowed to make representations to the government. If the government failed to address his concerns, he was not precluded from commenting publicly, he considered. He made the remarks with respect to his complaint against Lesi Korovavala, Chief Executive Officer of the Public Service Commission, whom the Military wants removed.
It was revealed on 26 January that the meeting had been tape recorded at the request of Commodore Bainimarama, with the approval of Acting President Madraiwiwi. The tape is now the property of the Military, according to Fiji Television, and is now being studied by senior Military officers.
Aftermath
The aftermath of the crisis had repercussions for both the Military and the government.Investigation undertaken
Military spokesman Captain Neumi Leweni said on 17 January that the Military was undertaking a review to improve its intelligence services. A Board of Inquiry had also been set up to investigate officers accused of having sided with Baledrokadroka in the alleged mutiny, he revealed. Baledrokadroka himself was expected to be called as a witness, he revealed.The same day, Commodore Bainimarama strongly denied allegations made by Baledrokadroka that he had been planning a coup. According to the Fiji Times, he denied that there was by connection between his own media statements and the expected retirement in March of President Ratu Josefa Iloilo
Josefa Iloilo
Ratu Josefa Iloilovatu Uluivuda, CF, MBE, MSD, KStJ was the President of Fiji from 2000 until 2009, excluding a brief period from 5 December 2006 until 4 January 2007 . He held the traditional title of Tui Vuda, the paramount chief of the Vuda district in Ba Province on Fiji's northwest coast...
or the absence from the country of parliamentary Speaker, Ratu
Ratu
Ratu is a title used by Fijians of chiefly rank. An equivalent title, Adi is used by females of chiefly rank.-Etymology:Ra is a prefix in many titles and Tu is simply "chief"...
Epeli Nailatikau
Epeli Nailatikau
Brigadier-General Ratu Epeli Nailatikau, CF, LVO, OBE, MSD, OStJ, is a Fijian chief and the current President of Fiji. He has had a long career in the Military, diplomatic service, and government...
, himself a former Military commander. Nailatikau's visit to Fijian troops serving as peacekeepers
Peacekeeping
Peacekeeping is an activity that aims to create the conditions for lasting peace. It is distinguished from both peacebuilding and peacemaking....
in Iraq was at his own request and had been approved by the Home Affairs Ministry, he said; the Military had nothing to do with it. Likewise, the expected Presidential election was the prerogative of the Great Council of Chiefs
Great Council of Chiefs (Fiji)
The Great Council of Chiefs is a now dormant 1997 constitutional body in the Republic of the Fiji Islands. In April 2007 the council was suspended, due to an unworkable relationship with Frank Bainimarama, leader of an "interim government" which came to power through a military coup in December 2006...
, he said; it was nothing to do with the Military.
Bainimarama also claimed to have been aware of Baledrokadroka's ambition to hold the position of Commander, and to have monitored him for five weeks before dismissing him.
Leweni announced on 20 January that four senior army officers had been appointed the day before to investigate the alleged mutiny plot. The four officers would not be named until they had completed their work, Leweni said.
PSC investigates complaint against Korovavala
The Public Service Commission (PSC) chairman Stuart HuggettStuart Huggett
Stuart Huggett is a British-born Fijian architect, businessman, and civil servant, who served as Chairman of the Public Service Commission from 2004 to 2006, when he was removed from office on 6 December 2006 by the Military junta which had seized power the previous day.In addition, Huggett is a...
revealed to the Fiji Times on 19 January that they had received a formal complaint from Commodore Bainimarama about Lesi Korovavala, the Chief Executive Officer of the Home Affairs Ministry. Bainimarama accused Korovavala of having instigated an alleged threat of mutiny by Lieutenant Colonel Jone Baledrokadroka, the then-Acting Land Force Commander. Earlier, Bainimarama had claimed evidence of a telephone conversation between Baledrokadroka and somebody from outside the camp; the Fiji Times implied this to be Korovavala. The Fiji Village news service, meanwhile, reported that the Military had gathered information that Baledrokadroka had met with Korovavala on a number of occasions.
Korovavala told Fiji Village that the allegations were false, and had been referred to the police. Huggett also confirmed that the PSC had received a letter from Korovavala denying the allegations.
Military spokesman Captain Neumi Leweni said that nothing short of Korovavala's removal would satisfy the Military. This had been a key Military demand before the accord brokered by Vice-President Madraiwiwi on 16 January, and quickly surfaced again. Radio Gold reported on the 17th that Bainimarama had raised the issue at the meeting with Madraiwiwi and Qarase, accusing Korovavala of having caused the friction between the government and the Military. Accordintg to Radio Gold, Bainimarama had told them that he suspected that Korovavala had telephoned Baledrokadroka to arrange a meeting with the Prime Minister, and that he had evidence to support his claim.
Jioji Kotobalavu, the Chief Executive Officer of the Prime Minister's Department, claimed that the Prime Minister was not responsible for the contracts of chief executives and could not interfere.
Meanwhile, Home Affairs Minister Josefa Vosanibola told Fiji Television that he, too, had received a copy of Bainimarama's letter. Korovavala had written to the PSC to deny the charges, he said.
Lawyer Isireli Fa said that Korovavala had asked his firm to study the matter and to protect his interests.
Huggett revealed on 20 January that the previous day's meeting of the PSC had decided to appoint an independent team to investigate Bainimarama's complaint against Korovavala. The team would try to deal with the complaints within three months, Huggett told the Fiji Times.
New tensions
Strains in the accord began to surface almost immediately. Police Commissioner Andrew Hughes confirmed on 25 January that police were looking into an official complaint from Home Affairs Minister Josefa Vosanibola, concerning Commodore Bainimarama's threat on 8 January to depose the government. Police Media Relations Officer Sylvia Low said that police were investigating to determine whether the treat was seditiousSedition
In law, sedition is overt conduct, such as speech and organization, that is deemed by the legal authority to tend toward insurrection against the established order. Sedition often includes subversion of a constitution and incitement of discontent to lawful authority. Sedition may include any...
or treason
Treason
In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...
ous.
Vosanibola also questioned the integrity of the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions
Director of Public Prosecutions (Fiji)
The Director of Public Prosecutions was created under the Fiji Independence Act of 1970 and came into being that year. In 1990 and subsequently in 1997, the powers of the Office of the DPP were provided for in the Fiji Constitution, an entrenched document and the supreme law of the nation...
, asking why it was taking so long to investigate the threatening telephone calls made to several Ministers and senior civil servants in April 2005.
Military spokesman Captain Neumi Leweni said that the Military had not been informed of the complaint, and was trying to ascertain its basis.
Bainimarama reacted angrily to the revelation, accusing the government of breaching the accord brokered by Acting President Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi on the 16th. He announced his intention to respond on the 27th, warning that the Prime Minister and Home Affairs Minister "had better be ready."
The Fiji Times reported that Prime Minister Qarase had refused to answer questions pertaining to the latest disagreement, and had switched off his cellphone when contacted. Later, however, he told the Fiji Village news service that he would personally investigate Vosanibola's actions, to prevent any recurrence of the long-running impasse between the government and Military.
On 27 January, Vosanibola made any withdrawal of his complaint conditional on an apology from Bainimarama. This provoked an angry response from the Commander on the 29th. He called for Vosanibola, whom he described as "beyond help," to be dismissed and charged. The demand that he apologize for his threats against the government was ridiculous, he said. "Asking me to apologise for making that statement is an insult to the working people of this nation because, simply, it is my job," the Fiji Live news service quoted him as saying. He defined the role of the Military as ensuring security and the well-being of the people of Fiji, which he accused "people like Vosanibola" of failing to do. The Commander's latest statement came notwithstanding the Government House agreement not to speak to the media without consulting the Military. "No one is going to attack the military without any retaliation from the military – not even under any agreement," he defiantly declared.
Commander withdraws from talks
Bainimarama announced on 27 February that on the advice of his senior officers, he had decided to discontinue his fortnightly meetings with the Prime Minister, saying that no progress had been made and that the talks were therefore pointless. From now on, any Cabinet Minister – including the Prime Minister – who wished to see him would have to visit the Queen Elizabeth Barracks headquarters, he told Fiji Village. Spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Orisi RabukawaqaOrisi Rabukawaqa
Orisi Rabukawaqa is a Fijian career soldier. As of early 2006, he holds the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and is one of two official spokesmen for the Military, the other being Major Neumi Leweni....
said that the government had failed to grant soldiers' ration allowances or job evaluation exercises, despite the budget allocation, and raising the matter with the Prime Minister had proved futile.
Rabukawaqa said that after his weekly meetings with Acting President Madraiwiwi and his fortnightly meetings with Prime Minister Qarase, he would write to both men about issues he wanted addressed. Madraiwiwi replied to the letters, he said; Qarase did not. "We feel that he was just making a fool of us and we have advised the commander not to hold any more meetings with him," Rabukawaqa said.
Home Affairs Minister Josefa Vosanibola responded by saying that Rabukawaqa's comments were not justified, and that concerns that had been raised were being looked into.
The Fiji Sun quoted the Prime Minister (6 March) as saying that Bainimarama's decision to withdraw from the talks was "unfortunate." Progress had been made during the course of the discussions, he claimed. What really went wrong was that he expected me and my Government to follow orders. In other words, to do everything he wanted," he later claimed.
Renewed warnings from Australia, New Zealand
Australia's Foreign Minister Alexander DownerAlexander Downer
Alexander John Gosse Downer is a former Australian Liberal Party politician who was Foreign Minister of Australia from March 1996 to December 2007, the longest-serving in Australian history...
reiterated earlier warnings to Bainimarama on 24 February 2006, saying that the passage of legislation was not up to the Military. "People can have whatever opinions they like on the laws but in the end the parliament should make those laws not the military," the Sydney Morning Herald quoted him as saying. Supported by his New Zealand counterpart, Winston Peters
Winston Peters
Winston Raymond Peters is a New Zealand politician and leader of New Zealand First, a political party he founded in 1993. Peters has had a turbulent political career since entering Parliament in 1978. He served as Minister of Maori Affairs in the Bolger National Party Government before being...
, he warned that another coup would be devastating, not only for the Fijian economy
Economy of Fiji
Endowed with forest, mineral, and fish resources, Fiji is one of the most developed of the Pacific island economies, though it remains a developing country with a large subsistence agriculture sector. Agriculture accounts for 18 % of Gross Domestic Product, although it employs some 70 % of the...
but also for its international relationships. The Military responded by asking Downer to stay out of Fijian politics, saying that Australians could not know what it was like to live through a coup.
Fiji's Home Affairs Minister Josefa Vosanibola added that the Military had no authority to interfere with government business. The Commander's stated intention to withdraw from meeting the Prime Minister was disrespectful to the highest office in the land, he told Fiji Live.
The Fijian Military responded on the 28th, saying that the safety and security of Fiji were the business of the Military. Spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Orisi Rabukawaqa was quoted in the Fiji Times as saying that the views expressed by the Australian and New Zealand foreign ministers were disrespectful and irresponsible. He claimed that the security of the nation and its citizens was constitutionally
Constitution of Fiji
The 1997 Constitution of Fiji was the supreme law of Fiji from its adoption in 1997 until 2009 when President Josefa Iloilo purported to abrogate it. It was also suspended for a period following the 2000 coup d'état led by Commodore Frank Bainimarama....
entrusted to the Military, a claim that Vosanibola had disputed.
Fiji Live reported on 1 March that the Military had called on Prime Minister Qarase to discipline Home Affairs Minister Vosanibola. Military spokesman Captain Neumi Leweni accused Vosanibola of deliberately failing to understand the constitutional prerogatives of the Military. According to Leweni, the 1997 Constitution affirmed the role given to the Military in the 1990 constitution. "If Vosanibola cannot understand simple English than he is not worthy to continue in his cabinet portfolio," he said. He accused Vosanibola of committing three serious acts of insubordination since 1983, the most serious, he said, in 2005 when he allegedly tried to thwart President
President of Fiji
The President of the Republic of Fiji is the head of state of Fiji. The President was appointed by the Great Council of Chiefs for a five-year term under the terms of the now-suspended 1997 constitution. The Great Council of Chiefs is constitutionally required to consult the Prime Minister, but...
Ratu Josefa Iloilo's decision to appoint Graeme Leung
Graeme Leung
Graham Everett Leung is a Fijian lawyer and former President of the Fiji Law Society. He was also Chairman of the Electoral Commission, and was named as Judge Advocate of a Court Martial panel to retry 20 soldiers convicted mutiny in relation to the Fiji coup of 2000, but a number of complications...
as Judge Advocate of the court martial retrial of former soldiers convicted of their roles in the mutiny that took place at Suva's Queen Elizabeth Barracks on 2 November 2005.
Commodore Bainimarama concurred with Leweni. He told Fiji Live that Vosanibola was incompetent and unfit to hold office. "This kind of incompetent people should not be voted in," he said. "We should vote for only competent people."
In an interview with ABC Television
ABC Television
ABC Television is a service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation launched in 1956. As a public broadcasting broadcaster, the ABC provides four non-commercial channels within Australia, and a partially advertising-funded satellite channel overseas....
reported by Fiji Live on 3 March, Downer reiterated his earlier opposition to Military interference in politics.
Great Council of Chiefs asks President, Vice-President to intervene again
Fiji Live reported on 9 March that the Great Council of Chiefs had expressed concern at the strained relationship between the Prime Minister and the Military Commander, and had criticized the latter for his disregard for the government. They asked both President Ratu Josefa Iloilo and Vice-PresidentVice-President of Fiji
The Fijian vice-presidency is a mostly ceremonial office. The position was created in 1990, to provide a constitutional successor to the President, in the event of the latter's death or resignation, or of his otherwise being unable to carry out his duties...
Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi to mediate.
Truth campaign
On 10 March, Bainimarama announced that the Military was about to embark on a campaign to educate the population about the "lies" being spread by the "opportunists" in the government. "We will go into villages and tell them the real truth of what happened and what is being done ... I will advise the people because they cannot continue to advise a government that continues to make it okay for those that went to jail to get back into society," he told the Fiji Sun. "By not educating the people about doing what is right, it is willfully lying and misleading them."His proposed campaign was endorsed by Poseci Bune, Deputy Leader of the Fiji Labour Party, but condemned by Ropate Sivo, General Secretary of the Conservative Alliance
Conservative Alliance (Fiji)
The Conservative Alliance was a far-right political party in Fiji, and a member of the ruling coalition government. It was commonly known as the CAMV, a combination of the initials of its English and Fijian names...
(whose dissolution he is resisting), and by Saula Telawa
Saula Telawa
Saula Telawa is a Fijian nationalist politician who serves as President of the New Nationalist Party, which advocates indigenous Fijian paramountcy. He has also championed the establishment of Christianity, the faith of most indigenous Fijians, as Fiji's official religion...
, President of the New Nationalist Party
New Nationalist Party (Fiji)
The New Nationalist Party is a Fijian political party with a strongly nationalist platform, arguing for the paramountcy of indigenous Fijian interests and of the Christian faith, professed by the great majority of indigenous Fijians but relatively few Indo-Fijians, who comprise some 38 percent of...
. The Sun quoted Sivo again on the 12th, calling for Bainimarama's arrest, saying that the Commander himself had a case to answer for his own role in the events of 2000. He accused Bainimarama of fomenting instability and of discouraging foreign investment.
Home Affairs Minister Josefa Vosanibola said on 12 March that he was losing patience with the failure of the President and Vice-President to discipline the Commander. "I respect Government House but the time has come for them to act," the Fiji Times quoted him as saying. "Why has Government House been sitting on this?"
SDL campaign director Jale Baba
Jale Baba
Jale Baba is a Fijian businessman and political organizer. A forestry graduate of the Australian National University, he worked for Fiji Pine Limited for more than 20 years, before leaving in 1999 to start his own company- Baba Forests. He also serves as the campaign director of the ruling...
said that the Military's proposed actions were illegal, and inconsistent with historical reality. He claimed that the policies of the Qarase government were identical to those pursued by the Military when it appointed Qarase as Prime Minister in the first place.
Former Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Fiji
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Fiji is the head of government of Fiji. The Prime Minister was appointed by the President under the terms of the now-suspended 1997 constitution....
Sitiveni Rabuka
Sitiveni Rabuka
Major-General Sitiveni Ligamamada Rabuka, OBE, MSD, OStJ, is best known as the instigator of two military coups that shook Fiji in 1987. He was later democratically elected the third Prime Minister, serving from 1992 to 1999...
, despite his support for certain government policies opposed by the Military, endorsed the Military's campaign on 12 March, according to Fiji Village. Rabuka, himself a former Commander of the Army, said that the proposed actions of the Military were constitutional.
New moves
News remained quiet through the middle of 2006 until, in a speech at Ratu Latianara Secondary School, Commodore Bainimarama attached government policies, which he said were creating a culture of lawlessness in Fiji. In the weeks that followed, he continually threatened to remove the government if it failed to implement his demands. The crisis came to a head when, on 26 November, Bainimarama called up 1,000 reserve troops to the Fijian Army, and reiterated his intention to topple the Fijian Government, during a private trip to New Zealand. This came shortly after police revealed that he would shortly be charged with sedition. http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200611/s1797669.htmSee also
- Reconciliation and Unity Commission (Fiji)
- Indo-Fijian
- Church involvement in Fiji CoupsChurch involvement in Fiji coupsFiji's four coups in the past two decades have church involvement. At the center of each coup lies the tensions between the ethnic Fijians and Indian Fijians...