Politics: Military coup: More on the troubles of the Republic of Fiji in the southwest Pacific

Again today, via Thinknet brother Bruce Wearne sends us news from the troubled island of Fiji. Bruce has an introductory comment, and then he conveys Dr Robert Wolfgramm's editorial in Fiji Daily Post:

When a "failed régime" refuses to reform its modus operandi in the way of public justice it simply makes for more problems. An insightful editorial follows, but I would ask thinknetters [let's add refWrite readers here too - P] to read this prayerfully with Robert Wolfgramm and staff and family in mind because it clearly exposes the arrogance of the RFMF [Royal Fiji Military Force], a "thuggish" aspect of which was reported on in my report yesterday. -- Bruce Wearne

But it’s not that simple

Fiji Daily Post editorial (Feb21,2k7)

ONE thing is obvious: there is only so much an Eminent Persons Group can do. The released summary of their report which is to be tabled at the next Pacific Forum Foreign Ministers get-together contains a predictable wish-list of human rights hopes and democratic dreams.

What the EPG are not offering in their package (so far as we know) is a practical set of steps for arriving at the laudable ends they have in mind for Fiji. We have yet to see from them is a set of strategies that meets with the fact of our military-backed regime and with the reality of having to come to terms with their view of things on a day-to-day basis.

No one in Fiji would dispute the desirability of the aims put forward by the EPG that the military and their commander should return to camp and desist from engagement in the political process, that the constitution should be upheld, that Fiji’s domestic and international obligations to human rights should be respected, and that our citizens should have untrammelled access to legal redress in the courts.

SouthWestPacific > Republic of Fiji

That is all good and well, but the question left un-addressed by the EPG is, how? How can these things be fully undertaken in view of the military’s over-riding vision for Fiji’s future. How can these demands be reconciled peacefully with the Interim rule whose authority ultimately emanates from the barrel of the gun? That is to say, it is one thing to spell out an ideal world, but quite another to find a methodology for effectively reconciling it with the prickly actualities of the real world. Yes, it is great to have a theory for moving the nation forward. But what use is it if it ignores the straight-up fact that those currently in power have neither the interest nor the will to consider the theory, let alone to act on it and make it practical in the terms prescribed by the EPG.

If the EPG report is to be any use at all to Fiji, it must in its fuller version (21 pages we are advised), provide a step-by-step, blow-by-blow account of at least just two issues: (1) how and why the military can disengage from their political involvement without losing face and losing ground against perceived corrupt enemies of the state; and (2) how the and why the commander can step out of his Interim Prime Ministership without history repeating itself so that the train of events that led us to December 5 in the first place is not recapitulated in another nightmarish future (fifth) coup.

While the EPG report is an important symbolic gesture of solidarity for righting Fiji’s present wrongs, that is all it is. Its members do not have to live in Fiji and face the fact of a military insistence to insinuate itself into the political fabric of the nation since 5 December. The EPG can simply parachute in, test the waters, fly out and make their pronouncements from afar. What Fiji needs is a bi-focal international group willing to see and interpret both sides of the present stand-off in all of its difficult ethical, cultural and legal-political complexity. When that is undertaken, we may move closer to a resolution of our democratic knot more speedily. As it stands, we should not be surprised if the EPG report – as morally upright and encouraging as it is for our democracy - simply delays the process.

It's just sinking into my consciousness that for Robert and his friend in Australia, Bruce, a framing factoid of the situation in Fiji was the banning of Fiji Daily Post (correction of an earlier blog-entry > Post, not Press). This ban was for a period beginning in December. The ban meant that FDP could not attend press conferences of the military-coup anti-democratic government which still remains in power, but is doing a bit of nicing-over and backtracking, it seems from this distance.

Politics: Coup: Fiji military faces consequences of violating republican institutions of island democracy

Bruce Wearne has commented at length, with quotes, on the developing situation in the SouthWest Pacific wounded-democracy of Fiji. A Forum of Eminent Persons has been organized involving some of Fiji's neibours. In the context of an email subscription list, Thinknet, reformational philosophers and kin, says Bruce, "may be wondering about the current state of play in Fiji." refWrite readers may be wondering also. Dr Wearne continues:

From reading the Suva newspapers [Suva is a Fijian community] on the web I can't help wondering if it is dawning upon the coup's perpetrators that they have failed and whether a new coup may be not far away.

Elizabeth Kennan's latest Time story indicated her view that Fiji may have just experienced the 'coup to end all coups'.

That fanciful analysis has been blown away in the last day or so.

The FDP [Fiji Daily Post] newspaper is keeping its head down but has reported the following:

Lawyer's car smashed (Feb20,2k7)

Crime is down according to the military.

But one group of criminals appear to have gotten away with smashing a car belonging to Tevita and Ana Fa.

Tevita Fa is a prominent lawyer who is representing deposed Prime Minister, Laisenia Qarase and the SDL Party [Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua / United Fiji Party, which absorbed the Christian Democratic Alliance and other groups] in legal action against the military regime that seized power last December.

The Fiji Times has reported on the findings of the Pacific Islands Forum Eminent Persons Group.

Return to camp, military advised(Feb20,2k7)

Interim Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama should resign and order his soldiers to return to barracks, it has been recommended in a report.

The report was prepared by the Pacific Islands Forum Eminent Person's Group comprising Vanuatu's deputy prime minister, Sato Kilman, Samoa's Environment Minister Faumuina Luiga, Papua New Guinea's retired chief justice Sir Arnold Amet and retired Chief of the Australian Defence Force General Peter Cosgrove.

The report, which PacNews got hold of yesterday, said any assistance by the Forum to the interim administration would be based on its acceptance of the Group's nine-point recommendations.

It includes the return to barracks of all soldiers and Commodore Bainimarama's resignation as interim PM.

The report recommends that he should allow a civilian to lead the Interim Government.

"The Republic of Fiji Military Forces should be asked to take immediate steps to withdraw from its involvement in the Interim Government, with a view to restoring civilian rule as soon as possible,"the Group recommends.

A copy of the report is with Commodore Bainimarama who is studying it, according to Interim Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum. He said the report would have to be studied thoroughly before a public comment was made on it.

The Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat said the report has been released to members of the Forum and would not be made public just yet.

PacNews said the report also called on the Interim Government to take the country to the polls in 18 to 24 months.

The Group also urged the Interim Government to immediately put an end to all human rights abuses.

The Group also recommends that the Interim Government restricts its activities to four measures. These are:

* to uphold the 1997 Constitution;

* to respect and uphold Fiji's domestic and international obligations;

* that the RFMF ceases all interference with the judiciary and accountable institutions;

* to ensure that all citizens are free to seek legal redress in the courts in relation to events on and following December 5,2k7.

The report said that if the Interim Government adhered to the group's recommendations, the Forum would consider a phased package of assistance to Fiji. These include financial and technical support for the electoral process and the anti-corruption commission and assistance to restore the independence of the judiciary.

The 21-page report is expected to be tabled at the region's Foreign Affairs ministers meeting next month.

New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark at a press conference told journalists that the timeframe given by the group for Fiji to prepare for the polls is more than enough.

She said the report from the group showed a forward path for Fiji back to democracy.

Many thanks to Dr Bruce Wearne and his colleague in Fiji, journalist/editor Dr Robert Wolfgramm, for their reformational- philosophically- informed monitoring and commenting on the Fiji situation where Christians in politics play an important role.