Shocked to the core by his near defeat in the November 2018 election, the Prime Minister, Frank Bainimarama, summoned the people he trusts most – his military colleagues who helped him seize power in 2006 and who are still the ultimate authority in Fiji. They are the members of the Military Council – senior military officers still in uniform plus those who’ve officially retired and entered the government as ministers in the Bainimarama cabinet, become permanent secretaries or taken over as the heads of such institutions as the police.
Collectively, they are not to be messed with and, indeed, the mere mention of the Military Council is enough to induce a degree of awe and apprehension in many quarters in Fiji. A rare public glimpse into what the Council does was once provided by Brigadier General Mosese Tikoitoga, the military officer turned diplomat who, for a time, succeeded Frank Bainimarama as RFMF commander when the PM formally left to contest the 2014 election. Tikoitoga said it existed to provide advice on “anything and everything” in relation to the running of the country.
Despite the return to parliamentary rule in 2014, the military remains all powerful in Fiji. As the 2013 Constitution puts it: “It shall be the overall responsibility of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces to ensure at all times the security, defence and well-being of Fiji and all Fijians”. Which certainly gives force in Fiji’s supreme law to the practical effect of the RFMF continuing to hold ultimate power to keep the peace and hold the country together through the barrel of the gun. The current leadership of the RFMF – in my experience – are men and women of honour who take that responsibility very seriously.
The Military Council had been dormant for several years when it was suddenly reconvened by the Prime Minister in the election aftermath. His old comrades were given a specific invitation to advise him about how to respond to his near defeat at the hands of his bitter opponent – Sitiveni Rabuka, the former Prime Minister, RFMF commander and instigator of the 1987 coups who led the SODELPA opposition into the 2018 election and came within a small margin of winning.
The Military Council produced a 26-point blueprint for the direction it believed Frank Bainimarama should take his government and the nation. The contents of that advice have never been revealed – until now – and the Prime Minister is yet to act on its recommendations. But elements of the military and some of his cabinet colleagues want him to do so as a matter of urgency as the clock ticks inexorably towards the next election in 2022.
It is, by any measure, an astonishing document that even 20 months on, will send shock waves through the Fijian establishment and body politic. Not least because it shows the Military Council laying the blame for the government’s poor election showing squarely at the feet of Bainimarama’s Attorney General, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, who it accuses of arrogance and of putting the Prime Minister’s legacy at risk.
The document is bound to cause a collective tightening of sphincters in the AG’s immediate circle. Because pressure is building on the PM to end his 20 months of prevarication and at least implement the most pressing of the Military Council’s recommendations. It is also clear that the only thing between Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum and political oblivion is the support of one man – Frank Bainimarama. And if he withdraws his patronage or leaves the stage for any reason, the AG and those who rely on him for their positions and influence are extremely vulnerable, such is the intensity of the sentiment against him and the extraordinary number of scores to settle. This includes the AG’s humiliation of the Secretary of the Military Council, Brigadier General (ret’d) Ioane Naivalurua, in refusing to even interview him for a place on the FijiFirst ticket.
REMOVAL OF AIYAZ SAYED-KHAIYUM FROM THE POSITION OF AG:
First and foremost, the Military Council document calls for the removal of Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum as Attorney General. It refers to a “separation of the role of attorney general and minister for economy’. Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum would lose the position of AG in the government but keep the post of Economy Minister. Yet this was before it became clear in recent months that the AG had incurred a substantial budget shortfall through his overspending in the election lead-up. It was the perception of his skills in managing the economy that protected him from even harsher criticism in the election aftermath. If anything, the attitude towards him since is said to have hardened. And a significant number of senior officers are convinced – along with members of the Bainimarama cabinet – that he should go altogether to give the government a clean slate to regroup with a fresh team before the next election in 2022.
THE AG TO BE STRIPPED OF HIS OTHER PORTFOLIOS:
The Military Council also calls for the AG to be stripped of his other portfolios, which at the time included Minister of Civil Service, Minister of Public Enterprises, Local Government and Housing. “Too many portfolios under one minister has created a perception that AG has full control of Government”, the document states.
It specifically says Civil Service should be “assigned to another minister or put under the PM’s portfolio”. Soon after this, the Prime Minister telephoned a number of people in government to inform them that he was taking over the Civil Service. Yet inexplicably, that was the last they heard of the proposed changes. He back-peddled without calling them back to say that he’d changed his mind.
The Military Council also says the position of acting prime minister when Frank Bainimarama is absent from the country “needs to be rotated amongst capable senior ministers”. This appears to be one recommendation that Bainimarama heeded in the election aftermath, when Inia Seruiratu became acting prime minister in his absence, in a clear break with existing practice over the years, in which Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum was left in charge.
ADDRESS THE PERCEPTION OF “MUSLIM RULE”:
In its unprecedented assault on the AG’s reputation and position, the Military Council calls for the emasculation of his influence across a broad front. It said the “PM’s legacy is at risk, with widespread rumour of Fiji being governed by Muslim rule”. This is evidently not a criticism of Muslims generally nor a sentiment that is exclusive to the Military Council. The military hierarchy includes a Muslim – Brigadier-General Aziz Mohammed – who has risen to the top as Deputy Commander and is a respected and highly educated officer. The RFMF has also never shared the anti-Islamic sentiment of indigenous nationalists in the opposition and Hindu nationalists in the wider community. Yet the comment undoubtedly reflects unease in the Military Council – as it does elsewhere – at the disproportionately high number of co-religionists who the AG has installed in government, the institutions of state and on the boards of state-owned enterprises. Muslims comprise around six per cent of the Fijian population yet have a disproportionate presence in the FijiFirst government and its instrumentalities. It is a question of balance and many feel that balance has not been struck.
The Military Council document specifically calls for a “review of some of the executive appointments” that the AG has made. And in relation to board appointments, it says “respective ministers should appoint board members with the approval of the Prime Minister”. It adds that “appointments of commissioners on the Public Service Commission and chairmen of all government-owned institutions must be made in consultation with the PM”.
STRENGTHEN ITAUKEI INSTITUTIONS:
In a clear sign of the military’s sensitivity about attitudes in the vanua, the document makes further reference to an “Indo-Fijian dominated government” and says “the perception is that Indigenous resources are at risk”. It said the government needed to “strengthen iTaukei institutions” and “involve Indigenous institutions in decision making”. This “negative perception needs to be corrected”, it adds. In addition, the “AG must not respond on Indigenous matters” in parliament, the document states.
CHANGE THE GOVERNMENT’S “CONFRONTATIONAL AND ARROGANT” STYLE:
Readers will have seen the criticism I have cited previously of the veibeci (looking down at people) and viavialevu (arrogant) attitude of the government, which is shared by the Military Council. Referring to the “professional conduct of ministers”, the Council document makes specific reference to the “confrontational and arrogant” style of the FijiFirst government that it says needs to change to one of “consultation, inclusiveness and engagement”.
STOP THE AG INTERFERING IN OTHER MINISTRIES:
The Military Council also struck out at Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum’s control over the rest of the government. It said the “AG must not interfere unnecessarily in other minister’s portfolios. Discussions should be held directly with PM. Ministers can freely comment or critique any Ministry or Minister only in cabinet meetings” – a clear reference to the power the AG wields over other ministers, detailed in previous Grubsheet postings. “Ministers need to be equally empowered and must only report to PM and not the AG”, the Council says. It also calls for the strengthening of the Cabinet Office and says the Cabinet Office “must not be taken out of the PM’s Office. It must not report to any other Minister. No other country has this system”, it says, and the “Cabinet Office must report directly to the PM”.
ESTABLISH A “REVIEW MECHANISM” OF GOVERNMENT DECISIONS:
The Military Council recommends the introduction of what it calls a “review mechanism” of government decisions, in a clear signal of dissatisfaction with the perception of the “two man rule” of the PM and AG to the exclusion of other ministers. “Major decisions of the government need consultation amongst senior ministers through subcommittees of Cabinet”, it says.
INSTITUTE CHANGES TO FICAC AND THE JUDICIARY:
The Military Council calls for the removal of Rashmi Aslam, the current Deputy Commissioner of the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption. It says “FICAC Office needs to be independent. And states that “lots of negativity has arisen out of him for the government”. In relation to the judiciary, the document calls for limiting the number of appointments of judges from Sri Lanka.
THE “UNPOPULAR” FIJI SUN:
The Military Council document states that “the Fiji Sun is fast becoming an unpopular paper. The perception is that it is fully government controlled”. It specifically references the Fiji Sun concentrating on “pictures of the AG and one or two ministers” and reflecting the “government’s webpage and printed material”.
ESTABLISH A PRIME MINISTER’S THINK TANK:
To break the perceived stronghold that the AG has over the Prime Minister’s decision-making, the Military Council proposes “a Prime Minister’s think tank of no more than ten persons from various sectors”.
ESTABLISH MORE ENGAGEMENT WITH THE BUSINESS SECTOR:
The Military Council refers to the need for better engagement with the business sector. And it criticises the conduct of FRCS, the Fiji Revenue and Customs Service. “The gap is increasing between the government and the business sector because of the conduct of FRCS”, the document states.
…PLUS MORE ENGAGEMENT WITH NGOs:
The Military Council calls for more “engagement and recognition of NGOs”. “There is almost no support from them to government”, the document says.
——————————-
So those are the main points of the Military Council’s blueprint, which presumably reflects the views of the majority of its members. So the burning question is why hasn’t Frank Bainimarama implemented its agenda? After all, it was he who convened the Council in the first place and he gave every indication in the election aftermath that he was going to make changes to the government, including reducing the influence of the AG.
When I spoke to the Prime Minister about the government’s position after the election at the end of 2018, he was also clearly intent on reform. In fact, he agreed that the government’s arrogant style needed to change and also agreed on the need to bring his iTaukei ministers more to the fore to address the government’s poor showing in the vanua, which is where SODELPA clearly made its inroads.
The AG was absent from Fiji over the Christmas-New Year period but returned soon afterwards and held a meeting with the PM. It’s a mystery to those who’d been led to believe by the Prime Minister that change was coming why he suddenly changed his mind. Did Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum come with a resignation letter or threaten to resign? Did he call on the PM’s loyalty or prey on the PM’s sentimentality about his 12 years of service to that point? Does the PM regard him as simply indispensable in a government in which the two of them have been the driving force? Does the AG “have something on the PM”, as more uncharitable Fijians have begun to speculate? It is anyone’s guess in the absence of accounts from the two men.
Whatever the answer, the government continues its “two man” rule and, if anything in the intervening period, the AG’s confidence and influence has strengthened. Yet he and the PM have a rendezvous with destiny at the ballot box in 2022 and it is clear to significant elements in the military and the cabinet that in its present form, the government simply cannot win. Even before Covid-19 triggered economic disintegration, it was in trouble and as the months progress, its electoral position can only deteriorate.
I personally know very few people outside the government’s immediate circle who still support FijiFirst and if they do, it is only on the basis that the alternative would be worse. The sense of grievance and anger towards the government is palpable, as anyone who gets into a taxi or spends any time around a grog bowl can tell you. And no amount of spin to the contrary will make any difference in the privacy of the ballot box come election day without a fundamental change of direction.
Last week, the Prime Minister very publicly denied that the cabinet is divided along ethnic lines. Yet unbeknown to Indo-Fijian ministers and with the Prime Minister’s apparent imprimatur, the iTaukei ministers are said to have formed a separate grouping in the wake of the election to discuss the government’s position. Grubsheet also understands that within recent months, a deputation of iTaukei ministers again went to see the Prime Minister asking him to remove the AG as a means of improving the government’s standing and were rebuffed. But time is running out and cracks are emerging in the PM’s own position. Hitherto, it has invariably been “the Commander/Prime Minister knows best”. Yet as the months tick by, questions are starting to be asked about Bainimarama’s own judgment and why he insists on not making the changes a significant number of his cabinet colleagues believe are essential for their own survival and that of the Bainimarama Revolution itself.
In the way of politics everywhere, this impatience threatens to give way to a sentiment that if the PM won’t act, it may also be time for him to go. For the first time, in fact, these rumblings are starting to surface among the PM’s closest supporters. Incidents like his angry outburst against the former military officer, Pio Tikoduadua, in the parliament again last week after “assaulting” him outside the building last August bring the PM’s judgment into question and are regarded as totally counterproductive when the country is facing the gravest of challenges. Whatever the personal history of these two men that has caused the rift between them, Tikoduadua is a substantial figure in the country with strong roots in the vanua and the wider community, the government, the RFMF and the Roman Catholic Church that reared him. No-one is willing the PM on when he attacks him. And there are definitely no votes in it, which ought to be front and centre of any strategy but which the FijiFirst government too often forgets.
The Covid-19 crisis and its economic fallout is, quite naturally, putting an immense strain on the leadership and the Prime Minister is clearly on edge. But to many watching, this kind of indiscipline is unedifying, even sad, when Frank Bainimarama has cut such a distinguished and dignified figure on the world stage in recent years and deserves an honoured place in history for his singular achievement in having unified the country and levelled the playing field for all Fijians.
As I have said before, Bainimarama is – I believe – still the best person to keep Fiji united. And it is even more critical now to put party politics aside and engage as widely as possible on the best way forward – a “we’re all in this together” approach that would give ordinary Fijians a lot more confidence that their leaders can get them through the Covid crisis. This is not the time for the kind of division and point scoring we saw in the parliament last week. The government’s confrontational style – and especially that of the AG – simply doesn’t suit the times. It was especially insulting for the government to say that if the opposition wanted input, they should have turned up for the AG’s public budget consultations. These pantomimes at which the AG struts – microphone in hand – posturing and prescribing, test the patience of even his most diehard supporters, especially when he tells them he’s assisting them by letting them spend their own money. So only he would expect opposition MPs to have to sit through the same ordeal.
Aside from the country’s ability to weather the Covid-19 crisis, many eyes are already turning to the 2022 election, which makes the Military Council document that much more relevant and important. Of course, much depends on whether SODELPA again chooses Sitiveni Rabuka to go head-to-head against the Prime Minister who, for the moment at least, is indicating that he will lead FijiFirst into the election for another term. We will know in a couple of months whether there’ll be a rerun of the “Clash of the Titans” when SODELPA chooses who will carry its banner into the election. And a great deal is at stake for everyone in Fiji.
Frank Bainimarama has particular reason to detest Rabuka. He has always blamed him privately not only for triggering Fiji’s coup culture but for allegedly having a hand in the mutiny at the Queen Elizabeth Barracks in Suva in November 2000 in which three loyalist troops were killed and Bainimarama barely escaped with his life. He has said that Rabuka was lucky not to have been summarily executed on the spot when he arrived at the camp that day with his old military uniform on a hanger in the back of his vehicle. Bainimarama has always taken it as a sign that Rabuka was intending to take command, assuming the mutiny succeeded. Rabuka himself has said that he was merely trying to negotiate an end to the confrontation but Bainimarama has never believed him. So that to this day, the relationship between Prime Minister and Opposition leader is poisoned by the events of two decades ago, which go well beyond the usual political rivalry.
Frank Bainimarama dodged a bullet in 2018 when he narrowly defeated Rabuka. And so perhaps did the country. For some of Bainimarama’s hardcore loyalists in the RFMF make little secret of the fact they will never accept Rabuka as Prime Minister. Others hold the position just as firmly that the time for military intervention in politics in Fiji is over and the RFMF has a constitutional duty to side with whichever party wins the election. Yet serious concerns remain. In the absence of reform – and sticking with the AG in defiance of a significant number of his colleagues – is Frank Bainimarama destined to be vanquished by his nemesis, Sitiveni Rabuka, in 2022? And can there be a smooth transition of power if Rabuka wins and Bainimarama loses? Or for that matter, Aseri Radrodro or any of the other SODELPA leadership aspirants?
For anyone with a strategic view and an eye to history, these are the most burning questions of all. Because nothing will be more important than stability and confidence once the Covid-19 crisis passes and Fiji eventually gets to rebuild its shattered economy. If a week is a long time in politics – as the old saying goes – two years is an eternity and things can obviously change. Yet in the absence thus far of a cohesive opposition capable of bringing the entire country together, many people – me included – think that it is infinitely preferable to make the current government more competitive by reinventing it than to take a giant leap into the unknown. And that task must begin now.
Next time: Frank Bainimarama names his successor.
14 long years since the 2006 military coup ” the government still continues its ‘ two men ‘ rule “. That sums up the kind of ” democratic ” governance Fiji really has. All the talk about the pivotal place of the Military Council in influencing Fiji politics and governance does not add up.
The 2013 constitution basically legalizes coups in Fiji.
The military can at any given time walk in , take over and justify it as in the “well being” of the country
Reminds me of the 4 person kitchen cabinet during the Rudd govt which didn’t last long. The Bainimarama govt puts it to shame with a 2 person (some may argue a single person) kitchen cabinet and still in govt.
A good commentary on the blueprint and generally confirms what the rumors are of the military assessment.
What in your opinion Graham will the military do if their blueprint is not implemented? and why have they not done so as things continue to slide in Fiji under the AG.
What in your opinion is the counter play by the AG to preserve his rule over all things in Fiji?
Can he really stay in Fiji as a private citizen? Are you aware of any arrangements he has made to leave Fiji should his reign come to an end and one day it will come to an end as FFP is defeated at the polls.
I am sure the AG has calculated that should FFP be defeated he will be a marked man from the assumed incoming SODELPA Govt and they will vigorously pursue him for right reasons
Rajiv, I’m sorry but I have had to edit this comment to remove a portion that is clearly defamatory.
As to your other questions, it would only be speculation were I to address them. The truth is I really don’t know.
I have worked with some who were part of military council once and some even ended up in prison. Saumatua resigned and Frank never answered his call neither met him in person after his resignation due to AG interfering in his portfolio. He told me there is no place for good people in this government.
The military council means nothing for AG. It doesn’t serve any purpose and they should stop wasting time because Frank only listens to his right hand man.
The idea of giving power to military in the Constitution is to keep Frank in power even if he looses election.
The future doesn’t look good for the country and a possible civil war can break out if Frank looses and military intervenes. Frank is no longer popular amongst the population now. He is the cause of deep racial divide in the country.
Boring and weak with too many inaccuracies to believe.
So Jone, what is inaccurate?
Jone is a troll, Graham, do not fall fro his tricks. Keep up the excellent work.
Facts are being revealed. Some words such as Demagogues, Oligarchy, Svengali & Thrall comes to mind that are synonymous to this dispensation.
Bula vinaka Mr Davis, one key point is missing from your analysis which I wanted to bring to your attention. First let me introduce myself. I was a final year USP student in 2018 and my name is Inoke. I have since gone on to hold a civil service position. One thing I had to point out which was the reason why I and many of my friends did not vote for Fiji First despite having had our parents vote for them in 2014, it was Mr Prime Minister’s very poor performance on the talkback show with Mr Vijay Narain. This was the one against Mr Rabuka. The famous GDP ni dinau show. He lost out a lot of votes after that show because we saw a man who was not aware of what he was saying, the basic GDP question it was embarrassing moreso when we have grown up seeing him as very articulate. Aiyaz Khaiyum on the other hand had a very good show against Professor Biman and my Indian friends told me they swayed and voted for him after the Professor Biman show. Just my input the iTaukei wants a leader but against Mr Rabuka,Mr Bainimarama just did not perform. This is why SODELPA needs Mr Rabuka.
sa dina Inoke. Remembber that one very well. GDP ni dinau. No wonder he lost all that votes
I have been away from Fiji since 1989 after the first coup.i was actively involved in politics as a town councillor and with the coalition parties.
Economically the country has gone into a reverse gear.
Reason: Corruption
With a $10 billion GDP the country with good governance should be able to build a new hospital and several schools every year.
Reason: We are looking at personalities and not concentrating on transparency of the economy.
There are some major changes needs to be addressed in the interest of the indigenous people who have been suffering in their own country.
They may be radical but for the good of the country and its citizens.
Come 2022 I would be too happy to get my ideas through for a better FIJI.
Oh dear I fear that therell be nowhere in fiji safe enough for all those people who have been hiding under the AGs skirt all these years. Going back to a qoute you raised Graham “Oppositions dont win elections governments lose it” is so true. It was the collective rejection of Rabuka and Jai Ram Reddys reviewed constitution that handed a landslide to Chaudhry. People knew who they were voting out but didnt realise who was being voted in. So 2022 is shaping up to be the same. Sodelpa aint no better with constant skirmishs within so a repeat of this mistake is inevitable. So far the only people who articulates well and continue to project some kind of political clout happen to be two women i.e Lenora and Lynda add Tanya to that list too when she gets in in 2022. Pio and Biman have always been a clear choice of many for national leadership for many for a while now too. So just maybe the wisdom of the military council might come home to roost but WHEN!!!
Interesting ideas for a potential reform, since the two-man rule is becoming very obsolete these days, and Frankie himself is yet to prove to skeptics that he still has a spine and not be viewed as a lackey for Khaiyum.
If only the “backwards mentality” of being confrontational and arrogant wasn’t the mindset of politicians today, because its embarrassing making both government and opposition look like children with the constant blame game.
But an interesting blueprint nonetheless for some serious reforms.
I salute the opposition for standing in place for the vast majority of Fijians (if number of actual 2018 votes and public opinion is your measure of truth) who are fully aware of how this Government works – not under 2 men but under 1.
I can’t think of any other democratic country where laws are continuously churned out to either preserve one man’s power or increase it. This is achieved in a one sided Parliament – set up to allow Bills to go through unscathed with zero impact in the final draft from the opposition because that’s how the parliamentary system is designed in Fiji). The Opposition know all odds are stacked against them so I salute them for doing the best they can within the means they have. The way things work in Fiji – it’s all designed to wear out not only the opposition in Parliament but ANY opposition because ultimately any real and meaningful change isn’t just possible with the way things are.
People can talk and write blogs to what end? Words are cheap and what is real is that we all know that the country is literally drowning in debt because one person was allowed all the power to gamble like it was nobody’s business.
Which would make the guy who started all this in 2006, a lackey since he’s yet to react like he expects Khaiyum to fix everything.
I’m not surprised that “military council” is growing impatient for Frankie to do something and make up his mind.
And you churning out FijiFirst propaganda through Fiji Sun. What happen now that u are going against?
Hypocrite, opportunist!!!
Very insightful perspective but still can’t fathom your belief that Bainimara is the best person to lead the country. There is overwhelming evidence in his track record that says he isn’t yet.
Enjoying reading your blogs from your days behind the curtain. It does confirm what the other anti FFF websites are saying.
The Military Council has correctly judged the public mood.
I guess the main takeaway message is that inspite of all the talk about Bainimarama, the AG, Rabuka, and other pretenders the hand that still rocks the cradle remains the Military. You can dress up Fiji and its Government in anyway you want but ultimately it operates for as long as the Military will allow. A wolf in sheep’s clothing. Soon to become rags.
Graham
Would you like to comment on the news doing rounds about you and Ashwin Raj?
Ash, what I have posted on Facebook:
There is a scurrilous report circulating on social media purportedly written by me in which a claim is made that I was sexually assaulted by Ashwin Raj, the Director of the Fiji Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission. It is false – a complete concoction that involves identity theft to spread the most vicious of lies. Ashwin and I have a friendly relationship and he has always behaved impeccably towards me. He is a gentleman and I very much regret that he has been smeared in this way. One expects to be targeted by social media trolls but this kind of thing is clearly beyond the pale and says a great deal about the warped mental state of the person who wrote it under my name. Mad and bad.
Ash win maybe a gentleman in private life but he is clearly a regime lackey and not an impartial and independent arbitrator.
He is compromised and does not deserve the high office he holds
Exactly.
Democracy under the 2013 Constitution is a facade. The intellectual authors of the 2013 Constitution ceded to the military ultimate responsibility for the ‘security and well being’ of Fiji citizens. Its an open chequebook for the military to intervene.
In a true democracy sovereignty rests with parliament. Sadly, in Fiji it rests with a faceless Military Council who are answerable to no one.
This is a major flaw of the 2013 Constitution.
Isa Viti
The military council seems to be doing the same job that the GCC were tasked with. Their removal was deemed to be a relic of the old colonials, along with the attempt to change the Fijian flag with the union jack. Constant criticizing of the old British colonials seems to be the flavor of the times and is becoming very boring!
Vinaka
Courtesy of the “backwards mentality” of arrogance and confrontation.
Two soldiers have come forward to confirm that the Myanmar military committed genocidal atrocities against the Rohingyas. The Myanmar military has denied the claims of ” ethnic cleansing ” and Nobel Peace Prize award winner Aung San Suu Kyi, the figurehead president of Myanmar, had gone before the ICC in Haque to defend the military generals’ denial. Nobody of course believed her because the evidence that reputable international human rights people had collected from the victims was overwhelming. Her own credibility has been seriously damaged.
The military can’t be the ultimate authority in a true democracy.
Fiji is not a true democracy because the military is the ultimate authority under its unilaterally imposed 2013 Constitution.
Seems like they are finally seeing the AG for who he is. Better late then never but much pain could have been avoided if they had not been so arrogant to get hoodwinked by the AG. I guess they need to now accept that the PM is equally useless. How long will we have to wait for that. As to the belief that the PM is still the best person to keep Fiji united, as every day passes he is being rejected by more people particularly his own. Whatever support he did have was bought through an elaborate plan that started with a coup. Then the imposition of a legal framework, to acquire power and control followed by cash electioneering and heavy suppression of any opposition through media, the courts and all manner of shenanigans. That is not support, that is heavy coercion at the the barrel of a gun and the public are victims whether they know it not. I guess as each day passes more are seeing the light.
Under normal circumstances we’d be assured of the growing numbers finally “seeing the light” with the anticipation that eventually a day of reckoning will come at the polls. It’s the civilised and honourable way to go about things while we respect the rule of law (no matter how much we detest the form of that law) and exercise prudent restraint collectively. I pray that as desperate as the times are that it will not dictate a breakdown in the moral fabric until 2022. When the time comes the challenge to the powers that be – whoever’s they really are – is to guarantee what the public can confidently participate it with hand in heart – as free and fair elections.
To your point Rajend so the pathway to national leadership is no more a conviction to serve then it is to become a military officer. Thats the bottom line here when the outgoing commander Naupoto is farewelled take note that the incoming commander is potentially the next PM and Im guessing Qiliho is being prepped for some kind of higher calling at some point. The constitution allows for it and the recent movements of key Bainimarama loyalists into strategic senior positions now attest to this. If the military council wanted to move on the AG tomorrow all the ducks so to speak have been lined up ready.
Its clear to me now the primary reason the military council was reconvened is to serve as insurance in case Fiji First or Frank (personally) loses grip on power in 2022. The election in 2018 would have been a major wake up call for him, revealing how unpopular he and his government have become since 2014 (for the various reasons you’ve articulated very clearly here). Call it whatever you like, but when you strip it down to the bone, the man (Frank) has a single useful talent that has served him well over time, i.e. his knack or aptitude for SELF PRESERVATION. He has shown time and tine again he will sacrifice anything and anyone towards the service of that end (his own survival). He has done so with many of his loyal/trusted lieutenants and advisors in the past, and will not hesitate, in my opinion, to do the same with any member of his military council when required. AG understands this lesson quite well (or better than most), and has played it successfully to his advantage (to the detriment of this country).
Those expecting letters or documentation were left sorely disappointed at this silly article. Those who blindly want FijiFirst to fall are here as usual with messages of praise. How low Graham has fallen.
In the interests of free expression and debate, I do not censor reasoned comments or criticism of my own stance and opinions. But if anyone thinks that they can use my columns as a vehicle for personal abuse against me, they can go elsewhere.
Joshua, post gratuitous insults here like your last missive and they will be deleted. Any further abuse and you will be barred permanently. And If you don’t like it, set up your own blog site.
And Milo, the same applies to you if you want to give credence to the vile case in which someone stole my identity to set up a false page to make a false allegation against Ashwin Raj. Your email, Predator 666, pretty much says it all. Troll.
Seems like my comment really hurt you as the truth generally tends to do.
This is all fake news. you had promised documentation and real evidence but in the end only have your words which we are supposed to just believe. You lied and claimed that you will show us proof which you haven’t not even once.
This opinion is quite anticlimactic and you are quite disgraceful. As I also said you are being emboldened by anti government losers like yourself who laugh at you behind your back while encouraging you here hoping that you spread more fake news.
Have some dignity Graham.
Where is the evidence you promised? Sad day making up things you want to do and attributing it to the military council.
I have the document. It is from an impeccable source.
You are the fake. No email. No url. Naked deception to cover up the fact that you are a troll.
Trolls working overtime Graham lol
It’s said a week is a long time in politics. So how long is 20 months in politics!
20 months of no real action on the Military Council key recommendations.
Which leads me to believe Graham Davis attaches inflated importance to the role of the Military Council in influencing politics in Fiji under Bainimarama’s rule. I could be wrong. But 20 months!
Rajend, the issue is that time is running out as we start to reach mid-point of the government’s current term. And if it is to be reinvented with a new team, they will need time to rebuild public support to have any real hope of staving off a crushing defeat in 2022.
As I will outline in the coming weeks, the AG is not indispensable to the running of the government. There are competent people in the existing cabinet capable of taking over.
Fiji must be the only place in the world in which a government comes close to the brink of defeat at an election and there is no accounting for the result. Instead, FijiFirst has merrily maintained the arrogance and alienated the voting population even more.
So my argument is that Frank Bainimarama has two choices: Do nothing and face almost certain defeat in 2022 (and I will be astonished if the opposition isn’t working as hard as it can to be competitive by then); or he can make the changes that are needed to at least give his government a fighting chance. FijiFirst will still have the burden of incumbency in 2022 but if new faces are brought to the fore and there’s a change of direction, I am personally convinced it can be done.
More on this next week and in the weeks ahead. And by the way, none of this is personal. As I have said before, I have a great deal of respect for the AG but in my judgment based on the last election result and collapse in the government’s support since then, FijiFirst with the AG still in place is no longer in a position to win.
No one is indispensable in the running of government that is democratic. Only dictators conduct themselves as if they are indispensable. History provides as with many examples of that. The latest is ” Europe’s last dictator ” Lukashenko who after 26 years in power through rigged elections and political repression still clings to power after having lost the recent election.
Graham,
You might recall circa 2013 of a Justice William Marshall report as well, or you may even have written a Qorvis response to counter that report on FFP’s behalf.
As I see this revelation of yours, the only thing that comes to mind is that this revelation will have zero effect on them so long as the army generals prop up this strange version of a nation state. The FFP will probably be having a great laugh at everyone’s expense knowing that NOBODY IN FIJI has the guts to remove them, NOBODY.
I believe that this military council, many of whom have benefited from this charade will only try to get the goodies again and try and join them rather than go through another duty of necessity drama. What a pity that some members who were about to shut down this circus were liumuried by their own subordinates, so that they could also join the gravy train and loot the coffers. It wasn’t about finding the truth but about filling their pockets. Very sad indeed when the very people that have taken the oath to look after the nation’s welfare against rogue governance ,join the gravy train. THANK GOD FOR NCD’s. These freeloaders will just eat themselves to death without intervention required for their DEMISE.
I AM A FIRM believer in the quote often used in Fiji:
JISU SA RAICA ,GENERALS !!!
There is the other matter, where the very families who complain about this government actually supply their family members to the army , like in a vicious cycle of stupidity. Had the army been made up of Indians entirely, then their complaints would sound legitimate. But they go on supplying the very soldiers they’re complaining about.
Rabuka sometimes visits a friend to spend free time with and share some grog at times others would join them one of them is Pio Tikoduadua.
The owner of the property being a contractor usually have some of his boys (employees),mix the grog for them.
During one of those sessions, Pio suddenly let out, “Rabuka is the only one who can stop whatever is going on with the government.”
In reply Tabula chuckled and said, “Am I God to stop them?”
Then sometimes later that evening while the conversation was still on the government’s performance, Rabuka let out, “There won’t be any elections in 2022, maybe in 2023.
My nephew was mixing the grog that evening happening to be right amongst them and heard that.
So maybe Bainimarama has a feeling that he still has time in his hands and has given time to Aiyaz and Shameem to make good their proposal to get Fiji to be the first country in the world to champion and practice the New World Order ideals.
Just a thought.
Just a thought on Leadership Code of Conduct. Vanuatu has a Leadership Code Act. Fiji is still talking about having one! Vanuatu got its independence in 1980 a decade after Fiji. So why is it taking Fiji so long to put a Leadership Code of Conduct in place? Could that be because of an absence of political will to act on it? Or, could that be because Fiji has had 4 coups since independence and Vanuatu has had none? Coups set a country back in many ways. Is the failure to act on a leadership code of conduct and on a freedom of information act one of the ways in which Fiji has been set back? ( see comment by former PM and Fiji Labour Party leader Mahendra Chaudhry on the subject in The Fiji Times 12 September ).