Economy gets a beating as a result

Samisoni Pareti
Uncertainty has escalated as the on-going stand-off between the government of Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase and his defiant military chief, Voreqe Bainimarama intensified.

The confrontation has shown no signs of ending ever since the local media got wind of plans by Qarase to sideline Bainimarama while he was away overseas last month.

Not only that, the plot went miserably wrong when officers and soldiers of the Fiji Military Forces told the officer recommended to replace the commander that he could lead but without their support.

Although the military headquarters at Suva’s Queen Elizabeth Barracks went for a shut down the moment officers got wind of the purported sacking of their commander on Tuesday, October 31, Qarase has never commented publicly on the plan that went horribly wrong.

The incident didn’t even get a mention in the prime minister’s address to the nation the following day. Investigations, however, by this magazine revealed two distinct facts.

One is the confirmation by the office of Fiji’s president that the order declaring Colonel Meli Saubulinayau as the new army commander still stands despite claims to the contrary by the military, and that the order has not been rescinded to this day.

The second pertinent point is the assertion that Qarase only did what he did after he was personally assured by at least two senior military colonels who are Bainimarama’s key advisers that a change in military leadership would get the support of 90 percent of men and women in uniform.

If this assertion is correct, then the two senior officers either developed cold feet halfway through the process, or as observers say, they deliberately misled Qarase in order to expose his government’s plans about replacing their outspoken commander.

Whatever the reasons, the botched sacking only strengthened support for Bainimarama inside the military, who used what was clearly a huge embarrassment for the Fiji Government to advance further his claims that the Fiji electorates had made the wrong choice in voting Qarase’s SDL Party back into power in last May’s polls.

“The manner in which the government attempted to remove me as head of the military forces continues to show the lack of integrity, moral courage and sound judgement which has been the hallmarks of Qarase’s leadership in the last six years,” Bainimarama told journalists at the first media conference he called on his return from an overseas travel.

“The advice that was delivered to (the president) did not take into account the consequences considering the position we are in.

“They continue to misread the military and its resolve to once and for all rid Fiji of the lies that George Speight (2000 coup leader) brought to the land and which has continued with Qarase and his leadership.”

The war of words between the two men is only expected to intensify especially now that it has been revealed that the police force intends to lay at least 10 seditious related charges on Bainimarama.

Sources told this magazine the army chief is aware of the charges as he was personally told of it a few hours before his departure for a private visit to New Zealand on November 21.

The insolent army leader by press time was yet to comment publicly about this new development.

But it is expected that he and his officers would step up their calls for the termination of the court proceedings and for the sacking of the man they believe is giving the police force the determination to press charges—its Australian-born commissioner, Andrew Hughes.

In a letter dated November 6—the same day Bainimarama called a media conference—his deputy, Navy Captain Esala Teleni, told Prime Minister Qarase to terminate Hughes’ appointment as police chief because he is “politicised” and that he is only “fuelling” the stand-off between the military and government.

“It is evident that Hughes is not providing the ‘right balance’ of security brief to the government,” wrote Teleni.

“Recently he has been misleading the people of Fiji in regard to his latest outburst. It is also clear that he is pursuing Australia’s interest in the region, instead of assisting in the improvement of law and order in Fiji.”

In bold were two clear directives—all investigations against the commander and all investigations against the Fiji Military Forces be dropped.

Viewing the letter as the basis for further discussions, Qarase—Islands Business was told—responded the same day, proposing a committee be set-up to comprise officials from his office and the military to vet the military demands, before they are submitted at a joint meeting between Qarase and Bainimarama.

Before the army could issue a response to the Qarase proposal, traditional leaders who are members of the country’s Great Council of Chiefs, had convened a meeting in the capital on November 9, at the request of the prime minister to propose a way out of the army/government stand-off.

Hopes that the chiefs’ manna would bring about a resolution that had long remained elusive were dashed even before the chiefs meeting got underway.

Bainimarama despite his promise to attend  the meeting stayed away, reportedly irritated by a media report saying that majority of Fiji’s 14 provinces represented on the council would support the government in its never-ending battle with the army.

Despite some calls not to, the chiefs waved an olive branch and sent a delegation to the army’s headquarters to personally plead with Bainimarama to attend their session.

The army chief agreed and what was supposed to be a one day meeting extended into two days.

The chiefs met behind closed doors. But according to an audio recording of the proceedings this magazine obtained, Bainimarama went on a full-out attack that day, attacking Qarase who was sitting at the head of the rectangular shaped meeting house.

“Mr Prime Minister, we’ve had enough of your lies. End telling those lies now.”

Although the chiefs went on to form a mediation committee in the hope of getting the two men to the bargaining table, Bainimarama according to the audio recording, made it very clear at the meeting that the army would not entertain any face-to-face talks with Qarase.

The army chief said although they were willing to let the chiefs mediate, they were put off by Qarase’s presentation to the chiefs on the first day of their meeting, in which the prime minister had made it very clear that despite repeated calls by the military, his government would not bow to demands to withdraw its controversial Qoliqoli (fisheries royalties) and Reconciliation bills.

“At our meeting at the army headquarters this morning, my senior officers and I were alarmed at the announcement by the Prime Minister that he would not withdraw the two pieces of legislation that we want expunged,” Bainimarama told the chiefs.

“It is disturbing to us because his announcement comes as my office and his were in the middle of exchanging correspondence on how we can resolve this current impasse.

“This action by the Prime Minister tells the military that the prime minister has washed his hands off us. On the same token, we want to tell you Mr Prime Minister that we’ve also washed our hands off you.”

Fiji islanders have now become used to the pattern at which every time the two men exchanged salvo of heated words, the panic graph hits a new peak and investor confidence dips to a new low.

For many days last month, Suva was a city gripped with rumours of coups and instability, fuelled in no small measure by numerous marches around the city and firing exercises by soldiers.

First to show signs of the fallout has been the tourism industry which had been enjoying a boom in visitor numbers until the flaring of the latest military/government tit-for-tat.

“In our tourism and travel industry, cancellation of bookings is of concern,” tourism minister, Tomasi Vuetilovoni told parliament last month.

“What is of greater concern is the 40% reduction in new bookings. We run the risk of new bookings virtually drying up, leaving 2007 as one of the worst ever for Fiji tourism.

“Quite a turnaround from our target of becoming a billion-dollar industry in 2007.”

By early November, workers in some resorts and hotels had been put on reduced working hours due to eroding visitor numbers.

More sectors are expected to display similar depressing numbers until and unless the agencies of government tasked with the powers to resolve the impasse exercise those powers.

Political commentators agree that much hinges on the aging president, Ratu Josefa Iloilo.

For Qarase and his government, a way out for them is to proceed with the request to the highest court of the land, the Supreme Court, to clarify once and for all the constitutional role of the military.

However, whether the commander and his men and women will adhere to that ruling will make for yet another interesting reading.