2006 Fijian coup d'état
Encyclopedia
The Fijian coup d'état of December 2006 occurred as a continuation of the pressure which had been building since the military unrest of the 2000 Fijian coup d'état and 2005-2006 Fijian political crisis.

Fiji
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...

 had seen four definitive coups in the past two decades. At the heart of the previous three of these lay the tensions between the ethnic Fijians and Indian Fijians. Religion played a significant role; the majority of ethnic Fijians belong to the Methodist
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...

 church whereas the majority of the Indians are Hindu
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...

. In each coup, one of the sides sought to establish reduced rights for the Indian Fijians; the other side sought to grant greater rights and equality to the Indian Fijians. The coup by Colonel 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...

 in 1987 led to a constitution that ensured that Indian Fijians could only have less than half of all seats in parliament and banned Indians from the post of prime minister. The coup of 2000 by George Speight
George Speight
George Speight , occasionally known as Ilikimi Naitini, was the principal instigator of the Fiji coup of 2000, in which he kidnapped thirty-six government officials and held them from May 19, 2000 to July 13, 2000...

 removed the elected Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudry, who is a Hindu of Indian origin.

The church in Fiji frequently played a significant role—Methodist church leaders supported the 2000 coup and the subsequent proposal to pardon those involved. Even the possibility of declaring Fiji a theocratic Christian state was proposed in the past. This has brought Josaia Voreqe "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...

, leader of the December 2006 coup, in conflict with the Methodist church in the past.

Background to the conflict

A long-running conflict between the government
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...

 and military
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...

 of the Republic of the Fiji Islands
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...

 (Fiji) reached crisis point in early December 2006. The catalysts for the unrest were three bills under consideration by the Fijian parliament
Parliament of Fiji
Fiji's Parliament is bicameral. The House of Representatives has 71 members. 25 of these are elected by universal suffrage. The remaining 46 are reserved for Fiji's ethnic communities and are elected from communal electoral rolls: 23 Fijians, 19 Indo-Fijians, 1 Rotuman, and 3 "General electors"...

, one of which would question the illegality of 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 offer pardons to some of the people who participated in it. Nine demands were handed down from Commodore
Commodore (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...

 Josaia Voreqe (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...

 to 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....

 Laisenia 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...

 largely pertaining to issues concerning these bills. Bainimarama gave an ultimatum to Qarase to concede to these demands or to resign from his post by Friday 1 December. This was then deferred to Monday 4 December.

After weeks of preparations by the military, on 4 December, a well orchestrated military presence made itself known in 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,...

 by setting up strategic road blocks, making public demonstrations of their presence and seizing weapons from opposing factions, including the police. On 5 December, many key government ministers and chief executives were placed under house arrest and 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
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"...

 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...

 allegedly signed an order dissolving Parliament, though he later made a press statement denying having done so. So far the coup d'état
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...

 has been bloodless; although two Australian soldiers died in a Blackhawk helicopter crash after Australia moved three warships to waters near Fiji in case evacuation of foreign nationals became necessary.

Origins

The current crisis has its origins 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...

. The 2000 coup was aimed at the multi-ethnic Government led by Mahendra Chaudhry
Mahendra Chaudhry
Mahendra Pal Chaudhry is a Fijian politician and the leader of the Fiji Labour Party...

. The proponents of the coup were an armed faction not closely associated with the military, who opposed their actions. After Bainimarama declared martial law and resolved the crisis by force, an interim government was sworn in, headed by current prime minister Laisenia Qarase. The Prime Minister was democratically elected in elections in 2001 and 2006, and has since begun to take actions that have provoked the displeasure of the military.

Three contentious bills have recently come before parliament: the Reconciliation Tolerance and Unity Bill, Qoliqoli Bill
Qoliqoli Bill
The Qoliqoli Bill 2006 is said to be a significant piece of legislation for Fiji, "particularly the Fijian community", according to the Fiji government website....

 and the Land Tribunal Bill, all three of which were considered objectionable by the opponents of the 2000 coup. Perhaps the most significant of these has been the RTU bill, which would grant an amnesty
Amnesty
Amnesty is a legislative or executive act by which a state restores those who may have been guilty of an offense against it to the positions of innocent people, without changing the laws defining the offense. It includes more than pardon, in as much as it obliterates all legal remembrance of the...

 to some of those involved or being investigated for involvement in the coup of 2000, including individuals who are presently officials within government.

There was friction concerning these bills and a truce was brokered by Vice-President
Vice-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
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"...

 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...

 on 16 January 2006, which cooled the 2005-2006 Fijian political crisis. Nonetheless, relations between the government and the military remained strained.

On 22 September 2006, Commodore Bainimarama attacked government policies in a speech at Ratu Latianara Secondary School. News service 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...

 reported that he claimed that government leniency towards perpetrators of the 2000 coup
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...

 had created a culture of disrespect for the law, to which he attributed the increasing incidents of rape, homicide, and desecration of Hindu
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...

 temples. He also criticized the Methodist Church of Fiji and Rotuma
Methodist Church of Fiji and Rotuma
The Methodist Church of Fiji and Rotuma is the largest Christian denomination in Fiji, with 36.2 percent of the total population at the 1996 census...

, for supporting the government.

The next day Prime Minister Qarase accused the Commander's statements of being unconstitutional, and announced his intention to refer the matter to the Supreme Court
Supreme Court (Fiji)
The Supreme Court of Fiji is one of three courts established by Chapter 9 of the Constitution, the others being the High Court and the Court of Appeal. The Supreme Court is declared to be "the final appellate court of the State" - in other words, there is no judicial authority higher than the...

 for a judgement on the proper role of the military.

The Methodist Church also reacted strongly to the Commander's suggestion that government policies could take Fiji back to paganism
Paganism
Paganism is a blanket term, typically used to refer to non-Abrahamic, indigenous polytheistic religious traditions....

 and cannibalism
Cannibalism
Cannibalism is the act or practice of humans eating the flesh of other human beings. It is also called anthropophagy...

. Reverend Ame Tugaue, the General Secretary of the Church, commented that the Commander appeared to be ignoring the fact that it was the influence of Christianity that had abolished cannibalism in Fiji.

On 25 September, military spokesman Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...

 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...

 said that the government's proposed court action was a threat to the nation, and that the military was united in its resolve to prosecute persons implicated in the 2000 coup and in its opposition to legislation proposing amnesty
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...

 for such offenders. He also reiterated the opposition of the military to the "Qoliqoli Bill", which proposed to hand control of seabed resources to ethnic Fijians.

The Fiji Sun
Fiji 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....

 quoted Bainimarama on 25 September as saying that his speech at Ratu Latianara Secondary School had been based on the advice of United States General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....

 John Brown. The same afternoon, however, United States Ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....

 Larry Dinger told the Fiji Village News
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 Bainimarama had misunderstood Brown's intentions. The military must never challenge the rule of a constitutional government, Dinger insisted. Brown feels that his words of encouragement were misconstrued and may have led to the coup. Leweni subsequently denied that the Fijian military stance on the Qoliqoli Bill had been influenced by Brown.

Neumi Leweni called on the Qarase government to resign on 6 October 2006, saying that the government had lost all semblance of credibility, integrity and honesty and that the country was sinking into an economic and financial abyss.

Ultimatum handed down, crisis imminent

On 16 October 2006, Bainimarama issued a three week ultimatum for the government to meet nine demands, or resign.

The nine demands mainly center around: the 2000 coup proponents being brought to justice; withdrawing any political machinations which would potentially further economic inequality
Economic inequality
Economic inequality comprises all disparities in the distribution of economic assets and income. The term typically refers to inequality among individuals and groups within a society, but can also refer to inequality among countries. The issue of economic inequality is related to the ideas of...

 based on racial grounds; denying intervention by foreign authority (mentioning by name 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
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...

, an Australian national); dropping the court proceedings regarding the military's statements from earlier in the year and formally addressing concerns about government spending and internal governance.

A week and a half later, on 31 October 2006, the military staged exercises around 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,...

 and closed off the city's army barracks. The military said that the exercises were not threatening.

Meanwhile, Qarase and President Ratu Josefa Iloilo attempted to fire Bainimarama, who was 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....

 inspecting Fijian peacekeeping troops, but their nominee for his replacement declined the position and Major Neumi Leweni said the Army remained loyal to Bainimarama. Bainimarama in response repeated his call for the government to meet his demands or step down.

ABC News in Australia
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...

 reported claims that Qarase had told Iloilo that the government would step down if Bainimarama was not removed. The Australian Foreign Minister
Minister for Foreign Affairs (Australia)
In the Government of Australia, the Minister for Foreign Affairs is responsible for overseeing the international diplomacy section of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. In common with international practice, the office is often informally referred to as Foreign Minister...

 Alexander Downer
Alexander 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...

 said there was a real risk of a coup in Fiji. Australia sent naval ships to Fiji to assist in the evacuation of Australian citizens should a coup occur.

On 4 November, Qarase suspended amnesty provisions for the leaders of the 2000 coup from the Reconciliation, Tolerance and Unity Bill, saying that they will investigate further whether the provisions were unconstitutional. Up to this point, this was the only concession made to the military's demands.

Escalation

The crisis came to a head when, on 26 November, during a private trip to New Zealand, Bainimarama called up 1,000 reserve troops to the Fijian Army, and reiterated his intention to topple the Fijian government. This came shortly after police revealed that he would soon be charged with sedition
Sedition
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...

.

Qarase flew to New Zealand on 28 November to meet with Bainimarama. The night before the meeting, Bainimarama said "It's very simple. He [Qarase] comes with a yes or a no to our demands, full stop. He's going to be wasting his time debating issues with me. The meeting's going to be the shortest meeting he's ever attended in his life." The meeting lasted two hours, but no resolution was reached. Both men returned to Fiji after the meeting.

On 30 November, Qarase partially conceded to some of the demands: He agreed to suspend the three bills mentioned amongst the demands, and to drop them altogether if a review found them unconstitutional; he recognized that the 2000 coup had been illegal; he agreed to accept the decision by the Director of Public Prosecutions not to lay sedition charges against military leaders; and he agreed to review the position of the Police Commissioner Hughes.

Not long after this meeting Hughes announced he was taking leave that was owed to him and returned to his home in Cairns.

Bainimarama rejected this compromise and reiterated his ultimatum that Qarase must accept all demands by noon the following day or be overthrown by the military.

After the deadline passed on 1 December, Qarase said that the deadline had been extended until 3 December, due to the annual rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...

 game played between the National Police and the military
Sukuna Bowl
The Sukuna Bowl is an annual rugby union fixture that takes place in Suva, Fiji. The game is usually played at the Post Fiji Stadium. The Sukuna Bowl is contested between the Fiji Police Force and the Fiji Military Force.-External links:* *...

, but Bainimarama denied that there was an extension. He said he intended to begin a "clean up" campaign of government. Qarase and his government moved to secret locations.

On 3 December, Bainimarama announced that he had taken control of Fiji, but Qarase emerged from hiding and said he was still in charge. Radio New Zealand
Radio New Zealand
Radio New Zealand is a New Zealand public service radio broadcaster and Crown entity formed by the Radio New Zealand Act 1995. It operates news, current affairs and arts network Radio New Zealand National and classical music and jazz network Radio New Zealand Concert with full government funding...

 reported on 3 December that Fiji's civil service
Civil service
The term civil service has two distinct meanings:* A branch of governmental service in which individuals are employed on the basis of professional merit as proven by competitive examinations....

 was still taking its instructions from the civilian administration, and quoted Stuart Huggett
Stuart 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...

, the head of the civil service, as anticipating no change to that.

Coup and deposition of the government

Fijian troops confiscated arms at the headquarters of the armed police division in Nasinu on 4 December. Troops later surrounded the Nasova Police Academy in Suva and removed weapons from the armoury.

Acting 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...

 Moses Driver
Moses 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....

 said the military action was unlawful and unnecessary. Military commander Bainimarama was quoted as saying that the military had taken this action as "we would not want to see a situation whereby the police and the military are opposed in an armed confrontation".

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....

 Laisenia 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...

 was stopped while trying to enter Government House
Government House, Suva
Government House is the official residence of the President of Fiji. The present mansion was built in 1928 to replace the original building - the residence of the colonial governor - which burnt to the ground after being struck by lightning in 1921...

 in the afternoon by a military roadblock set up there. Military personnel were checking vehicles traveling on the road between the Suva and the province of Naitasiri, 30 miles northeast of Suva. Qarase avoided the military roadblocks by travelling using helicopter to return to his home in the centre of Suva after attending a provincial council meeting in this province.

Although a cabinet meeting on 5 December was called by Qarase at Government House to discuss the 19 demands of military, the Prime Minister and other ministers were not present at Government House. Mr. Qarase asked New Zealand and Australian governments for military assistance. This was declined. New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark
Helen Clark
Helen Elizabeth Clark, ONZ is a New Zealand political figure who was the 37th Prime Minister of New Zealand for three consecutive terms from 1999 to 2008...

 said "Our judgment is that this would make the situation worse, and it is not a step we are contemplating".
The President Ratu Josefa Iloilo allegedly signed an order dissolving the Parliament, and called on the Prime Minister to follow the military's demands or resign. He later denied having signed such an order, and condemned the military takeover. Speaking from Australia, exiled Police Commissioner Andrew Hughes accused Rupeni Nacewa, the President's secretary, of having fabricated the alleged presidential decree.

On the morning of the 5th, armed troops surrounded the offices of government ministers and began taking their cars. Laisenia Qarase has stated that the coup is "virtually underway", but that he will not resign, and he still has control of the country. The military forces said that all ministers would be under house arrest, and all ministers' vehicles and mobile phones seized by the end of the day. The military were reported to have surrounded Qarase's house at around 12 noon, and were trying to force their way in. The police are reported to be trying to negotiate with them.

After meeting with Commodore Bainimarama on the morning of 5 December, Iloilo signed a legal order dissolving Parliament, citing the doctrine of necessity, paving the way for the formation of an interim administration. In a subsequent press release, however, Iloilo said that he had not endorsed the coup and that its perpetrators were acting against his orders.

Soldiers entered the Parliament and disbanded the meeting of Senators discussing a motion to condemn the coup.

Bainimarama announced on 6 December that the military had taken control of the government as executive authority in the running of the country. In a speech to the media, he explained the rationale for his coup, accusing Qarase of corruption and of having inflamed tensions between ethnic communities through "divisive" and "controversial" policies:
Bainimarama dismissed a number of public servants, at least some of whom refused to cooperate with his regime, including: President 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"...

 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...

, Vice-President
Vice-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
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"...

 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...

, 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
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...

, Acting Police Commissioner Moses Driver
Moses 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....

, Assistant Police Commissioner Kevueli Bulamainaivalu, Public Service Commission chairman Stuart Huggett
Stuart 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...

 and chief executive Anare Jale
Anare Jale
Anare Jale is a Fijian civil servant, who was the Chief Executive Officer of the Public Service Commission from May 2005 to 7 December 2006, when he was dismissed from office by the military junta which had seized power on 5 December...

, Solicitor General 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...

, Prime Minister's Office chief executive Jioji Kotobalavu, and the Supervisor of Elections Semesa Karavaki.

Fijian response to the coup

Unlike the 2000 coup, which was marked by looting and burning of businesses, no significant protests or violence have occurred on Fiji during this coup.

The army did not gain the support of several key bodies. 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...

, on 7 December, called the coup illegal and called upon soldiers to "to leave the barracks and return home to your people" The President of the Methodist Church of Fiji and Rotuma
Methodist Church of Fiji and Rotuma
The Methodist Church of Fiji and Rotuma is the largest Christian denomination in Fiji, with 36.2 percent of the total population at the 1996 census...

 led a delegation to visit and support the Prime Minister while he was under effective house arrest. The Archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...

 of the Anglican Church issued a statement opposing the coup. Churches took out newspaper ads including one quoting Reverend Tuikilakila Waqairatu, president of the Fiji Council of Churches, saying "We are deeply convinced that the move now taken by the commander and his advisers is the manifestation of darkness and evil". Roman Catholic
Roman Catholic Church in Fiji
The Roman Catholic Church in Fiji is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope and curia in Rome.-Demographics and organization:...

 Archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...

 Petero Mataca
Petero Mataca
Petero Mataca is the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Suva, Fiji. After his education at St. John's College, Cawaci, he was ordained as a priest on 20 December 1959...

 took a more nuanced position, however. In a letter to the Fiji Sun
Fiji 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....

 on 10 December, he condemned the coup, but also claimed that the government had pursued policies that had led to it. Part of this statement was quoted in 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...

 on 12 December.

On 7 December 300 villagers blocked the entrance to Tavualevu Village, in response to a rumor that the military was coming to arrest 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"...

 Ovini Bokini
Ovini Bokini
Ratu Ovini Bokini Ratu was a Fijian chief and political leader. Bokini, who held the chiefly title of Tui Tavua, succeeded Epeli Ganilau as Chairman of the Great Council of Chiefs on 21 July 2004, and was reelected to this post for a full three-year term on 27 July 2005.A formal gathering of...

, Chairman of the Great Council of Chiefs
Chairman of the Great Council of Chiefs (Fiji)
The Great Council of Chiefs is a formal assembly of Fiji's senior hereditary chiefs, along with some representatives of the national government and provincial councils, who may or may not be hereditary chiefs themselves...

. The army quickly denied the rumor. Most government ministries had a full turn out at work, except for certain CEOs, and parliament workers were reportedly offered positions elsewhere in government.

Bainimarama told a press conference on 15 December that he would agree to attend a forthcoming meeting 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...

, the feudal body empowered to choose the country's President, Vice-President, and 14 of the 32 Senators
Senate (Fiji)
The Senate of Fiji is the upper chamber of Parliament. It is the less powerful of the two chambers; it may not initiate legislation, but may amend or veto it. The Senate's powers over financial bills are more restricted: it may veto them in their entirety, but may not amend them...

, only in his capacity as President of the Republic, the Fiji Sun
Fiji 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....

 reported. Told that the Great Council still recognized Ratu Josefa Iloilo as President, he said that in that case he would boycott the meeting. He also condemned the Great Council's invitation to deposed Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase, saying that Qarase would not be allowed to return to Suva to attend the meeting.

Fiji's interim government

Fiji's newly-appointed caretaker prime minister, Jona Senilagakali
Jona Senilagakali
Dr Jona Baravilala Senilagakali was a medical doctor and diplomat who was seventh Prime Minister of Fiji. He resigned as Prime Minister on 5 January 2007, but on 8 January he was appointed interim Minister for Health...

, a 77-year-old military doctor, was sworn in on 5 December to replace former prime minister Laisenia Qarase. The figurehead appointee said he had no choice but to take the job after being ordered to do so by military chief Voreqe Bainimarama. Fresh democratic elections in Fiji could however be "12 months to two years" away, Senilagakali said.

Announcing he had toppled the elected government and taken control on 5 December, Bainimara said he was assuming the presidency until the following week when the Great Council of Chiefs (GCC) would reappoint President Ratu Josefa Iloilo who would then have the authority to appoint an interim government. However, the GCC slammed Bainimarama's "illegal, unconstitutional" activities and cancelled their planned meeting the following week, indicating that they were not keen to meet following the turbulent events of this week. This posed a potential obstacle to coup leaders who are meanwhile advertising for candidates for posts in the interim government.

On 14 December, Bainimarama declared that his interim government could rule for 50 years if the Great Council of Chiefs continued to hold off appointing a new president of Fiji, who would swear in a military-backed government. Bainimarama also dismissed Adi
Adi (title)
Adi is a title used by Fijian women of chiefly rank, namely female members of chiefly clans. It is the equivalent of the Ratu title used by male chiefs. It is in general use throughout most of Fiji, although on Kadavu Island, Bulou is used instead....

 Litia Qionibaravi
Litia Qionibaravi
Adi Litia Qionibaravi is a Fijian chief and civil servant, who served for more than thirty years in the Fijian Affairs Ministry before being appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Fijian Affairs Board on 17 June 2005 . In this capacity, she oversaw the work of the country's fourteen Provincial...

 as head of the Fijian Affairs Board which convenes meeting of the Great Council of Chiefs. The Great Council did meet in the third week of December, but failed to persuade the Military to relinquish power. It proposed the formation of an interim government representing all major political and social factions in Fiji, but this was rejected by the Military, which announced on 27 December that the Great Council would be banned from holding further meetings, except with Military approval, until further notice.

Iloilo restored; Bainimarama appointed Prime Minister

On 4 January 2007, Bainimarama restored 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"...

 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...

 to the Presidency. The President made a broadcast endorsing the actions of the military. The next day, Iloilo formally appointed Bainimarama as the interim Prime Minister, indicating that the military was still effectively in control.

Reaction to the appointment was mixed. The National Alliance Party
National Alliance Party of Fiji
The National Alliance Party of Fiji is a Fijian political party. It was formally registered on 18 January 2005 by Ratu Epeli Ganilau, as the claimed successor to the defunct Alliance Party, which ruled Fiji from 1967 to 1987 under the leadership of the late Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, Ganilau's...

 of 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 Ganilau
Epeli Ganilau
Brigadier-General Ratu Epeli Ganilau, MC, MSD, is a Fijian soldier and statesman, who currently heads the National Alliance Party of Fiji. His career has previously encompassed such roles as Commander of the Fiji Military Forces and Chairman of the Bose Levu Vakaturaga...

 (a former Military commander) welcomed the appointment, as did Himat Lodhia, of the Fiji Chamber of Commerce, and Felix Anthony
Felix Anthony
Felix M. Anthony is a Fiji Indian trade unionist and political leader.During the 2000 coup, he was illegally detained by members of the Taukei Movement, an ethnic Fijian extremist organisation....

, general secretary of the Fiji Trade Union Council. 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...

 leader Mahendra Chaudhry
Mahendra Chaudhry
Mahendra Pal Chaudhry is a Fijian politician and the leader of the Fiji Labour Party...

 was more inclined to reserve judgement, while deposed Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase condemned the appointment, saying it amounted to establishing a military dictatorship. United People's Party leader Mick Beddoes
Mick Beddoes
Mick Malcolm Millis Beddoes, widely known as Mick Beddoes, is a Fijian politician and businessman from Nadi, who has led the United Peoples Party since 2000, and was the Leader of the Opposition at the time of the military coup of 5 December 2006...

 also criticized it, as did Pramod Rae
Pramod Rae
Pramod Kumar Rae is a Fijian trade unionist and political organizer of Indian descent. He was born in Suva and completed a Bachelor of Arts degree and Post Graduate Certificate in Education from the University of the South Pacific....

, general secretary of 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...

, who said that Bainimarama's dual positions of Prime Minister and Military commander created a conflict of interest
Conflict of interest
A conflict of interest occurs when an individual or organization is involved in multiple interests, one of which could possibly corrupt the motivation for an act in the other....

. Fiji Law Society
Fiji Law Society
The Fiji Law Society is the official body that registers and regulates the activity of all lawyers in Fiji. Devanesh Sharma was elected to replace Graeme Leung as President of the Fiji Law Society on 9 September 2006, and as such he holds membership ex officio on the Judicial Service Commission...

 president Devanesh Sharma
Devanesh Sharma
Devanesh Sharma is a Fijian lawyer of Indian descent. He was the president of the Fiji Law Society for one year. In his capacity as president of the law society, he made many comments on the proceedings of the interim Government, led by Frank Bainimarama, and how the society did not agree with what...

 described the appointment as unconstitutional, while 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...

, New Zealand's Minister of Foreign Affairs, also condemned it as a "charade" that would fool nobody.

International response to the crisis

There has been considerable international concern about the situation in Fiji, and active involvement by other governments to try to prevent a coup. The Australian and New Zealand governments and media in particular have strongly condemned the coup.

In November, an eminent persons group of Pacific Foreign Ministers was formed to try to defuse the situation. On 28 November, the New Zealand Government brought Qarase to New Zealand in order to negotiate with Bainimarama, at a meeting hosted by New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs
Minister of Foreign Affairs (New Zealand)
The Minister of Foreign Affairs is a major ministerial portfolio in the government of New Zealand.The current Minister of Foreign Affairs is Murray McCully, who was National Party Spokeperson of Foreign Affairs and Shadow Minister of Foreign Affairs. There are also Associate Minister roles...

 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...

. No agreement was reached. Bainimarama later warned the New Zealand and Australian Governments that any military intervention would be strongly repelled.

The New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters described the current crisis as a coup and a "creeping siege on democratic institutions". New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark
Helen Clark
Helen Elizabeth Clark, ONZ is a New Zealand political figure who was the 37th Prime Minister of New Zealand for three consecutive terms from 1999 to 2008...

 said that the Fijian constitution only allowed the President to request the dissolving of Parliament if the Prime Minister no longer had the confidence of the Parliament and that this was clearly not the case. The New Zealand Government has also stated those taking part in the coup will be banned from entry to New Zealand, and that military ties, aid and sporting contacts will be cut. Helen Clark has said in the NZ Herald that she would consider sanctions against Fiji.

Australia's Foreign Minister Alexander Downer
Alexander 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...

 has said that the military were "slowly trying to take control" and pressure the PM to resign. Other notable Australians have also commented on the situation such as the then Australian Prime Minister John Howard
John Howard
John Winston Howard AC, SSI, was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia, from 11 March 1996 to 3 December 2007. He was the second-longest serving Australian Prime Minister after Sir Robert Menzies....

.

The United States suspended $2.5 million in aid money pending a review of the situation.
The United Kingdom, the United States, and the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...

 have all expressed concern at the situation, with Kofi Annan
Kofi Annan
Kofi Atta Annan is a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh Secretary-General of the UN from 1 January 1997 to 31 December 2006...

 having made a public statement and personally spoken to both President 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...

 and Prime Minister 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...

.

On 10 December, the International Federation of Netball Associations
International Federation of Netball Associations
International Federation of Netball Associations is the governing body for netball. The organisation has five regional areas: Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania. Leadership meets every two years. IFNA is responsible for world rankings, maintaining the rules for netball and organising the...

 announced that Fiji, which had been scheduled to host the 2007 Netball World Championships
2007 Netball World Championships
The 2007 World Netball Championships was the 12th staging of the World Netball Championships, a quadrennial international netball world championship co-ordinated by the International Federation of Netball Associations , inaugurated in 1963....

, had been stripped of its hosting rights as a direct result of the coup.

The Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...

 suspended Fiji's membership on 8 December 2006. Its Secretary General, Don McKinnon
Don McKinnon
Sir Donald Charles "Don" McKinnon, ONZ, GCVO is a former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of New Zealand. He was the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations from 2000 until 2008.-Early life:...

, has stated that Bainimarama should resign and that the coup is a total violation of Commonwealth principles. After failing to meet a Commonwealth deadline for setting national elections by 2010 Fiji was "fully suspended" on 1 September 2009.

In 2008, after New Zealand refused to grant a study visa to the son of a Fijian government official due to the postponement of elections, Fiji expelled New Zealand's acting high commissioner to Fiji. In response, New Zealand expelled Fiji's high commissioner to New Zealand.

Censorship

On 5 December 2006, Fiji's largest newspaper, 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....

, refused to publish the next day's edition, citing military interference. Soldiers had occupied the premises and warned against publishing "propaganda" from the deposed government. The soldiers had insisted on monitoring news content and demanded approval rights for editorial material, as well as access to news sources. The Daily Post also reported receiving military threats and has since been closed since the coup began. Following this event, Fiji TV, under pressure from the military, pulled its late evening news bulletin from the air. Fiji TV announced it would not run any more news bulletins until it was satisfied the army would not interfere in its content. It was reported that the military entered the premises of state radio station Fiji Broadcasting Corporation; due to reported military scrutiny of its news scripts the radio station has closed down.

On 6 December, the military allowed Fiji Times Limited to resume publication without any interference from its armed forces.

In March 2008, the publisher of the Fiji Sun, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

n citizen Russell Hunter
Russell Hunter
Russell Hunter was a popular Scottish television, stage and film actor. He is perhaps best known as the character "Lonely" in the TV thriller series Callan, starring Edward Woodward and that of Shop-Steward Harry in the Yorkshire Television sitcom The Gaffer.-Life:Born Russell Ellis in Glasgow,...

, was deported on the orders of the interim Defense Minister, 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 Ganilau
Epeli Ganilau
Brigadier-General Ratu Epeli Ganilau, MC, MSD, is a Fijian soldier and statesman, who currently heads the National Alliance Party of Fiji. His career has previously encompassed such roles as Commander of the Fiji Military Forces and Chairman of the Bose Levu Vakaturaga...

, who claimed that Hunter was a threat to "national security". Opponents of the military-backed government claim that it was a blatant attempt to intimidate the media.

Long term aims

Bainimarama's stated justification for the coup, regarding the long-term aims of the interim government, has been to "lead us into peace and prosperity and mend the ever widening racial divide that currently besets our multicultural nation". Above all else, he has emphasised the need to root out racially discriminatory legislation and attitudes, and emphasise the common national belonging of Fiji's citizens, above any form of ethnic self-identification.

Addressing the United Nations General Assembly
United Nations General Assembly
For two articles dealing with membership in the General Assembly, see:* General Assembly members* General Assembly observersThe United Nations General Assembly is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation...

 in September 2007, he stated:
Fiji's race-based electoral system
Fijian electoral system
- Historical overview :Fiji's electoral system is the result of complex negotiations, compromises, and experiments conducted over the years leading up to and following independence from British colonial rule in 1970. A number of devices have been tried at various times to accommodate the reality...

 would be replaced by a "one citizen, one vote" system with no ethnic differentiation. This was to be achieved, he declared, through a People's Charter for Change, Peace and Progress
People's Charter for Change, Peace and Progress
The People's Charter for Change, Peace and Progress is a proposed legal document which would complement the Constitution of the Republic of the Fiji Islands. It would establish compulsory guidelines for any government policy in Fiji over the coming years...

, the stated aim of which was to "rebuild Fiji into a non-racial, culturally-vibrant and united, well-governed, truly democratic nation that seeks progress, and prosperity through merit-based equality of opportunity, and peace".

Jon Fraenkel and Stewart Firth have described the 2006 coup as "a coup of the radicals amongst the westernized elite
Elite
Elite refers to an exceptional or privileged group that wields considerable power within its sphere of influence...

, who sought to superimpose a national consensus upon a divided social order", "a coup of utopia
Utopia
Utopia is an ideal community or society possessing a perfect socio-politico-legal system. The word was imported from Greek by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book Utopia, describing a fictional island in the Atlantic Ocean. The term has been used to describe both intentional communities that attempt...

ns seeking to transcend, rather than mould, social forces that they deemed responsible for long-run ethnic disquiet and poor governance".

Hamish McDonald
Hamish McDonald
Hamish McDonald is a print journalist and author of a series of polemic political commentaries on various Asia-Pacific subjects. He is currently based in Beijing as correspondent for The Age-Career:...

, interviewing Bainimarama for the Sydney Morning Herald in October 2007, described it as "a revolution against the country's chiefly and church establishment". He quoted Bainimarama's criticism of the chiefly provincial councils, for allegedly dictating to indigenous citizens whom they should vote for, and of the Methodist Church
Methodist Church of Fiji and Rotuma
The Methodist Church of Fiji and Rotuma is the largest Christian denomination in Fiji, with 36.2 percent of the total population at the 1996 census...

, for allegedly encouraging indigenous "hatred" against Indo-Fijians.

Initial uncertainties

Jona Senilagakali, after being appointed Prime Minister, stated that he thought that the military coup constituted an illegal act, though a lesser illegal act when compared to the rule of the previous government.

It is legally unclear whether removal of a government with the consent of the President would constitute a coup, as that term is usually understood. According to the Constitution of Fiji
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....

, under certain conditions if a state of emergency is declared, the President will be able to legally appoint an interim government. However, it is uncertain that the President chose of his free will to remove the Prime Minister, rather than simply appearing to accede to the demands of the military. The legality of the actions of the military was subject to review by a court in 2009, the consensus of legal opinion is that the actions of the Fijian military do constitute an illegal act. Given that one of the grievances of the military was the alleged leniency of the treatment of the perpetrators of the 2000 coup, the irony of the situation has provoked comment from a number of observers.

On 18 January 2007, President Iloilo signed a decree granting the Commander and all military personnel, along with all officers and members of the police force, prison officers, and all who served the interim government formed after the coup, immunity from all criminal, civil, legal or military disciplinary or professional proceedings or consequences. The decree was published in a government gazette
Gazette
A gazette is a public journal, a newspaper of record, or simply a newspaper.In English- and French-speaking countries, newspaper publishers have applied the name Gazette since the 17th century; today, numerous weekly and daily newspapers bear the name The Gazette.Gazette is a loanword from the...

.

Tupou Draunidalo
Tupou Draunidalo
Tupou Draunidalo is a Fijian lawyer. On 9 September 2006, she was elected Vice-President of the Fiji Law Society, defeating Rajesh Gordon. -Political activism and arrest:...

, Vice-President of the Fiji Law Society
Fiji Law Society
The Fiji Law Society is the official body that registers and regulates the activity of all lawyers in Fiji. Devanesh Sharma was elected to replace Graeme Leung as President of the Fiji Law Society on 9 September 2006, and as such he holds membership ex officio on the Judicial Service Commission...

, denounced the decree as illegal.
Ousted Prime Minister Qarase also lambasted it as hypocritical, saying that as opposing a proposed amnesty for perpetrators of the 2000 coup was one of the reasons given by the Military for carrying out this coup, it was inconsistent to grant themselves immunity.

In March 2008, Fiji's High Court began proceedings on the case brought by deposed prime minister Lasenia Qarase, who has asked the courts to rule on the legality of the military takeover. The Bainimarama government's lawyers have submitted that the court lacks jurisdiction to question President 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...

's decision to appoint the interim government. Qarase's lawyers have countered by suggesting that the court should consider whether the invocation of the doctrine of necessity
Doctrine of necessity
The term Doctrine of Necessity is a term used to describe the basis on which extra-legal actions by state actors, which are designed to restore order, are found to be constitutional...

 in the overthrow of the Qarase government was justifiable.

High Court ruling on the legality of the coup

On 9 October 2008, the High Court delivered its ruling on the case submitted by Qarase, regarding the legality of the interim government. The Court found that 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...

 had acted lawfully when he had appointed Bainimarama as prime minister.

Following the ruling, Fiji’s interim attorney-general, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum
Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum
Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum Fiji's Attorney-General, Minister for Justice, Anti-Corruption, Public Enterprises, Industry, Investment, Tourism and Communications...

, called upon Australia, New Zealand, the European Union and the United States to lift the sanctions they had imposed on the country, stating that they could no longer refuse to recognise the interim government.

Appeal Court ruling against the coup's legality

On 9 April 2009, the Fiji Court of Appeal ruled that the coup had not been legal and that the "only appropriate course of action at the present time is for elections to be held to enable Fiji to get a fresh start." Bainimarama responded to the ruling by saying that he was giving up his post as prime minister. Fiji still faces a 1 May 2009 deadline to set a date for elections or it will be banned from the Pacific Islands Forum
Pacific Islands Forum
The Pacific Islands Forum is an inter-governmental organization that aims to enhance cooperation between the independent countries of the Pacific Ocean. It was founded in 1971 as the South Pacific Forum...

.

Questioning the initial legitimacy of Qarase's government

Following the military coup which ousted Laisenia 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...

's government in December 2006, the "interim government" led by coup leader 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...

 received unexpected support from the Fiji Human Rights Commission
Fiji Human Rights Commission
The Fiji Human Rights Commission was created by presidential decree in 2009, succeeding the entity of the same name established as an independent statutory body under the 1997 Constitution of the Republic of the Fiji Islands.- The 1997 Commission :...

 (FHRC) and its chairwoman Dr. Shaista Shameem
Shaista Shameem
Shaista Shameem, a Fijian lawyer of Pakistani and Indian descent, was director of the Fiji Human Rights Commission from 2002 to 2007, and its director and chairperson from 2007 to 2009...

. The latter agreed with Commodore Bainimarama's expressed views regarding Prime Minister Qarase's allegedly racist
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...

 and divisive policies. In 2007, the FHRC commissioned an inquiry into the 2006 general election (which had seen Qarase re-elected as prime minister), intended to reveal whether it had truly been "free and fair".

The Commission of Inquiry delivered a report which "identifie[d] deficiencies and anomalies at every stage of the election process". More specifically, the report stated that Indo-Fijian voters were provided with incorrect information regarding the voting process, that they were mis-registered in their constituencies to a far greater extent than other voters, and that, as an ethnic group, they faced specific impediments to voting (such as an absence of voting slips required for Indo-Fijian voters) in key marginal constituencies. There was also evidence of ballot boxes having been tampered with. Dr. David Neilson, a member of the Commission of Inquiry, wrote:
Neilsen's claims were subsequently challenged by one of the 2006 election observers, who claimed that the New Zealand political economist had 'failed to understand' the mechanics of Fiji's electoral process. David Arms, who serves as a member of the Electoral Commission under Bainimarama's government, described the Neilsen/Lala/Vakatale report as weak and claimed that there was "undue haste in its preparation" (Arms, ‘A Critique of the Report of the Independent Assessment of the Electoral Process in Fiji’, 31 July 2007). The report was commissioned by ex Fiji Human Rights Commission director Shaista Shameem, who had publicly backed the military takeover. According to Arms, Dr Neilsen and his colleagues reached the verdict that the 2006 result had been ‘rigged’ mainly on the basis of evidence gleaned at public hearings, without any independent effort to verify the accuracy of the allegations. Arms' report states that most of those who showed up at the hearings had an axe to grind. They were defeated candidates or supporters of political parties that had performed poorly at the polls. Dr Nelsen's only evidence of electoral fraud had to do with alleged bias in the treatment of Indian voters' registration slips. However, election observer and Fiji-specialising academic Jon Fraenkel claimed that Dr Neilsen's claims were false:


See also

  • Reconciliation and Unity Commission (Fiji)
    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...

  • Indo-Fijian
  • Church involvement in Fiji Coups
    Church involvement in Fiji coups
    Fiji'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...

  • Qoliqoli Bill
    Qoliqoli Bill
    The Qoliqoli Bill 2006 is said to be a significant piece of legislation for Fiji, "particularly the Fijian community", according to the Fiji government website....

  • Next Fijian general election


External links

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