Blue Ribbon campaign (Fiji)
Encyclopedia
The "Blue Ribbon campaign" was the name for the campaign promoting support for the controversial legislation introduced by the Fijian Government in 2005 to establish a Reconciliation and Unity Commission. The name specifically comes from the blue ribbons promoted by the ruling United Fiji Party
as a sign of support for the bill. This campaign had the strong support of Prime Minister
Laisenia Qarase
, Attorney General
Qoriniasi Bale
, and other members of the ruling coalition
and was warmly welcomed by imprisoned coup instigator George Speight
. The proposed Commission was intended to have the power (subject to presidential
approval) to grant compensation to victims, and amnesty
to perpetrators, of the coup d'état which deposed the elected government in May 2000.
The following individuals and organizations have declared their support for the legislation.
Laisenia Qarase
has emphatically rejected calls for a national referendum, stating on 23 May that there is no legislation providing for a referendum to be held. He said that it was the government's prerogative to pass any legislation it wished, and that he did not want to comment further. He referred all questions to Attorney-General
Qoriniasi Bale
, who was out of the country at the time.
On 27 May, the Fiji Human Rights Commission
agreed to hear a complaint filed by four Opposition parliamentarians
– Poseci Bune
and Daniel Urai
of the Fiji Labour Party
, Mick Beddoes
of the United Peoples Party
, and Ofa Swann
of the New Labour Unity Party
. This decision was criticized on 20 June by Joji Kotobalavu
, a spokesman for the Prime Minister, who said that it was inappropriate for the Commission to accept complaints about bills before they were tabled and before the public had had a chance to express its views.
Speaking in Auckland
, New Zealand
on 11 June, Prime Minister Qarase said that his government detected strong support for the legislation from "important and large sections of opinion" – but that media coverage failed to reflect that. He said that the legislation would make it easier for people to come forward who might otherwise be unwilling or afraid to talk. "Some of those already convicted, may be prepared to make a clean breast of things. Others may decide to keep their secrets and remain in custody, with no amnesty", Qarase said.
Qarase reiterated on 14 June that there would be no general amnesty; the proposed Commission is intended to look at each case individually, and recommend amnesty only for those found to be deserving. He said there would be no general amnesty and every applicant would have to argue their case individually. He said that applicants would have to persuade the Commission that their motives for involvement in the coup were not criminal. They would also have to make full disclosure of everything they knew.
Qarase said that many people were opposed to the legislation because they misunderstood how its amnesty provisions would function. He also implied that they were mean-spirited: "They favour the strict application of punishment as retribution or revenge. There is apparently no room in their thinking for amnesty, as an ingredient of restorative justice. The offenders are not deserving of any form of mercy and forgiveness."
He said that there was international precedent for the legislation. "The sections of the Bill dealing with amnesty were not plucked out of thin air. They have been taken from legislation adopted and successfully used elsewhere. The principles of amnesty are well known and accepted internationally. We have done the research on this", he declared.
Prime Minister Qarase said on 8 July that he thought the legislation would end investigations into the 2000 coup. Speaking at a meeting in Kubulau in Bua Province
, Qarase said that the legislation was necessary to prevent the investigations from dragging on endlessly. "I mean, if 10,000 to 20,000 people are going to be investigated, God knows when it will end," he declared. "Trial after trial and the list goes on. About 2500 people have been investigated. Those who turned up in Parliament was close to 20,000 people." He added, however, that litigation currently in progress will not be affected, except at the discretion of the courts.
Qarase said on 14 July that the debate on the legislation involved many issues of critical importance to the country. He acknowledged that sensitive questions of race and culture were at stake, but insisted that it was important to "learn to respect each other's views and to differ without anger or ill will."
On 22 July, Qarase announced that if the legislation were passed, there would be an inquiry into the underlying causes of the 2000 coup, as well as the earlier 1987 coups. "We need to concentrate more than ever on identifying the reasons for the upheavals of 1987 and 2000 and making sure that such tragedies never happen again," Qarase said at a meeting of the National Advisory Council, a think-tank representing Fiji's ethnic communities, which he chairs. He said there was a fundamental lack of trust between Fiji's two main racial groups, coupled with radically different understandings of the events of 2000. For most indigenous Fijians, he said, the coup was about indigenous rights, whereas for most Indo-Fijians, it was simply a lawless act of terrorism. He did not condone the acts, he said, but believed that it was time to bring closure to the painful aftermath of the coup, which had dragged on long enough. "Wounds are reopened when cases go to court and convictions handed down. Racial tensions increased and there was further uncertainty and apprehension," he said. (The Prime Minister's comments were rejected the next day by Opposition Leader
Mahendra Chaudhry
, who said that the principal reason behind the coups of both 1987 and 2000 was greed, and that it was a "lie" to say that they were carried out in the name of indigenous interests).
At an address to the Lautoka
Chamber of Commerce
on 23 July, Qarase spoke at length about the bill. He said there was "no question" of withdrawing it, as to do so would be a "denial" of democracy. He denied that the fundamental purpose of the bill was to pardon all who were imprisoned on coup charges. "There is no free pass to amnesty for anyone," he insisted. He also said that while he recognized that expatriate businessmen working in Fiji had a right to comment on issues that were directly related to their commercial and professional undertakings, they "should exercise care and discretion to avoid crossing the line into active politics." His admonition reinforced a warning to the Fiji Employers Federation from the Ministry of Home Affairs that foreign workers and businessmen who spoke against the government would risk forfeiting their permits. Conference participants were not allowed to question the Prime Minister about the parts of his speech related to the Unity Bill.
On 26 July, Qarase reacted angrily to remarks by Opposition Leader
Mahendra Chaudhry
, who accused him of manipulating the country's Provincial Councils
and using them as rubber stamps to gather support for the legislation, and that it was presumptuous for the councils to speak on behalf of all people in their respective provinces. Qarase said that indigenous Fijians
were capable of making up their own minds. "It is an insult for him to think Fijians cannot think and make decisions on their own," he said. Chaudhry should learn not to brush aside the remarks of Fijians, the Prime Minister said. He also rejected claims by Lauan
Senator
Adi Koila Nailatikau
, the daughter of former Prime Minister, President, and Paramount Chief of Lau
that most Provincial Council members who endorsed the bill had not understood it properly. Qarase said that on the contrary, most people were well informed about the legislation, and supported it because they did understand it and agreed with it.
The Prime Minister reiterated on 27 July that there would be no referendum. He claimed that he personally favoured one, but said the Constitution
did not allow for it. "It's a pity, a serious oversight but I personally am in favour of carrying out a referendum," he said.
Qarase said it would not be possible to investigate and charge all the individuals, estimated at over 30,000, who had converged at the parliamentary complex during the crisis of May 2000. He considered reconciliation to be the only way forward. He admitted, however, that the bill would be no guarantee against future coups. It would, however, create an atmosphere conducive to reconciliation, tolerance, and unity, he considered. "However, with a resounding yes I say we can reconcile and that it really is a matter of the heart," he said.
Qarase also said that the government was fine-tuning the bill to ensure its compliance with the Constitution.
On 28 July, Qarase hailed the decision of the powerful Great Council of Chiefs
and the Methodist Church
to endorse the legislation. "The decision was made in the best interest of the country and a significant milestone in the process of consultation," he said. Earlier, in an address to the Great Council, Qarase had reiterated a previous assertion that to withdraw the bill would be a denial of democracy. The government would not withdraw it, he said, but would adjust the details of it to accommodate the views of all sections of the community. He also said that a National Council of Reconciliation and Unity would soon be established, which would explore ways to foster reconciliation and cooperation among Fiji's diverse ethnic groups.
Faced with continuing opposition to the bill, Qarase pleaded with opponents such as Opposition Leader
Mahendra Chaudhry
and United Peoples Party
leader Mick Beddoes
to give the bill a chance, saying they had "a rare opportunity to help bridge the obvious gulf between our people." Speaking on Fiji TV on 30 July, he insisted that the bill was not about the Fijian people
as an ethnic group, but about the country as a whole. "I think the overwhelming Fijian support for the Bill is saying we are offering a hand of reconciliation, a hand of forgiveness, a hand of friendship, a hand of repentance and unity. I were in Chaudhry's shoes I would grab the opportunity to try and establish dialogue through this Bill with the Fijian people to promote reconciliation and unity and I will do the same with Mr Beddoes as well," Qarase said.
In a statement on 4 August, the Prime Minister insisted that the bill was not just for the benefit of indigenous Fijians, but for all the country's citizens. It was his personal push for national reconciliation, he said, and it would be up to members of the public as to how to respond.
On 16 August, Prime Minister Qarase rebuffed an offer to negotiate the legislation, provided that it was withdrawn pending the reaching of a consensus and that it be referred to the Tanaloa talks, a University of Hawaii
-mediated forum for government-opposition negotiations that took place during 2004. The Tanaloa talks had been a failure, Qarase said, and it was unacceptable for the opposition to set preconditions for negotiations. "I welcome his willingness to discuss the Reconciliation and Unity Bill with the Government but he has put forward two ... quite impossible pre-conditions. One of those conditions is that the Reconciliation Bill must be referred to the Talanoa Dialogue and secondly we must withdraw the bill even before we discuss it. He wants to start afresh. Now this is not a trade union. We are running a government, and if he wants to come in engage the Government in discussion on this very important issue, he must come in without any pre-conditions", the Prime Minister declared.
declared that the fate of the government was linked to the passage of the bill. "If the Bill goes down, the Government goes down with it," Bale told a public meeting in Suva
. At the same meeting, however, Jale Baba
, National Director of the ruling United Fiji Party
, denied that the legislation was being pushed for electoral reasons, saying that politically speaking, it was not advantageous to the government which was, he claimed, promoting it on principle, not for political gain.
On 29 June, Attorney-General Bale conceded that adjustments to the bill were possible, but criticism would be considered only if it was constructive. He was responding to concerns raised by Ratu Isaia Gonewai
, Deputy Chairman of the Nadroga-Navosa
Provincial Council
, about the impact of criticism from foreign organizations and governments. Bale responded that while he was open to discussion about altering some of the details, the government would not be influenced by foreign intervention, and that if local and international opponents continued to lobby against the bill without making any constructive suggestions on how to improve it, parliament would probably pass it intact.
Bale claimed that the bill was essential for reconciliation between Fiji's two main ethnic groups. "The Bill is important to overcome the differences in the country before it reaches the extreme of major bloodshed as experienced in other countries. We want to get rid of the huge distrust and racial hatred that is being harboured by some members of the country's two major races as a result of the May 2000 coup," he said.
On 21 July, Bale claimed that the bill had been in the pipeline for a long time. The aftermath of the 2000 crisis was negatively affecting the fabric of society, he said, and the government had long wanted to address that, but had delayed doing so until now because it could be misinterpreted as an attempt to cover up the actions of wrongdoers. But five years later, there was still no end in sight, and "the government felt it was time to do something about it proactively," he said. He did not expect everybody to be happy with the government's moves. "There will always be division in the views of our people, whether we are doing right or adequately."
Reacting to statements from Military Commander Commodore
Frank Bainimarama
that whatever amendments might be forthcoming, the Military was still opposed to the legislation, Bale declared on 26 October that the Military was entitled to its opinion, but it was not the government. The government and not the Military, he said, was the final arbiter on the bill. He denied claims that the bill was unconstitutional, saying that proposed amendments were to take account of public opinion, not to correct noncompliance with the Constitution
.
Bale also said that the government would not require additional funding to set up the envisaged Commission.
endorsed the bill at a meeting on 27 July. The endorsement came after more than two months of reserving judgement in the light of vociferous public objections.
On 18 May, Ratu
Ovini Bokini
, Chairman
said that the Great Council had not been consulted and was "in the dark" about the bill. He said that attempts to obtain a copy of the bill from the government had come to nothing. The government has not released its draft bill, but a copy was leaked to the media and has been published by the Fiji Times
.
Ratu Bokini's comments drew an immediate response from Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase
, who said that he saw no need for prior consultation with anybody. "Any Bill is drafted without consulting any party or stakeholders is because it contains what the Government wants to be included in the Bill," Qarase said.
The Great Council of Chiefs has the power to pass or block the bill by instructing its 14 Senators in the 32 Member Senate
on how to vote. As they hold the balance of power between the 9 Senators appointed by the Prime Minister and the 8 appointed by the Leader of the Opposition, a block vote by the chiefly Senators would decide the outcome. On 19 July, however, Great Council secretary Asesela Sadole
said that their Senators would not be instructed on how to vote, but would be left free to follow their consciences.
In a speech to mark Ratu Sukuna Day
on 30 May, in honour of Fiji's first modern statesman, Ratu Sir Lala Sukuna
, Bokini cautioned against a one-sided approach to reconciliation, saying that it was not something that could be forced. "It must be allowed to grow through a shared understanding of what we all want and where we are all heading," he said. "Only then can we negotiate seriously about what to give and what to take and this process takes time and patience," he said.
Great Council secretary Sadole announced on 17 July that the Council had translated the bill into Fijian
for the perusal of its members, pending a meeting to be held in the third week of July. Sadole said that the Council would consider the bill on its own merits, without reference to what outsiders have been saying for or against it. "Most people have not actually sat down to read the Bill. It seem that most of their opinions is formed by other opinions. We do not want outside consultations to influence the meeting and by taking out our own translation, it can really help," Sadole said.
Meanwhile, Opposition Leader
Mahendra Chaudhry
has warned the chiefs against possible deception by the government. He said that the government has already misled church leaders about the bill, and could not be trusted not to similarly mislead the chiefs. National Alliance Party
President Ratu Epeli Ganilau
has similarly called on the government not to try to "fool" the Great Council of Chiefs.
A Great Council of Chiefs meeting to consider the bill, starting on 26 July, is now considered likely to approve it, as 45 of its 55 members are delegates from Fiji's fourteen Provinces
and one Dependency (Rotuma
), all of which have endorsed the legislation. The Fiji Military Forces
and the Methodist Church
are to make submissions at the meeting, but the secretariat of the Great Council has refused a request from the opposition Labour Party
(FLP) to make one, ostensibly because of time constraints and on the ground that if they accepted a submission from the FLP, they would have to accept one from every political party.
The Great Council qualified its endorsement of the bill by urging the government to consider the concerns raised by its opponents, including the Military. The council supported the maintenance of law and order, but upheld the prerogative of the government to make whatever laws it considered fit, adding that there are legal channels that opponents may use to challenge such laws. They also affirmed that the nation's chiefs represent the entire population, not only indigenous Fijians.
Prime Minister Qarase hailed the decision, saying that he had received the "overwhelming support of the Fijian people," but Opposition Leader
Mahendra Chaudhry
said that the chiefs had failed to address the issue properly, and that he would continue to fight the bill. Another opponent of the bill and former Great Council of Chiefs Chairman Ratu Epeli Ganilau
said that he would have expected the chiefs to have taken more time to consider and debate the matter, but that their decision would make no difference in the end because it was Parliament that would decide on the bill.
Military
commander Commodore
Frank Bainimarama
, one of the most unyielding opponents of the legislation who had attacked it in an address to the Great Council lasting more than an hour, issued a statement on 29 July strongly critical of the decision. Bainimarama said that the Military accepted the decision of the Great Council to endorse the legislation, but said that the Military would continue to oppose it.
Great Council Chairman Bokini said on 30 July that the chiefs had endorsed the legislation on the basis of a number of reasons that the Military should consider. They had supported the bill on the basis of truth and justice, and of the Christian beliefs upheld by the great majority of their members. It was the norm in Fijian culture to resolve differences through dialogue and consensus, he maintained. He hoped that the Military would take these considerations into account.
The Methodist Church
announced its support for the bill on 19 July, according to the Rev. Timoci Nawaciono, head of the church's Nasea circuit. The church reaffirmed this stance at its annual conference on 11 October, and on 19 October, the church's general secretary, Rev. Ame Tugaue, said that "all Christians" supported the bill. Methodist support was much coveted by the government, as almost two-thirds of indigenous Fijians
are affiliated to the denomination.
Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua
The Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua is a political party in Fiji...
as a sign of support for the bill. This campaign had the strong support of 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...
, Attorney General
Attorney-General (Fiji)
Fiji's chief governmental legal officer is the Attorney General. According to the Constitution of Fiji, the Attorney-General is required to be a qualified lawyer and sits in the Cabinet. The office of the Attorney-General is the oldest surviving executive office in Fiji, having been established...
Qoriniasi Bale
Qoriniasi Bale
Qoriniasi Babitu Bale is a lawyer and political leader, who has served twice as Fiji's Minister for Justice and Attorney-General, most recently from 2001 to 2006, when he was deposed in the military coup of 5 December...
, and other members of the ruling coalition
Coalition
A coalition is a pact or treaty among individuals or groups, during which they cooperate in joint action, each in their own self-interest, joining forces together for a common cause. This alliance may be temporary or a matter of convenience. A coalition thus differs from a more formal covenant...
and was warmly welcomed by imprisoned coup instigator 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...
. The proposed Commission was intended to have the power (subject to presidential
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...
approval) to grant compensation to victims, and 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 perpetrators, of the coup d'état which deposed the elected government in May 2000.
The following individuals and organizations have declared their support for the legislation.
Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase
Despite mounting controversy and passionate public pronouncements both for and against the legislation, Prime MinisterPrime 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...
has emphatically rejected calls for a national referendum, stating on 23 May that there is no legislation providing for a referendum to be held. He said that it was the government's prerogative to pass any legislation it wished, and that he did not want to comment further. He referred all questions to Attorney-General
Attorney-General (Fiji)
Fiji's chief governmental legal officer is the Attorney General. According to the Constitution of Fiji, the Attorney-General is required to be a qualified lawyer and sits in the Cabinet. The office of the Attorney-General is the oldest surviving executive office in Fiji, having been established...
Qoriniasi Bale
Qoriniasi Bale
Qoriniasi Babitu Bale is a lawyer and political leader, who has served twice as Fiji's Minister for Justice and Attorney-General, most recently from 2001 to 2006, when he was deposed in the military coup of 5 December...
, who was out of the country at the time.
On 27 May, 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 :...
agreed to hear a complaint filed by four Opposition parliamentarians
House of Representatives (Fiji)
The House of Representatives is the lower chamber of Fiji's Parliament. It is the more powerful of the two chambers; it alone has the power to initiate legislation...
– Poseci Bune
Poseci Bune
Poseci Waqalevu Bune is a Fijian politician, who has served as Deputy Leader of the Fiji Labour Party . From June to December 2006, he served as Minister for the Environment, one of nine FLP ministers, in the multiparty Cabinet of Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase...
and Daniel Urai
Daniel Urai Manufolau
Daniel Urai Manufolau is a Fijian trade unionist and politician from Lautoka, who won the Lautoka City Open Constituency in the House of Representatives for the Fiji Labour Party in the parliamentary elections of 2001 and 2006....
of the 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...
, 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...
of the United Peoples Party
United Peoples Party (Fiji)
The United Peoples Party is a political party in Fiji, whose support base lies chiefly among General Electors - Fiji Islanders who belong to ethnic minorities, such as Europeans, Chinese, Banaban Islanders, as well as multiracial people...
, and Ofa Swann
Ofa Swann
Ofa Swann is a Fijian lawyer and politician. Originally from Vanua Balavu in the Lau archipelago, Swann served in the House of Representatives from 1999 to 2006...
of the New Labour Unity Party
New Labour Unity Party (Fiji)
The New Labour Unity Party was a Fijian political party, which broke away from the Fiji Labour Party in May 2001. It was founded by Tupeni Baba, a former Deputy Prime Minister and Labour Party stalwart, who had become dissatisfied with Mahendra Chaudhry's leadership and expressed fears that if...
. This decision was criticized on 20 June by Joji Kotobalavu
Joji Kotobalavu
Jioji Kotobalavu was Fiji civil servant. He was the Chief Executive Officer in the Prime Minister's office, but was dismissed on 7 December 2006 by the military junta which had seized power on 5 December. He received his formal notice of dismissal on 13 December.Kotobalavu was a career civil...
, a spokesman for the Prime Minister, who said that it was inappropriate for the Commission to accept complaints about bills before they were tabled and before the public had had a chance to express its views.
Speaking in Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
on 11 June, Prime Minister Qarase said that his government detected strong support for the legislation from "important and large sections of opinion" – but that media coverage failed to reflect that. He said that the legislation would make it easier for people to come forward who might otherwise be unwilling or afraid to talk. "Some of those already convicted, may be prepared to make a clean breast of things. Others may decide to keep their secrets and remain in custody, with no amnesty", Qarase said.
Qarase reiterated on 14 June that there would be no general amnesty; the proposed Commission is intended to look at each case individually, and recommend amnesty only for those found to be deserving. He said there would be no general amnesty and every applicant would have to argue their case individually. He said that applicants would have to persuade the Commission that their motives for involvement in the coup were not criminal. They would also have to make full disclosure of everything they knew.
Qarase said that many people were opposed to the legislation because they misunderstood how its amnesty provisions would function. He also implied that they were mean-spirited: "They favour the strict application of punishment as retribution or revenge. There is apparently no room in their thinking for amnesty, as an ingredient of restorative justice. The offenders are not deserving of any form of mercy and forgiveness."
He said that there was international precedent for the legislation. "The sections of the Bill dealing with amnesty were not plucked out of thin air. They have been taken from legislation adopted and successfully used elsewhere. The principles of amnesty are well known and accepted internationally. We have done the research on this", he declared.
Prime Minister Qarase said on 8 July that he thought the legislation would end investigations into the 2000 coup. Speaking at a meeting in Kubulau in Bua Province
Bua Province
Bua is one of fourteen provinces of Fiji. Located in the west of the northern island of Vanua Levu, it is one of three northern provinces, and has a land area of 1,379 square kilometers. Its population at the 2007 census, the most recent to date, was 14,176, making it the fourth least-populous...
, Qarase said that the legislation was necessary to prevent the investigations from dragging on endlessly. "I mean, if 10,000 to 20,000 people are going to be investigated, God knows when it will end," he declared. "Trial after trial and the list goes on. About 2500 people have been investigated. Those who turned up in Parliament was close to 20,000 people." He added, however, that litigation currently in progress will not be affected, except at the discretion of the courts.
Qarase said on 14 July that the debate on the legislation involved many issues of critical importance to the country. He acknowledged that sensitive questions of race and culture were at stake, but insisted that it was important to "learn to respect each other's views and to differ without anger or ill will."
On 22 July, Qarase announced that if the legislation were passed, there would be an inquiry into the underlying causes of the 2000 coup, as well as the earlier 1987 coups. "We need to concentrate more than ever on identifying the reasons for the upheavals of 1987 and 2000 and making sure that such tragedies never happen again," Qarase said at a meeting of the National Advisory Council, a think-tank representing Fiji's ethnic communities, which he chairs. He said there was a fundamental lack of trust between Fiji's two main racial groups, coupled with radically different understandings of the events of 2000. For most indigenous Fijians, he said, the coup was about indigenous rights, whereas for most Indo-Fijians, it was simply a lawless act of terrorism. He did not condone the acts, he said, but believed that it was time to bring closure to the painful aftermath of the coup, which had dragged on long enough. "Wounds are reopened when cases go to court and convictions handed down. Racial tensions increased and there was further uncertainty and apprehension," he said. (The Prime Minister's comments were rejected the next day by Opposition Leader
Leader of the Opposition (Fiji)
The post of Leader of the Opposition is a political office common in countries that are part of the Commonwealth of Nations. It did not originate in Fiji but has a long tradition; in British constitutional theory, the Leader of the Opposition must pose a formal alternative to the government, ready...
Mahendra Chaudhry
Mahendra Chaudhry
Mahendra Pal Chaudhry is a Fijian politician and the leader of the Fiji Labour Party...
, who said that the principal reason behind the coups of both 1987 and 2000 was greed, and that it was a "lie" to say that they were carried out in the name of indigenous interests).
At an address to the Lautoka
Lautoka
Lautoka is the second largest city of Fiji and the second largest in the South Pacific. It is in the west of the island of Viti Levu, 24 kilometres north of Nadi, and is the second port of entry in Fiji, after Suva. Lying in the heart of Fiji's sugar cane growing region, it is known as the Sugar...
Chamber of Commerce
Chamber of commerce
A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...
on 23 July, Qarase spoke at length about the bill. He said there was "no question" of withdrawing it, as to do so would be a "denial" of democracy. He denied that the fundamental purpose of the bill was to pardon all who were imprisoned on coup charges. "There is no free pass to amnesty for anyone," he insisted. He also said that while he recognized that expatriate businessmen working in Fiji had a right to comment on issues that were directly related to their commercial and professional undertakings, they "should exercise care and discretion to avoid crossing the line into active politics." His admonition reinforced a warning to the Fiji Employers Federation from the Ministry of Home Affairs that foreign workers and businessmen who spoke against the government would risk forfeiting their permits. Conference participants were not allowed to question the Prime Minister about the parts of his speech related to the Unity Bill.
On 26 July, Qarase reacted angrily to remarks by Opposition Leader
Leader of the Opposition (Fiji)
The post of Leader of the Opposition is a political office common in countries that are part of the Commonwealth of Nations. It did not originate in Fiji but has a long tradition; in British constitutional theory, the Leader of the Opposition must pose a formal alternative to the government, ready...
Mahendra Chaudhry
Mahendra Chaudhry
Mahendra Pal Chaudhry is a Fijian politician and the leader of the Fiji Labour Party...
, who accused him of manipulating the country's Provincial Councils
Local government of Fiji
Fiji is divided administratively into four divisions, which are further subdivided into fourteen provinces; the self-governing island of Rotuma and its dependencies lie outside any of the four divisions. Each division is headed by a Commissioner, appointed by the Fijian government...
and using them as rubber stamps to gather support for the legislation, and that it was presumptuous for the councils to speak on behalf of all people in their respective provinces. Qarase said that indigenous Fijians
Fijian people
Fijian people are the major indigenous people of the Fiji Islands, and live in an area informally called Melanesia. The Fijian people are believed to have arrived in Fiji from western Melanesia approximately 3,500 years ago, though the exact origins of the Fijian people are unknown...
were capable of making up their own minds. "It is an insult for him to think Fijians cannot think and make decisions on their own," he said. Chaudhry should learn not to brush aside the remarks of Fijians, the Prime Minister said. He also rejected claims by Lauan
Lau Islands
The Lau Islands of Fiji are situated in the southern Pacific Ocean, just east of the Koro Sea. Of this chain of about one hundred islands and islets, about thirty are inhabited...
Senator
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...
Adi Koila Nailatikau
Koila Nailatikau
Adi Koila Mara Nailatikau is a Fijian lawyer, who has served as a diplomat and politician.- Family background :Vasemaca Koila Josephine Mara was born in 1953...
, the daughter of former Prime Minister, President, and Paramount Chief of Lau
Tui Nayau
Tui Nayau is the title held by the Paramount Chief of the Lau Islands in Fiji and is synonymous with the title holders over lordship of these islands. When translated Tui Nayau means Lord of Nayau, an island north of Lakeba, the latter accepted by many to be the chiefly island in the Lauan...
that most Provincial Council members who endorsed the bill had not understood it properly. Qarase said that on the contrary, most people were well informed about the legislation, and supported it because they did understand it and agreed with it.
The Prime Minister reiterated on 27 July that there would be no referendum. He claimed that he personally favoured one, but said the Constitution
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....
did not allow for it. "It's a pity, a serious oversight but I personally am in favour of carrying out a referendum," he said.
Qarase said it would not be possible to investigate and charge all the individuals, estimated at over 30,000, who had converged at the parliamentary complex during the crisis of May 2000. He considered reconciliation to be the only way forward. He admitted, however, that the bill would be no guarantee against future coups. It would, however, create an atmosphere conducive to reconciliation, tolerance, and unity, he considered. "However, with a resounding yes I say we can reconcile and that it really is a matter of the heart," he said.
Qarase also said that the government was fine-tuning the bill to ensure its compliance with the Constitution.
On 28 July, Qarase hailed the decision of the powerful 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...
and the Methodist Church
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...
to endorse the legislation. "The decision was made in the best interest of the country and a significant milestone in the process of consultation," he said. Earlier, in an address to the Great Council, Qarase had reiterated a previous assertion that to withdraw the bill would be a denial of democracy. The government would not withdraw it, he said, but would adjust the details of it to accommodate the views of all sections of the community. He also said that a National Council of Reconciliation and Unity would soon be established, which would explore ways to foster reconciliation and cooperation among Fiji's diverse ethnic groups.
Faced with continuing opposition to the bill, Qarase pleaded with opponents such as Opposition Leader
Leader of the Opposition (Fiji)
The post of Leader of the Opposition is a political office common in countries that are part of the Commonwealth of Nations. It did not originate in Fiji but has a long tradition; in British constitutional theory, the Leader of the Opposition must pose a formal alternative to the government, ready...
Mahendra Chaudhry
Mahendra Chaudhry
Mahendra Pal Chaudhry is a Fijian politician and the leader of the Fiji Labour Party...
and United Peoples Party
United Peoples Party (Fiji)
The United Peoples Party is a political party in Fiji, whose support base lies chiefly among General Electors - Fiji Islanders who belong to ethnic minorities, such as Europeans, Chinese, Banaban Islanders, as well as multiracial people...
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...
to give the bill a chance, saying they had "a rare opportunity to help bridge the obvious gulf between our people." Speaking on Fiji TV on 30 July, he insisted that the bill was not about the Fijian people
Fijian people
Fijian people are the major indigenous people of the Fiji Islands, and live in an area informally called Melanesia. The Fijian people are believed to have arrived in Fiji from western Melanesia approximately 3,500 years ago, though the exact origins of the Fijian people are unknown...
as an ethnic group, but about the country as a whole. "I think the overwhelming Fijian support for the Bill is saying we are offering a hand of reconciliation, a hand of forgiveness, a hand of friendship, a hand of repentance and unity. I were in Chaudhry's shoes I would grab the opportunity to try and establish dialogue through this Bill with the Fijian people to promote reconciliation and unity and I will do the same with Mr Beddoes as well," Qarase said.
In a statement on 4 August, the Prime Minister insisted that the bill was not just for the benefit of indigenous Fijians, but for all the country's citizens. It was his personal push for national reconciliation, he said, and it would be up to members of the public as to how to respond.
On 16 August, Prime Minister Qarase rebuffed an offer to negotiate the legislation, provided that it was withdrawn pending the reaching of a consensus and that it be referred to the Tanaloa talks, a University of Hawaii
University of Hawaii
The University of Hawaii System, formally the University of Hawaii and popularly known as UH, is a public, co-educational college and university system that confers associate, bachelor, master, and doctoral degrees through three university campuses, seven community college campuses, an employment...
-mediated forum for government-opposition negotiations that took place during 2004. The Tanaloa talks had been a failure, Qarase said, and it was unacceptable for the opposition to set preconditions for negotiations. "I welcome his willingness to discuss the Reconciliation and Unity Bill with the Government but he has put forward two ... quite impossible pre-conditions. One of those conditions is that the Reconciliation Bill must be referred to the Talanoa Dialogue and secondly we must withdraw the bill even before we discuss it. He wants to start afresh. Now this is not a trade union. We are running a government, and if he wants to come in engage the Government in discussion on this very important issue, he must come in without any pre-conditions", the Prime Minister declared.
Attorney-General Qoriniasi Bale
On 16 June, Attorney-General Qoriniasi BaleQoriniasi Bale
Qoriniasi Babitu Bale is a lawyer and political leader, who has served twice as Fiji's Minister for Justice and Attorney-General, most recently from 2001 to 2006, when he was deposed in the military coup of 5 December...
declared that the fate of the government was linked to the passage of the bill. "If the Bill goes down, the Government goes down with it," Bale told a public meeting 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,...
. At the same meeting, however, Jale Baba
Jale Baba
Jale Baba is a Fijian businessman and political organizer. A forestry graduate of the Australian National University, he worked for Fiji Pine Limited for more than 20 years, before leaving in 1999 to start his own company- Baba Forests. He also serves as the campaign director of the ruling...
, National Director of the ruling United Fiji Party
Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua
The Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua is a political party in Fiji...
, denied that the legislation was being pushed for electoral reasons, saying that politically speaking, it was not advantageous to the government which was, he claimed, promoting it on principle, not for political gain.
On 29 June, Attorney-General Bale conceded that adjustments to the bill were possible, but criticism would be considered only if it was constructive. He was responding to concerns raised by Ratu Isaia Gonewai
Isaia Gonewai
Isaia Gonewai is a Fijian politician. He is a member of the Senate of Fiji and represents Nadroga-Navosa.-References:*...
, Deputy Chairman of the Nadroga-Navosa
Nadroga-Navosa
NADROGA NAVOSA is one of the fourteen provinces of Fiji, and one of eight based in Viti Levu, Fiji's largest island. It is about 2,385 square kilometers and occupies the South-West and Central areas of Viti Levu, Fiji's largest and principal island. The province includes the Mamanuca Archipelago,...
Provincial Council
Local government of Fiji
Fiji is divided administratively into four divisions, which are further subdivided into fourteen provinces; the self-governing island of Rotuma and its dependencies lie outside any of the four divisions. Each division is headed by a Commissioner, appointed by the Fijian government...
, about the impact of criticism from foreign organizations and governments. Bale responded that while he was open to discussion about altering some of the details, the government would not be influenced by foreign intervention, and that if local and international opponents continued to lobby against the bill without making any constructive suggestions on how to improve it, parliament would probably pass it intact.
Bale claimed that the bill was essential for reconciliation between Fiji's two main ethnic groups. "The Bill is important to overcome the differences in the country before it reaches the extreme of major bloodshed as experienced in other countries. We want to get rid of the huge distrust and racial hatred that is being harboured by some members of the country's two major races as a result of the May 2000 coup," he said.
On 21 July, Bale claimed that the bill had been in the pipeline for a long time. The aftermath of the 2000 crisis was negatively affecting the fabric of society, he said, and the government had long wanted to address that, but had delayed doing so until now because it could be misinterpreted as an attempt to cover up the actions of wrongdoers. But five years later, there was still no end in sight, and "the government felt it was time to do something about it proactively," he said. He did not expect everybody to be happy with the government's moves. "There will always be division in the views of our people, whether we are doing right or adequately."
Reacting to statements from Military Commander 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...
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...
that whatever amendments might be forthcoming, the Military was still opposed to the legislation, Bale declared on 26 October that the Military was entitled to its opinion, but it was not the government. The government and not the Military, he said, was the final arbiter on the bill. He denied claims that the bill was unconstitutional, saying that proposed amendments were to take account of public opinion, not to correct noncompliance with the Constitution
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....
.
Bale also said that the government would not require additional funding to set up the envisaged Commission.
Other politicians and chiefs
- Former Prime MinisterPrime Minister of FijiThe Prime Minister of the Republic of Fiji is the head of government of Fiji. The Prime Minister was appointed by the President under the terms of the now-suspended 1997 constitution....
Sitiveni RabukaSitiveni RabukaMajor-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...
has taken a measured position in relation to the government's proposed commission. On 19 May 2005, Rabuka said that the objective of the commission should not merely be to grant amnesty and compensation, but to uncover the truth about who was involved in the coup, directly or indirectly. "It should be able to get to all those who were behind the coup and not only us who were widely accused of taking part. It should be able to reveal those who planned it, financed it and executed it," Rabuka said. The prospect of amnesty, he said, might encourage some individuals to come forward who might otherwise be unwilling to talk.
- Joe Vala Cakau, a former publicity director for the Fijian Political PartySoqosoqo ni Vakavulewa ni TaukeiThe Fijian Political Party is a party which dominated politics in the 1990s and was the mainstay of coalition governments from 1992 to 1999, but which is currently without representation in the House of Representatives.-Origins:The party was founded in 1990 as the political...
, said the bill, which would promote unity among all of Fiji's communities, was long overdue. In a statement on 23 May, he said persons on trial or in prison for coup-related offenses were also victims in their own way. "I am sure that most people would like to get on with their lives and forget about the past," Cakau said.
- Ratu Amenatave Rabona Ravoka, a senior chief from Bua ProvinceBua ProvinceBua is one of fourteen provinces of Fiji. Located in the west of the northern island of Vanua Levu, it is one of three northern provinces, and has a land area of 1,379 square kilometers. Its population at the 2007 census, the most recent to date, was 14,176, making it the fourth least-populous...
, said on 28 May that "every right thinking person should support the bill." He said that forgiveness was an important part of Fijian culture. He supported the compensation provisions of the legislation also. "A lot of people may have lost more than what the compensation can cover," he said, "but at least the Government was able to recognise their hurt and loss."
- Nationalist Vanua Tako Lavo PartyNationalist Vanua Tako Lavo Party (Fiji)The Nationalist Vanua Tako Lavo Party is a Fijian political party which champions Fijian ethnic nationalism. It is currently led by Iliesa Duvuloco, while Viliame Savu serves as the party's President.- Founding and ideology :...
General Secretary Iliesa DuvulocoIliesa DuvulocoIliesa Duvuloco is a Fijian politician who leads the Nationalist Vanua Tako Lavo Party, which formed in 1999 through a merger of his own Vanua Tako Lavo Party and Sakeasi Butadroka's Fijian Nationalist Party, both of which championed ethnic nationalism and indigenous Fijian political...
said on 10 June that his party strongly supported the bill, and announced plans for a march through the streets of SuvaSuvaSuva 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,...
. Leaders of the Nationalist Party have been imprisoned for coup-related offences. He was joined on 8 July by Soane Nakuna and Soane Tobewaqiri, both unsuccessful candidates for the party in the parliamentary election of 2001. People opposed to the bill did not know the true meaning of reconciliation, they said. "These people should go and read the Gospel according to Matthew from chapters five to seven if they want know the true and correct interpretation of reconciliation," Tobewaqiri said. He said the Fiji Law SocietyFiji Law SocietyThe 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...
, which strongly opposed the bill, was a stumbling block to reconciliation. He also said that chiefs involved in the 2000 coup may have had the best of intentions, saying that they had a right to leadership.
- Ratu Aca Soqosoqo, a KadavuKadavuKadavu , with an area of , is the fourth largest island in Fiji, and the largest island in the Kadavu Group, a volcanic archipelago consisting of Kadavu, Ono, Galoa and a number of smaller islands in the Great Astrolabe Reef...
chiefRatuRatu 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"...
, said in a parliamentary submission on 15 June that despite his initial reservations, he supported the bill. He had prayed over it, he said, and was convinced that it was "from God," and that all Christians should support it. "If you're a Christian support this Bill," he said. "It is from God.
- SenatorSenate (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...
Adi Litia CakobauLitia CakobauAdi Litia Qalirea Cakobau is a Bau high Fijian Chief and political leader. Cakobau, the daughter of the late Ratu Sir George Cakobau, who was Fiji's Governor-General from 1973 to 1983, was appointed to the Senate in 2001 as one of nine nominees of the Fijian government...
(one of nine Senators nominated by the Prime Minister) announced a campaign on 19 June to educate the people on the bill. The Fiji Institute for Research and Education (FIRE), which she leads, would embark on a leaflet campaign. The leaflets, titled Na Dodonu ni Taukei ("The Rights of Indigenous Fijians") would promote the bill as safeguarding the rights of the Fijian people as owners of the land, she said. She complained that laws dating from colonial times made it difficult for ethnic Fijians to protect their landowning rights, a situation she said contravened Article 17 of the Universal Declaration of Human RightsUniversal Declaration of Human RightsThe Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a declaration adopted by the United Nations General Assembly . The Declaration arose directly from the experience of the Second World War and represents the first global expression of rights to which all human beings are inherently entitled...
. Besides Cakobau, FIRE includes Senator Asesela Ravulu, who is also a Professor at the University of the South PacificUniversity of the South PacificThe University of the South Pacific is a public university with a number of locations spread throughout a dozen countries in Oceania. It is an international centre for teaching and research on Pacific culture and environment. USP's academic programmes are recognised worldwide, attracting students...
, and Mere SamisoniMere SamisoniMere Tuisalalo Samisoni is a woman from Lomaloma village on the island of Vanuabalavu in Fiji's Lau archipelago, She also is a Fiji business person and politician, she currently resides in Suva Fiji's Capital.-Politics:...
, a businesswoman.
- The Vugalei Landowners Association, which includes members from the districts of Bau, Vugalei, Tai Vugalei, Naitasiri, Viria and Nausori, gave guarded approval to the legislation on 28 June. Vugalei chief Ratu Netava Tagi said that despite reservations about some of the amnesty provisions, the association supported the legislation in principle. He said that those responsible for the upheaval of 2000 should face the brunt of the law, but that those who had followed them should not be punished. "We believe that those who had followed those inside the Parliamentary complex should not be punished because they were just followers who knew nothing about the law," Tagi said.
- Jale BabaJale BabaJale Baba is a Fijian businessman and political organizer. A forestry graduate of the Australian National University, he worked for Fiji Pine Limited for more than 20 years, before leaving in 1999 to start his own company- Baba Forests. He also serves as the campaign director of the ruling...
presented the parliamentary submission of the ruling United Fiji PartySoqosoqo Duavata ni LewenivanuaThe Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua is a political party in Fiji...
(SDL), of which he is the Director, on 30 June. He said that amnesty was constitutional and should be an integral part of the justice system. This bill would, he said, "allow the people of Fiji to hear and come to terms with the truth of the events that led to and followed the May 2000 crisis." He said it was not true that the bill's purpose was to keep the coalition government intact, and accused the opposition Fiji Labour PartyFiji Labour PartyThe 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...
, which opposes the bill, of having done the same thing when it tried to broker a coalition deal with the Conservative AllianceConservative Alliance (Fiji)The Conservative Alliance was a far-right political party in Fiji, and a member of the ruling coalition government. It was commonly known as the CAMV, a combination of the initials of its English and Fijian names...
(a nationalist party, a number of whose prominent members have been convicted of coup-related offences). Baba denied that the amnesty provisions of the 1990 and 1997 Constitutions had contributed to the 2000 coup, and doubted that harsher penalties would have deterred it, saying that there were countries which executed coup-plotters but still had coups.
- While supporting the legislation, Baba denied on 26 October that it was reflective of SDL policy. It was a government initiative, he said, not a party one, and would not affect their support base.
- Former ParliamentarianHouse of Representatives (Fiji)The House of Representatives is the lower chamber of Fiji's Parliament. It is the more powerful of the two chambers; it alone has the power to initiate legislation...
Timoci SilatoluTimoci SilatoluTimoci Qiolevu Silatolu, sometimes known by his chiefly title of Ratu, is a former Fijian politician.- Political career :As a candidate of the Fijian Association Party, Silatolu was elected to represent the Rewa Fijian Communal Constituency in the House of Representatives in the general election of...
, currently serving a life-sentence for his role in the coup, said at a court appearance on 8 July that he was in favour of the bill, and was seeking permission from prison authorities to deliver a submission to Parliament's Justice, Law and Order committee, which is looking into the legislation. "I believe the Bill is within the ambits of the Constitution and I fully support it," Silatolu said.
- SenatorSenate (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...
Apisai ToraApisai ToraMohammad Apisai Vuniyayawa Tora is a Fijian politician and former soldier and trade unionist. As a labour leader, he was a fighter for dock workers. As a soldier, he served in Malaya and is currently the President of the Ex-Servicemen's League....
harshly criticized the MilitaryMilitary of FijiThe 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...
on 23 August for opposing the legislation. He said that the Military was playing politics and not following democratic procedure, and he took a dim view of military teams visiting villages to campaign against the bill.
Provincial Councils
- The BaBa ProvinceBa is a province of Fiji, occupying the north-western sector of Viti Levu, Fiji's largest island. It is one of fourteen Provinces in the nation of Fiji, and one of eight based in Viti Levu. It is Fiji's most populous Province, with a population of 231,760 - more than a quarter of the nation's...
Provincial CouncilLocal government of FijiFiji is divided administratively into four divisions, which are further subdivided into fourteen provinces; the self-governing island of Rotuma and its dependencies lie outside any of the four divisions. Each division is headed by a Commissioner, appointed by the Fijian government...
declared its support for the bill on 5 July, following a vote of 23-2 by the chiefsRatuRatu 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"...
of the province, the nation's largest. This vote followed clarifications from Attorney-General Bale, following reservations expressed by certain Council members on 28 June.
- The BuaBua ProvinceBua is one of fourteen provinces of Fiji. Located in the west of the northern island of Vanua Levu, it is one of three northern provinces, and has a land area of 1,379 square kilometers. Its population at the 2007 census, the most recent to date, was 14,176, making it the fourth least-populous...
Provincial Council announced on 11 July that its chiefs and members had voted unanimously to support the bill, following a special visit from Prime Minister Qarase and a team from the Attorney-General's office, which explained the legislation in detail. Council Chairman Ratu Filimoni Ralogaivau told the Prime Minister that the council fully supported the bill.
- The CakaudroveCakaudroveCakaudrove is one of fourteen provinces of Fiji, and one of three based principally on the northern island of Vanua Levu, occupying the south-eastern third of the island and including the nearby islands of Taveuni, Rabi, Kioa, and numerous other islands in the Vanua Levu Group...
Provincial Council endorsed the bill at a special meeting in Yaroi Village in SavusavuSavusavuSavusavu is a town in the Fijian Province of Cakaudrove. The town is located on the south coast of Vanua Levu Island and had a population of 3,372 in the 2007 census.Savusavu is known as "the hidden paradise of Fiji."- Geography :...
on 14 July. The Council Chairman, former Prime MinisterPrime Minister of FijiThe Prime Minister of the Republic of Fiji is the head of government of Fiji. The Prime Minister was appointed by the President under the terms of the now-suspended 1997 constitution....
Sitiveni RabukaSitiveni RabukaMajor-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...
, declared a personal interest in the matter, as one under investigation for his alleged involvement in the 2000 coup, and declined to chair the meeting, handing over to his deputy, Ratu Sairusi Daugunu.
- The Council of RotumaCouncil of RotumaThe Council of Rotuma is a municipal body on the island of Rotuma, a Fijian dependency. Owing to the unique character of Rotuma, the powers of this council are greater than those of other municipal bodies in Fiji and in some ways it approximates a legislative body, though it is in every way...
declared its support for the bill on 1 July. Council Chairman Injimo ManagreveInjimo ManagreveInjimo Managreve was the Chairman of the Council of Rotuma, the legislative body for the Fijian island dependency which enjoys a considerable degree of local autonomy.-Biography:...
said that forgiveness was a part of the island's culture. Managreve said the seven traditional chiefs from the island had all endorsed the bill, and the seven elected members of the Council had followed suit. "We are being looked after by the Government and the GCC of Fiji and if anything happens to them we will also go down with them. That is why we are standing behind them and supporting them with their new Bill," he said.
- KadavuKadavu ProvinceKadavu Province is one of fourteen provinces of Fiji, and forms part of the Eastern Division, which also includes the Provinces of Lau, Lomaiviti and Rotuma. Kadavu also belongs to the Burebasaga Confederacy, a hierarchy of chiefs from southern and western Fiji.It consists of Kadavu Island, Ono...
Provincial Council Chairman Ratu Josateki NawalowaloJosateki NawalowaloRatu Josateki Tuivanuavou Nacagilevu Nawalowalo, commonly known as Ratu Jo Nawalowalo, was a Fijian chief, businessman, and the Chairman of the Kadavu Provincial Council...
said on 23 June that he supported the bill. He said it was time for Fijians to focus on positives, not negatives, and called on opponents of the legislation to get behind the government and support its initiatives to take the country forward. He also invited Attorney-General Bale to address the council to explain the provisions of the legislation more fully, after which the Provincial Council unanimously endorsed it. On 27 June, he pleaded with military and other opponents of the legislation to give it a chance, as the chiefs, "in their wisdom," had endorsed it. He expressed hope that common sense would prevail.
- Meanwhile, Sitiveni Qio, the youth coordinator of the Kadavu Provincial Council, said that teams of soldiers that were travelling throughout the country to explain the Military's opposition to the legislation to rural Fijians, would not be welcome in Kadavu.
- The MacuataMacuataMacuata is one of Fiji's fourteen Provinces, and one of three based principally on the northern island of Vanua Levu, occupying the north-eastern 40 percent of the island. It has a land area of 2004 square kilometers....
Provincial Council announced on 13 July that it was supporting the bill, following a meeting with Prime Minister Qarase.
- The NaitasiriNaitasiriNaitasiri is one of the 14 provinces of Fiji and one of eight based in Viti Levu, Fiji's largest island.-Geography and infrastructure:Naitasiri as a province covers 1,666 square kilometers , the Province occupies the area to the north and east of Suva, the capital...
Provincial Council declared its support on 1 July. Council chairman Ratu Solomoni Boserau said that the forgiveness was the only way for the country to move forward. "We need to forgive those who have hurt us and get on with life. We cannot continue to live together with hurt because it only leads to division. The Bill will bring us together and that is why we are supporting it," Boserau said.
- The RaRa ProvinceRa is one of the fourteen provinces of Fiji. Occupying the northern area of Viti Levu, the largest island, it is one of eight Viti Levu-based Provinces. With a land area of 1341 square kilometers, it had a population of 29,464 at the 2007 census, the last to date...
Provincial Council endorsed the bill on 8 July, saying that it could ease some of the pain, misery, and suffering experienced in 2000. Chairman Simione Naikarua said that some members of the council had opposed it on the basis of a "misconception" about what the bill contained, and he thanked a visiting government team for having given a presentation in the Fijian languageFijian languageFijian is an Austronesian language of the Malayo-Polynesian family spoken in Fiji. It has 450,000 first-language speakers, which is less than half the population of Fiji, but another 200,000 speak it as a second language...
. They had been assured, he said, that the bill "would not impinge on the integrity and independence and will not interfere in the work of the judiciary, the Director of Public Prosecutions and the police."
- The RewaRewa ProvinceRewa is a province of Fiji. With a land area of 272 square kilometers , it includes the capital city of Suva and is in two parts - one including part of Suva's hinterland to the west, and a noncontiguous area to the east, separated from the rest of Rewa by Naitasiri Province...
Provincial Council came out in favour of the bill on 15 July. Council Chairperson Ro Teimumu KepaTeimumu KepaTeimumu Vuikaba Kepa is a Fijian chief and politician. A former students' coordinator at the University of the South Pacific when Kepa chose to enter the University to embark on her Bachelor of Arts Degree and was a principal of Corpus Christi Collegebefore that, until she succeeded her late...
, who is also a Cabinet MinisterCabinet (Fiji)Fiji has the Westminster system - executive authority is vested nominally in a President, but exercised in practice by a Cabinet of Ministers, presided over by the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister is formally appointed, but not chosen, by the President: the President must appoint as Prime...
in the Qarase government, described the legislation as "a way of bringing the country back to stability." She said that all nine districts of the province had endorsed the bill after its amnesty provisions, which had concerned many of them, had been explained by a team led by Attorney-General Bale.
- The SeruaSeruaSerua is one of Fiji's fourteen Provinces. Its 830 square kilometers occupy the southernmost areas of Viti Levu, being one of 8 provinces based on Fiji's largest island. It had a population of 18,249 at the 2007 census, the most recent to date...
Provincial Council voted to support the legislation on 5 July. Council Chairman Atunaisa Lacabuka said that the bill would promote unity among Fiji's diverse races and would provide a way forward for reconciliation. The council also tied its support for the legislation to native FijianFijian peopleFijian people are the major indigenous people of the Fiji Islands, and live in an area informally called Melanesia. The Fijian people are believed to have arrived in Fiji from western Melanesia approximately 3,500 years ago, though the exact origins of the Fijian people are unknown...
land rights and cultural values, which Lacabuka said were based on Christian principles. These principles should be taught, he considered, to non-Christians - a reference to the 94 percent of Indo-FijianIndians in FijiIndo-Fijians are Fijians whose ancestors came from India and various parts of South Asia, South-East Asia and Asia itself. They number 313,798 out of a total of 827,900 people living in Fiji...
s who are either HinduHinduismHinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
or MuslimsIslamIslam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
.
- The TailevuTailevuTailevu is one of the 14 provinces of Fiji. One of eight Provinces based in Viti Levu, Fiji's largest island, its 755 square kilometers occupy the south-eastern fringe of the island, along with some central areas. At the 2007 census, the most recent to date, it had a population of 55,692, the...
Provincial Council declared its support for the bill on 6 July. Council Chairman Josefa Serulagilagi said that they were satisfied with an in-depth explanation from Attorney-General Bale, and took it as "a good and healthy sign that democracy is alive and well."
- At a meeting from which the media were barred, the LauLau IslandsThe Lau Islands of Fiji are situated in the southern Pacific Ocean, just east of the Koro Sea. Of this chain of about one hundred islands and islets, about thirty are inhabited...
Provincial Council voted on 25 July to endorse the bill. It was the last of Fiji's fourteen Provinces to vote on the matter, and the vote of support followed similar verdicts from the other thirteen Provincial Councils. The vote was seen as significant, however, as the Lau Islands are the homeland of Prime Minister Qarase and Attorney-General Bale, the chief promoters of the bill, and of the late Prime Minister, President, and Paramount Chief of LauTui NayauTui Nayau is the title held by the Paramount Chief of the Lau Islands in Fiji and is synonymous with the title holders over lordship of these islands. When translated Tui Nayau means Lord of Nayau, an island north of Lakeba, the latter accepted by many to be the chiefly island in the Lauan...
, Ratu Sir Kamisese MaraKamisese MaraRatu Sir Kamisese Mara, CF, GCMG, KBE is considered the founding father of the modern nation of Fiji. He was Chief Minister from 1967 to 1970, when Fiji gained its independence from the United Kingdom, and, apart from one brief interruption in 1987, the first Prime Minister from 1970 to 1992...
, whose family is bitterly opposed to it. Nine of the Province's thirteen districts voted in favour of the legislation, with two opposed. One district abstained, and one did not send any representatives to the meeting. Radio Legend News reported that the two districts opposed to the bill were LomalomaLomalomaLomaloma is a village on the Fiji island of Vanua Balavu in the Lau archipelago. It is part of the Tikina of Lomaloma which comprises 9 villages, which is further made up of 13 Yavusa which are further broken down into 42 Mataqali and 54 Tokatoka from early records first documented in 1881 by...
and LakebaLakebaLakeba is an island in Fiji's Southern Lau Archipelago; the provincial capital of Lau is located here. The island is the tenth largest in Fiji, with a land area of nearly 60 square kilometers. It is fertile and well watered, and encircled by a 29-kilometer road. Its closest neighbors are Aiwa...
, Mara's home area. His daughter, SenatorSenate (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...
Adi Koila NailatikauKoila NailatikauAdi Koila Mara Nailatikau is a Fijian lawyer, who has served as a diplomat and politician.- Family background :Vasemaca Koila Josephine Mara was born in 1953...
, was too disappointed to speak to the media following the vote, but later said that the Council members had not adequately understood the ramifications of the bill and how it would undermine the judiciary.
- The Provincial Councils of Lomaiviti, NamosiNamosiNamosi is one of Fiji's fourteen Provinces, and one of eight based in Viti Levu, the largest island. Located to the west of Suva, the Province covers 570 square kilometers...
, and Nadroga-NavosaNadroga-NavosaNADROGA NAVOSA is one of the fourteen provinces of Fiji, and one of eight based in Viti Levu, Fiji's largest island. It is about 2,385 square kilometers and occupies the South-West and Central areas of Viti Levu, Fiji's largest and principal island. The province includes the Mamanuca Archipelago,...
have also endorsed the bill.
The Great Council of Chiefs
The Great Council of ChiefsGreat 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...
endorsed the bill at a meeting on 27 July. The endorsement came after more than two months of reserving judgement in the light of vociferous public objections.
On 18 May, 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
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...
said that the Great Council had not been consulted and was "in the dark" about the bill. He said that attempts to obtain a copy of the bill from the government had come to nothing. The government has not released its draft bill, but a copy was leaked to the media and has been published by the Fiji Times
Fiji Times
The Fiji Times is a daily English-language newspaper published in Suva, Fiji. Established in Levuka on 4 September 1869, it is Fiji's oldest newspaper still operating....
.
Ratu Bokini's comments drew an immediate response from Prime Minister 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...
, who said that he saw no need for prior consultation with anybody. "Any Bill is drafted without consulting any party or stakeholders is because it contains what the Government wants to be included in the Bill," Qarase said.
The Great Council of Chiefs has the power to pass or block the bill by instructing its 14 Senators in the 32 Member Senate
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...
on how to vote. As they hold the balance of power between the 9 Senators appointed by the Prime Minister and the 8 appointed by the Leader of the Opposition, a block vote by the chiefly Senators would decide the outcome. On 19 July, however, Great Council secretary Asesela Sadole
Asesela Sadole
Asesela Sadole is a Fijian politician. He is a member of the Senate of Fiji and represents Ba.-References:*...
said that their Senators would not be instructed on how to vote, but would be left free to follow their consciences.
In a speech to mark Ratu Sukuna Day
Ratu Sir Lala Sukuna Day
Ratu Sir Lala Sukuna Day was a national public holiday in Fiji until the year 2010, when the Prime Minister, Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama, declared both Ratu Sir Lala Sakuna Day and National Youth Day to no longer be public holidays...
on 30 May, in honour of Fiji's first modern statesman, Ratu Sir Lala Sukuna
Lala Sukuna
Ratu Sir Lala Sukuna, KCMG, KBE was a Fijian chief, scholar, soldier, and statesman. He is regarded as the forerunner of the post-independence leadership of Fiji...
, Bokini cautioned against a one-sided approach to reconciliation, saying that it was not something that could be forced. "It must be allowed to grow through a shared understanding of what we all want and where we are all heading," he said. "Only then can we negotiate seriously about what to give and what to take and this process takes time and patience," he said.
Great Council secretary Sadole announced on 17 July that the Council had translated the bill into Fijian
Fijian language
Fijian is an Austronesian language of the Malayo-Polynesian family spoken in Fiji. It has 450,000 first-language speakers, which is less than half the population of Fiji, but another 200,000 speak it as a second language...
for the perusal of its members, pending a meeting to be held in the third week of July. Sadole said that the Council would consider the bill on its own merits, without reference to what outsiders have been saying for or against it. "Most people have not actually sat down to read the Bill. It seem that most of their opinions is formed by other opinions. We do not want outside consultations to influence the meeting and by taking out our own translation, it can really help," Sadole said.
Meanwhile, Opposition Leader
Leader of the Opposition (Fiji)
The post of Leader of the Opposition is a political office common in countries that are part of the Commonwealth of Nations. It did not originate in Fiji but has a long tradition; in British constitutional theory, the Leader of the Opposition must pose a formal alternative to the government, ready...
Mahendra Chaudhry
Mahendra Chaudhry
Mahendra Pal Chaudhry is a Fijian politician and the leader of the Fiji Labour Party...
has warned the chiefs against possible deception by the government. He said that the government has already misled church leaders about the bill, and could not be trusted not to similarly mislead the chiefs. 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...
President Ratu 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...
has similarly called on the government not to try to "fool" the Great Council of Chiefs.
A Great Council of Chiefs meeting to consider the bill, starting on 26 July, is now considered likely to approve it, as 45 of its 55 members are delegates from Fiji's fourteen Provinces
Local government of Fiji
Fiji is divided administratively into four divisions, which are further subdivided into fourteen provinces; the self-governing island of Rotuma and its dependencies lie outside any of the four divisions. Each division is headed by a Commissioner, appointed by the Fijian government...
and one Dependency (Rotuma
Council of Rotuma
The Council of Rotuma is a municipal body on the island of Rotuma, a Fijian dependency. Owing to the unique character of Rotuma, the powers of this council are greater than those of other municipal bodies in Fiji and in some ways it approximates a legislative body, though it is in every way...
), all of which have endorsed the legislation. The Fiji Military Forces
Military of Fiji
The Republic of Fiji Military Forces are the military of the Pacific island nation of Fiji. With a total manpower of 3,500 active soldiers and 6,000 reservists, it is one of the smallest militaries in the world. However, most of its surrounding island nations have no militaries at all...
and the Methodist Church
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...
are to make submissions at the meeting, but the secretariat of the Great Council has refused a request from the opposition Labour Party
Fiji Labour Party
The Fiji Labour Party is a political party in Fiji, which holds observer status with the Socialist International. Most of its support at present comes from the Indo-Fijian community, although it is officially multiracial and its first leader was an indigenous Fijian, Dr. Timoci Bavadra. It is...
(FLP) to make one, ostensibly because of time constraints and on the ground that if they accepted a submission from the FLP, they would have to accept one from every political party.
The Great Council qualified its endorsement of the bill by urging the government to consider the concerns raised by its opponents, including the Military. The council supported the maintenance of law and order, but upheld the prerogative of the government to make whatever laws it considered fit, adding that there are legal channels that opponents may use to challenge such laws. They also affirmed that the nation's chiefs represent the entire population, not only indigenous Fijians.
Prime Minister Qarase hailed the decision, saying that he had received the "overwhelming support of the Fijian people," but Opposition Leader
Leader of the Opposition (Fiji)
The post of Leader of the Opposition is a political office common in countries that are part of the Commonwealth of Nations. It did not originate in Fiji but has a long tradition; in British constitutional theory, the Leader of the Opposition must pose a formal alternative to the government, ready...
Mahendra Chaudhry
Mahendra Chaudhry
Mahendra Pal Chaudhry is a Fijian politician and the leader of the Fiji Labour Party...
said that the chiefs had failed to address the issue properly, and that he would continue to fight the bill. Another opponent of the bill and former Great Council of Chiefs Chairman Ratu 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...
said that he would have expected the chiefs to have taken more time to consider and debate the matter, but that their decision would make no difference in the end because it was Parliament that would decide on the bill.
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...
commander 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...
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...
, one of the most unyielding opponents of the legislation who had attacked it in an address to the Great Council lasting more than an hour, issued a statement on 29 July strongly critical of the decision. Bainimarama said that the Military accepted the decision of the Great Council to endorse the legislation, but said that the Military would continue to oppose it.
Great Council Chairman Bokini said on 30 July that the chiefs had endorsed the legislation on the basis of a number of reasons that the Military should consider. They had supported the bill on the basis of truth and justice, and of the Christian beliefs upheld by the great majority of their members. It was the norm in Fijian culture to resolve differences through dialogue and consensus, he maintained. He hoped that the Military would take these considerations into account.
Religious organizations
- See main article: Religious reaction to the Reconciliation, Tolerance, and Unity BillReligious reaction to the Reconciliation, Tolerance, and Unity Bill (Fiji)Religion plays an important role in Fijian society. Indigenous Fijians are overwhelmingly Christian, predominantly Methodist but with significant Roman Catholic, Assemblies of God, Seventh-day Adventist, and other Christian minorities; Indo-Fijians are mostly Hindu, with a large Muslim as well as...
The Methodist Church
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...
announced its support for the bill on 19 July, according to the Rev. Timoci Nawaciono, head of the church's Nasea circuit. The church reaffirmed this stance at its annual conference on 11 October, and on 19 October, the church's general secretary, Rev. Ame Tugaue, said that "all Christians" supported the bill. Methodist support was much coveted by the government, as almost two-thirds of indigenous Fijians
Fijian people
Fijian people are the major indigenous people of the Fiji Islands, and live in an area informally called Melanesia. The Fijian people are believed to have arrived in Fiji from western Melanesia approximately 3,500 years ago, though the exact origins of the Fijian people are unknown...
are affiliated to the denomination.
- Kelepi Lesi, Vice-President of the Catholic League, endorsed the bill in a parliamentaryHouse of Representatives (Fiji)The House of Representatives is the lower chamber of Fiji's Parliament. It is the more powerful of the two chambers; it alone has the power to initiate legislation...
submission on 30 June. His stand was in contrast to that of ArchbishopArchbishopAn 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 MatacaPetero MatacaPetero 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...
, who opposed the legislation.
Other public figures and organizations
- Former Chief JusticeChief Justice (Fiji)The Chief Justice is Fiji's highest judicial officer. He or she is appointed by the President on the advice of the Prime Minister, who is required by the Constitution to consult the Leader of the Opposition. This does not give the Leader of the Opposition a veto, only the right to be consulted. ...
Sir Timoci TuivagaTimoci TuivagaSir Timoci Uluiburotu Tuivaga is a Fijian judge, who served as Chief Justice from 1974 to 1 August 2002, when he retired. He was Fiji's first native-born Chief Justice.- Education and career :...
has spoken cautiously, but has said that it can work provided that the various parties involved are willing to make it work.
- Jaiwant Krishna of the Labasa Chamber of Commerce expressed qualified support for the bill. The reconciliation provisions were good, he said, on 13 May. He cautioned, however, that it would work only if implemented in an honest and democratic way.
- Representatives from Lomaiviti Province endorsed the bill on 5 July. Filimone Balaimua, the Roko Tui Lomaiviti (executive head of the Lomaiviti Provincial Council) said that it would lead to reconciliation among all of Fiji's ethnic communities. He added that the Council had reservations about some of the amnesty provisions, and would be recommending certain amendments in their submission to ParliamentParliament of FijiFiji'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"...
.
- Lawyer Kitione Vuataki said on 10 July that if the Fiji Law SocietyFiji Law SocietyThe 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...
went ahead with its threatened judicial challenge to the amnesty clauses in the legislation, lawyers who supported the bill might split from the society to form a separate organization. "The Law Society itself will haemorrhage because there are lawyers like me who support the Bill and we have our freedom of association and freedom of speech," Vuataki said. He warned that if the Law Society challenged the bill in the courts, he would likewise consider challenging the Legal Practitioner's Act and the 1997 ConstitutionConstitution of FijiThe 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....
. He said that if the Reconciliation, Tolerance, and Unity Bill should be put to a referendum, as the Law Society insists, the same should be required of the Constitution and the Legal Practitioner's Act.
- Vuataki said he did not believe in unconditional amnesty, but believed that the proposed law would stanch the "hemorrhaging" of society. "I totally oppose that type of amnesty as was provided for Rabuka's group in the 1990 and 1997 Constitution. However, I favoured amnesty in exchange for hard data to pull the thorn out of a people who are suffering in pain," he said. He likened the bill to a doctor's stethoscopeStethoscopeThe stethoscope is an acoustic medical device for auscultation, or listening to the internal sounds of an animal body. It is often used to listen to lung and heart sounds. It is also used to listen to intestines and blood flow in arteries and veins...
to check a nation whose institutions including the chiefs of the land, the army, police, civil service, judiciary, and the legal profession. were hemorrhaging. "One does not wait for the final heart attack for the nation to collapse," he said.
- Vuataki added on 13 July that he had not received any of the five emails that Law Society President Graeme LeungGraeme LeungGraham Everett Leung is a Fijian lawyer and former President of the Fiji Law Society. He was also Chairman of the Electoral Commission, and was named as Judge Advocate of a Court Martial panel to retry 20 soldiers convicted mutiny in relation to the Fiji coup of 2000, but a number of complications...
said were sent out to members concerning the legislation, and said that a couple of lawyers who supported the bill were prepared to take the society to court over the issue.
- The women's organization Soqosoqo Vakamarama i Taukei endorsed the bill on 21 July, according to Adi Finau TabakaucoroFinau TabakaucoroAdi Finau Tamari Tabakaucoro is a Fijian politician, who served as Assistant Minister for Women, Culture, and Social Welfare in the interim Cabinet formed by Laisenia Qarase in the wake of the Fiji coup of 2000. She held office till an elected government took power in September 2001...
, a representative from TailevuTailevuTailevu is one of the 14 provinces of Fiji. One of eight Provinces based in Viti Levu, Fiji's largest island, its 755 square kilometers occupy the south-eastern fringe of the island, along with some central areas. At the 2007 census, the most recent to date, it had a population of 55,692, the...
. Speaking in the SuvaSuvaSuva 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,...
suburb of NabuaNabuaNabua is a suburb of the Fijian capital of Suva. The Queen Elizabeth Barracks, a major military base which saw a mutiny on 2 November 2000, is located there....
, Tabakaucoro disassociated herself from the anti-bill stand of the National Council of Women (q.v.), and said that the decision of the Soqosoqo Vakamarama to support the bill had been unanimous, a claim that appeared to contradict earlier statements opposing the bill by spokeswoman Ravesi Johnson on 26 May, as well as the presence at the meeting of Adi Koila NailatikauKoila NailatikauAdi Koila Mara Nailatikau is a Fijian lawyer, who has served as a diplomat and politician.- Family background :Vasemaca Koila Josephine Mara was born in 1953...
, an avowed opponent of the legislation.