Military unrest since the Fiji coup of 2000
Encyclopedia
Following the quashing of George Speight
's civilian coup d'état
in 2000, the Military
handed power over to a civilian administration led by the banker, Laisenia Qarase
, who won the parliamentary election
held to restore democracy in September 2001. Despite the role of the military in the rise to power of the Qarase government, relations between them have noticeably deteriorated since, to the extent that by July 2004, the Military was threatening to overthrow the government.
The Military commander, Commodore
Frank Bainimarama
, has kept a high profile since the coup. Throughout 2003 and 2004, and into 2005, he repeatedly entered the political arena to criticize government policy - especially its policy of lenience, as he saw it, towards persons responsible for the coup. Politicians countered with charges of inappropriate interference in political affairs, and some accused him of hypocrisy, saying that he himself had a case to answer for his role in Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara's
resignation from the Presidency on 29 May 2000.
at the Sukunaivalu Barracks in Labasa
while the coup crisis was at its height in 2000.
On 15 April 2003, Bainimarama publicly ruled out a coup against the Qarase
government, but condemned calls from some government members for the release of George Speight and his accomplices, saying that they had been tried and sentenced by a court of law and should serve their sentences.
s - Ratu
George Kadavulevu, Alfred Tuatoko, Samuela Raduva, and Akuila Buadromo, and one naval Commander
, Timoci Koroi, were asked to resign for refusing to pledge personal allegiance to Commodore Bainimarama.
turned down a government request for a Commission of Inquiry to try Bainimarama over allegations from five senior officers that he had approached them about organizing a coup d'état
. Iloilo said that he was satisfied Bainimarama's assurances that the military had no intention of overthrowing the government.
On 25 October 2004, Bainimara entered the political fray to criticize the organizing of Fiji Week, a week of religious services and cultural ceremonies that had been held from the 4th through the 11th of October. He said he found it "baffling" that individuals implicated in the 2000 coup
took part in the ceremonies to apologize and ask forgiveness for their actions, only to turn up in court later and plead innocent. He said that according to Fijian culture, an apology was tantamount to a public admission of guilt, and that the "not guilty" pleas later entered by the same people in court raised justifiable questions about whether their apologies were sincere.
Bainimarama strongly criticized Senator
Ratu
George Cakobau
for saying that citizens unhappy with the government-organized apology and reconciliation ceremonies should leave Fiji. Bainimarama declared that Fiji belonged to all of its citizens, and that no one should feel intimidated by politicians who spit out racist remarks, adding that the Senator would be shocked to find that many of those who refused the apology were ethnic Fijians
. He said that democracy and the rule of law were the rule of the day in the 21st century, and that the military would uphold it.
His comments drew criticism from government politicians who accused him of meddling in politics, but he would not be silienced. He upped the ante in December 2004 by condemning the early release of Vice-President Ratu Jope Seniloli
, who had served less than four months of his four-year treason
sentence, for his role in the 2000 coup. Reiterating comments made by other senior officers earlier in the week before, Bainimarama said that Seniloli's release had threatened national security, which the military was determined to protect. He said that he would give more details later in the week as to how national security had been undermined by the release of the Vice-President (who immediately resigned from office).
In a separate statement, Bainimarama endorsed calls by Ratu Epeli Ganilau
, the former Chairman of the Great Council of Chiefs
, for a non-Fijian
to be appointed to fill the vacancy caused by Seniloli's resignation. "I support the idea for someone with excellent leadership skills to take up the post regardless of race," he said, accusing those who opposed the idea of a non-Fijian's appointment of trying to instigate racial instability for their own selfish gain.
brought back all of George Speight's group except him." He went on to issue a veiled threat to the political establishment: "If we don't act, this country is going to go to the dogs and no investor will want to come here." He reiterated the threat on 4 January 2005, when he likened the military to a tiger sitting in the corner. "You have to give it (the tiger) room," he said. "If you don't give it room, it will bite you," he told The Review, a prominent newspaper. His remarks were taken as a clear signal that he would not be silenced. In the same interview, he condemned what he saw as the Qarase government's policy of letting people implicated in the 2000 coup get off "scott free," warning that it will lead to "a criminal generation" as children will be raised "without recognition of the law." This will lead, he said, to a security threat. He said that political interference in police investigations into the coup, together with the government's lenience towards its perpetrators, was making a mockery of the judicial system. "If we don't put our foot down, they will release every man and his dog," he said on 6 January 2005.
On 17 April 2005, Bainimarama harshly attacked the government's decision to release on parole
Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu
and Senator
Ratu Josefa Dimuri
, who had served only eleven days of their eight-month prison sentences for their role in the 2000 coup. Bainimarama said he was "frustrated, disturbed, and disappointed" at a decision which he said "made a mockery of the military, police, and the judiciary." Bainimarama's latest outburst provoked an immediate angry reaction from Home Affairs Minister Josefa Vosanibola
, who warned that Bainimarama would be disciplined if he spoke to the media again without consulting him. The row escalated, with Bainimarama saying on 19 April that he would not be silenced. Army spokesman Captain Neumi Leweni
also issued his own statement supporting Bainimarama's criticism of government policy.
On 20 April, Vosanibola said that he would not be "intimidated" by Bainimarama's comments to the media, and reiterated his threat to take unspecified disciplinary actions against him if he did not cease making public statements without consulting him.
, the Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions, who was ordered on 20 June to return to his native Australia
. "The Government claims that the Reconciliation, Tolerance and Unity Bill will hasten the process of reconciliation and investigations, however, they decide to remove the person that they brought in to do exactly this," said Bainimarama, who predicted that investigations into the coup would be severely affected by the expulsion of Ridgeway, and would have to start all over again. He refused to be drawn on whether there could be another coup if the controversial legislation is passed.
Commodore Bainimarama has been one of the most vociferous critics of the government's proposal to establish a Reconciliation and Unity Commission
, with the power to grant compensation to victims of the 2000 coup, and amnesty to perpetrators of it. Among other objections, the Military claims that its integrity and discipline would be undermined if soldiers who mutinied in the 2000 upheaval were to be pardoned.
On 24 August 2005, Commodore Bainimarama went public with allegations that a number of politicians, including the nationalistic Senator
Apisai Tora
, had approached him at a meeting held in the boardroom of the Fijian Holdings company during the 2000 crisis and asked him to depose the newly appointed President, Ratu Josefa Iloilo
, barely a week after Iloilo's inauguration. Tora angrily denied the allegations, and called on Bainimarama to resign. A police investigation, headed by Kevueli Bulamainaivalu, got underway on 5 September.
Orisi Rabukawaqa
alleged on 4 October that almost seven thousand Chinese
nationals had entered Fiji illegally since 2003. He alleged that bribery in the office of the Registrar General had resulted in massive falsification of documents, with Chinese immigrants being falsely identified as ethnic Fijians
. Military investigations showed that illegal immigration was related to increasing rates of prostitution
, gambling
, money laundering
, and illegal fishing
.
On 6 October, Justice Ministry Chief Executive Sakiusa Rabuka challenged the Military to substantiate its allegations. He said he had written to Rabukawaqa to seek his cooperation. On 9 October, Rabuka told the Fiji Village news service that the allegations made by the Military were "baseless." Only one case had been found, he said, of an Asian national trying to change his birth certificate.
Andrew Hughes
in opposing interference in the budgets of the two security services by the Ministry of Home Affairs. Bainimarama supported Huge's protest that any attempt to control the police and military budgets would undermine the constitutional independence of the services. "Once money goes into CEO's (Home Affairs) pocket, everything is politicised and somebody will dictate our operations," the commander said. "The CEO then becomes the commander of the RFMF and the Commissioner of Police." The next day, it was reported that the military and the police were considering legal action to assert their own control over their financial operations.
Parliamentarian
Lekh Ram Vayeshnoi
of the Fiji Labour Party
spoke out in support of the Military and police on 7 October. "Their comments are fair because they are the two main institutions which deal with security, so it is only fair they be given total control of their finances," Vayeshnoi said. "These two institutions deal with security matters therefore they would need to have finances ready when they need it instead of having to ask for it."
On 8 October, Military spokesman Captain Neumi Leweni
publicly alleged that attempts to bring the Military under the financial authority of the Home Affairs Ministry were a deliberate ploy to undermine the Military.
The same day, Home Affairs Minister Josefa Vosanibola
condemned recent protests from the Military and Police about political controls on their budgets. Speaking to the Fiji Village news service, he called on the Military Commander and Police Commissioner to be more "responsible" and to respect the laws of the country.
In a move apparently linked to expected politically-imposed budget restrictions, Leweni said that the Military was taking steps to save money. Only Commodore Bainimarama, Captain Leweni, and Bainimarama's bodyguards would use cellphones from now on, he said. Other soldiers had their cellphones disconnected on on 3 October. There would also be cuts in non-essential military operations, such as maritime patrols, search and rescue, training and exercises, territorial force training, school cadet training and deployment of engineers to rural areas, Leweni said.
United Peoples Party
leader Mick Beddoes
came out in support of the security services on 10 October, saying that the government was "stupid" to try to control the budget of the Military and police forces. He alleged that the move was a ploy to manipulate the security services into conforming with government policy by cutting off their financial supply. There was already too much interference with the independence of the police, he said.
On 11 October, Military spokesman Captain Neumi Leweni
said that relations between government and military officials had deteriorated to the point where they were no longer on speaking terms. He reiterated his earlier claims that government attempts to control the Military budget were a ploy to weaken the Military, and he vowed to challenge the government in the courts. He pledged, however, that the Military would protect the Constitution, despite its disagreement with the government.
Bainimarama and Leweni expressed mixed feelings after the government's decision to increase its budget allocation to the Military to F$76.4 million
was announced on 4 November. The figure represented a considerable increase on the F$67 million
allocated in 2004, but fell short of the F$84 million
the Military had been seeking. Because the Military had not been allocated all that they had been seeking, they would continue with their cost-cutting measures, Leweni said.
Earlier, Bainimarama had told the Fiji Live news service that there was no way he would allow the government to control the Military's budget. He and Police Commissioner Hughes both reiterated their intention to take joint legal action if talks with Home Affairs Minister Vosanibola failed to resolve the problem. "If you control the finances of an organisation, you effectively control the organisation and its operations," Hughes said. He said that his role would be compromised if the police purse strings were subject to political control.
reported on 30 January 2006 that Auditor-General Eroni Vatuloka had accused the Military of contempt of court
for defying a Supreme Court
order to allow him and his office access to trust funds. He criticized the Military for engaging a private auditor, Ioane Naiveli, to audit the accounts without his knowledge in the late 1990s, and said that some accounts had not been audited since then.
Military spokesman Captain Neumi Leweni
said that the Military would not comment on the matter publicly.
Vatuloka reiterated on 4 February his claim that the Military refusal to allow his office to audit its regimental fund was indeed a contempt of court, and that state solicitors would need to ask the Supreme Court
to declare it so.
Taniela Senikuta, spokesman for the Fiji Peacekeepers Association, said on 15 February that the association wanted to know about the status of the fund because they made compulsory contributions to it, and called on the Military to allow the fund to be audited. The fund was taxpayer-funded, not privates, Senikuta told the Fiji Village
news service, and was therefore subject to auditing.
Military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel
Orisi Rabukawaqa
told Fiji Live
on 16 February that the Military had, in fact, complied with the Supreme Court order by allowing state auditors to audit the trust fund over a period of three months in 2005. He asked the office of the Auditor General to specify the type of accounts its auditors did not have access to. The Military had already made a statement about the issue in August 2005, Rabukawaqa said.
Justice Jiten Singh ruled on 14 October that an earlier decision of the Ministry of Finance to surcharge Commodore Bainimarama for blowing his 2003 budget was unconstitutional, and ordered the Minister to pay F$800
to cover Bainimarama's court costs. In July 2004, the Ministry had accused the Commander of overspending by a total of F$116,379.95
, and announced on 13 January that he would be required to repay F$49,590.11
of it. The money would be recovered by docking his salary by F$300
every fortnight.
On 15 October, Opposition Leader
Mahendra Chaudhry
called on the government to apologize to Bainimarama. He said that the surcharge had been politically motivated. "Obviously Commodore Bainimarama has been targeted by the Government and that is why they are harassing him," Chaudhry said.
On 12 December, Military lawyer Major
Kitione Tuinaosara announced a decision to sue Finance Minister Ratu Jone Kubuabola
for contempt of court
, after a government decision to disregard the court order to drop the surcharge and refund money already docked from Commodore Bainimarama's pay. The Ministry claimed that the court order applied to the 1971 Financial Regulations Act, but not to the 2004 Finance Management Act or the 2005 Finance Instructions Act, and has invoked the new laws. Bainimarama will continued to be surcharged at a rate of F$381
a fortnight.
Bainimarama said on 19 December that the continuing defiance of the court order by the Finance Ministry would only worsen relations between the government and the Military. He reiterated his intention to sue the Finance Ministry on 21 December, saying that a senior official in the ministry had admitted to him that they had no grounds to levy the surcharge. "If people can treat me like that, just imagine how they are going to treat the public," the Fiji Sun
quoted him as saying. He accused the ministry of displaying "a blatant disregard for the rule of law."
In a ruling delivered on 23 December, High Court
Justice Jiten Singh ordered the Finance Ministry to halt the surcharge and to refund the F$6000
that had been deducted from the Commander's salary. Singh gave the Ministry till 31 January 2006 to complete the refund, and Doko Turaga, the lawyer for the Ministry of Finance, promised to comply. Singh expressed serious reservations about the independence of the proceedings that had led to the surcharge.
It was reported on 17 January 2006 that the office of the Attorney-General
had advised the Finance Ministry to comply with the High Court directive. This followed a threat from lawyer Tuinaosara that any refusal to rescind and refund the Commander's surcharge would be held as a contempt of court
, an offence carrying a prison term. On 26 January, however, Finance Ministry Chief Executive Officer Paula Uluinaceva said that the matter was far from resolved and that the ministry was seeking legal advice. The Commander, meanwhile, had confirmed the previous day that his pay was still being docked.
On 30 January, Fiji Live
reported that following a meeting with state lawyers on the 27th, the Finance Ministry had decided to refund the surcharge that had been deducted from the Commander's salary. On 1 February, however, the Fiji Times
quoted Uluinaceva as saying that the ministry was awaiting further legal clarification, and would make its decision by the end of the week. On the 7th, Tuinaosara claimed to have received a letter from Uluinaceva the previous week, promising to refund the deduction, but that no payment had been made. Finance Minister Ratu
Jone Kubuabola
reacted by denying that the courts had, in fact, ordered the deductions to be discontinued and refunded. "There is no such order for a stop to the deductions," he claimed, "so we will continue to make deductions until a decision has been made and at this point, no decision has been made."
Tuinaosara announced on 13 February that on the 9th, the Military had filed contempt of court
proceedings in the High Court against the Finance Ministry for defying the court order to stop surcharging the Commander. The Ministry was displaying a "blatant disregard" for the court order, which reflected poorly on the government, Tuinaosara said, and he had no confidence in assurances from Uluinaceva that the Ministry would reimburse the Commander later.
On 15 February, Finance Minister Kubuabola denied that there had been any court order to stop the deductions or to refund the salary already deducted. "The court only said that the relevant legislative provision we used to impose the fine was wrong and nothing else," Kubuabola said. He claimed that the government had had to borrow the money that the Military overspent, and that interest payments had amounted to F$400,000
.
Military spokesman Captain Neumi Leweni
reacted on 17 February by claiming that the overspending had been forced by politicians' orders requiring the Military to provide security for prisoners held on Nukulau
island, and to guard the Monasavu Dam. These were costly, but unbudgeted, activities, he said. Leweni accused the government of twisting the court order to stop and refund the surcharge. "The ignorance and the total disrespect for the rule of law displayed in 2000 is still very much alive as it is now being manifested in the hearts of people whom we have entrusted to oversee the affairs of the nation," Fiji Live
quoted him as saying.
es by certain politicians. Leweni said that the Military was monitoring such speeches, and said that ordinary people were being "misled." In addition he rubbished claims that Fiji would not be ready for a nonindigenous Prime Minister for another twenty years. The Bavadra
and Chaudhry
governments had not been put to the full test, he said, and should not have been judged on racial grounds. He emphatically denied, however, that the Military supports the Labour Party.
On 20 December 2005, Bainimarama demanded the resignation of Lesi Korovavala
, Chief Executive Officer in the Ministry of Home Affairs. This demand came in the wake of repeated adjournments in the courtmartial
retrial of 20 soldiers convicted of involvement in the mutiny
at the Queen Elizabeth Barracks
in Suva
on 2 November 2000. The adjournment was said to be due to obstacles to the appointment of lawyer Graeme Leung
as Judge Advocate, but Bainimarama alleged that it was a case of political interference to make the Military toe the government line.
The tension between the government and the Military appeared to escalate in late December, with Bainimarama stating his intention to commandeer Korovavala's office, and saying that he had already ordered Army engineers to secure it. He challenged Home Affairs Minister Josefa Vosanibola
and his Chief Executive to visit the Queen Elizabeth Barracks and dismiss him.
Fiji's highly respected Vice-President, Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi
, stepped in on 28 December to mediate in the dispute.
Orisi Rabukawaqa
was quoted in the Fiji Times
on 22 February 2006 as saying that the Customary Fisheries Bill, which proposes to guarantee indigenous Fishing rights, was a threat to national stability. His comment came in the face of a threat from the Viti Landowners and Resource Association to sue the goverinment if it failed to pass the legislation.
parliamentarian
Samisoni Tikoinasau
, a brother of George Speight
, condemned Bainimarama for his attacks on the government's handling of coup prosecution cases while himself allegedly ignoring murder accusations against his own men. He accused Bainimarama of having sent several such suspects abroad. He said that the government would not be "intimidated" by Bainimarama's threats, and called on him to resign if he was dissatisfied with government policies. "No one is indispensable," he said.
Peni Lomaloma, a spokesman for the Minister for Home Affairs, appeared to concur with Tikoinasau, saying that it was not the business of the military to prosecute those responsible for the coups. That, he said, was the prerogative of the government and the police.
Mick Beddoes
called on the army to answer for its failure to protect President Mara while the country was in crisis. He called this "a fundamental failure" on the part of the army.
On 5 January 2005, Joji Kotobalavu
, a spokesman for Prime Minister Qarase, reminded the public that Bainimarama himself was currently under investigation for his role in the apparently forced resignation of President Mara. On 6 January, Bainimarama defended his role in Mara's resignation, declaring that the President had resigned voluntarily. His version of what happened, however, appeared to contradict Mara's understanding of it, expressed in his last interview before he died. On 10 January, however, Adi Ateca Ganilau
, Mara's daughter, appeared to support Bainimarama's claims, saying that her father had resigned and had refused reinstatement because he was upset by the abrogation of the Constitution
. "He did not agree with the abrogation of the Constitution. That was probably why he refused to return to office. It was not that the military pressured him to move out," Ganilau said. She called for a thorough investigation into the abrogation of the Constitution, and for those who were legal advisers at the time to be answerable for their actions.
On 14 April 2005, Court martial president Colonel
Ilaisa Kacisolomone called on Bainimarama to name those who had advised him to abrogate the constitution, saying that it was his duty to the nation to reveal all that he knew. Bainimarama refused, saying that was a matter for the police to investigate.
Another accusation was made on 15 April by Lieutenant-Colonel Filipo Tarakinikini, who alleged in an affidavit against Bainimarama, President Iloilo
, and Attorney-General
Qoriniasi Bale
that Bainimarama had prior knowledge of the coup.
On 2 May 2005, Police Commissioner Andrew Hughes
announced that Bainimarama had volunteered to make a statement about his own role in Mara's resignation. To lay any charges, Hughes had earlier said, it would have to be proven that Bainimarama actually forced the President to resign.
n Foreign Minister Alexander Downer
called on the Fijian Military to respect the authority of the government and back off from its strident opposition to the controversial Unity Bill. Downer said that while the Australian government had reservations about the legislation, it was even more opposed to the notion of the Military playing politics. Downer's comments provoked an angry reaction from Commodore Bainimarama, who said that Australians have never had to live through a coup and cannot understand what it is like.
On 7 October, Home Affairs Minister Vosanibola told the Fiji Village news service that Bainimarama had been asked to explain, his recent statements. If he could not do so satisfactorily, he could be disciplined, Vosanibola said. Fiji Village also reported that the government was seeking legal advice from the office of the Solicitor General on what measures to take. Military spokesman Captain Neumi Leweni
countered by saying that the Minister had no authority to discipline the Commander, as it is the President, not the Minister, who is Commander in Chief of the Military. By 9 October, Vosanibola had apparently adopted a more conciliatory position, telling Fiji Village that the disagreement between the commander and the Australian Foreign Minister was personal in nature, and that no disciplinary action would be taken.
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...
's civilian coup d'état
Fiji coup of 2000
The Fiji coup of 2000 was a complicated affair involving a civilian putsch by hardline Fijian nationalists against the elected government of a non-native Prime Minister, Mahendra Chaudhry, on 19 May 2000, the attempt by President Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara to assert executive authority on 27 May, and...
in 2000, the 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...
handed power over to a civilian administration led by the banker, 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 won the parliamentary election
Fiji election of 2001
The Constitution of Fiji was restored by a High Court decision on 15 November 2000, following the failure of the political upheaval in which the government had been deposed and the constitution suspended in May that year. On 1 March 2001, the Appeal Court upheld the decision. An election to...
held to restore democracy in September 2001. Despite the role of the military in the rise to power of the Qarase government, relations between them have noticeably deteriorated since, to the extent that by July 2004, the Military was threatening to overthrow the government.
The 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...
, has kept a high profile since the coup. Throughout 2003 and 2004, and into 2005, he repeatedly entered the political arena to criticize government policy - especially its policy of lenience, as he saw it, towards persons responsible for the coup. Politicians countered with charges of inappropriate interference in political affairs, and some accused him of hypocrisy, saying that he himself had a case to answer for his role in Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara's
Kamisese Mara
Ratu 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...
resignation from the Presidency on 29 May 2000.
Another coup ruled out (2003)
Major differences between the government and the Military first became public early in 2003, when the Military protested government attempts to reduce the sentences of soldiers who had been convicted of having committed acts of mutinyMutinies of Fiji coup of 2000
Two military mutinies took place in connection with the civilian coup d'état that rocked Fiji in 2000, the first while the rebellion instigated by George Speight was in progress, and the second four months after it had ended....
at the Sukunaivalu Barracks in Labasa
Labasa
Labasa is a town in Fiji with a population of 27,949 at the most recent census held in 2007.Labasa is located in Macuata Province, in the north-eastern part of the island of Vanua Levu, and is the largest town on the island. The town itself is located on a delta formed by three rivers - the...
while the coup crisis was at its height in 2000.
On 15 April 2003, Bainimarama publicly ruled out a coup against the 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...
government, but condemned calls from some government members for the release of George Speight and his accomplices, saying that they had been tried and sentenced by a court of law and should serve their sentences.
Controversy over Bainimarama's contract
A standoff occurred between the government and the Military in 2004, over whether or not to renew Commodore Bainimarama's contract. Four ColonelColonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
s - 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"...
George Kadavulevu, Alfred Tuatoko, Samuela Raduva, and Akuila Buadromo, and one naval Commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
, Timoci Koroi, were asked to resign for refusing to pledge personal allegiance to Commodore Bainimarama.
Fiji Week controversy, 2004
In 2004, President Ratu Josefa IloiloJosefa Iloilo
Ratu Josefa Iloilovatu Uluivuda, CF, MBE, MSD, KStJ was the President of Fiji from 2000 until 2009, excluding a brief period from 5 December 2006 until 4 January 2007 . He held the traditional title of Tui Vuda, the paramount chief of the Vuda district in Ba Province on Fiji's northwest coast...
turned down a government request for a Commission of Inquiry to try Bainimarama over allegations from five senior officers that he had approached them about organizing a coup d'état
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
. Iloilo said that he was satisfied Bainimarama's assurances that the military had no intention of overthrowing the government.
On 25 October 2004, Bainimara entered the political fray to criticize the organizing of Fiji Week, a week of religious services and cultural ceremonies that had been held from the 4th through the 11th of October. He said he found it "baffling" that individuals implicated in the 2000 coup
Fiji coup of 2000
The Fiji coup of 2000 was a complicated affair involving a civilian putsch by hardline Fijian nationalists against the elected government of a non-native Prime Minister, Mahendra Chaudhry, on 19 May 2000, the attempt by President Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara to assert executive authority on 27 May, and...
took part in the ceremonies to apologize and ask forgiveness for their actions, only to turn up in court later and plead innocent. He said that according to Fijian culture, an apology was tantamount to a public admission of guilt, and that the "not guilty" pleas later entered by the same people in court raised justifiable questions about whether their apologies were sincere.
Bainimarama strongly criticized 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...
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"...
George Cakobau
George Cakobau
Ratu Sir George Kadavulevu Cakobau, GCMG, GCVO, OBE was Governor General of Fiji from 1973 to 1983. A great-grandson of Ratu Seru Epenisa Cakobau, the King of Bau who had unified all the tribes of Fiji under his reign in the mid-1800s and subsequently ceded the islands to the United Kingdom in...
for saying that citizens unhappy with the government-organized apology and reconciliation ceremonies should leave Fiji. Bainimarama declared that Fiji belonged to all of its citizens, and that no one should feel intimidated by politicians who spit out racist remarks, adding that the Senator would be shocked to find that many of those who refused the apology were ethnic 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...
. He said that democracy and the rule of law were the rule of the day in the 21st century, and that the military would uphold it.
His comments drew criticism from government politicians who accused him of meddling in politics, but he would not be silienced. He upped the ante in December 2004 by condemning the early release of Vice-President Ratu Jope Seniloli
Jope Seniloli
Ratu Jope Naucabalavu Seniloli is a Fijian chief who holds the title of Turaga Taukei Naua and who served as Fiji's Vice-President from 25 March 2001 to 29 November 2004, when he was forced to resign following his conviction for treason on August 6 2004, and the rejection of his appeal early in...
, who had served less than four months of his four-year treason
Treason
In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...
sentence, for his role in the 2000 coup. Reiterating comments made by other senior officers earlier in the week before, Bainimarama said that Seniloli's release had threatened national security, which the military was determined to protect. He said that he would give more details later in the week as to how national security had been undermined by the release of the Vice-President (who immediately resigned from office).
In a separate statement, Bainimarama endorsed calls by 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...
, the former Chairman of the Great Council of Chiefs
Great Council of Chiefs (Fiji)
The Great Council of Chiefs is a now dormant 1997 constitutional body in the Republic of the Fiji Islands. In April 2007 the council was suspended, due to an unworkable relationship with Frank Bainimarama, leader of an "interim government" which came to power through a military coup in December 2006...
, for a non-Fijian
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...
to be appointed to fill the vacancy caused by Seniloli's resignation. "I support the idea for someone with excellent leadership skills to take up the post regardless of race," he said, accusing those who opposed the idea of a non-Fijian's appointment of trying to instigate racial instability for their own selfish gain.
Opposition to releasing political prisoners
In a further statement on 8 December 2004, Bainimarama issued a further warning to the government that the military "would put pressure on anyone" who tampered with national security, and condemned the inclusion in the government of persons implicated in the 2000 coup, saying that their presence justified his earlier criticism of the Fiji Week reconciliation ceremonies. "That's why we've always said the reconciliation process was a farce," Bainimarama said. "The 2001 ElectionsFiji election of 2001
The Constitution of Fiji was restored by a High Court decision on 15 November 2000, following the failure of the political upheaval in which the government had been deposed and the constitution suspended in May that year. On 1 March 2001, the Appeal Court upheld the decision. An election to...
brought back all of George Speight's group except him." He went on to issue a veiled threat to the political establishment: "If we don't act, this country is going to go to the dogs and no investor will want to come here." He reiterated the threat on 4 January 2005, when he likened the military to a tiger sitting in the corner. "You have to give it (the tiger) room," he said. "If you don't give it room, it will bite you," he told The Review, a prominent newspaper. His remarks were taken as a clear signal that he would not be silenced. In the same interview, he condemned what he saw as the Qarase government's policy of letting people implicated in the 2000 coup get off "scott free," warning that it will lead to "a criminal generation" as children will be raised "without recognition of the law." This will lead, he said, to a security threat. He said that political interference in police investigations into the coup, together with the government's lenience towards its perpetrators, was making a mockery of the judicial system. "If we don't put our foot down, they will release every man and his dog," he said on 6 January 2005.
On 17 April 2005, Bainimarama harshly attacked the government's decision to release on parole
Parole
Parole may have different meanings depending on the field and judiciary system. All of the meanings originated from the French parole . Following its use in late-resurrected Anglo-French chivalric practice, the term became associated with the release of prisoners based on prisoners giving their...
Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu
Naiqama Lalabalavu
Ratu Naiqama Tawake Lalabalavu is a Fijian Paramount Chief and politician. He was the Minister for Lands and Minister for Mineral Resources in the Cabinet of Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase, prior to his resignation on 7 April 2005...
and 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...
Ratu Josefa Dimuri
Josefa Dimuri
Ratu Josefa Nalumuialevu Dimuri is a Fijian chief and politician, who served as a Senator from 2001 to 2006, when he was elected to the House of Representatives...
, who had served only eleven days of their eight-month prison sentences for their role in the 2000 coup. Bainimarama said he was "frustrated, disturbed, and disappointed" at a decision which he said "made a mockery of the military, police, and the judiciary." Bainimarama's latest outburst provoked an immediate angry reaction from Home Affairs Minister Josefa Vosanibola
Josefa Vosanibola
Josefa Bole Vosanibola is a Fijian politician, who has served as Minister for Home Affairs since 16 December 2004, when he was appointed by Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase to succeed Joketani Cokanasiga...
, who warned that Bainimarama would be disciplined if he spoke to the media again without consulting him. The row escalated, with Bainimarama saying on 19 April that he would not be silenced. Army spokesman Captain Neumi Leweni
Neumi Leweni
Neumi Leweni is a Fijian Army officer and diplomat, who holds the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He hails from the Lau Islands. He joined the Military in 1974 and by 2006 was one of two official spokesmen for the Military, the other being Lieutenant Colonel Orisi Rabukawaqa. In August 2007, he...
also issued his own statement supporting Bainimarama's criticism of government policy.
On 20 April, Vosanibola said that he would not be "intimidated" by Bainimarama's comments to the media, and reiterated his threat to take unspecified disciplinary actions against him if he did not cease making public statements without consulting him.
Military criticism of the expulsion of Ridgeway
On 25 June, Bainimarama reacted angrily to the government's decision not to renew the contract of Peter RidgewayPeter Ridgeway
Peter Ridgway is an Australian prosecutor and a former Deputy Director of Prosecutions in Fiji.Ridgway resigned on 3 May 2005 and was expelled from Fiji on 22 June by the government of then-Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase, while investigating alleged links between members of the government and the...
, the Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions, who was ordered on 20 June to return to his native Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. "The Government claims that the Reconciliation, Tolerance and Unity Bill will hasten the process of reconciliation and investigations, however, they decide to remove the person that they brought in to do exactly this," said Bainimarama, who predicted that investigations into the coup would be severely affected by the expulsion of Ridgeway, and would have to start all over again. He refused to be drawn on whether there could be another coup if the controversial legislation is passed.
Opposition to the proposed Reconciliation and Unity Commission
- See main article: Military opposition to the Reconciliation, Tolerance, and Unity BillMilitary opposition to the Reconciliation, Tolerance, and Unity Bill (Fiji)Commodore Frank Bainimarama, Commander of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces, has been a vociferous and uncompromising critic of the government's proposal to establish a Reconciliation and Unity Commission, with the power to grant compensation to victims of the 2000 coup, and amnesty to...
Commodore Bainimarama has been one of the most vociferous critics of the government's proposal to establish a Reconciliation and Unity Commission
Reconciliation and Unity Commission (Fiji)
The Reconciliation and Unity Commission is a proposed government body to be set up if the Reconciliation, Tolerance, and Unity Bill, which was introduced into the Fijian Parliament on 4 May 2005 is passed...
, with the power to grant compensation to victims of the 2000 coup, and amnesty to perpetrators of it. Among other objections, the Military claims that its integrity and discipline would be undermined if soldiers who mutinied in the 2000 upheaval were to be pardoned.
Allegations of a plot against President Iloilo
- See main article:Investigations since the Fiji coup of 2000Investigations since the Fiji coup of 2000A number of separate, but overlapping, investigations have been conducted by the police into various aspects of the 2000 coup. Some of these investigations are ongoing. These investigations include the organization and financing of the coup, and the identity of the perpetrators...
On 24 August 2005, Commodore Bainimarama went public with allegations that a number of politicians, including the nationalistic 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...
Apisai Tora
Apisai Tora
Mohammad 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....
, had approached him at a meeting held in the boardroom of the Fijian Holdings company during the 2000 crisis and asked him to depose the newly appointed President, Ratu Josefa Iloilo
Josefa Iloilo
Ratu Josefa Iloilovatu Uluivuda, CF, MBE, MSD, KStJ was the President of Fiji from 2000 until 2009, excluding a brief period from 5 December 2006 until 4 January 2007 . He held the traditional title of Tui Vuda, the paramount chief of the Vuda district in Ba Province on Fiji's northwest coast...
, barely a week after Iloilo's inauguration. Tora angrily denied the allegations, and called on Bainimarama to resign. A police investigation, headed by Kevueli Bulamainaivalu, got underway on 5 September.
Military alleges immigration scam
Military spokesman Lieutenant ColonelLieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
Orisi Rabukawaqa
Orisi Rabukawaqa
Orisi Rabukawaqa is a Fijian career soldier. As of early 2006, he holds the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and is one of two official spokesmen for the Military, the other being Major Neumi Leweni....
alleged on 4 October that almost seven thousand Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
nationals had entered Fiji illegally since 2003. He alleged that bribery in the office of the Registrar General had resulted in massive falsification of documents, with Chinese immigrants being falsely identified as ethnic 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...
. Military investigations showed that illegal immigration was related to increasing rates of prostitution
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
, gambling
Gambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...
, money laundering
Money laundering
Money laundering is the process of disguising illegal sources of money so that it looks like it came from legal sources. The methods by which money may be laundered are varied and can range in sophistication. Many regulatory and governmental authorities quote estimates each year for the amount...
, and illegal fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
.
On 6 October, Justice Ministry Chief Executive Sakiusa Rabuka challenged the Military to substantiate its allegations. He said he had written to Rabukawaqa to seek his cooperation. On 9 October, Rabuka told the Fiji Village news service that the allegations made by the Military were "baseless." Only one case had been found, he said, of an Asian national trying to change his birth certificate.
Opposition to budget constraints
On 5 October 2005, Commodore Bainimarama joined Police CommissionerCommissioner of Police (Fiji)
Fiji has a unified national police force, the Fiji Police, whose motto is Salus Populi.The Fijian Commissioner of Police title had been held by Australian police officer Andrew Hughes since 2003 but after the 2006 takeover of the Government the post has been reserved for a local.The Commissioner is...
Andrew Hughes
Andrew Hughes (police)
Andrew 'Andy' Hughes is a senior officer of the Australian Federal Police who, until recently, served as the Chief Police Officer for the Australian Capital Territory . The CPO position is similar to the role of Australian Commissioners of Police, that is, the chief executive of the ACT Policing...
in opposing interference in the budgets of the two security services by the Ministry of Home Affairs. Bainimarama supported Huge's protest that any attempt to control the police and military budgets would undermine the constitutional independence of the services. "Once money goes into CEO's (Home Affairs) pocket, everything is politicised and somebody will dictate our operations," the commander said. "The CEO then becomes the commander of the RFMF and the Commissioner of Police." The next day, it was reported that the military and the police were considering legal action to assert their own control over their financial operations.
Parliamentarian
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...
Lekh Ram Vayeshnoi
Lekh Ram Vayeshnoi
Lekh Ram Vayeshnoi, is a Fijian politician of Indian descent. He was one of the youngest members to be elected into Parliament in 1992. He has represented the Nadroga Indian Communal Constituency, which he won for the Fiji Labour Party in the parliamentary elections of 1992, 1994, 1999, 2001, and...
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...
spoke out in support of the Military and police on 7 October. "Their comments are fair because they are the two main institutions which deal with security, so it is only fair they be given total control of their finances," Vayeshnoi said. "These two institutions deal with security matters therefore they would need to have finances ready when they need it instead of having to ask for it."
On 8 October, Military spokesman Captain Neumi Leweni
Neumi Leweni
Neumi Leweni is a Fijian Army officer and diplomat, who holds the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He hails from the Lau Islands. He joined the Military in 1974 and by 2006 was one of two official spokesmen for the Military, the other being Lieutenant Colonel Orisi Rabukawaqa. In August 2007, he...
publicly alleged that attempts to bring the Military under the financial authority of the Home Affairs Ministry were a deliberate ploy to undermine the Military.
The same day, Home Affairs Minister Josefa Vosanibola
Josefa Vosanibola
Josefa Bole Vosanibola is a Fijian politician, who has served as Minister for Home Affairs since 16 December 2004, when he was appointed by Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase to succeed Joketani Cokanasiga...
condemned recent protests from the Military and Police about political controls on their budgets. Speaking to the Fiji Village news service, he called on the Military Commander and Police Commissioner to be more "responsible" and to respect the laws of the country.
In a move apparently linked to expected politically-imposed budget restrictions, Leweni said that the Military was taking steps to save money. Only Commodore Bainimarama, Captain Leweni, and Bainimarama's bodyguards would use cellphones from now on, he said. Other soldiers had their cellphones disconnected on on 3 October. There would also be cuts in non-essential military operations, such as maritime patrols, search and rescue, training and exercises, territorial force training, school cadet training and deployment of engineers to rural areas, Leweni said.
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...
came out in support of the security services on 10 October, saying that the government was "stupid" to try to control the budget of the Military and police forces. He alleged that the move was a ploy to manipulate the security services into conforming with government policy by cutting off their financial supply. There was already too much interference with the independence of the police, he said.
On 11 October, Military spokesman Captain Neumi Leweni
Neumi Leweni
Neumi Leweni is a Fijian Army officer and diplomat, who holds the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He hails from the Lau Islands. He joined the Military in 1974 and by 2006 was one of two official spokesmen for the Military, the other being Lieutenant Colonel Orisi Rabukawaqa. In August 2007, he...
said that relations between government and military officials had deteriorated to the point where they were no longer on speaking terms. He reiterated his earlier claims that government attempts to control the Military budget were a ploy to weaken the Military, and he vowed to challenge the government in the courts. He pledged, however, that the Military would protect the Constitution, despite its disagreement with the government.
Bainimarama and Leweni expressed mixed feelings after the government's decision to increase its budget allocation to the Military to F$76.4 million
Fijian dollar
The dollar has been the currency of Fiji since 1969 and was also the currency between 1867 and 1873. It is normally abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or alternatively FJ$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
was announced on 4 November. The figure represented a considerable increase on the F$67 million
Fijian dollar
The dollar has been the currency of Fiji since 1969 and was also the currency between 1867 and 1873. It is normally abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or alternatively FJ$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
allocated in 2004, but fell short of the F$84 million
Fijian dollar
The dollar has been the currency of Fiji since 1969 and was also the currency between 1867 and 1873. It is normally abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or alternatively FJ$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
the Military had been seeking. Because the Military had not been allocated all that they had been seeking, they would continue with their cost-cutting measures, Leweni said.
Earlier, Bainimarama had told the Fiji Live news service that there was no way he would allow the government to control the Military's budget. He and Police Commissioner Hughes both reiterated their intention to take joint legal action if talks with Home Affairs Minister Vosanibola failed to resolve the problem. "If you control the finances of an organisation, you effectively control the organisation and its operations," Hughes said. He said that his role would be compromised if the police purse strings were subject to political control.
Auditor-General charges Military with Contempt of Court
The Fiji TimesFiji 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....
reported on 30 January 2006 that Auditor-General Eroni Vatuloka had accused the Military of contempt of court
Contempt of court
Contempt of court is a court order which, in the context of a court trial or hearing, declares a person or organization to have disobeyed or been disrespectful of the court's authority...
for defying a Supreme Court
Supreme Court (Fiji)
The Supreme Court of Fiji is one of three courts established by Chapter 9 of the Constitution, the others being the High Court and the Court of Appeal. The Supreme Court is declared to be "the final appellate court of the State" - in other words, there is no judicial authority higher than the...
order to allow him and his office access to trust funds. He criticized the Military for engaging a private auditor, Ioane Naiveli, to audit the accounts without his knowledge in the late 1990s, and said that some accounts had not been audited since then.
Military spokesman Captain Neumi Leweni
Neumi Leweni
Neumi Leweni is a Fijian Army officer and diplomat, who holds the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He hails from the Lau Islands. He joined the Military in 1974 and by 2006 was one of two official spokesmen for the Military, the other being Lieutenant Colonel Orisi Rabukawaqa. In August 2007, he...
said that the Military would not comment on the matter publicly.
Vatuloka reiterated on 4 February his claim that the Military refusal to allow his office to audit its regimental fund was indeed a contempt of court, and that state solicitors would need to ask the Supreme Court
Supreme Court (Fiji)
The Supreme Court of Fiji is one of three courts established by Chapter 9 of the Constitution, the others being the High Court and the Court of Appeal. The Supreme Court is declared to be "the final appellate court of the State" - in other words, there is no judicial authority higher than the...
to declare it so.
Taniela Senikuta, spokesman for the Fiji Peacekeepers Association, said on 15 February that the association wanted to know about the status of the fund because they made compulsory contributions to it, and called on the Military to allow the fund to be audited. The fund was taxpayer-funded, not privates, Senikuta told the Fiji Village
Fiji Village
The Fiji Village is an online news service in Fiji. Published daily, it covers political, business, sporting, cultural, and other news items, and also includes the Yellow Bucket commentary, an editorial which does not necessarily reflect the views of the Fiji Village owners or staff, according to...
news service, and was therefore subject to auditing.
Military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
Orisi Rabukawaqa
Orisi Rabukawaqa
Orisi Rabukawaqa is a Fijian career soldier. As of early 2006, he holds the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and is one of two official spokesmen for the Military, the other being Major Neumi Leweni....
told Fiji Live
Fiji Live
Fijilive is an online newspaper and business and cultural directory in Fiji. The site is owned by the Future Group of Companies owned by Fiji entrepreneur Yashwant Gaunder....
on 16 February that the Military had, in fact, complied with the Supreme Court order by allowing state auditors to audit the trust fund over a period of three months in 2005. He asked the office of the Auditor General to specify the type of accounts its auditors did not have access to. The Military had already made a statement about the issue in August 2005, Rabukawaqa said.
Commander surcharged
Meanwhile, High CourtHigh Court (Fiji)
The High Court of Fiji is one of three courts established by Chapter 9 of the Constitution of Fiji—the others being the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court. The Constitution empowers Parliament to create other courts; these are subordinate to the High Court, which is authorized to oversee all...
Justice Jiten Singh ruled on 14 October that an earlier decision of the Ministry of Finance to surcharge Commodore Bainimarama for blowing his 2003 budget was unconstitutional, and ordered the Minister to pay F$800
Fijian dollar
The dollar has been the currency of Fiji since 1969 and was also the currency between 1867 and 1873. It is normally abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or alternatively FJ$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
to cover Bainimarama's court costs. In July 2004, the Ministry had accused the Commander of overspending by a total of F$116,379.95
Fijian dollar
The dollar has been the currency of Fiji since 1969 and was also the currency between 1867 and 1873. It is normally abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or alternatively FJ$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
, and announced on 13 January that he would be required to repay F$49,590.11
Fijian dollar
The dollar has been the currency of Fiji since 1969 and was also the currency between 1867 and 1873. It is normally abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or alternatively FJ$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
of it. The money would be recovered by docking his salary by F$300
Fijian dollar
The dollar has been the currency of Fiji since 1969 and was also the currency between 1867 and 1873. It is normally abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or alternatively FJ$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
every fortnight.
On 15 October, 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...
called on the government to apologize to Bainimarama. He said that the surcharge had been politically motivated. "Obviously Commodore Bainimarama has been targeted by the Government and that is why they are harassing him," Chaudhry said.
On 12 December, Military lawyer Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
Kitione Tuinaosara announced a decision to sue Finance Minister Ratu Jone Kubuabola
Jone Kubuabola
Ratu Jone Yavala Kubuabola was Fiji's Minister for Finance, a position he held starting in 2000. He also represented the South West Urban Fijian Communal constituencies in the House of Representatives, to which he was elected as a candidate of the Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua in...
for contempt of court
Contempt of court
Contempt of court is a court order which, in the context of a court trial or hearing, declares a person or organization to have disobeyed or been disrespectful of the court's authority...
, after a government decision to disregard the court order to drop the surcharge and refund money already docked from Commodore Bainimarama's pay. The Ministry claimed that the court order applied to the 1971 Financial Regulations Act, but not to the 2004 Finance Management Act or the 2005 Finance Instructions Act, and has invoked the new laws. Bainimarama will continued to be surcharged at a rate of F$381
Fijian dollar
The dollar has been the currency of Fiji since 1969 and was also the currency between 1867 and 1873. It is normally abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or alternatively FJ$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
a fortnight.
Bainimarama said on 19 December that the continuing defiance of the court order by the Finance Ministry would only worsen relations between the government and the Military. He reiterated his intention to sue the Finance Ministry on 21 December, saying that a senior official in the ministry had admitted to him that they had no grounds to levy the surcharge. "If people can treat me like that, just imagine how they are going to treat the public," the Fiji Sun
Fiji Sun
The Fiji Sun is a daily newspaper published in Fiji. Owned by Sun News Limited, it was first published in September 1999. An internet edition is also published....
quoted him as saying. He accused the ministry of displaying "a blatant disregard for the rule of law."
In a ruling delivered on 23 December, High Court
High Court (Fiji)
The High Court of Fiji is one of three courts established by Chapter 9 of the Constitution of Fiji—the others being the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court. The Constitution empowers Parliament to create other courts; these are subordinate to the High Court, which is authorized to oversee all...
Justice Jiten Singh ordered the Finance Ministry to halt the surcharge and to refund the F$6000
Fijian dollar
The dollar has been the currency of Fiji since 1969 and was also the currency between 1867 and 1873. It is normally abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or alternatively FJ$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
that had been deducted from the Commander's salary. Singh gave the Ministry till 31 January 2006 to complete the refund, and Doko Turaga, the lawyer for the Ministry of Finance, promised to comply. Singh expressed serious reservations about the independence of the proceedings that had led to the surcharge.
It was reported on 17 January 2006 that the office of the 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...
had advised the Finance Ministry to comply with the High Court directive. This followed a threat from lawyer Tuinaosara that any refusal to rescind and refund the Commander's surcharge would be held as a contempt of court
Contempt of court
Contempt of court is a court order which, in the context of a court trial or hearing, declares a person or organization to have disobeyed or been disrespectful of the court's authority...
, an offence carrying a prison term. On 26 January, however, Finance Ministry Chief Executive Officer Paula Uluinaceva said that the matter was far from resolved and that the ministry was seeking legal advice. The Commander, meanwhile, had confirmed the previous day that his pay was still being docked.
On 30 January, Fiji Live
Fiji Live
Fijilive is an online newspaper and business and cultural directory in Fiji. The site is owned by the Future Group of Companies owned by Fiji entrepreneur Yashwant Gaunder....
reported that following a meeting with state lawyers on the 27th, the Finance Ministry had decided to refund the surcharge that had been deducted from the Commander's salary. On 1 February, however, 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....
quoted Uluinaceva as saying that the ministry was awaiting further legal clarification, and would make its decision by the end of the week. On the 7th, Tuinaosara claimed to have received a letter from Uluinaceva the previous week, promising to refund the deduction, but that no payment had been made. Finance Minister Ratu
Ratu
Ratu is a title used by Fijians of chiefly rank. An equivalent title, Adi is used by females of chiefly rank.-Etymology:Ra is a prefix in many titles and Tu is simply "chief"...
Jone Kubuabola
Jone Kubuabola
Ratu Jone Yavala Kubuabola was Fiji's Minister for Finance, a position he held starting in 2000. He also represented the South West Urban Fijian Communal constituencies in the House of Representatives, to which he was elected as a candidate of the Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua in...
reacted by denying that the courts had, in fact, ordered the deductions to be discontinued and refunded. "There is no such order for a stop to the deductions," he claimed, "so we will continue to make deductions until a decision has been made and at this point, no decision has been made."
Tuinaosara announced on 13 February that on the 9th, the Military had filed contempt of court
Contempt of court
Contempt of court is a court order which, in the context of a court trial or hearing, declares a person or organization to have disobeyed or been disrespectful of the court's authority...
proceedings in the High Court against the Finance Ministry for defying the court order to stop surcharging the Commander. The Ministry was displaying a "blatant disregard" for the court order, which reflected poorly on the government, Tuinaosara said, and he had no confidence in assurances from Uluinaceva that the Ministry would reimburse the Commander later.
On 15 February, Finance Minister Kubuabola denied that there had been any court order to stop the deductions or to refund the salary already deducted. "The court only said that the relevant legislative provision we used to impose the fine was wrong and nothing else," Kubuabola said. He claimed that the government had had to borrow the money that the Military overspent, and that interest payments had amounted to F$400,000
Fijian dollar
The dollar has been the currency of Fiji since 1969 and was also the currency between 1867 and 1873. It is normally abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or alternatively FJ$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
.
Military spokesman Captain Neumi Leweni
Neumi Leweni
Neumi Leweni is a Fijian Army officer and diplomat, who holds the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He hails from the Lau Islands. He joined the Military in 1974 and by 2006 was one of two official spokesmen for the Military, the other being Lieutenant Colonel Orisi Rabukawaqa. In August 2007, he...
reacted on 17 February by claiming that the overspending had been forced by politicians' orders requiring the Military to provide security for prisoners held on Nukulau
Nukulau
Nukulau Island is a small islet belonging to Fiji. It is close to Suva, Fiji's capital, which lies about ten kilometers to the west. It is an island rich in history, which has played a pivotal role in Fiji's demographic and political development over the past 160 years.- History :Nukulau played a...
island, and to guard the Monasavu Dam. These were costly, but unbudgeted, activities, he said. Leweni accused the government of twisting the court order to stop and refund the surcharge. "The ignorance and the total disrespect for the rule of law displayed in 2000 is still very much alive as it is now being manifested in the hearts of people whom we have entrusted to oversee the affairs of the nation," Fiji Live
Fiji Live
Fijilive is an online newspaper and business and cultural directory in Fiji. The site is owned by the Future Group of Companies owned by Fiji entrepreneur Yashwant Gaunder....
quoted him as saying.
Military monitoring hate speeches
Leweni spoke out on 13 October to endorse Police Commissioner Hughes's condemnation of hate speechHate speech
Hate speech is, outside the law, any communication that disparages a person or a group on the basis of some characteristic such as race, color, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, religion, or other characteristic....
es by certain politicians. Leweni said that the Military was monitoring such speeches, and said that ordinary people were being "misled." In addition he rubbished claims that Fiji would not be ready for a nonindigenous Prime Minister for another twenty years. The Bavadra
Timoci Bavadra
Timoci Uluivuda Bavadra was a medical doctor who served for one month as the second Prime Minister of Fiji in 1987 and who founded the Fiji Labour Party....
and Chaudhry
Mahendra Chaudhry
Mahendra Pal Chaudhry is a Fijian politician and the leader of the Fiji Labour Party...
governments had not been put to the full test, he said, and should not have been judged on racial grounds. He emphatically denied, however, that the Military supports the Labour Party.
Court martial dispute
- See main article: Counter Revolutionary Warfare Unit Court Martial, FijiCounter Revolutionary Warfare Unit Court Martial, FijiThe mutiny that took place at Fiji's Queen Elizabeth Barracks in Suva on 2 November 2000, resulted in the death of four loyal soldiers. Four of the rebels were subsequently beaten to death after the rebellion had been quelled...
On 20 December 2005, Bainimarama demanded the resignation of Lesi Korovavala
Lesi Korovavala
Dr. Lesi Korovavala is a Fijian civil servant, who is currently the Chief Executive Officer of the Ministry for Home Affairs. He is a former senior Military officer with a doctorate in military studies, he reached the rank of Lieutenant Colonel...
, Chief Executive Officer in the Ministry of Home Affairs. This demand came in the wake of repeated adjournments in the courtmartial
Counter Revolutionary Warfare Unit Court Martial, Fiji
The mutiny that took place at Fiji's Queen Elizabeth Barracks in Suva on 2 November 2000, resulted in the death of four loyal soldiers. Four of the rebels were subsequently beaten to death after the rebellion had been quelled...
retrial of 20 soldiers convicted of involvement in the mutiny
Mutinies of Fiji coup of 2000
Two military mutinies took place in connection with the civilian coup d'état that rocked Fiji in 2000, the first while the rebellion instigated by George Speight was in progress, and the second four months after it had ended....
at the Queen Elizabeth Barracks
Queen Elizabeth Barracks (Fiji)
Queen Elizabeth Barracks is a Fijian Army base, located in the suburb of Nabua, in Suva. It is the national headquarters of the military.The barracks, commonly known as QEB, was the scene of an unsuccessful army mutiny on 2 November 2000...
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,...
on 2 November 2000. The adjournment was said to be due to obstacles to the appointment of lawyer Graeme Leung
Graeme Leung
Graham 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...
as Judge Advocate, but Bainimarama alleged that it was a case of political interference to make the Military toe the government line.
Clash with Home Affairs CEO
- See main article: Military unrest in Fiji, December 2005
The tension between the government and the Military appeared to escalate in late December, with Bainimarama stating his intention to commandeer Korovavala's office, and saying that he had already ordered Army engineers to secure it. He challenged Home Affairs Minister Josefa Vosanibola
Josefa Vosanibola
Josefa Bole Vosanibola is a Fijian politician, who has served as Minister for Home Affairs since 16 December 2004, when he was appointed by Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase to succeed Joketani Cokanasiga...
and his Chief Executive to visit the Queen Elizabeth Barracks and dismiss him.
Fiji's highly respected Vice-President, Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi
Joni Madraiwiwi
Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi is a Fijian lawyer, politician and was the Vice-President of Fiji from 2004 to 2006. He was sworn in on 10 January 2005, following his nomination by President, Ratu Josefa Iloilo and his subsequent approval by the Great Council of Chiefs on 15 December 2004...
, stepped in on 28 December to mediate in the dispute.
Opposition to government legislation
The Unity Bill is not the only piece of legislation to have aroused the opposition of the Military. Military spokesman Lieutenant ColonelLieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
Orisi Rabukawaqa
Orisi Rabukawaqa
Orisi Rabukawaqa is a Fijian career soldier. As of early 2006, he holds the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and is one of two official spokesmen for the Military, the other being Major Neumi Leweni....
was quoted in 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....
on 22 February 2006 as saying that the Customary Fisheries Bill, which proposes to guarantee indigenous Fishing rights, was a threat to national stability. His comment came in the face of a threat from the Viti Landowners and Resource Association to sue the goverinment if it failed to pass the legislation.
Counter criticisms
Bainimarama's detractors have accused him of hypocrisy for vehemently opposing what he sees as the government's policy of leniency towards perpetrators of the 2000 coup, when there are unanswered questions about his own role in it. They have also condemned his public opposition to certain government policies.Attempts to counter his opposition to government policies
On 23 December 2003, 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...
parliamentarian
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...
Samisoni Tikoinasau
Samisoni Tikoinasau
Samisoni Tikoinasau Speight is a Fijian politician, who held Cabinet office as Minister of State for Public Utilities and Reforms, to which he was appointed after parliametary election of May 2006. Previously, he was Minister for Lands and Mineral Resources from 2005 to 2006...
, a brother of 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...
, condemned Bainimarama for his attacks on the government's handling of coup prosecution cases while himself allegedly ignoring murder accusations against his own men. He accused Bainimarama of having sent several such suspects abroad. He said that the government would not be "intimidated" by Bainimarama's threats, and called on him to resign if he was dissatisfied with government policies. "No one is indispensable," he said.
Peni Lomaloma, a spokesman for the Minister for Home Affairs, appeared to concur with Tikoinasau, saying that it was not the business of the military to prosecute those responsible for the coups. That, he said, was the prerogative of the government and the police.
Alleged role in 2000 coup
On 25 April 2004, then-Opposition LeaderLeader 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...
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...
called on the army to answer for its failure to protect President Mara while the country was in crisis. He called this "a fundamental failure" on the part of the army.
On 5 January 2005, 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 Prime Minister Qarase, reminded the public that Bainimarama himself was currently under investigation for his role in the apparently forced resignation of President Mara. On 6 January, Bainimarama defended his role in Mara's resignation, declaring that the President had resigned voluntarily. His version of what happened, however, appeared to contradict Mara's understanding of it, expressed in his last interview before he died. On 10 January, however, Adi Ateca Ganilau
Ateca Ganilau
Adi Ateca Moce Ganilau is a Fijian public figure, best known as the eldest daughter of the former Prime Minister and President, the late Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara.- Opposition to government legislation :...
, Mara's daughter, appeared to support Bainimarama's claims, saying that her father had resigned and had refused reinstatement because he was upset by the abrogation of 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....
. "He did not agree with the abrogation of the Constitution. That was probably why he refused to return to office. It was not that the military pressured him to move out," Ganilau said. She called for a thorough investigation into the abrogation of the Constitution, and for those who were legal advisers at the time to be answerable for their actions.
On 14 April 2005, Court martial president Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Ilaisa Kacisolomone called on Bainimarama to name those who had advised him to abrogate the constitution, saying that it was his duty to the nation to reveal all that he knew. Bainimarama refused, saying that was a matter for the police to investigate.
Another accusation was made on 15 April by Lieutenant-Colonel Filipo Tarakinikini, who alleged in an affidavit against Bainimarama, President Iloilo
Josefa Iloilo
Ratu Josefa Iloilovatu Uluivuda, CF, MBE, MSD, KStJ was the President of Fiji from 2000 until 2009, excluding a brief period from 5 December 2006 until 4 January 2007 . He held the traditional title of Tui Vuda, the paramount chief of the Vuda district in Ba Province on Fiji's northwest coast...
, and 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...
that Bainimarama had prior knowledge of the coup.
On 2 May 2005, Police Commissioner Andrew Hughes
Andrew Hughes (police)
Andrew 'Andy' Hughes is a senior officer of the Australian Federal Police who, until recently, served as the Chief Police Officer for the Australian Capital Territory . The CPO position is similar to the role of Australian Commissioners of Police, that is, the chief executive of the ACT Policing...
announced that Bainimarama had volunteered to make a statement about his own role in Mara's resignation. To lay any charges, Hughes had earlier said, it would have to be proven that Bainimarama actually forced the President to resign.
Clash with Australian Foreign Minister
On a two-day visit to Fiji, from 28–30 September, AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n Foreign Minister Alexander Downer
Alexander Downer
Alexander John Gosse Downer is a former Australian Liberal Party politician who was Foreign Minister of Australia from March 1996 to December 2007, the longest-serving in Australian history...
called on the Fijian Military to respect the authority of the government and back off from its strident opposition to the controversial Unity Bill. Downer said that while the Australian government had reservations about the legislation, it was even more opposed to the notion of the Military playing politics. Downer's comments provoked an angry reaction from Commodore Bainimarama, who said that Australians have never had to live through a coup and cannot understand what it is like.
On 7 October, Home Affairs Minister Vosanibola told the Fiji Village news service that Bainimarama had been asked to explain, his recent statements. If he could not do so satisfactorily, he could be disciplined, Vosanibola said. Fiji Village also reported that the government was seeking legal advice from the office of the Solicitor General on what measures to take. Military spokesman Captain Neumi Leweni
Neumi Leweni
Neumi Leweni is a Fijian Army officer and diplomat, who holds the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He hails from the Lau Islands. He joined the Military in 1974 and by 2006 was one of two official spokesmen for the Military, the other being Lieutenant Colonel Orisi Rabukawaqa. In August 2007, he...
countered by saying that the Minister had no authority to discipline the Commander, as it is the President, not the Minister, who is Commander in Chief of the Military. By 9 October, Vosanibola had apparently adopted a more conciliatory position, telling Fiji Village that the disagreement between the commander and the Australian Foreign Minister was personal in nature, and that no disciplinary action would be taken.