Fiji’s PM goes home

While deposed by Fiji’s military Commander, Fiji Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase predicts that thousands of Fijians will rise up peacefully against the leaders of the coup that ousted him.

He told the ABC yesterday, “I have not resigned, I will not resign and legally I am still the Prime Minister.”

He also earlier appealed to his people to stand up and “fight for our democracy” through peaceful means, said he believed they would heed his call, adding, “I believe there will be a peaceful reaction by thousands and thousands in the next few days and I believe that may change things”.

Mr Qarase was speaking shortly before flying with his wife to his home island in Fiji’s remote Lau group, leaving behind a capital under the control of military commander Commodore Frank Bainimarama, who on Tuesday took over the powers of the President, sacked Mr Qarase and appointed an interim Prime Minister.

Australia, New Zealand and Britain have announced sanctions following the takeover, while the United States has announced a cut in aid and the Commonwealth is expected to suspend Fiji’s membership.

Qarase said late on Tuesday that the military had “raped the constitution”, brought shame on Fiji and made it a laughing stock, saying, “What the military commander has done is that he has raped the constitution and we have become the laughing stock of the world”.

“They have bought shame to the country. It is a national embarrassment.” “I don’t think that we should take this lying down”.

Meanwhile Mr Qarase has denied that he asked Australia for military help, saying he was only making an inquiry, with PM John Howard on Tuesday saying Mr Qarase had called him asking for Australian military intervention to try to avert the coup.

Mr Howard said he refused the request and, within hours, the military takeover was complete.

Mr Qarase said that he had not made a formal request for Australian military intervention, saying “I did not request Australian military intervention, I was making an inquiry because I wanted to know the options available to me under the circumstances”.  “I can only ask for intervention with the backing of my Cabinet and the National Security Council.”  “I did make the inquiry with your Prime Minister on my own initiative as Prime Minister, but there has been some misunderstanding”.

Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said that Mr Qarase had made three requests for military help – on Tuesday, on Monday and just over a week ago.

Mr Qarase and his wife Leba flew out of Suva aboard a charter flight around 4.30am (0330 AEDT) today to Mavana in the remote Lau island group in Fiji’s north-east.

Bainimarama is scheduled to meet CEO’s of government ministries later today to give instructions, the military chief saying on Tuesday that executives would be asked to run the ministries until an interim government was appointed.

On Tuesday he said he had temporarily stepped into President Ratu Josefa Iloilo’s role as Head of State and dismissed the government of Laisenia Qarase after a power struggle that had simmered all year.

Promising that the takeover would not be permanent, Bainimarama said he had appointed little known Jona Senilagakali Baravilala, a former military doctor and political novice, as interim prime minister before fresh elections are called.

The latest coup is expected to severely damage Fiji’s fragile sugar and tourism industries, just like previous upheavals, with tourism bookings already falling and Australia issuing a travel advisory saying: “Political tensions could lead to mob violence and civil disorder.”

Report by The Mole