Situation in Fiji still volatile
Fiji’s Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase claimed victory for his governing United Fiji Party (SDL) following racially-charged general elections in the South Pacific island nation.
He also promised to end a damaging stand-off with the country’s military leader over plans to offer amnesties to the plotters of a 2000 coup which deposed the country’s first ethnic Indian prime minister Mahendra Chaudhry.
“The SDL party and my colleagues feel honoured and privileged to be the government of the day for the next five years,” Qarase said on commercial radio.
However, in a disturbing move, the Commander of Fiji’s military, Commodore Frank Bainimarama, this morning has raised the spectre of the 2000 coup and said he will not rule out the possibility of martial law in the Pacific island state if caretaker Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase continues to “fight the military”.
Mr Bainimarama said he accepted the outcome of Fiji’s recent national elections but would not tolerate efforts to destabilise the military.
“I agree we have voted this political party in but I doubt very much the people have voted this party in to fight the military.
“If a political party tries to fight the Fiji military forces, after the events of 2000, I don’t think that’s going to work,” he said in a pointed reference to the overthrow of the democratically elected Fijian government led by Indo-Fijian Mahendra Chaudry in 2000.
He also said he had spoken to the two independent MPs who could hold the balance of power in the new parliament and asked them to “think about the implications” of supporting SDL.
Graham Muldoon
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