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Les Rôles Politiques Des Militaires Fidjiens. Une Histoire Des Guerriers

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Les Rôles Politiques Des Militaires Fidjiens. Une Histoire Des Guerriers Université de la Nouvelle-Calédonie École doctorale du Pacifique (ED 469) Centre des Nouvelles Études pour le Pacifique (CNEP, EA 4242) Les rôles politiques des militaires fidjiens Une histoire des guerriers, héros des conflits mondiaux, soldats de la paix, putschistes et hommes d’État, des premiers contacts avec les Occidentaux au gouvernement Bainimarama. Thèse pour obtenir le grade de docteur en histoire présentée et soutenue publiquement le 5 mai 2011 par Hélène GOIRAN Sous la direction de Claire LAUX, MCF/HDR à l’Université Michel de Montaigne Bordeaux 3 (CEMMC, EA 2958) Bernard RIGO, Professeur à l’Université de la Nouvelle-Calédonie (CNEP, EA 4242) JURY : Pierre-Yves BEAUREPAIRE, Professeur à l’Université de la Nouvelle-Calédonie Jean-Pierre DOUMENGE, Professeur émérite à l’Université Paul Valéry Montpellier 3 Claire LAUX, MCF/HDR à l’Université Michel de Montaigne Bordeaux 3 Jean-Marc REGNAULT, MCF/HDR honoraire à l’Université de la Polynésie française Bernard RIGO, Professeur à l’Université de la Nouvelle-Calédonie Remerciements Je n’aurais pas pu mener ma recherche à son terme sans l’aide de nombreuses personnes à qui j’exprime ma sincère et profonde reconnaissance. Feu les Professeurs Paul de Deckker et François Doumenge sont à l’origine de cette étude. Sans leurs conseils, leurs encouragements, leur confiance, je n’aurais jamais entrepris ni, a fortiori, accompli ce travail. J’espère qu’ils l’auraient trouvé satisfaisant. Je remercie aussi très sincèrement les universitaires qui m’ont encadrée et soutenue, en particulier mes directeurs de recherches, Claire Laux et Bernard Rigo, ainsi que les diplomates français, les militaires fidjiens, mes nombreux correspondants, chercheurs, bibliothécaires, archivistes, fidjiens, australiens, néo-zélandais, tongiens, français, et tous ceux qui se sont intéressés à ce travail : j’ai bénéficié de leur expertise, de leurs réseaux de connaissances, de leurs bibliothèques. Mes parents et mes enfants m’ont apporté le soutien sans faille sans lequel je n’aurais pas pu parvenir au bout de cette thèse. Davantage que quiconque ils ont subi les conséquences de mon engagement dans cette entreprise personnelle, avec ses doutes et ses difficultés. Mes enfants y ont en outre participé directement en réalisant des illustrations que je souhaitais voir figurer dans mon texte. J’espère que, au-delà de leur soulagement de voir cette thèse terminée, ils sont fiers de moi. LES ROLES POLITIQUES DES MILITAIRES FIDJIENS 3 Résumé L’État fidjien est fortement marqué par le fait militaire et le militarisme. La société précoloniale était largement fondée sur la guerre et l’art de la faire. L’administration britannique et les missions chrétiennes ont fait cesser les conflits armés mais les Fidjiens, héritiers d’une puissante tradition guerrière, ont cherché à la maintenir en l’adaptant et l’ont utilisée pour rétablir puis consolider leur pouvoir politique ; d’abord dans le cadre de la colonisation, puis pour préparer l’indépendance et donner à leur pays souverain une place significative sur la scène internationale. Depuis 1978, des milliers de soldats fidjiens ont été, et sont déployés au Liban et au Sinaï, ainsi que sur de nombreux autres théâtres extérieurs, s’illustrant par leur courage et leur efficacité. Aujourd’hui encore, du fait de leur valeur, et, malgré le coup d’État du 5 décembre 2006 et les sanctions internationales décidées contre le gouvernement Bainimarama, l’ONU confie aux militaires fidjiens la protection de ses représentants et de ses installations en Irak. L’armée occupe une place prépondérante dans la société fidjienne et joue un rôle politique majeur, qui a, sur le plan intérieur, complètement changé d’orientation en quelques années : il y a vingt ans, les Royal Fiji Military Forces, avec le colonel Rabuka, avaient pris le pouvoir pour protéger les intérêts des Mélanésiens menacés par les Indo- Fidjiens. Depuis 2006, solidaires du Commodore Bainimarama, ils se présentent comme les promoteurs d’un futur État multiracial et démocratique, dans lequel chaque citoyen, quelle que soit son origine ethnique, aura les mêmes droits et devoirs. En attendant, ils tiennent le pays sous contrôle étroit et il n’est pas question d’élections avant 2014. Mots clefs : Fidji – Armée – Militaires – Politique – Coup d’État – Maintien de la paix – Guerres mondiales. LES ROLES POLITIQUES DES MILITAIRES FIDJIENS 4 Abstract The Fiji Military have long-lasting political roles. Their ancestors, the Chiefs’ warriors, were determining in making or maintaining the leaders. During the early colonial days, constituted in an Armed Native Constabulary, some of them were employed for the « pacification » of tribes resisting the British and missionary presence. In 1914, subjects of the Crown, they wanted to fight for the Queen, but the British Command refused these coloured men. The famous Ratu Sukuna enlisted in the French Foreign Legion. He later convinced the colonial authority to send a Labour Detachment of about one hundred Fijians to Europe. During the Second World War, thousands of Fijians fought in Bougainville and the Solomons. Despite the perilous situation, the Fijian losses were scarce, because of their skills and aptitudes. The impression they left was enduring: in the 1950s, London asked for a Fijian Battalion for the Malayan Campaign. In 1970, the new sovereign State turned the Fiji Defence Force into the Royal Fiji Military Forces, soon to participate in peacekeeping missions, becoming a powerful instrument of international policy. Since the beginning of the Fiji history, the Military Forces have been the strong support of the long-established customary leaders and Methodist Church, including by conducting the coup of 1987 with Sitiveni Rabuka to protect the traditional Melanesian interest. From the year 2000, behind Commodore Bainimarama, the Army reinforced its political role but completely changed its position, declaring to want equal rights and duties for all the citizens, and contesting the archaic customary power, until conducting the 2006 Coup that led to the current military regime. Key words: Fiji – Military – Politics – Coup d’etat – Peace keeping – World Wars. LES ROLES POLITIQUES DES MILITAIRES FIDJIENS 5 Carte des Fidji dans le Pacifique1 1 Carte du site Internet http://whale.wheelock.edu consulté le 30 avril 2011. LES ROLES POLITIQUES DES MILITAIRES FIDJIENS 6 Carte générale des Fidji2 2 Carte du site officiel du gouvernement fidjien: www.fiji.gov.fj consulté le 5 septembre 2006. LES ROLES POLITIQUES DES MILITAIRES FIDJIENS 7 Carte des 14 provinces et des 4 divisions des Fidji3 3 Crosbie WALSH, Fiji: An Encyclopedic Atlas, 2006, p. 2. Cet ouvrage contient de nombreuses cartes thématiques précises et commentées. L’auteur anime un « blog » consacré aux Fidji, http://crosbiew.blogspot.com dont les bulletins quotidiens permettent de suivre l’évolution de la situation. Les « blogs » sur la situation aux Fidji sont nombreux. Certains sont très critiques, voire outranciers ; celui de Crosbie Walsh, sous-titré : « Fiji: the way it was, is and can be » est modéré et encourage les Fidjiens à aller de l’avant : « What’s happening in Fiji and why. Reports, opinions and comments that aim to help Fiji move forward to the election of a truly representative government serving all the people in 2014. What’s happened has happened… We can’t change that. But let’s try and be positive, focus on ways of trying to instil hope… » LES ROLES POLITIQUES DES MILITAIRES FIDJIENS 8 Sommaire INTRODUCTION GENERALE. L’EXCEPTION FIDJIENNE PREMIERE PARTIE. HISTOIRE DES MILITAIRES FIDJIENS JUSQU’EN 1987 : DES GUERRIERS ET SOLDATS AU SERVICE DE L’ESTABLISHMENT CHAPITRE PREMIER. LES GUERRIERS DES TEMPS PRECOLONIAUX SECTION 1 : LES COMBATTANTS DES CHEFS SECTION 2 : L’INFLUENCE DES OCCIDENTAUX SUR LES GUERRES SECTION 3. LE « ROI » CAKOBAU ET SON ARMÉE CONCLUSION DU CHAPITRE. LES GUERRIERS, PUISSANT INSTRUMENT DE POUVOIR CHAPITRE 2. LES SOLDATS DE LA COLONIE SECTION 1 : LES FIDJI DANS LA PREMIÈRE GUERRE MONDIALE SECTION 2 : LES FIDJI DANS LA SECONDE GUERRE MONDIALE SECTION 3. LES FIDJI DANS LA CAMPAGNE DE MALAISIE CONCLUSION DU CHAPITRE. LES SOLDATS DE L’EMPIRE, DIGNES HÉRITIERS DES GUERRIERS. CHAPITRE 3 : L’ARMEE DES FIDJI INDEPENDANTES, 1970-1987 SECTION 1. LA CRÉATION DES ROYAL FIJI MILITARY FORCES SECTION 2. LES RFMF ET LES MISSIONS DE MAINTIEN DE LA PAIX SECTION 3. LA PLACE DES RFMF DANS LES FIDJI DE RATU MARA CONCLUSION DU CHAPITRE. L’ARMÉE, UN OUTIL EFFICACE DE LA POLITIQUE DE RATU MARA CONCLUSION DE LA PREMIERE PARTIE. LES ROLES POLITIQUES DES MILITAIRES FIDJIENS JUSQU’EN 1987, CONFORMES AUX PRINCIPES GENERAUX DU DROIT DEUXIEME PARTIE. LES ANNEES RABUKA : L’APOGEE DU « RATUISME » CHAPITRE PREMIER. LE CONTEXTE DU COUP D’ÉTAT DU 14 MAI 1987 SECTION 1. LES FIDJI EN 1987 SECTION 2 : LES ÉLECTIONS D’AVRIL SECTION 3. LES PROTAGONISTES CONCLUSION DU CHAPITRE. TRADITIONS, RELIGION CHRÉTIENNE, RUGBY ET « RATUISME » CHAPITRE 2. LES COUPS D’ÉTAT DE SITIVENI RABUKA SECTION 1 : LE « COUP » DU 14 MAI 1987 SECTION 2 : LES SUITES DE L’ACTION DE FORCE SECTION 3 : LE COUP DU 25 SEPTEMBRE 1987 CONCLUSION DU CHAPITRE : TURAGA ET BATI OU RABUKA COMME UNE INCARNATION DU GUERRIER TRADITIONNEL ? CHAPITRE 3. SITIVENI RABUKA, PREMIER MINISTRE. SECTION 1 : LES ÉLECTIONS DE MAI 1992 ET LA TRANSFORMATION DU PUTSCHISTE EN LEADER ÉLU SECTION 2 : LES POLITIQUES DES GOUVERNEMENTS RABUKA SECTION 3. LA RÉVISION DE LA CONSTITUTION : UNE ATTÉNUATION DU NATIONALISME CONCLUSION DU CHAPITRE. LE GÉNÉRAL - PREMIER MINISTRE ET SON ARMÉE CONCLUSION DE LA DEUXIEME PARTIE. LE BILAN DES ANNEES RABUKA, 1987-1999 : D’UN COUP D’ÉTAT MILITAIRE ULTRA-NATIONALISTE A UN ETHNO-CENTRISME TEMPERE LES ROLES POLITIQUES DES MILITAIRES FIDJIENS 9 TROISIEME PARTIE. LES FIDJI DU COMMODORE BAINIMARAMA : UNE CULTURE DU COUP D’ÉTAT ? CHAPITRE PREMIER. LE COUP D’ÉTAT DE GEORGE SPEIGHT SECTION 1. LES ÉLECTIONS DE MAI 1999 SECTION 2. L’ARMÉE FIDJIENNE DE 1999 SECTION 3 LE COUP D’ÉTAT DE GEORGE SPEIGHT SECTION 4.
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