DOCSLIB.ORG

Preventing the Recurrence of Coups D'état: Study of Fiji Natasha Khan

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Preventing the Recurrence of Coups D'état: Study of Fiji Natasha Khan Do Transitional Justice Strategies address Small Island Developing States niche conflicts? Preventing the recurrence of Coups d’état: Study of Fiji Natasha Khan PhD University of York Law April 2015 ABSTRACT This research, affirms that some mechanisms of the transitional justice approaches can be applicable to SIDS conflict; particularly structural conflicts. The fourth principle of the Joinet/Orentlicher Principles of ‘Dealing with the Past’; the right to non-occurrence of conflict, was utilised as a conceptual framework to research the case of Fiji, as it addresses military and institution reforms; both of which are problematic area in Fiji. Focus groups interviews, semi-structured questionnaires and key informant interviews were used to collect data. The overall research question was: ‘How can transitional justice strategies address conflicts that are distinctive to Small Island developing states?’, and the more specific questions related to amnesty, military reform and prevention of coup d’états in the future. The thesis confirms that many respondents and key informants regard amnesty for coups d’état negatively and unjust. A number of key informants also think that amnesty is bad as it sends the wrong signals to the coup perpetrators and to future generations. Respondents felt strongly (78%) that the coup perpetrators should be held accountable as coups are illegal, but they also acknowledged that the military is too strong and praetorian at this stage in Fiji to be held accountable. Findings also indicate that there were mixed views on military reform. A number of other important reforms were also suggested by the respondents to prevent the reoccurrence of coups in Fiji. These include; education to foster a national identity, and reforms to the rule of law as well as to the judiciary. This thesis concludes that transitional justice mechanisms would be applicable to small island developing states but it would need to be tailored to the country’s specific needs. Additionally, if we are to ensure that another coup does not occur in the future, Fiji has to carry out military reform and revive discussions on amnesty, or such discussions will be driven underground and may fester into future conflicts. Page 2 of 373 TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT 2 LIST OF FIGURES 6 LIST OF TABLES 6 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 7 AUTHOR’S DECLARATION 8 INTRODUCTION 9 ARGUMENT 14 RESEARCH QUESTIONS AND HYPOTHESIS 21 CONCLUSION 23 CHAPTER ONE: FIJI’S POLITICAL HISTORY 25 THE COLONIAL LEGACY 27 BACKGROUND ON FIJI MILITARY FORCES 32 FIRST COUP 35 SECOND COUP 37 THIRD COUP 39 FOURTH COUP 44 CONCLUSION 48 CHAPTER TWO: METHODOLOGY 50 FOCUS GROUP 53 SEMI-STRUCTURED QUESTIONNAIRES 55 KEY INFORMANTS 57 ETHICS 61 CONCLUSION 62 CHAPTER THREE: THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK 64 THEORIES OF COUPS D’ÉTAT 64 STRUCTURAL VIOLENCE 77 SMALL ISLAND DEVELOPING STATES (SIDS) 83 CONCLUSION 86 Page 3 of 373 CHAPTER FOUR: AMNESTY AND ITS LINKAGE WITH COUPS D’ÉTAT 90 TERMINOLOGIES DEFINED 94 INTERNATIONAL LAW’S STANCE ON AMNESTY 102 POLITICAL CRIMES: A PRECURSOR TO GROSS VIOLATIONS? 109 AMNESTY AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH COUPS D’ÉTAT 117 CONCLUSION 119 CHAPTER FIVE: SECURITY SECTOR REFORM 121 CONVERGENCE OF SECURITY SECTOR REFORM & TRANSITIONAL JUSTICE 126 STRENGTHENING THE RULE OF LAW 130 VETTING FOR ACCOUNTABILITY 137 VETTING TO PREVENT RECURRENCE OF CONFLICT 137 VETTING TO INDUCE TRUST 141 MULTIETHNIC MILITARY 143 RETHINKING SECURITY SECTOR REFORM & TRANSITIONAL JUSTICE 146 SURVIVAL OF DEMOCRACY VERSUS PRAETORIAN MILITARY 147 PARADIGM SHIFT ON HOW MILITARY IS PERCEIVED IN THE SOCIETY 150 CHALLENGES IN SSR PROGRAMMES 153 SSR CHALLENGES FOR COUNTRIES COMING OUT OF VIOLENT CONFLICT 154 SSR CHALLENGES IN PLACES OF STRUCTURAL CONFLICT. 159 CONCLUSION 162 CHAPTER 6: SHIFTING PERCEPTIONS OF COUPS 164 PERCEPTION OF COUPS: THE TRIGGERS IN FIJI’S CONFLICT 165 GOOD, BAD AND ‘GREY AREA’ COUPS 169 REASONS WHY COUPS ARE GOOD, BAD OR IN BETWEEN 171 DISCUSSION 181 CONCLUSION 186 CHAPTER 7:WEAK DEMOCRACY AND STRONG MILITARY: A COCKTAIL FOR CONFLICT 189 DEMOCRACY 190 DEMOCRACY A ‘FOREIGN FLOWER’ 190 MATURITY OF DEMOCRACY 194 UNDERSTANDING OF DEMOCRACY 195 UNDEMOCRATIC BAINIMARAMA GOVERNMENT UNDERMINES DEMOCRACY 200 DISCUSSION 207 THE ROLE OF THE MILITARY 218 DISCUSSION 227 CHAPTER 8: DISMANTLING SEGREGATED STRUCTURES AND POLICIES IN FIJI 235 COLONIAL LEGACY 235 DISCUSSION 239 LAND SECURITY AND LINKS WITH CITIZENSHIP 241 DISCUSSION 249 POLITICIZED TRADITIONAL AND RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS 253 DISCUSSION 259 PARTISAN VOTING 262 Page 4 of 373 DISCUSSION 266 CONCLUSION 269 CHAPTER 9: PREVENTING THE RECURRENCE OF COUPS IN FIJI 271 EDUCATION 271 FOSTERING NATIONAL IDENTITY THROUGH EDUCATION 272 REFORMS IN THE EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS 274 DISCUSSION 276 HOLDING COUP PERPETRATORS ACCOUNTABLE 278 AMNESTY 282 DISCUSSION 285 MILITARY REFORM 287 DISCUSSION 294 RULE OF LAW AND THE INDEPENDENCE OF THE JUDICIARY 296 DISCUSSION 302 CONCLUSION 303 CHAPTER 10: OVERALL CONCLUSIONS 305 RECOMMENDATIONS 314 LIST OF APPENDICES Annex 1: Country by Successful and Attempted Coups D’état, by Decade .................................... 317 Annex 2: Country by Coups D’état, Years under Military rule and Grant of Amnesty...................... 320 Annex 3: Timeline of tension and conflicts in Fiji; 1970 – 2010 ....................................................... 327 Annex 4: Small Island Developing States by Population, Number of Active Military, Military Expenditure and Number of Coups D’état ....................................................................................... 331 Annex 5: Fiji Military Forces Command Structure ........................................................................... 335 Annex 6: Semi-structured Questionnaire ........................................................................................ 336 Annex 7: Security Sector Reform - Key Functions of Groups & Institutions .................................... 338 Annex 8: Obstacles to Security Sector Reform Approaches ........................................................... 339 Annex 9: Structural Approaches to achieve a Multi-ethnic Military .................................................. 340 Annex 10: Speech by Commander Bainimarama on 4 January 2007 ............................................. 341 Annex 11: 2013 Fiji Constitution - Chapter 10: Immunity ................................................................ 344 Annex 12: Human Rights Watch Letter to Commodore Bainimarama ............................................ 345 Annex 13: Culture of Impunity ......................................................................................................... 350 BIBLIOGRAPHY 351 Page 5 of 373 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Conceptual Framework for Dealing with the Past .............................................................. 18 Figure 2: Map of Fiji Islands .............................................................................................................. 26 Figure 3: Number of Successful and Attempted Coups D’état, 1950-2010 ....................................... 66 Figure 4: Galtung's Conflict Triangle ................................................................................................. 77 Figure 5: Economic Institutions of Fiji; Divided along Ethnicity ......................................................... 81 Figure 6: Amnesty by Categories of Crimes .................................................................................... 108 Figure 7: Political Terror Scale for Fiji, 1986 – 2008 ....................................................................... 112 Figure 8: Grant of Amnesty for Coup related offences, by Decade ................................................. 118 Figure 9: Perceptions of coups by Ethnicity .................................................................................... 170 Figure 10: Reasons coups are bad by Ethnicity .............................................................................. 177 Figure 11: ‘Is democracy important for Fiji’ by Ethnicity .................................................................. 191 Figure 12: Why is democracy important for Fiji? ............................................................................. 192 Figure 13: Perception of democracy by perception of coups .......................................................... 194 Figure 14: What does the term democracy mean to you? ............................................................... 197 Figure 15: Reasons for Trusting the Interim Government ............................................................... 202 Figure 16: Role of Military in Fiji ...................................................................................................... 220 Figure 17: Ministries with Military Personnel in Senior Positions (31/12/2010) ............................... 232 Figure 18: Amnesty for Coup Perpetrators ...................................................................................... 283 Figure 19: Opinion on Amnesty for military coup perpetrators ........................................................ 285 Figure 20: How to address fears of military personnel for any disband/downsize reforms? ............ 291 Figure 21: Would Fijians resist to Military reform by Ethnicity ......................................................... 292 Figure 22: Why should Indo-Fijians be recruited in the military? ..................................................... 293 LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Changing Composition of Fiji's Legislature to Senate, 1875–2006 ....................................
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Blacks and Asians in Mississippi Masala, Barriers to Coalition Building
    Both Edges of the Margin: Blacks and Asians in Mississippi Masala, Barriers to Coalition Building Taunya Lovell Bankst Asians often take the middle position between White privilege and Black subordination and therefore participate in what Professor Banks calls "simultaneous racism," where one racially subordinatedgroup subordi- nates another. She observes that the experience of Asian Indian immi- grants in Mira Nair's film parallels a much earlier Chinese immigrant experience in Mississippi, indicatinga pattern of how the dominantpower uses law to enforce insularityamong and thereby control different groups in a pluralistic society. However, Banks argues that the mere existence of such legal constraintsdoes not excuse the behavior of White appeasement or group insularityamong both Asians and Blacks. Instead,she makes an appealfor engaging in the difficult task of coalition-buildingon political, economic, socialand personallevels among minority groups. "When races come together, as in the present age, it should not be merely the gathering of a crowd; there must be a bond of relation, or they will collide...." -Rabindranath Tagore1 "When spiders unite, they can tie up a lion." -Ethiopian proverb I. INTRODUCTION In the 1870s, White land owners recruited poor laborers from Sze Yap or the Four Counties districts in China to work on plantations in the Mis- sissippi Delta, marking the formal entry of Asians2 into Mississippi's black © 1998 Asian Law Journal, Inc. I Jacob A. France Professor of Equality Jurisprudence, University of Maryland School of Law. The author thanks Muriel Morisey, Maxwell Chibundu, and Frank Wu for their suggestions and comments on earlier drafts of this Article. 1.
    [Show full text]
  • Parliament of Fiji Handbook
    Parliament of Fiji Handbook Message from the Speaker The Fijian Parliament resumed its work in October 2014 following an election held in September 2014. The Constitution of the Republic of Fiji outlines the role and functions of the Parliament in Fiji’s system of governance. At one of its first sittings, the Parliament of Fiji adopted the Parliament’s Standing Orders that outline in detail the way that the Parliament operates. This Handbook is not designed to be an exhaustive, technical compendium of parliamentary procedure as we already have this in the Parliament of Fiji Standing Orders. The purpose of this Handbook is to provide a brief overview of the Parliament and it is designed for the use of all citizens. The Handbook aims to provide an introductory and straightforward description of the Parliament as an institution, the parliamentary context and the main jobs of Parliament and parliamentarians. This is a first edition, and the Handbook will be updated periodically, not least because it should be the intention of every Parliament to undergo a process of continual improvement. In developing this handbook, I am thankful to the senior Parliament staff who have provided expert technical input and the UNDP Fiji Parliament Support Project for their support in developing this important publication. Hon. Dr Jiko Luveni October 2016 Table of Contents A. Roles & Responsibilities 1 i) Rights & Responsibilities of MPs 1 Rights 1 Responsibilities 2 ii) Key Actors in Parliament 4 B. Passing a Law 6 i) Development of a Bill 6 Bill Originating from the Government 6 Bills Originating from MPs 7 ii) Stages of a Bill in Parliament 9 Introduction 9 2nd Reading 10 Standing Committee 11 Committee of the Whole Parliament on Bills 12 3rd Reading 14 Coming into Force 14 C.
    [Show full text]
  • State Societyand Governancein Melanesia
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by The Australian National University Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies State, Society and Governance in Melanesia StateSociety and in Governance Melanesia DISCUSSION PAPER Discussion Paper 2008/10 COURTS AND COUPS IN FIJI: THE 2008 HIGH COURT JUDGMENT IN QARASE V BAINIMARAMA INTRODUCTION not provided for in the constitution, and that GEORGE ‘exceptional circumstances existed’ because WILLIAMS On 21st October 2008, the State, Society ‘the stability of the State was endangered’. & Governance in Melanesia Program held a The decision effectively legitimised the interim GRAHAM workshop entitled Courts and Coups; Fiji’s government that had emerged in the wake of LEUNG October 2008 High Court Judgment in the Fiji’s December 5 2006 military coup. Qarase v Bainimarama Case. This brought together George Williams, the Anthony In the first of the four papers included ANTHONY J. Mason Professor in the Faculty of Law at here, Professor George Williams, who REGAN the University of New South Wales, Graham served as Counsel in the 2001 Chandrika Leung, the Managing Partner of Howards Prasad case - which ruled the government JON Lawyers in Suva, as well as Anthony Regan that arose after Fiji’s 2000 coup to be illegal FRAENKEL and Jon Fraenkel from the State, Society - discusses the precedents set by that earlier & Governance in Melanesia Program at case, and how these were dealt with by the ANU. The meeting was chaired by Duncan Fiji judges in 2008. In the second paper, Kerr, Australia’s Parliamentary Secretary for Graham Leung, a lawyer who practises in Fiji Pacific Affairs.
    [Show full text]
  • Fiji's Road to Military Coup, 20061
    2. 'Anxiety, uncertainty and fear in our land': Fiji's road to military coup, 20061 Brij V. Lal Introduction If civilization is to survive, one is driven to radical views. I do not mean driven to violence. Violence always compromises or ruins the cause it means to serve: it produces as much wrong as it tries to remedy. The State, for example, is always with us. Overthrow it and it will come back in another form, quite possibly worse. It's a necessary evilÐa monster that continually has to be tamed, so that it serves us rather than devours us. We can't do without it, neither can we ever trust it.2 Fiji experienced the whole gamut of emotions over the course of a fateful 2006. The year ended on an unsettled note, as it had begun. Fiji was yet again caught in a political quagmire of its own making, hobbled by manufactured tensions, refusing to heed the lessons of its recent tumultuous past, and reeling from the effects of the coup. Ironies abound. A Fijian army confronted a Fijian government, fuelling the indigenous community's worst fears about a Fijian army spilling Fijian blood on Fijian soil. The military overthrow took place 19 years to the day after frustrated coup-maker of 1987 Sitiveni Rabuka had handed power back to Fiji's civilian leaders, Ratu Sir Penaia Ganilau and Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, paving the way for the eventual return to parliamentary democracy. The 2006 coup, like the previous ones, deposed a democratically elected government. Perhaps more importantly, it peremptorily sidelined the once powerful cultural and social institutions of the indigenous community, notably the Methodist Church and the Great Council of Chiefs (GCC)3 ± severing with a startling abruptness the overarching influence they had exercised in national life.
    [Show full text]
  • 2016 Country Review
    Fiji 2016 Country Review http://www.countrywatch.com Table of Contents Chapter 1 1 Country Overview 1 Country Overview 2 Key Data 4 Fiji 5 Pacific Islands 6 Chapter 2 8 Political Overview 8 History 9 Political Conditions 10 Political Risk Index 42 Political Stability 57 Freedom Rankings 72 Human Rights 84 Government Functions 87 Government Structure 92 Principal Government Officials 100 Leader Biography 101 Leader Biography 101 Foreign Relations 104 National Security 109 Defense Forces 111 Chapter 3 114 Economic Overview 114 Economic Overview 115 Nominal GDP and Components 117 Population and GDP Per Capita 118 Real GDP and Inflation 119 Government Spending and Taxation 120 Money Supply, Interest Rates and Unemployment 121 Foreign Trade and the Exchange Rate 122 Data in US Dollars 123 Energy Consumption and Production Standard Units 124 Energy Consumption and Production QUADS 125 World Energy Price Summary 126 CO2 Emissions 127 Agriculture Consumption and Production 128 World Agriculture Pricing Summary 130 Metals Consumption and Production 131 World Metals Pricing Summary 133 Economic Performance Index 134 Chapter 4 146 Investment Overview 146 Foreign Investment Climate 147 Foreign Investment Index 151 Corruption Perceptions Index 164 Competitiveness Ranking 175 Taxation 184 Stock Market 184 Partner Links 185 Chapter 5 186 Social Overview 186 People 187 Human Development Index 188 Life Satisfaction Index 192 Happy Planet Index 203 Status of Women 213 Global Gender Gap Index 215 Culture and Arts 225 Etiquette 227 Travel Information 228 Diseases/Health Data 237 Chapter 6 243 Environmental Overview 243 Environmental Issues 244 Environmental Policy 252 Greenhouse Gas Ranking 253 Global Environmental Snapshot 264 Global Environmental Concepts 275 International Environmental Agreements and Associations 289 Appendices 314 Bibliography 315 Fiji Chapter 1 Country Overview Fiji Review 2016 Page 1 of 327 pages Fiji Country Overview FIJI Fiji became independent in 1970 after nearly a century as a British colony.
    [Show full text]
  • The Migration of Indians to Eastern Africa: a Case Study of the Ismaili Community, 1866-1966
    University of Central Florida STARS Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019 2019 The Migration of Indians to Eastern Africa: A Case Study of the Ismaili Community, 1866-1966 Azizeddin Tejpar University of Central Florida Part of the African History Commons Find similar works at: https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd University of Central Florida Libraries http://library.ucf.edu This Masters Thesis (Open Access) is brought to you for free and open access by STARS. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019 by an authorized administrator of STARS. For more information, please contact [email protected]. STARS Citation Tejpar, Azizeddin, "The Migration of Indians to Eastern Africa: A Case Study of the Ismaili Community, 1866-1966" (2019). Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019. 6324. https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd/6324 THE MIGRATION OF INDIANS TO EASTERN AFRICA: A CASE STUDY OF THE ISMAILI COMMUNITY, 1866-1966 by AZIZEDDIN TEJPAR B.A. Binghamton University 1971 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in the Department of History in the College of Arts and Humanities at the University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida Spring Term 2019 Major Professor: Yovanna Pineda © 2019 Azizeddin Tejpar ii ABSTRACT Much of the Ismaili settlement in Eastern Africa, together with several other immigrant communities of Indian origin, took place in the late nineteenth century and early twentieth centuries. This thesis argues that the primary mover of the migration were the edicts, or Farmans, of the Ismaili spiritual leader. They were instrumental in motivating Ismailis to go to East Africa.
    [Show full text]
  • Crossing the Line Between News and the Business of News: Exploring Journalists' Use of Twitter Jukes, Stephen
    www.ssoar.info Crossing the line between news and the business of news: exploring journalists' use of Twitter Jukes, Stephen Veröffentlichungsversion / Published Version Zeitschriftenartikel / journal article Empfohlene Zitierung / Suggested Citation: Jukes, S. (2019). Crossing the line between news and the business of news: exploring journalists' use of Twitter. Media and Communication, 7(1), 248-258. https://doi.org/10.17645/mac.v7i1.1772 Nutzungsbedingungen: Terms of use: Dieser Text wird unter einer CC BY Lizenz (Namensnennung) zur This document is made available under a CC BY Licence Verfügung gestellt. Nähere Auskünfte zu den CC-Lizenzen finden (Attribution). For more Information see: Sie hier: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.de Media and Communication (ISSN: 2183–2439) 2019, Volume 7, Issue 1, Pages 248–258 DOI: 10.17645/mac.v7i1.1772 Article Crossing the Line between News and the Business of News: Exploring Journalists’ Use of Twitter Stephen Jukes Faculty of Media and Communication, Bournemouth University, Poole, BH12 5BB, UK; E-Mail: [email protected] Submitted: 7 September 2018 | Accepted: 4 January 2018 | Published: 21 March 2019 Abstract Anglo-American journalism has typically drawn a firm dividing line between those who report the news and those who run the business of news. This boundary, often referred to in the West as a ‘Chinese Wall’, is designed to uphold the inde- pendence of journalists from commercial interests or the whims of news proprietors. But does this separation still exist in today’s age of social media and at a time when news revenues are under unprecedented pressure? This article focuses on Twitter, now a widely used tool in the newsroom, analysing the Twitter output of 10 UK political correspondents during the busy party conference season.
    [Show full text]
  • Melanesia in Review: Issues and Events, 2002
    Melanesia in Review: Issues and Events, 2002 Reviews of West Papua and Solomon mined, circumvented and ignored by Islands are not included in this issue. the highest in the land including those who were sworn in to uphold it” Fiji (Times, 19 May, 10). During the final The political and economic highlights months of 2002, the Fiji Labour Party in Fiji in 2002 have again brought and some quasi-political civil society into sharp focus a lesson painfully movements like the Citizens Constitu- learned after the 1987 military coups: tional Forum (ccf) questioned why it takes years to recover from the neg- some members of Parliament had been ative ramifications of any national permitted to continue serving in Prime political upheaval. The economic and Minister Qarase’s cabinet despite sociopolitical fallout of the May 2000 videotaped evidence of their close civilian coup in Fiji continued to involvement in the May 2000 civilian impact major events in both the uprising. The extensive video footage politico-legal and economic domains of siege activities at the Veiuto Parlia- of the nation during the year. The mentary Complex emerged during the path to economic recovery and socio- first treason trial of Josefa Nata and political normalcy was generally shaky Timoci Silatolu, which commenced on and fraught with difficulties. The local 26 November and featured deposed tabloids regularly featured major Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry scams within the civil service, exacer- as a key state witness (Post, 27 Nov, bated by gross fiscal mismanagement 2; Times, 29 Nov, 1). Following the by the state and a general lack of 14 November conviction of fifteen political goodwill between the major former Counter Revolutionary War- political parties—the ruling Soqosoqo fare Unit soldiers who had been found Duavata ni Lewenivanua (sdl) and guilty of the November 2000 mutiny the opposition Fiji Labour Party (flp).
    [Show full text]
  • Gender Violence & Human Rights: Seeking Justice in Fiji, Papua New
    Gender Violence & HUMAN RIGHTS SEEKING JUSTICE IN FIJI, PAPUA NEW GUINEA & VANUATU Gender Violence & HUMAN RIGHTS SEEKING JUSTICE IN FIJI, PAPUA NEW GUINEA & VANUATU Edited by Aletta Biersack, Margaret Jolly & Martha Macintyre Published by ANU Press The Australian National University Acton ACT 2601, Australia Email: [email protected] This title is also available online at press.anu.edu.au National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry Title: Gender violence and human rights : seeking justice in Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu / editors : Aletta Biersack, Margaret Jolly, Martha Macintyre. ISBN: 9781760460709 (paperback) 9781760460716 (ebook) Subjects: Sex discrimination against women--Fiji. Sex discrimination against women--Papua New Guinea. Sex discrimination against women--Vanuatu. Women’s rights--Fiji. Women’s rights--Papua New Guinea. Women’s rights--Vanuatu. Other Creators/Contributors: Biersack, Aletta, editor. Jolly, Margaret 1949- editor. Macintyre, Martha, editor. Dewey Number: 305.420995 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. Cover design and layout by ANU Press. The editors thank Mitiana Arbon for his help with the cover and Martha Macintyre for use of her photograph ‘Woman in Kavieng market, wearing a T-shirt promoting human rights, Papua New Guinea’, for the cover. This edition © 2016 ANU Press Contents List of Maps and Figures . vii Acknowledgements . ix Abbreviations and Acronyms . xi Introduction: Gender Violence and Human Rights in the Western Pacific . 1 Aletta Biersack and Martha Macintyre 1 . Villages, Violence and Atonement in Fiji .
    [Show full text]
  • 'The People Have Spoken …'
    1 ‘The People Have Spoken …’ Steven Ratuva and Stephanie Lawson Fiji’s general elections of 17 September 2014, held eight years after Fiji’s fourth coup, saw some significant firsts, generated largely by new constitutional arrangements. These included a radically deracialised electoral system in which the entire country forms a single electorate and utilises open-list proportional representation. This system, brought in under the regime of coup leader Voreqe (Frank) Bainimarama, was designed first and foremost to encourage a shift away from previous patterns of electoral behaviour which, due in large measure to provisions for communal electorates and voting, were inevitably attuned to communal political identities and the perceived interests attached to them. Elections under such a system certainly allowed ‘the people’ to speak, but in a way which gave primacy to those particular identities and interests and, arguably, contributed to a political culture that saw democracy itself severely undermined in the process. This was illustrated only too clearly by the recurrence of coups d’état between 1987 and 2006 that all revolved, in one way or another, around issues of communal identity expressed through discourses of indigenous Fijian (Taukei) rights versus those of other ethnic or racial communities, especially of those of Indian descent. These discourses remain highly salient politically but, under the Constitution promulgated by the Bainimarama regime in 2013, they are no longer supported institutionally via electoral arrangements. As a result, political parties have generally been forced to at least 1 THE PEOPLE Have SPOKEN attempt to appeal to all ethnic communities. These institutional changes have brought Fiji’s political system much closer to the standard model of liberal democracy in which ‘one person, one vote, one value’ is a basic norm.
    [Show full text]
  • 5. Fragments from a Fiji Coup Diary
    DIVERSITY, IDENTITY AND THE MEDIA 5. Fragments from a Fiji coup diary ABSTRACT Fiji has endured four coups in the past 22 years. On 10 April 2009, President Ratu Josefa Iloilo suspended the Constitution, sacked the judi- ciary, postponed any general election until 2014 and appointed himself as head of state. He reinstated 2006 coup leader Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama as interim Prime Minister, who in turn reappointed his cabi- net in defiance of international condemnation. A censorship crackdown on the media and civil society followed. The author is a media educator and journalist who worked for a total of 11 years at the University of the South Pacific, including experiencing both the 2000 and the 2006 coups. He later returned to Fiji as social media educator for the National Council for Building a Better Fiji (NCBBF). The Council was critical of the media during the period it developed a draft of the People’s Charter. It recom- mended changes to the law to establish a Media Tribunal, which was also planned to encourage qualified local personnel for editorial, subeditorial and publisher positions; provide a wide diversity of local programmes for television media and develop community radio and community television through a media tax. While the People’s Charter was seen as a neces- sary and constructive contribution to the future of Fiji, the leadership of Bainimarama was questioned after the repeal of the constitution. This arti- cle, opening with the author’s open letter to Bainimarama after the Easter putsch, offers reflections from a coup diary. PATRICK CRADDOCK Media educator, New Zealand AN open letter to the interim regime leader of the Republic of Fiji: ear Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama, So—only good news can be reported.
    [Show full text]
  • Elections and Politics in Fiji
    i ii iii Co-Published by ANU E Press and Asia Pacific Press The Australian National Unversity Canberra ACT 0200 Email: [email protected] Website: http://epress.anu.edu.au National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry Lal, Brij V. Islands of turmoil : elections and politics in Fiji. Bibliography. Includes index. ISBN 0 7315 3751 3 ISBN 1 920942 75 0 (Online document) 1. Fiji - Politics and government. 2. Fiji - Social conditions. 3. Fiji - Economic conditions. I. Title. 996.11 This work is copyright. Apart from those uses which may be permitted under the Copyright Act 1968 as amended, no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission from the publishers. The views expressed in this book are those of the author and not necessarily of the publishers. Editor: Bridget Maidment Publisher: Asia Pacific Press and ANU E Press Design: Annie Di Nallo Design Printers: University Printing Service, The Australian National University Cover photo, Nukulau Prison, is copyright and used with permission (www.fijilive.com). Author photo by Darren Boyd, Coombs Photography. First edition © 2006 ANU E Press and Asia Pacific Press For the people of the Fiji Islands There is a dawn at the end of the darkest night v Contents Abbreviations vii Preface viii 1. The road to independence 1 2. Continuity and change 24 3. Things fall apart 49 4. Back from the abyss 77 5. Rabuka’s republic 100 6. Charting a new course 126 7. A time to change 155 8. George Speight’s coup 185 9. In George Speight’s shadow 206 10.
    [Show full text]