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Melanesia in Review: Issues and Events, 1997 Melanesia in Review: Issues and Events, 1997 Reviews of Solomon Islands and divisions. Meanwhile open warfare Vanuatu are not included in this issue. erupted between Reddy and the Labour Party leader, Mahendra Chaudhry. Rabuka faced his first major chal- Fiji lenge of the year when the Great Fiji’s long journey toward constitu- Council of Chiefs met in January and tional reform ended in 1997 with the moved to end their formal role as adoption of the bill amending the 1990 sponsor of the Soqosoqo ni Vaka- constitution. This closed a chapter in vulewa ni Taukei. Their aim was to Fiji’s history that began with the coups become a more independent body, of 1987. A new era was ushered in that playing a greater part in policy formu- many hoped would be marked by lation. In what was interpreted as a political stability and progress in deal- rebuke to the prime minister, the chiefs ing with pressing social and economic alleged that they were becoming a issues. “rubber stamp” of the party and the To some extent Fiji came full circle government. The issue seemed to fuel in 1997 by returning to constitutional dissent against Rabuka within the consensus and Commonwealth party, with claims that he (as party membership. Much of this may be leader) had caused a falling-out with attributed to the leadership of Prime the Great Council of Chiefs “by failing Minister Sitiveni Rabuka. By pushing to return leadership to the chiefs” through constitutional amendments (Post, 29 Jan 1997, 1). that returned Fiji to a political system More evidence of dissent surfaced more fair and just to all citizens, the when it was revealed that a Malaysian prime minister proved to his doubters constitutional expert and former high and detractors that he was committed court judge, sent to Fiji to advise the to a new Fiji, one built on partnership government on the constitutional between the different races. Opposi- review, had recommended rejecting the tion Leader Jai Ram Reddy also played 1996 Reeves report on the constitution a crucial role. The close working rela- (Reeves, Vakatora, and Lal 1996). His tionship forged by these two leaders assessment was that the report was stands out as one of the highlights of “null and void” because one member the year. of the Constitutional Review Commis- This course was by no means sion was not impartial, the terms of smooth for either man. As Rabuka’s reference were changed, and the com- stature increased, at both national and mission members were not jurists. One international levels, rifts within his unnamed government spokesperson own party, the Soqosoqo ni Vaka- welcomed the assessment on the vulewa ni Taukei (svt) grew wider, grounds that the Reeves report did not as did Fijian provincial and chiefly express the Fijian view nor secure 424 political reviews • melanesia 425 Fijian rights. But other parties, includ- Dissent also boiled over in the Great ing the National Federation Party Council of Chiefs and the various pro- (nfp), Fiji Labour Party (flp), and vincial councils. Said one high chief Fijian Association Party (fap), con- from Rabuka’s own province, demned the remarks. Opposition Cakaudrove, “We want the 1990 con- Leader Reddy described this develop- stitution retained: no more, no less” ment as a “prelude to sabotage the (Post, 12 April 1997, 2). Eight provin- whole review process” (Post, 29 Jan cial councils reportedly rejected the 1997, 4). Reeves report outright. The other six Containing any attempt at “sabo- supported the report with some reser- tage” from members of his party vations. At a meeting of the Great emerged as Rabuka’s main headache in Council of Chiefs in April, it was the first few months of 1997. His sug- agreed that a fourteen-member sub- gestion in February that there be cross- committee be set up to look at the pro- racial voting for nine seats held by the vincial council recommendations on Soqosoqo ni Vakavulewa ni Taukei led the Reeves report and try to tailor to talk of a breakaway party being them to those of the Joint Parliamen- formed by dissident backbenchers. tary Select Committee. It was also Rabuka threatened another election. agreed that the council review the pro- As Suva hosted the World Christian posed constitutional amendment bill Festival of Praise that month, the before it was tabled in Parliament. prime minister may well have prayed At the first meeting of the subcom- for a miracle to help solve Fiji’s consti- mittee, Rabuka was accused of com- tutional future. mitting an “unforgivable insult” by The Joint Parliamentary Select telling the members of the subcommit- Committee (jpsc) on the constitution, tee that their role was simply to relay deliberating on the recommendations decisions of the Joint Parliamentary of the Reeves report, had by April Select Committee to the Great Council reached agreement on most changes, of Chiefs. An act of disloyalty to the except the number of open and com- chiefs was alleged. In the words of one munal seats. With the prospect of con- chief, “We protected him [Rabuka] by tinuing deadlock on the issue, the including the prerogative of mercy pro- committee sought the intervention of vision in the 1990 constitution” (Post, Reddy and Rabuka. Together they 17 April 1997, 3). agreed to a formula that would pro- Tensions appeared to have been vide for 46 reserved (communal) seats defused in early May when the Great and 25 open seats. This in effect Council of Chiefs accepted recommen- reversed the numbers recommended by dations of its subcommittee that con- the Reeves report (25 communal and formed closely with those being 45 open). The communal seats would proposed by the Joint Parliamentary consist of 23 Fijian, 19 Indian, 3 gen- Select Committee. These included pro- eral elector, and 1 Rotuman. visions that the prime minister need This proposal met with strong not be a Fijian, and that the House of opposition from within the svt caucus. Representatives comprise 46 commu- 426 the contemporary pacific • fall 1998 nal seats (23 seats reserved for Fijians) Chapter Three of the 1990 constitu- and 25 open seats. However a request tion dealing with Fijian and Rotuman was made to Parliament to consider interests would be replaced by a Com- increasing Fijian seats to 28 and to pact of Understanding that would conduct a further review of the alter- recognize individual rights as well as native voting system. Fijian land and customary rights. On 14 May, ten years to the day Fijian interests would always be para- after the first coup took place, Prime mount over others’ in the event of con- Minister Rabuka tabled the report of flict. Great Council of Chiefs nominees the Joint Parliamentary Select Com- in the Senate would have a veto over mittee in Parliament (jpsc 1997). As Fijian land and customary laws. The expected, it was a somewhat watered- Great Council of Chiefs would also down version of the Reeves report, have authority to appoint the president reversing the number of reserved com- and vice-president. munal seats and open seats in Parlia- The prime minister shed tears as he ment. It also advocated an alternative tabled the jpsc report in parliament. voting system based on single-member “Ten years ago I was convinced that constituencies rather than the multiple- there was no other way to safeguard member constituencies recommended the national security interests of Fiji. by the Reeves report. The Joint Parlia- Today I can say with the same strength mentary Select Committee agreed with of conviction that I believe there is the Reeves report that the primary goal only one way. We must stand together of the constitution “should be to [and] commit ourselves towards a encourage the formation of multi- united future” (FT, 15 May 1997, 2). ethnic governments.” But it went fur- Rabuka’s apparent shift “from ther by stipulating that the constitution agitator to conciliator” was hailed by include provisions that the prime min- many. However some were less ister establish a multiparty cabinet, impressed. Fijian Association Party selected from both houses and repre- firebrand Ilai Kuli condemned senting a fair cross section of all Rabuka’s “crocodile tears” and called parties. A ten-percent threshold or for the report to be burned. “I will not seven seats would be required for a compromise Fijian rights any more,” cabinet post. The role of opposition he declared (Post, 15 May 1997, 2). would be played by standing commit- Some in the Soqosoqo ni Vakavulewa tees of parliamentary backbenchers ni Taukei also spoke out against the who would scrutinize policy and con- report. Said Inoke Kubuabola, minister sider bills referred to them. Other for telecommunications, “My position recommendations were for the provi- is that any amendment to this [1990] sion of a Bill of Rights and a Human constitution cannot and must not Rights Commission, which would reduce Fijian rights and interests” (FT, educate the public about the Bill of 26 June 1997, 2). At the annual gen- Rights. For Fijian communal seats, eral meeting of the Soqosoqo ni Vaka- the committee recommended that vulewa ni Taukei in June (which was provinces be the basis for constituen- marked by a poor turnout of govern- cies, except for six urban seats. ment members of Parliament), it was political reviews • melanesia 427 agreed that the party accept the jpsc mittee’s recommendations was cleared report. However, party members when the Great Council of Chiefs would be allowed to vote on the agreed to endorse its report. Their sup- changes according to their conscience. port was linked to two requests: that This decision was criticized by Reddy when council’s appointees to the as going against a jpsc agreement that Senate vote on issues concerning parties vote along party lines.
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