Fiji’s military gov’t wins court victory

Written by Writer on Friday, October 10th, 2008

Fiji’s military gov’t wins court victory

SUVA –– Fiji’s Supreme Court ruled on Thursday the nation’s president acted lawfully aft

er a 2006 coup in appointing an interim government, validating Fiji’s military government which is under pressure to hold elections in 2009.

Former Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase, toppled in the bloodless 2006 coup, had asked the Supreme Court to rule the president’s actions were unlawful.

But the court dismissed Qarase’s case.

“We find that the president’s actions were designed to protect a wide variety of competing interests,” Judge Anthony Gates said in handing down the ruling in Suva.

“The constitution remained and remains intact and we therefore find the president’s actions to be valid.”

Fiji’s military leader Frank Bainimarama staged the 2006 coup claiming Qarase’s government was corrupt and soft on those behind an earlier 2000 coup. Fiji has been hit by four coups and a military mutiny since 1987.

Fiji’s president initially appointed a caretaker prime minister, but later dissolved parliament and appointed Bainimarama as interim leader pending fresh elections.

Qarase rejected the court ruling as a miscarriage of justice.

“I was completely surprised and disappointed. I think there has been a miscarriage of justice,” Qarase told Fijilive news website (http://www.fijilive.com) after the judgement in Suva.

“This judgment virtually creates a path for more coups. All you need to do is go up to the president and he will fix things up,” Qarase said.

Fiji’s military government is under international pressure, from not only its Pacific neighbours like Australia but also the United States and European Union, to keep a promise of free elections next year amid signs of wavering.

But Bainimarama has said continued corruption and a flawed, racial electoral system means fresh elections are unlikely to take place in early 2009.

The island chain, with about 900,000 people, remains deeply divided between ethnic Fijians, and Fijians of Indian background, who make up around 40 percent of the population but control large parts of the US$3.7 billion economy.