Fijian Prime Minister Seeks Ties with China, Says Democracy Must Wait
August 13, 2010
By: Benjamin Russell

Fiji’s self-appointed Prime Minister, Frank Bainimarama, has announced that he will seek to curtail ties with the United States, Australia and New Zealand in favor of a closer relationship with China, according to VOA News.

Bainimarama, addressing reporters during a trip to China this week, said that Chinese government “understands” the reforms he is trying to implement in Fiji, and hoped for an increase in trade between the two countries. 

Bainimarama, formerly a Commodore in the Fijian navy and still the leader of the country’s armed forces, seized power in a bloodless military coup in 2006.  After delaying elections several times, Bainimarama says that he will hold a democratic vote in 2014.  In the meantime, the prime minister has garnered criticism from the international community for limiting free speech and restricting the media.

According to VOA News, “the press has been muzzled, opponents jailed the constitution scrapped [and] the judiciary has been dismissed.”

In a recent interview with ABC Television, Bainimarama justified his authoritarian policies, saying, “reforms [would] never happen if [he] open[s] everything out to every Tom, Dick and Harry to have their say," adding that he didn’t trust his people to wield democracy responsibly.  Of the media and Christian leaders who have spoken out against the Commodore’s tactics, Bainimarama said he “needed to silence them.”

Bainimarama maintains that he is working in the best interest of his compatriots, but exactly what type of reforms he plans to institute for their benefit is a mystery.  According to ABC Radio’s Philippa McDonald, “Two hundred thousand people, about a quarter of the national population, are reliant on the sugar industry but it's getting harder to make money. The European Union has told Fiji that it's prepared to help restructure the industry, three hundred million dollars is on the table, but the price is a return to democratic government. Bainimarama's refused.”

As Bainimarama looks for new friends abroad, Fiji’s neighbors are distancing themselves from his regime.  The Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), one of the South Pacific’s most important regional groups, has suspended Fiji from its upcoming meeting in Vanuatu.  Bainimarama dismissed the move, saying that Australia and New Zealand had too much control of PIF operations for the group to be relevant. 

According to the BBC, Fiji has a long history of political conflict, and has seen endured four coups d’etat since 1987.  Much of the conflict stems from divisions between the country’s Indian population and indigenous islanders, both of which are trying to stake their claim to political supremacy on the islands.

Sources:

RTT News – Fiji Ruler Doesn’t Trust his People with Democracy

AFP – Fiji Ruler Says He Doesn’t Trust His People with Democracy

AAP – Only Military can Save Fiji: Bainimarama

VOA News – Fiji Seeks Closer Ties with China, Cooler Relations with US, Others

ABC Radio – Frank, Uncensored Reveals Fiji’s Coup Leader

BBC – Country Profile: Fiji

www.ccd21.org