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Wednesday, November 04, 2009

Fiji coup "new legal order" repercussions [+UPDATE]

[UPDATE --12:30PM Thursday:This is a thug regime run by witless bullies and a treacherous, rogue Attorney-General behind the scenes conducting it all - with a Christchurch lawyer as his right-hand man. And this is all part of what they are signing off on. Arbitrary arrests, disappearances, incommunicado detention, the list goes on. --]

The Attorney-General is the one behind the coup and the "new legal order" that has purportedly superseded the constitution. He's the one making it all happen. Unfortunately his right-hand man, the Solicitor-General, is a NZ lawyer and is collaborating with this military junta and the string-pulling Attorney-General. It's incredibly sordid. Some of the old judges who sold out and have sworn their treasonous oaths to a junta that has as it's defining centre piece policy never having an election again are now bleating that the anarchy they have enabled is having personal costs to them. They are complaining. They are lucky the NZ authorities don't arrest them. They are lucky they are all not struck off the law society's lists - but , oh, that's right - they abolished that in Fiji too. They can manipulate things inside Fiji, but there's no reason the NZ government should let them get away with it when they come back here and pretend they aren't part of an illegal and anti-democratic military government who have torn up the constitution. They are part of the problem. It is their decision to join the regime - plenty haven't.

Ideally, they should be arrested on Fijian warrants for treason or swearing an illegal oath or whatever the relevant Fijian crimes are - signed by the appropriate judiciary still sworn under the Fijian constitution - and acted upon in NZ. NZ should hold these treasonous suspects for the future constitutional government of Fiji to deal with when it is restored - they can be repatriated to face the constitutional judicial process of Fiji once one has been re-established.

Via: wires yesterday. Lectures on media freedom from the Attorney-General. Note the huge difference between the censored and self-censoring above .fj article and the tone of the context of the .org report:
The absurdity of this thuggery. From an rss feed at the time of the latest coup (Fiji's fifth?):From a Fiji news report a month or so back when they had men from the military over their shoulders and couldn't report on anything at all with any perceived potential political connotation or suggestion:

13 Comments:

At 4/11/09 11:41 am, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Why are you advocating foreign interference in the affairs of a sovereign state Tim?

 
At 4/11/09 1:30 pm, Blogger Tim Selwyn said...

I hope Fiji would help NZ out in a similar way if the roles were reversed and the military took over the government here.

 
At 4/11/09 2:03 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said...

In the same way the U.S 'helped' Iraq and Afghanistan out to restore democracy?

The issue is for Fijians to sort out and not anyone else.

 
At 4/11/09 2:57 pm, Anonymous kerry said...

A democratically elected government was overthrown....the guys a nutter!

 
At 4/11/09 3:07 pm, Blogger Tim Selwyn said...

Anon 2:03pm: I have suggested that as far as NZ is concerned the Fijians themselves under their constitution can sort it out - and we can help them by arresting the regime officials if they come to NZ on Fijian warrants. I never said anything about using our military.

 
At 4/11/09 4:07 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said...

My point is NZ nor anybody else should take side in the issue. Regime officals have committed no grave human rights offences to warrant their arrest.

If NZ did arrest them on the basis of treason charges then what is to stop countries like China asking us to arrest their political dissidents for extradition and eventual execution for similar crimes.

 
At 4/11/09 6:30 pm, Blogger Tim Selwyn said...

Anon 4:07pm: Because the evidence China would give to convince us to extradite genuine dissidents back to what may be eventual execution would be laughable - it would be risible - and show them up for the bullying liars that they are, comrade.

Regime officials in Fiji have also signed off on all manner of cover-ups and actions needed to take power and keep their own officers' misconduct and offending off the books including murder charges stemming from the first Bianimarama coup during the Speight putsch/barracks mutiny. "No grave human rights offences"? War crimes and ICRC it may not be in Fiji at this point, but that's no reason to let it go on to that point. Regional responses are appropriate - even what NZ is doing at the moment is targeted, and is having some impact.

 
At 5/11/09 10:59 am, Anonymous Anonymous said...

"Regional responses are appropriate"

No not in the least. Tonga doesn't have a freely elected govnt so are we going to launch the appropriate regional response to enforce a democratic mandate. No.

The days where NZ and Australia as the big white brother of our Island neighbours are over Tim. They are not colonies and should not be treated as such.

 
At 5/11/09 12:27 pm, Blogger Tim Selwyn said...

Anon 10:59am: The NZ govt's police assistance to Tonga after the riots was to prop up that monarchy and their undemocratic system - that was wrong of Wellington. Maybe it gave NZ leverage and they got the democratic reform concessions from him? I don't know - I wouldn't credit them with that much foresight.

The Pacific nations should act in each others interests in these matters. Upholding democratic constitutional governance and recognising only popularly mandated government should be one of those things we can all agree on. The one thing we cannot agree on which we should agree on is the de-colonisation of the entire region by all the foreign powers giving up their claims - but that's another story. It's simple really, the Bainimarama regime broke their word to the Commonwealth and did not hold the elections - instead the Suva government of military officers and Sayed-Khaiyum tore up the constitution and said elections would be five years away. It's a blatant, classic, junta power-grab a la Musharaf etc. the goal of which is dictatorship. Only at the point where they think they can win an election will they dare hold one - and that time in this case may never come. Rabuka had some charisma and political understanding to make the transition to elected politician, but Bianimarama is a real oaf with no electoral appeal and even less understanding of politics. So he will never be popular enough to transition to democracy, which means there won't be an election until he decides to relinquish power, or is overthrown. That's a dictatorship - that's what it does. It's aim is to never have a meaningful election take place, that defines it really, and the Suva outfit has already shown itself to be exactly that. A political boycott with spill-over options into the administration of the regime and anything sponsored by the regime including national delegations and teams and representatives is sufficient for now. It is an appropriate amount of pressure - they are starting to feel the heat, that is what it is designed to do.

 
At 5/11/09 12:38 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said...

But you fail to recognise that the govnt they overthrew was a Fijian nationalist govnt who was about to free those tried to overthrow the previously govnt which was based on a multi-cultural consensus.

Now I know this may have a certain appeal to your stance on the supremecy of native rights but is it actually right to support a govnt whose policies were based on uspering the democratic and property rights of a minority group based on their race?

 
At 5/11/09 8:40 pm, Blogger Luvei Viti (Children of Fiji) said...

I like Kerry's comment, uote, " kerry said... A democratically elected government was overthrown....the guys a nutter!"

Now don't get me wrong, I did not vote for Qarase's party but he won & take my hat off for that. It would have been better if the elcted Politician who we voted for nutted it out & also via public referendum to cahneg whatever they are unhappy about. Certainly not at the point og Guns!!

Fiji Military & those corrupt 'You know, I know, You Know' were running breathlessley between Government buildings in Suva & the Army barracks at Nabua[RFMF CAMP] are the culprits. These & all those academics/ business men/ corrupt wannabe chiefs/ failed politicians etc etc. They are the ones that now needs to be thrown into the dungeon, Period!!

Go on Aussies & Kiwis - time to send in the Naval Ship!!!

 
At 15/11/09 5:41 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said...

@luveiviti,

This neo-colonial mentality of sending in ships is idiotic and stupid.

Funny, all the talk about democracy and corruption, which ws rampant in Qarase's government.

That corruption is now being unraveled, take for instance Keni. D and the NLTB affair.

 
At 17/11/09 7:25 pm, Blogger Luvei Viti (Children of Fiji) said...

@aAnonymous...& what has your hero Banana-in-pj has done to prove that his coup(s) 2006 & mini 2009 has brought any good to Fiji?

Yes, we support Alf Grumble's call 'send a Naval ship to Fiji' to teach the idiot that ordinary men, women & children cannot live with the 'show of guns' to intimidate them endlessly as happening in Fiji. Whats so good about that? Fiji people are under 'Country Arrest' like it or lump it-thats Bhaini's rule of the game. We want an end, please!! If you're not sympathetic, then its obvious we move in different worlds!!

 

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