Issue No 66 | 11 August 2000 | |
NewsIt Will Happen Again Warn Fiji Unions
Fiji Trade Union Congress General Secretary Felix Anthony has urged the Australian Government to take a stronger stand against the interim Fiji administration or risk the possibility of future coups.
Mr Anthony, who is visiting Australia this week for talks with Australian unions said that the Australian Government needed to stiffen sanctions if Fiji was to have any hope of a quick return to democracy. 'The international community should take some blame for not taking a stronger position when this happened before. If they don't get it right this time it will happen again,' he said. 'Unless there is a strong and immediate response from the international community we could see a situation develop like we had in 1987 where supporters of democracy in Fiji had to fight for 10 years before the democratic and racially legitimate 1997 Constitution was put in place."
Mr Anthony says George Speight is a sideshow and the real issue is that the interim administration in Fiji has given in to his demands. 'He should be dealt with by the law. The real issues in Fiji remain. That is the overthrow of the democratically elected Government and the break-down of the rule of law," said Mr Anthony. Mr Anthony said that there are at least 5 members of the current Fijian interim administration who are George Speight supporters and were active in the Parliamentary compound during the hostage crisis. Mr Anthony says the coup is not about race, but about cliques protecting their interests. 'It is the politicians who lost out at the elections and the business people who owe and evade tax. It's not a race struggle, it's a class issue. It's about big business and nationalists who lack appreciation of the 1997 constitution. They see it as an easier way to hold onto power rather than through the ballot box.' Mr Anthony is also critical of the role of the army. 'The army has a political agenda. It has assisted in overthrowing the Government. It is guilty of the same crimes as Speight. The Australian Government should cut off all ties with the Fijian military.' Timoci Naivaluwaqa from the Fijian National Union of Hotel and Catering Employees says the issue of indigenous rights has been dishonestly represented. 'They are protected in the 1997 constitution. Whenever there is a conflict between indigenous rights and other ethnic groups and they can't be resolved amicably, indigenous rights prevail under the 1997 constitution,' he said. ACTU President Sharan Burrow says that the Australian Government could not continue to give tacit support to any Fijian administration that contained supporters of George Speight's terrorist activities. Ms Burrow urged the Australian Government to stop working with interim administration and to throw its support behind deposed Fijian Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry by calling for the establishment of a Fijian Government of national unity made up of democratically elected members of the dissolved parliament. "Mr Downer's 'smart sanctions' should become 'strong sanctions' unless the terrorists are expelled from the Fijian administration and a proper process to resolve the crisis is put in place," said Ms Burrow. Ms Burrow said that Australian unions would begin building support for the reimposition of union bans against Fiji at a meeting of South Pacific unions in New Zealand later this month. A delegation of Australian unions is also considering an invitation from Mr Anthony to visit Fiji following the South Pacific union forum. Ms Burrow said that union bans against Fiji cargo and communication could be reimposed as early as September unless the situation in Fiji improved dramatically. The elected Labour Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry will speak at his first public meeting in Australia since gunmen took him and his cabinet captive on May 19. He will be joined on the platform by Felix Anthony. The ALP's Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs, Laurie Brereton, will introduce the speakers at the meeting which is scheduled for 2pm - 4pm, Saturday August 12 at the Marrickville Town Hall. Marrickville Town Hall is at the corner of Marrickville Rd and Petersham Rd, Marrickville.
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