Australia and NZ's stunning gullibility with Fiji junta - bending over to appease a dictator!

McCully (left) & Bob Carr (right) - clueless leaders

THE 43rd PACIFIC ISLANDS FORUM 
by Council for a Democratic Fiji

The Foreign Ministers of Australia and New Zealand are intelligent men. It is therefore very surprising that, in their recent ‘handling’ of Fiji’s alleged return to democracy and their relations with the Fiji regime they have been duped by someone who is very well known for being unintelligent - the current illegal Prime Minister of Fiji, Frank Bainimarama.

All you can expect from this self-titled leader is more lies and broken promises.

The Council for a Democratic Fiji has repeatedly in the past pointed out the stunning gullibility of the powers that be in Australia and New Zealand towards the lies, oppression and recalcitrance of the Fiji regime, but apparently without avail. The Movement now respectfully suggests to the learned Foreign Ministers and their Governments that they should finally abandon this misconceived ‘hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil’ approach to the Fiji regime.

Specifically we call on Australia and New Zealand to abandon rapprochement towards the Fiji regime. The regime is duping them in saying that it has any sincere desire to return to true democracy. (It asserts that that step is being fulfilled by preparation of a new Constitution and preparations for elections in 2014.)

The present rapprochement process began just after the middle of last year, at whose inspiration it is not known, although the New Zealand Foreign Minister appears to be at least proximately the chief suspect, but of course he may have been galvanised by other powers. It followed the alleged expose by the New Zealand authorities of an asserted assassination plot, which expose led to the Army controlled Fiji media praising New Zealand for guarding the back of the alleged Fiji Prime Minister. (The New Zealand authorities have, however never provided any evidence for their allegation of there being ‘convincing proof’ of such a conspiracy).

Within a week or so of the expose the New Zealand Foreign Minister was in Fiji and the process of cosying up to an alleged transition to democracy was well under way, ignoring all the lies, deceit and persistent oppression of the past.

What has been happening since the beginning of this rapprochement process?

• The Army remains in full control;
  
• Australian and New Zealand taxpayers have contributed substantially to the alleged process for return to democracy;
  
• The draft Constitution prepared by a world recognised expert has been burnt on the orders of the alleged Attorney General (Australian and New Zealand taxpayers contributed to the costs of the preparation of this draft);
  
• The regime has (via the alleged Attorney General) purported to enact a Decree (illegal as are all Decrees of the regime) inhibiting and putting excessive restrictions upon the registration of political parties, including placing such registration in the hands of a person who like all other public personages in Fiji is totally under Army control, and illegally expropriating the assets of any party not complying with its draconian provisions;
  
• The vast majority of existing political parties have been wiped off the face of the map by non compliance with the said Decree;
  
• Draconian Decrees restricting unions which have been subject of complaint and proceedings by the International Labour Organisation have not been amended;
  
• The leader of the party which achieved the highest number of votes in the last democratic election continues to languish in jail.
  

Any person who ignores these Signs of the Times can only call himself or herself  a monkey who can see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.

As we and many others have pointed out before, the current alleged Prime Minister and Attorney General have no more credibility (and probably far less) than used car salesmen. Their word means nothing.

Any ‘election’ held under Army rule will be a farce and the Army is not letting go - it would not be an election.

We ask Australia and New Zealand to abandon the current misconceived rapprochement with the regime, and to stop the irresponsible waste  of Australian and New Zealand taxpayers money into attempting to carry out that mistaken step.

Simply Pull the Plug on them.

Ratu Tevita Uluilakeba Mara
Council for a Democratic Fiji
1st March 2013
Cfdfiji.org

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