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| Dictator Bainimarama |
Introduction
This is a brief contribution to a survey on Dictator Bainimarama's approach as a leader and in providing leadership over a government.
Bainimarama's Approach as a Leader
Bainimarama is not a good leader.
Bainimarama seized power using the Fiji Military to overthrow a leader who was
elected by the people in an election. Bainimarama is therefore a dictator, a
term given to those who seize power by force and hold on to it by intimidation,
suppression of civil
liberties, and control of the mass media.
To be a good leader, one has to receive
the willing and free mandate of the people via an election and conduct the
affairs of government in an open and transparent manner as well as abide by the
rule of law. For 7 years, Bainimarama has not revealed the financial accounts of
his government nor disclosed how much he and his ministers are being paid. He
has done away with many laws governing the rights and freedom of citizens
resulting in the abuse, torture and in some cases, death of citizens under the
watch of the Police or Military.
A good leader seeks to make laws that
benefit the nation and its people. Such laws often have the input of citizens
through their representatives in a Parliament. In the absence of a parliament,
laws are established by decrees (temporary laws) but usually just to maintain
government until a representative government returns. Bainimarama has
introduced major changes in government using decrees which cannot be challenged
in the courts.
Dictators often get to power by force over those who
regard them as usurpers and illegitimate. They therefore will aim to reduce the
influence of those opposed to their rule over the general population for fear
of generating mass opposition and attempt to reclaim power. Much of their
attention will focus on ways to suppress their opponents, especially its key
leaders.
Since the December 2006 coup, Bainimarama has
specifically targeted two major support bases of the Qarase government – the
traditional Fijian institutions of vanua and the church. In the eyes of native
Fijians, the Great Council of Chiefs (GCC) hold a very important place in
providing guidance and leadership over their affairs. Under the 1997 Fiji
Constitution, it is an entirely native Fijian body, traditionally of hereditary
chiefs, with the role to advise governments on matters pertaining to Fijians.
It appoints the President and Vice-President, as well as 14 of the 32 members
of the Senate. During the political upheavals of 1987 and 2000, the GCC played
a role in mediating among protagonists and help bring about return of order.
The Methodist Church has a Fijian dominated membership and as such were strong
supporters of the Qarase government. Like the GCC, it has been associated with
previous political crises with some members alleged to have played a role among
those who carried out the 1987 and 2000 coup.
Bainimarama went out of his way to weaken and
emasculate these two strongholds of Fijian loyalty. Some say, this was surprising
given that Bainimarama is of chiefly stock in his village in Tailevu province
and a Methodist. His actions and attitude towards the GCC was disrespectful and
scathing even telling chiefs to “go and drink homebrew under a mango tree”.
Bainimarama’s attitude towards the GCC hardened more when it refused to endorse
his nominee for Vice President in 2008 or support his changes to its membership
in his attempt to introduce what he regarded as transparency and remove
politics from its work. In the end, he unilaterally disestablished the chiefly
body by decree which drew widespread condemnation from politicians, NGOs and
chiefs.
The Methodist Church was heavily targeted by
Bainimarama and restrictions placed on its ability to perform its functions for
members. Ultimatums were given to its leaders to stand down and its annual
meetings and fundraising activities were cancelled by authorities. A number of
church leaders were charged for offences under the emergency rules imposed
since 2006. Speaking about life under the Bainimarama regime, a senior church
official stated the Church has been “stopped from doing our annual conference
for three years already and we have been stopped from doing our other meetings
so an attempt I believe was made to try and weaken the Methodist Church.” He
added “We have already appeared in court for more than 30 times probably. We've
just some you know what they call PTC, pre-trial conference and the pre-trial
conference you know was just move it to another date, move it to another time.”
Measures aimed at weakening the trade union movement
were also unilaterally introduced by the Bainimarama dictatorship. This
included:
- a
decree prohibiting full-time union leaders from representing workers on a range
of industry bodies;
- amending the Public Service Act to stop union
pay roll deductions for public servants;
- using
the Public Emergency Regulations to arrest and charge Union President Daniel
Urai and a Hotels Union staff member for conducting a workplace meeting without
a permit;
- a
decree declaring the public sector, sugar, airline and tourism industries to be
essential industries. This prevented the right to strike and effectively bans
the right to collectively bargain, receive overtime pay or be represented by
independent trade unions; and
- systematically
denying permits to hold union meetings and soldiers physically assaulting Union
Secretary, Felix Anthony and other unionists.
Bad Choices Made by Bainimarama and Paid by Fiji and its People
Since December 2006, Bainimarama and his government
have been making bad choices for Fiji and its people. Fiji’s key performance
indicators during the last six years paint a dismal picture as the slide into
economic and social chaos continues unabated. In turn, these bad choices have
resulted in the following:
- Economic
growth is during the last six years is a mere 0.6% of GDP
- Employment
has not grown for the last six years and indeed has gone backwards with more
and more young people coming out of our institutions to jointhe workforce.
- Employment
creation has been in the informal sector and family enterprises with low
incomes and low hours/days of work.
- Underemployment
has grown quite significantly and amounts to more than 30% of the labour force.
The youth age group is particularly under employed. They are idle about 60% of
their working time.
- Unemployment
and under-employment could be a significant factor in increasing crime in Fiji
today.
- It is
estimated that thousands of women have left being full-time housewives to try
and make ends meet within their households. Virtually
all, both men and women, are working far more hours than six years ago
- Money
incomes have not risen much in the last six years while inflation has risen by
more than 30%.
- Real
income for almost everyone has fallen by more than 30% and more so for rural
dwellers. Government Ministers and defence personnel may be the only people
whose real incomes have increased during the six years.
- Citizens
living below the poverty line has increased by almost 50% right across the
board. It is now just under 50% of the population compared to 32-33% in 2006.
- The
public debt has increased from $2billion in 2006 to more than $4billion in 2012
(some sources say more than $5billion). The debt burden if shared among all
households amounts to $20,000.00 per household.
- Foreign
debt is increasing at an alarming rate, exposing the country to foreign
exchange risks. Some foreign debts have been obtained at a high of 9% interest
rate while the IMF was lending money at 2%. Contingent liabilities of
government are estimated at more than $2billion.
- Rates
of suicide and attempted suicide which were falling around 2006, have risen
since then. They are at record levels according to the police’s own figures.
Violence against women, both sexual and physical, has escalated to
unprecedented levels as reported in the media.
Impact of Bainimarama Dictatorship on Fiji
Six years on, Fiji remains under a military
dictatorship supported by civilian sympathizers. Decision-making, laws and
regulations for administering government have been carried out by decree with
minimal or no consultation. All the apparatus of government are now under the
effective and total control of the Bainimarama regime. Although initially, a
military council had been serving to advise government on key decisions, it was
soon downgraded in importance by Bainimarama, as he consolidated his power
among his fellow military officers now in government, and a trusted legal
friend as Attorney General. In fact, over time, the two of them came to be seen
as the ruling duo, collecting among themselves numerous portfolio
responsibilities and, with it, multiple salaries.
Fiji’s judiciary and legal fraternity have been
emasculated and cleansed, with changes to operational structures and
appointments to the bench sourced from overseas jurisdictions familiar with
military rule such as Sri Lanka. Instead of a self-regulating Law Society, a
Legal Services Commissioner, has been set up to grant practice licences and
discipline lawyers. Unsurprisingly, opponents of the regime soon became the
subject of attention for the Commission, and some of them disciplined and their
licenses revoked.
Bainimarama’s
approach to silencing his opponents is well documented. Members of his Goon
Squad are known to be responsible for the torture and inhumane treatment of
citizens who were taken up to the military camp in Suva. Testimonies from
victims reveal the degrading and inhumane treatment dished out by soldiers,
even to women who were pregnant. Bainimarama was reportedly present on one
occasion when victims were being maltreated, and according to a fellow military
officer who had since left the regime, “Bainimarama even jumped on the back of
a pregnant woman killing her unborn child for goodness sake!” (Truth for Fiji –
www.truthforfiji.com)
Placing tight
control on the media in Fiji became a potent tool for the Bainimarama
dictatorship in controlling public expression and information. Censors were
placed in newsrooms to ensure information for broadcast was not critical of the
dictatorship or its programmes. Changes to shareholding arrangements for media
companies were introduced to limit overseas ownership. License for public TV
was placed on short term timelines requiring ongoing application for extension.
Accompanying
physical threats and intimidation is the weapon of legal protection over any
action taken by the dictatorship. This was achieved with a decree stating that
none of the actions of the dictatorship or its members can be challenged in a
court of law. Those adversely affected by the various decisions of Ministers
and departments go unchallenged resulting in unfair and arbitrary results for
citizens. On the other hand, those close to the regime can expect a good
hearing over any issues or complaints they raise or place before the
dictatorship.
The sole reason
for all these intimidatory actions is to scare people not to protest or resist
the dictatorship’s rule. Fear is the key to being a successful dictatorship.
Since its rule was seized by force, a dictatorship will continue to implement its
rule by force. In the absence of a law-making body such as Parliament, the
regime simply regards its actions as sanctioned by its new powers under the
pretext of ensuring the orderly conduct of government affairs. The Bainimarama
dictatorship has survived this long because of its tight control on power and
its ongoing efforts at intimidating its opponents with physical brutality or
threat of prosecution in courts that are stacked with its own appointees.
Bainimarama's Impact on Relationship with Other Countries
In foreign relations, suspension of Fiji
from membership of longstanding associations such as The Commonwealth and
Pacific Forum, have forced the establishment of new alliances. with
non-traditional and far-flung nations, some with unsavoury reputation, such as
North Korea and Cuba. China and India have been heavily courted for funding and
aid assistance.
As a result, relationship with traditional
allies such as Australia and New Zealand, have soured to the point of being
caustic at times. Bainimarama’s inability to honour undertakings with Pacific
Forum leaders has made it difficult for them to trust him. This has split the
regional body into geographical groupings with Bainimarama now favouring the
emerging Melanesia Spearhead Group of nations that seem to condone his
undemocratic approach to governing.
Major Problems for Fiji and How they could be Addressed?
Fiji faces major ongoing problems since the takeover
by Bainimarama in 2006 of the democratically elected government. Among the
major problems are the following:
- Absence
of a democratically elected government
- Lack
of confidence in the courts system and rule of law
- Low
growth economy resulting in low income and increase poverty
- Lack
of transparency in the conduct of government affairs and finances
- Increase
criminal offending and law breaking
- Restrictions
on media freedom
- Restrictions
and limitations on freedom of association and ability to challenge government decision-making
Ultimately, the solution to Fiji’s current
problems is the return of a democratically mandated government that can restore
political stability and economic confidence. This will ensure investors regain
the confidence to invest in Fiji thereby contribute to economic growth to fund
improved income for workers and government revenue. Political stability will
engender confidence in the courts system where citizens and businesses can
lodge grievances and enforce contracts knowing they are independent and
apolitical.
Return of democracy will enable citizens to contribute to the
development of laws that affect them via their representatives in an elected
parliament. A free media will ensure open reporting of government actions and
that the conduct of public servants and politicians are scrutinised.
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