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SODELPA'S CONUNDRUM: Handing the party's leadership to Rabuka will be party's death knell at the 2018 election. After all, Bainimarama and his 2006 coup treasonists are hiding behind Rabuka's 1990 Immunity Decree

17/6/2016

25 Comments

 

For Your Diary: Fijileaks will not be updated between 19-24 June; our Founding Editor-in-Chief will be away, in New York

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THE CONTENDERS FOR SODELPA LEADERSHIP: Positives and Negatives

Ratu Isoa Tikoca: A newcomer to politics but a strong contender for the job; however, his encounter with Aiyaz Khaiyum in Parliament over the 'Monkey Dance' and the perception that he is a hardcore native Fijian nationalist could be a liability at the polls but worth a try

Viliame (Bill Gavoka): Infamously remembered as the harbinger of earthquake and tsumani scare which saw him thrown into a police cell - the only high profile memory of him; links to Aiyaz Khaiyum as his father-in-law could work against him as party leader

Anare Jale: Untested and untainted so far; most strong contender for the top job

Sitiveni Rabuka: The father of coup culture in Fiji who went from Hero to Zero. Since the 2006 coup has kept a low profile on indigenous rights. His appointment could mean the death knell of SODELPA. Indo-Fijians and liberal Fijians will be frightened of him, wrongly fearing he would introduce his "Fiji for Native Fijians" through the back political door. His supporters seem to be suggesting that they need to 'Set a thief to catch a thief'. One former dictator is needed to oust another dictator but if so, we should stop bashing Bainimarama and stop demanding that he be stripped of the Immunity in the 2013 'Khaiyum Constitution' and be brought to justice. LET US begin with the arrest of coupist 'Major-General' Sitiveni Ligamamada Rabuka, hiding under the sulu of immunity

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The Godfather of Coups Sitiveni Rabuka claimed that the Governor-General, Ratu Sir Penaia Ganilau, had pardoned him because of his 'exemplary behaviour'.
Well, we suppose he did set a very bad example of a coup,
which others followed after 1987

"It seems that the G-G confused two powers: that to grant a pardon, and that to grant immunity from prosecution, the second of which he did not possess. The 1970 Fiji Constitution contemplated only the former; furthermore, even that power which the G-G possessed under the Constitution, was to be exercised only on the advice of the committee established for the purpose. In other words, Rabuka’s pardon, or immunity was, and still is, questionable in the eyes of the law. Moreover, the Queen had never consented to the pardoning."

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"I swear I will well and truly serve our Sovereign Lady the Queen in the Fiji Military Forces until lawfully discharged, dismissed or removed, and will resist her Majesty's enemies and cause her Majesty's peace to be kept and maintained and I will in all matters appertaining to my service discharge my duties according to Law"
Sworn, 7th February, 1968 - Ligamamada, Oath of Allegiance to Queen Elizabeth as the Sovereign of Fiji


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From the Archive




The Queen’s representative, Ratu Sir Penaia Ganilau, pardoned Rabuka before he declared Fiji a Republic but it was unconstitutional act
:

Her Majesty was saddened the coup-colonel severed 113-year old chiefly link with British Crown

By VICTOR LAL

In a robust defence of his treasonable coups of 1987, Sitiveni Rabuka now claims that he did not have to ask for a pardon because he had already ousted Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth 11, and made Fiji a republic after the coups. He was responding to questions raised by Government senator, Reverend Tomasi Kanailagi, in the Senate on why the people who staged the coup in 2000 have not been pardoned, although the 1987 coup leader was allowed to walk free. Responding, Rabuka said: ‘Kanailagi has no in depth knowledge on what he is talking about because I didn't have to be pardoned by anyone ... the only one who could have pardoned me was the Queen, whom I ousted in that coup. I had effectively removed her.'

Was Rabuka pardoned?


In order to answer the question we need to examine the events between 19 May 1987 when Rabuka and others were granted prerogative of mercy; 5 October 1987, when he declared Fiji a republic, and 15 October when Ratu Sir Penaia Ganilau resigned as Governor-General. Rabuka had never ousted the Queen; she had ceased to be the head of state on 15 October. Moreover, throughout the 2000 George Speight crisis, Rabuka had claimed that he could not be prosecuted because he had obtained immunity from prosecution for his 1987 actions. If that is so, than he was either ‘pardoned’ or granted ‘immunity’.

On 19 May 1987, the Governor-General (G-G), Ratu Penaia, who was also the tribal head of Rabuka’s Cakaudrove province, pardoned Rabuka for his exemplary behaviour after overthrowing the Bavadra government and on the pretext of helping to restore democracy. The G-G went even further: on the 29 May, promoted Rabuka to full colonel and commander of the military, effective from the date of the coup, 14 May. Ratu Penaia also promoted other officers who had taken part in the coup as well. From the perspective of Fijian provincial and tribal politics, the effect was to strengthen the position of officers from Cakaudrove at the expense of those from Lau and Tailevu.

The Great Republican Debate

On 20 July the Great Council of Chiefs (GCC) met in Suva for a three-day meeting to discuss various alternatives to solve the deepening constitutional, economic, and racial crisis. It was widely anticipated that the extremist Taukei Movement [led by Ratu Inoke Kubuabola] had planned to ask Ratu Penaia to step down and then have the GCC declare Fiji a republic, with an exclusive Fijian government. The Taukei Movement spokesman, speaking at the first day of the meeting, urged the chiefs to revoke the 1874 Deed of Cession and declare Fiji a republic. He was not alone in promoting such a course. Nine of the 14 provinces had passed resolutions calling for an immediate declaration of Fiji as a republic, while the other five had agreed to support a republic only if the G-G’s initiative to bring about a political compromise failed.

The next day the meeting heard Rabuka calling for the formation of a ‘Christian democratic state’ and retention of ties with the Queen, rather than a republic. The GCC, on Wednesday, much to the surprise of many, rejected, for the time being, the idea of declaring a republic, but reserved the right to do so in the future. Rabuka called the decision ‘a consensus between the objectives of the Taukei Movement, the aim of my coup, and the wishes of the Great Council of Chiefs’.

On Friday 31 July, Rabuka was officially installed as commander of the army, ironically, at the Queen Elizabeth Barracks, where he told the 1,500 invited guests: ‘I am really here today as the representative of the great chiefs and the people of Fiji. I am doing this for you.’ More importantly, he was still serving under the Queen’s representative, the G-G, who was also the Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Fiji Military Forces.

Meanwhile, Ratu Mara, Ratu Penaia and Bavadra tried to reach a compromise deal for interim power-sharing in the so-called ‘Deuba Accord’. Rabuka’s response was lukewarm but the Taukei Movement was violently opposed to it. It described the proposed power-sharing as ‘degrading and a sell-out’. Sakiasi Butadroka, the leader of the Fijian Nationalist Party, called for an immediate declaration of a republic. But Rabuka, with the help of the Taukei extremists, struck once again, on Friday 22 September, carrying out a second coup. He announced over Radio Fiji that he had assumed executive authority over the G-G. He detained Bavadra, who was heading west, and also placed the G-G under armed guard at Government House.

However, Ratu Penaia maintained he was still the legal authority and refused to endorse the second coup. He also refused to co-operate when Rabuka and a group of his military officers offered him the tabua (whale’s tooth) for ‘slighting’ their chief. One of Her Majesty’s English magistrates, John Small, was detained and also assaulted. Despite the bullying tactics, the Chief Justice Sir Timoci Tuivaqa and the judges of the Supreme Court refused to recognize Rabuka’s authority. Sir Timoci and the other judges still saw Ratu Penaia as Queen’s representative and repository of authority in Fiji. Rabuka even threatened to dismiss the G-G if it was necessary for ‘legitimising my assumption of executive authority’. Rabuka also disclosed that the ‘Governor-General did not accept’ his offer to become President. ‘It will take lions to move me out of here’, Ratu Penaia said later.

A frustrated Rabuka, therefore, announced that he had assumed full authority, and also indicated that he would declare a republic shortly and offer the presidency to Ratu Mara, which angered the great Lauan chief. The Chief Justice continued to be a thorn in Rabuka’s side. He stated that Rabuka’s proclamation had no legal standing until the G-G was physically removed from office. The worst was to follow. The Queen personally sent a message accusing Rabuka of disloyalty which was broadcast once over the radio in the Fijian language before being suppressed by the military:

She told the nation: ‘For her part Her Majesty continues to regard the Governor-General as her presentative and the sole authority in Fiji. Anyone who seeks to remove the Governor-General from office would in effect be repudiating his allegiance and loyalty to the Queen. Her Majesty hopes that even now the process of restoring Fiji to constitutional normality might be resumed Many Fijians hold firm their allegiance to the Crown and to the Governor-General as the Queen’s personal representative. The Queen would be deeply saddened if these bonds of mutual loyalty and affection which have long so held the Fijian people and the British monarchy together were to be restored.’

Even Siddiq Koya, now a spent political force, and who in 1970 had called for a republic with a Fijian head of state, tried to dissuade Rabuka from declaring a republic.

Briefly, after a long protracted struggle, Rabuka and Ratu Penaia came to a compromise allowing the G-G to act ‘in his own deliberate judgement’. Ratu Penaia had two options: he could resign and clear the way or he could ask the Queen to accept the changes to the constitution approved by him. That night, the G-G contacted the Queen and asked her to consider a constitution with sweeping changes that entrenched native Fijian paramountcy at the expense of the Indo-Fijian population. She refused.

On 9 October, Ratu Mara flew to London to have an audience with the Queen but she politely decline to see him. Instead, she flew to Vancouver to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting. However, on 15 October, Ratu Penaia suddenly resigned. He wrote to her: ‘My endeavours to preserve constitutional government in Fiji have proved in vain, and I can see no alternative way forward.’ The Queen, in regretfully accepting the resignation, expressed her gratitude for his loyal services and admiration for his courageous efforts to prevent Fiji from becoming a republic, and added that she was sad ‘to think that the ending of Fijian allegiance to the Crown should have been brought about without the people of Fiji being given an opportunity to express their opinion on the proposal.’ On 5 December Ratu Penaia became the new President of Fiji. Rabuka was promoted Brigadier of the Royal Fiji Military Forces.

Pardon and Prerogative of Mercy


It is quite clear from the sequence of events that at no time had Rabuka ousted the Queen, nor had the Governor-General, until 15 October, ceased to be her constitutional representative in Fiji. Rabuka was however pardoned on 19 May 1987, when Ratu Penaia purported to grant immunity to Rabuka in respect of his treasonable actions in overthrowing the lawfully constituted government, by virtue of the prerogative of mercy. The prerogative of mercy is a special power vested in the Head of State, which enables him or her to pardon or reduce the sentence of a convicted person.

Historically, this power has been exercised only in the most exceptional circumstances, such as where a miscarriage of justice has resulted in the conviction of a person who is innocent, or where a prisoner becomes terminally ill, so that it would be overly harsh to require him to serve out his sentence.

But as Professor Yash Ghai and Jill Cottrell (in a chapter to a book Sovereigns and Surrogates-Constitutional Heads of State in the Commonwealth, 1991) have pointed out, it seems that the G-G confused two powers: that to grant a pardon, and that to grant immunity from prosecution, the second of which he did not possess. The 1970 Fiji Constitution contemplated only the former; furthermore, even that power which the G-G possessed under the Constitution, was to be exercised only on the advice of the committee established for the purpose.

In other words, Rabuka’s pardon, or immunity was, and still is, questionable in the eyes of the law.

Moreover, the Queen had never consented to the pardoning.

She had simply ceased to be the Head of State when Ratu Penaia resigned on 15 October, and Fiji’s membership of the Commonwealth had lapsed.

On 14 May 1987, Rabuka therefore committed treason against Queen Elizabeth 11 of England and Fiji but escaped the death penalty. On 19 May he was resigned to face the gallows, as he boasted: ‘The penalty for treason in all Commonwealth countries is death, and if this is to be my destiny I will accept it.’

But on the same day he managed to extract a questionable pardon, or immunity, from Ratu Penaia who, on 23 May, confirmed that he had granted Rabuka an amnesty.

It therefore follows that Reverend Kanailagi is correct in his assertion in the Senate.

But the pardon was, and remains, illegal because the Queen was still head of state until 15 October 1987, and the G-G had not followed the right procedure as required of him under the Constitution.

She had never authorized Ratu Penaia to perform the unconstitutional act of pardon.

Ratu Penaia himself had refused to accept the illegal takeover at the time of the pardoning.

He was still, legally, ‘The Queen’s Man’ on the ground in Fiji.

And the Queen, the Head of State.

In June 1987 we were even celebrating Her Majesty’s birthday, while Fiji was burning with racial and political strife.

In passing, amnesty was further entrenched in the 1990 racist Constitution and again in the 1997 Constitution, and impunity was not restricted to Rabuka and his close accomplices like Senator Apisai Tora, who played a major role in the destabilization of the Bavadra government.

Even that amnesty and impunity is now in doubt.

For Tora has tabled a motion in the Senate to establish a Commission of Inquiry into the validity of the Constitution.

Is Tora, inadvertently, also prizing open the legal net to bring Rabuka, and many others sitting in the Senate with Tora from the 1987 coups and its aftermath, to justice for treason?

In the old days, there were the hanging, drawing and quartering (including disembowelment while the offender was still alive) of men convicted of high treason in England.

'We did it in our own racist and treasonous way': Rabuka and Kubuabola

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Fijileaks founding Editor-in-Chief VICTOR LAL had predicted the 1987 coups in his study Fiji's Racial Politics: The Coming Coup; the study, with additional chapters, was later published under a new title, Fiji: Coups in Paradise - Race, Politics and Military Intervention

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"I felt that the [1970] Constitution was right and I had consulted a constitutional expert, [Dr] David Butler by name, and his opinion was that the Constitution is right and [if] the Fijians stay united, we should still have power for a long time [but] the egg has been broken now. We cannot go back to the Constitution..we need to find a new one that satisfies the wish of the indigenous people" - Ratu Mara defending the destruction of the 1970 Constitution when he was appointed Prime Minister shortly after Rabuka's coups;  Dr Butler (now Sir David who was Victor Lal's academic supervisor at Oxford) had replied to Ratu Mara in 1987: "I might have said this to Ratu Mara - not as a constitutional expert but as a sensible observer of [Fijian politics]". In 1969 Sir David [now 92 and retired] had advised Ratu Mara on the formation of the Alliance Party and on party politics and constitutions in multi-ethnic societies in the British colonies.

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Oh, his supporters claim that Sitiveni Rabuka gave us the 1997 Constitution of Fiji but as the late Sir Vijay Singh had reminded us, ‘in restoring the democratic constitution’, Rabuka ‘did the Indians no favour’. He ‘restored what he had stolen in the first place’.

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Fijileaks: We have nothing against Sitiveni Rabuka personally. We have defended him in the past from Sodelpa critics but now that he wants to lead the party we have to make a choice - to endorse him or to reject him. We have decided to reject his candidacy, for coupists can't be rewarded! We cannot have double standards when dealing with past and present dictators - one for Frank Bainimarama and another for Sitiveni Rabuka. Both are fugitives from the law under Rabuka's Immunity Decree of 1990

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"An Opponent of a Dictator is an Enemy of the State"

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Gun runner Mohammed Rafique Kahan and Victor Lal marching against Rabuka's coups in London
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Excerpt from Christopher Harder in The Guns of Lautoka (1988). Harder had gone to Fiji to defend various individuals charged with different offences by Rabuka; quoted in Victor Lal's autobiography From Reporter to Refugee - The Law of Asylum in Great Britain
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25 Comments
Lamenting Fiji
18/6/2016 12:21:50 am

Vinaka Victor Lal

Fiji has lost a true son to the present and past dictators.

God Bless You for Standing Up to Injustice and Oppression in Fiji.

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Pita
18/6/2016 01:36:21 am

On the grounds of the then Governor General and Tui Cakau, Ratu Sir Pensia Ganilau overstepping his authority to pardon Rabuka for his shameful 1987 coup both parties in Parliament should support a motion to remove the protective veil of the pardon so that Rabuka can stand trial for treason and hung from the highest lanyard

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On-Song
21/6/2016 06:36:52 am

I'm with you here Pita; and if the lanyard's no good for re-use then we get new ones for Bai and Kai - will support you all the way on this.

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Builder
18/6/2016 04:39:45 am

I will support Rabuka and forgive him for his past sins and treason. But under very strict conditions that he undertake to get rid of Kai and Bai and their evil deeds from Fiji's politics for ever. He return the Constitution (1997), and re-dedicate the military to its true calling. Take out totally political influence on judiciary, and dedicate certain % of all government business (construction, services, etc) to small businesses if they can deliver quality. If he does this, then he will win my full support.

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BulaBoy
19/6/2016 05:10:11 am

And how do you propose he does all that?

get rid of Kai and Bai and their evil deeds from Fiji's politics for ever. How? Another coup? Or are you so sumpremely confident he will win polls with a huge majority >75% so as to get parliament majority (see next)

He return the Constitution (1997), and re-dedicate the military to its true calling. Easier said than done. 3000+ strong men with a sickening taste of power and perks.

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Builder
22/6/2016 02:05:07 am

Rabuka must be able to build a broad front which must give this front over 75% seats in parliament in the next election. If he cant, he wont be any different from the current crop of leaders.

Welcome Home
18/6/2016 07:24:05 am

The Oath of Allegiance to the Sovereign, her heirs and successors could not be clearer. How does it sit with the situation now where EU Ambassador HE Andrew Jacobs feels obliged to comment upon the mortality rate with most deceased FIJIANS now aged less than 70? The accumulated stress of multiple coups d'état over almost thirty years has impacted the health and well-being of citizens and ordinary residents. The assassination of British MP Jo Cox aged 41 a wife and mother of two young children brings home the end result of hatred propagated purportedly for political ends. A March of Folly in defiance of Mahatma Gandhi's message of the ultimate triumph of truth and love. The Sai Health Centre at Viseisei Village is a Beacon of Hope and is funded by the EU. Welcoming to all in need. Heartfelt thanks are due to all connected to it.

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Tomasi
18/6/2016 11:24:29 pm

Thank you folks. Like many people, I have forgiven Rabuka for his treasonous actions in 1987 and the lies and deceit associated with it.. But he must reciprocate that and prove beyond any reasonable doubt that he truly regrets what he had done.

I would welcome him to be a part of the SODELPA team, but not as its leader. What he needs to do is to prove to us in Fiji and the world that he is willing to make the sacrifices needed to rebuild a nation he actively conspired against to destroy for his personal gain. He must prove to us that it is not for his personal gain, but a more sincere and noble goal is the primary motivating factor for his joining SODELPA.

But in the event that Rabuka becomes the leader for the Party, then SODELPA will lose one of its powerful and noble virtues and appeal. If rabuka becomes the leader, then the Party loses the moral ground to criticise Voreqe and Khaiyum. At the moment, the Oppositions voices are being heard, by the people and by the world community, in spite of their minority in Parliament.But when Rabuka becomes the leader, their voices will be heard no more. They will simply become actors in a political drama that has little or no meaning and relevance.

For leadership to be effective and possess clout, it must be personified by the kind of moral, intellectual and personal character of an extraordinary kind. Fiji has been demoralised and decimated by the warped and evil personalities of its so-called leaders over the last few years. The nation needs excellent leadership, the kind that will restore hope, confidence, joy and pride in the hearts of all our communities and around the world. Frank is the laughing stock and the butt of jokes everywhere. Everybody knows he is a dumb, proud and selfish fool. Khaiyum is even worse, because he has a brain, but a very proud and greedy heart. The people needs change. That change must begin with a leader from one of the opposition parties, who will restore the pride and hopes of our nation and take Fiji to greater heights. We need a person with the highest integrity, vison, personal appeal and a proven resume of success and excellent leadership. That man is not Rabuka. It must be another man or woman whom Rabuka will support and learn from. So that soon, Frank and Khaiyum may be held accountable for their evil and illegal schemes and Fiji to begin afresh and chart a new course for its future.

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Welcome Home
19/6/2016 06:41:09 am

Has it occurred to us that Visa-free travel into the European Union might well be predicated upon Immunity provisions for what many would consider gross violations of human rights? Particularly when the immunity has been extended over a period as long as a generation? A German Court has handed down a five year prison sentence for a 94 year old man who was in a low grade position at the Nazi Auschwitz Concentration Camp in 1944. The prosecutor has made clear that not only high ranking officers must be held accountable. Those who assisted them deserved equitable process. Survivors of Auschwitz are among us yet to tell of their torment, their continuing,irretrievable loss. We have spoken with them. Their suffering will remain as long as memory and life remain. Is visa-free travel justified while immunity clauses are invoked constitutionally and seemingly 'ad infinitum'? We ought to pause awhile to read 'Night' by survivor Eli Wiesel and then duly reflect.

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Semi
20/6/2016 07:08:31 pm

Vinaka Tomasi. Form a political party and contest the 2018 election. Posting comments in Fiji leaks will get us nowhere.v

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On-Song
21/6/2016 06:43:57 am

One tamani big problem exists Semi; the political arena needs one tamani person of influence and clout to make an impact and such a person has yet to be forthcoming. Perhaps a list of all probables and possibles will help in the evaluation process.

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Sam
20/6/2016 08:44:16 pm

Any political party - no hope at elections. First, election rules make it impossible for anyone to get a fair election outcome. There, there is rigging, outright rigging. Dictators do not design systems to give 'fair' to challengers.

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Tomasi
20/6/2016 11:59:21 pm

Vinaka Semi. You are entitled to your comments. But please tell me?

1. Should I form a political party just to make a comment on Fiji Leaks or any blog?

2. Is it wrong or futile to make a political comment through the blogsites ?

3. What do you really think about Fijian leadership? Whom do you support to be the new SODELPA leader ?

May I suggest Semi that you speak to the important issues that really matter. Stop minding my business and freedom to exercise my right to speak and engage in positive discussions about the vital issues of importance that confront our nation. Just take some time and think about that. Vinaka.

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Semi
21/6/2016 08:20:37 pm

Dina vinaka on song, that person is yet to be born.

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Rajend Naidu
21/6/2016 10:22:04 pm

Editor,
Right Place for Rogue Leaders
The ICC has sentenced former Congolese Vice President Jean Pierre Bemba to 18 years in jail for war crimes. This is the first time the ICC has sentence a commander for the actions of his troops. A decade ago during his troops reign of terror widespread murder and rape was committed . The president of the ICC noted at sentencing that the crimes committed often against whole families by the same marauding troops were sadistic in nature ( DW News 22/6 ).
The right place for such rogue leaders is behind bars - for a very long time.
The sentencing of the DRC commander should sent a clear message out to other rogue leaders that the days are over when you could do your crime and expect to get away with it.
Sincerely,
Rajend Naidu

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Chiku
22/6/2016 12:36:14 am

Bemba is lucky. He is only going to jail. In jail his human rights and prisoners right under international conventions will be respected.
In Bangladesh those who committed war crimes during the 1970s war go to the gallows...

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Pita
21/6/2016 10:32:21 pm

So you think an unconvicted thief like Rabuka is the man to topple Bainimarama?
Rabi stole power from the people of Fiji in 1987. How he acquired his Valavala freehold estate in Vanua Levu during his time as Prime Minister has never been explained. He is a millionaire today because he has been able to on sell it to his cashed up white cronies who have done nothing with the land. While in the army he lost one year's seniority for failure to account for funds in the time he was in charge of the Officer's mess.
Sunce his departure from politics he has held only two civilian jobs, He wad fired from both. Why? No one is asking these questions yet the man is being touted as a serious contender for National office. It is like promoting Dracula to be in charge of the blood bank

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Immunity
22/6/2016 02:31:15 am

Those cheering for. Rabuka refuse to accept that his appointment will be the greatest gift to Bainimarama. We will have no right to hold Bainimarama to account. Coup culture will become the norm and not exception

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Mick Beddoes
22/6/2016 06:54:59 am

SODELPA LEADERSHIP

This week SODELPA decides on its new Party Leader.

Not surprisingly, the Fiji Sun is pushing Mr Rabuka as the front runner, mainly I think because they know if he is elected, it will almost certainly secure Fiji First’s 2nd term in government come 2018. But for me, a Rabuka led SODELPA will mean the end of my membership with the party, not because I dislike him, but because he represents everything that I am opposed to.

The Leader we select this week is supposed to be the one who is going to lead our charge against Fiji First and help us win in 2018. Such a person I would have thought would already have a high and visible profile calling out the Kai-Bai government every time it acts outside the democratic framework and countering the relentless attacks against SODELPA, the party they aspire to lead.

I have looked hard to find statements or sentiments from the aspiring candidates and while there are many examples from the 3 MP candidates, the same cannot be said for Mr Rabuka and Mr Jale.

Mr Jale as far as I can see has a limited profile, Mr Rabuka on the other hand has a high profile, but not for the reasons he believes. The only 2 things he is reported to have said in recent times is, SODELPA should have a vision like Fiji First, and that ‘Frank Bainimarama’ had the right to change our current Fiji Flag? This of course is the opposite position that the SODELPA Youth under the direction of Ro Teimumu Kepa took on the flag issue and succeeded in getting it pushed back?

First of all Mr Rabuka’s commitment to the party itself is a concern. This will be I believe his 3rd attempt to try and secure our party leadership but after each previous failed attempts, he has resigned? What does this say about his commitment to the party? Is it conditional on his being elected leader?

Another problem I have with a Rabuka Leadership, is that his credentials mirror that of Dictator Frank’s in that their rise to Leadership was on the back of committing the capital crime of treason; they both refuse to take responsibility for their crimes, they both hide behind their immunity protection, while all ordinary citizens that they want to lead have no such protection, and while they enjoy this elitist and privileged position their co coup conspirator George Speight & co who committed the exact same capital crime as them, are all serving life for their 2000 effort. And what is worse, neither Mr Rabuka nor Mr Bainimarama think there’s anything wrong with this?

The other misconception that his supporters have is that Mr Rabuka will bring to the party his huge support base? But there is no evidence of this. What I can confirm however, from ‘official’ records is that 24 years ago, and 5 years after his ‘Father of all Coups [1987], Mr Rabuka did win the General elections with his SVT Party with 154,656 votes and 36 seats formed the government and became Prime Minister. But over the following 14 years to 2006, his support base reduced through a party split and disillusion with the SVT and in 2006 they received just 238 votes. This is what the ‘official’ record of support for Mr Rabuka was 10 years ago.

In contrast to this, just 20 months ago our current leader Ro Teimumu Kepa who is, in my view, the ‘most electable’ respected, admired and courageous leader we have, and a Paramount Chief of Fiji received 49,485 votes which is 35% of the total SODELPA votes in 2014. And we think we are going forward by replacing her with someone who 10 years ago could only secure 238 votes? I mean, seriously?

Even Hon Tikoca’s supporters numbered 2,406, Hon Kiliraki has 2.413 and Hon Gavoka has 3,690, and although their numbers collectively are less than 18% of that which Ro Teimumu polled, they are each 10 to 15 times greater than the Fiji Sun’s presumptive new SODELPA leader Mr Rabuka.

As for concerns some have raised about Hon Gavoka and his relationship to the Attorney General, from my own experience with the Hon member, I can say that it does not diminish his determination to do what is right.

Winning elections is about increasing voter numbers. In 2014 we secured 139,857 votes and along with our Opposition partners and Independents, 41% of the voters voted against Fiji First and the difference between winning or losing the 2018 elections based on these results, is a shift of just 14% of Fiji First supporters to the Opposition. Consolidating our support from 2006 and working with our opposition partners to build that 41% to 55% is what will win the election for us. To the current SODELPA leadership, I say displacing the leader who polled the largest number of votes for the party and risking her supporter’s continued loyalty, after the disrespectful way Ro Teimumu has been treated by some in the executive, is an act of lunacy.

Of course we can just hand the next elections on a plate to Fiji First, all we have to do is elec

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Fiji is full of Crooks
22/6/2016 10:12:34 pm

Good points by Millis Beddoes.

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On-Song
23/6/2016 12:57:07 am

Very Simply!! Na Marama won majority votes and deserves to maintain Party leadership. All others must either tow the line or ask to be replaced because you're not working as a team and your egos getting the better of you. SODELPA has a current job to perform and that is as Opposition in Government so GUYS!!! shape up or ship out. Rabuka for leadership? NAAH!! you have enough clout and brains to fully support the Lady and help lead the Party out of the pettiness that it is embroiled in NOT replace her.

Welcome Home
22/6/2016 07:07:17 pm

Chapter 10 IMMUNITY - that little word 'Tenor' is worrisome in relation to 'Doing the right thing'. For if we had a determination to be doing the RIGHT thing, why should we require immunity for doing so? And especially why over a period of twenty-four years or more? The test must be that if we were, there would be no need to charge secondary school teachers with rape and the sexual assault of fifteen year old pupils because moral depravity of this nature would be beyond contemplation. The test also applies to the suicide rate over more than twenty years and in many more areas of daily life. The 'tenor of immunity' has failed multiple tests. This must now be clearly acknowledged and bravely confronted. A rule of law must needs be restored with all the requisite consequences. History and 'time immemorial' will determine the legacy of those who fail to measure up. There is no longer a refuge in isolation from international norms of justice. The DRC has just discovered at The Hague.

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Mick Beddoes
22/6/2016 07:19:04 pm

Seems my total comments were lost in last post so here is the balance of it:-

Of course we can just hand the next elections on a plate to Fiji First, all we have to do is elect Mr Rabuka as our new leader and we will have helped created a scenario where the 2 candidates most likely to be our next Prime Minister are the very ones who destroyed our democracy. What does that say about our morals and integrity as a society? Sadly what the coup culture has given Fiji is a new military and social elite whose rise in fame, fortune and status, have been achieved on the back of acts of treason, through favours, corruption and nepotism.

Everyone born in 1987 will be 31 in 2018 and those born in 2000 will be become eligible to vote in 2018, so we have arrived at the time when the majority of our people will have never experienced real democracy, they have grown up under the shadows of coups, oppression and threats and although it’s been 29 years since the first coup that began all our problems, it’s never too late to start saying NO.

Some coup leaders in other countries are finding out that, the ‘arm of the law is long’ so while the usurpers of our democracy and their aiders and abettors may well succeed for now in ‘delaying’ their day in court, ultimately that day will come. It’s not a matter of if, but when!

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Osea Malamalanitabua link
22/6/2016 07:41:38 pm

May I commend you Mick Beddoes for your honesty and integrity with your views on Sitiveni Rabuka.A warning to all in SODELPA one wrong move we are all down and out.THANK YOU MICK.

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Samjha
22/6/2016 09:49:38 pm

I agree with what Mick Beddoes says about the people aspiring for SODELPA leadership. Jale is indeed a nobody on the national political stage. He was just a bureaucratic civil service man who used to do his political masters bidding without professional questioning, Rabuka is a somebody but a bad body. It's time we did not have such people as leaders.
In any case regardless of who the SODELPA leader is it will not on its own topple Bainimarama- Khaiyum's Fiji First Party at the next elections.
The opposition needs to come together in a grant coalition to achieve a common goal - to end the dictatorial rule of Bainimarama and Khaiyum.
All else is, as they say in Fiji, waste time.

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