FIJI UPDATE 12/19: BAINIMARAMA WON'T ATTEND GCC;

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 SUVA 000573 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/19/2016 TAGS: PREL MARR PHUM ASEC CASC FJ SUBJECT: FIJI UPDATE 12/19: BAINIMARAMA WON'T ATTEND GCC; RFMF TRIES TO FURTHER ISOLATE QARASE REF: SUVA 560 AND PREVIOUS Classified By: DCM Ted Mann per 1.4 (B) and (D) Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) Commodore Bainimarama said he will not be attending the Great Council of Chiefs meetings this week because the Chiefs did not invite him as "Acting President." PM Qarase said the GCC meeting will determine the direction of the country; if Bainimarama does not accept GCC decisions, Fiji's future is bleak. We hear that the RFMF has told phone companies to cut off Qarase's phone access. At a business event, Bainimarama said he would only turn power over to civilians when he was "absolutely certain" Fiji had been rid of corruption. Various op-eds and newspaper advertisements demonstrate the very divergent views of Fiji's NGOs toward the coup. Bainimarama, Qarase Won't Attend GCC -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Commodore Bainimarama told reporters this morning that he will not be attending the December 20-21 meeting of the Great Council of Chiefs, since his invitation was as RFMF Commander, not as Acting President. When asked if he might reconsider attending the 12/21 session if the Chiefs decide on 12/20 to acknowledge him as Acting President, Bainimarama replied that he is attending a soldier's funeral 12/21 and will not be available. Bainimarama told reporters that "it is worrying to see how the GCC meeting is being handled," noting that some sitting chiefs were implicated in the 2000 coup and that the pro-Qarase and nationalist-leaning Assembly of Christian Churches in Fiji (ACCF) has indicated its intention to sing hymns outside the meeting site. In response to the Commander's statements, the head of the ACCF renewed his criticism of the RFMF, saying RFMF actions were "decrees to the rule of Satan." ¶3. (U) In an interview with Australian television today, PM Qarase said the GCC meetings will determine the direction of the country. He said the meetings would be a test of the character and integrity of the GCC. If the GCC makes its determinations according to the rule of law, as Qarase expects, but the Commander does not accept those decisions, then "there will be a very tough time ahead for us." Unlike Bainimarama, Qarase has stated unambiguously that he wants to attend the GCC meetings, but will be unable to because the �0A;RFMF will not allow him to fly to Suva. RFMF Set to Cut Off Qarase's Phone Links -------------- ¶4. (C) We hear from a reliable source that the RFMF has told Fiji Telecom and cellular provider Vodafone to cut off Qarase's phone access. The military is clearly unhappy that Qarase has been in regular contact with supporters and has been able to conduct daily press interviews with the media since he arrived in his home island of Lau. We do not know if Qarase will be able to find alternate means to maintain contact with supporters and the media. At one point, Qarase told reporters he had a satellite phone. RFMF Welcoming to Business? -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Looking more and more like a politician, Bainimarama today accepted a royalty check of FJ$443,000 on behalf of the government of Fiji from the state-owned Pacific Fishing Company (PAFCO, a firm that processes tuna for Bumble Bee). Bainimarama lauded PAFCO's success, and held it up as a model for other state-owned firms. He also used the occasion to reaffirm his commitment to a red-tape free business climate and to assure local and foreign business people that their investments in Fiji are absolutely safe. At the PAFCO event, Bainimarama said that he would only turn the country over to a civilian government after he was convinced the country was being run in a competent and corruption-free manner. ¶6. (SBU) Bainimarama's treatment of PAFCO, a firm long propped up by government subsidies and the scene of nasty labor disputes in recent years, contrasts with his treatment of Airports Fiji Limited (AFL) a far more profitable company SUVA 00000573 002 OF 003 with a better business reputation. Bainimarama announced the sacking of AFL CEO Ratu Sakiusa Tuisolia last week, citing "major discrepancies in a special audit carried out on AFL." Ratu Sakiusa struck back almost immediately with a full page ad in the 12/16 Fiji Times calling the above quoted statement "a blatant lie." He said the company has increased earnings every year for the past five years and, in fact, the final audit report did not find or report any fraud or impropriety. We note that Ratu Sakiusa is the husband of human rights campaigner Imrana Jalal, a strong opponent of the coup and the victim of a vicious telephoned rape threat almost certainly from the military in the days immediately following the coup. Conflicting Views of NGOs -------------- ¶7. (C) Various op-ed pieces, ads and letters to the editor in recent days have demonstrated the very divergent views held by different NGOs in regard to the coup. The Fiji Women's Rights Movement, the most outspoken anti-coup organization to date, printed a two page pull-out in the Fiji Times 12/16, "YES to Democracy, NO to Coups," in which it addressed and dismissed each of the RFMF statements used to justify its actions. Angie Heffernan of the Pacific Center for Public Integrity has also repeatedly criticized the military's actions. Most recently she strongly criticized Human Rights Commissioner Shaista Shameem for "not denouncing" the appointment by the military of Rodney Acraman as "government ombudsman" and chairman of the Human Rights Commission. Despite her protests to the contrary, Shameem appears to be very reticent about pursuing the many human rights violations that have taken place since the coup. ¶8. (SBU) Some NGOs, on the other hand, appear to have bought into the military's arguments. Three social justice advocates from the Ecumenical Center for Research, Education and Advocacy (ECREA) published a long op-ed in the 12/19 Fiji Times blaming the coup on Qarase, and insisting the Commodore "didn't want it to turn out the way it did." The authors blame western countries for having a "narrow view" of democracy and argue that conformance to the rule of law should not be the only criteria by which the military's actions are judged. While acknowledging that some human rights violations may have taken place since the coup, the authors argue that the coup "is a time of great opportunity" to build "a nation where there is justice, compassion and inclusiveness." ¶9. (SBU) Similarly, the 12/19 Fiji Times printed a letter from Rev. Akuila Yabaki, head of the well-known NGO Citizen's Constitutional Forum (CCF),in which he insists the military's motives are laudable. Yabaki agrees that Fiji needs to rid itself of "the coup culture" but believes that there is a "deeper malaise" that needs to be fixed first, that of "racist policies that do not serve the poor, but only serve as tools of manipulation" by the racist elites. Yabaki clearly implies that the military can be the instrument to move Fiji closer to the goal of an equitable, inclusive society. While Yabaki leads an organization that ostensibly aims to defend the Constitution, the Constitution was not mentioned in his letter. Comment -------------- ¶10. (C) The Qarase was not popular with many liberal minded people in Fiji, who tended to cheer on Bainimarama from the sidelines as he lobbied insults and challenges at the government and its policies. Few, if any, of these would have supported a coup at the time, and were comforted by the Commander's oft-repeated mantra that he would never execute one. With the coup having taken place and the military doing its best to curry favor with a bewildered population by playing to populist anti-corruption and anti-bureaucracy sentiments, some of these groups and individuals are finding it hard to declare their allegiance to democratic principles over their ingrained dislike of the former government. For organizations like CCF and ECREA, the twists in logic are breathtaking. It should be noted that the views of these organizations have always had a limited impact on Fiji public opinion, since most people rely on vernacular radio broadcasts and daily television summaries for the vast majority of their news. SUVA 00000573 003 OF 003 DINGER