FIJI UPDATE: JULY 11, 2007: BAINIMARAMA AND

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 SUVA 000354

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/11/2017
TAGS: PREL MARR PHUM ASEC FJ
SUBJECT: FIJI UPDATE: JULY 11, 2007: BAINIMARAMA AND
TELENI SAY ELECTIONS WILL ONLY TAKE PLACE WHEN THE MILITARY
IS READY; AHKOY TO BE AMBASSADOR TO CHINA, ACCOMPANIED BY
BAINIMARAMA'S BANDLEADER; TWO UNIONS CALL OFF STRIKE PLANS

REF: SUVA 333 (AND PREVIOUS)

Classified By: Amb. Dinger. Sec. 1.4 (B,D)

Summary
--------------

1. (C) New interim Police Commissioner and RFMF Deputy
Teleni told a group of professionals that the military would
never allow the SDL to regain power, even if it won the next
election. Teleni said the RFMF would ignore any negative
court rulings and only hold elections when it is ready.
Continuing on the same themes, Bainimarama said in a NZ TV
interview that early elections are not acceptable because
"the same brand of people" who won the last election would be
brought back to power. The timing of elections, he said,
"will be everybody's guess." Businessman and Embassy landlord
Sir James AhKoy has been tapped to be the new Ambassador to
China with erstwhile RFMF bandleader and current RFMF
spokesperson Teleni to be defense attache. AhKoy and interim
government officials are actively promoting a "look north
policy" for aid, infrastructure, and a land-lease scheme. Two
public sector unions announced July 10 they would not strike
in return for an agreement wherein 1% of the already
instituted 5% pay cut would be restored by the end of the
year. Other unions have labeled this a sell-out and insist
they will continue with their strike plans. End summary.

Unusually revealing comments from Capt. Teleni
-------------- -

2. (C) A well-placed interlocutor informed us of a recent
conversation between interim Police Commissioner (and Deputy
RFMF Commander) Teleni and a group of professionals in Fiji.
Asked the role of the military, Teleni reiterated the
expansive RFMF view: to protect the welfare of society.
Asked what would happen if Qarase's SDL party were to win the
next election, Teleni reportedly said: "We will not allow
that. It won't happen. It will not be allowed. Nowhere
after a coup is the deposed government allowed to return."
Asked what will happen if the courts rule against the coup,
Teleni reportedly said: "We will ignore any such court
rulings. We will go back to elections only when we are
ready." Asked about the militarization of the civil service,
Teleni reportedly said: "We were experiencing passive
resistance in the civil service." Thus, installing military
inside is "necessary to make things happen." We are told the
civilian professionals were quite taken aback by the
conversation.

Bainimarama commitment to democracy...eventually
-------------- ---

3. (U) In an interview with TV New Zealand's "Hard Pill to
Swallow" program aired July 8, Bainimarama said he is
personally committed to seeing Fiji return to full democratic
rule. However, he asked, "How do you define democracy...is
an election democracy?" He predicted that an early election
would bring "the same brand of people" back to power, and
they would turn Fiji "upside down again." Asked when exactly
Fiji will have elections, Bainimarama said: "Elections will
be everybody's guess." Asked about deaths in military
custody, Bainimarama said the military doesn't endorse that.
"We don't endorse any brutality, and we don't like that.
Anyone who has done that is taken in for questioning and is
taken to task." Asked if he will step down if he can't
institute his set of reforms, Bainimarama said, "Never." He
took power to institute the reforms and he will persevere
until the mission is completed.

Military diplomats; businessman to China
--------------

4. (C) As previously reported, the IG has publicly announced
it intends to send Land Forces Commander Col. Pita Driti as
High Commissioner to Malaysia (though KL has not yet provided
agrement),and Land Forces Chief of Staff LtCol. Mason Smith
as milrep to the Fiji mission to the UN in New York (though
we have not yet received a visa request). The IG has also
announced its intention to send businessman Sir James AhKoy
as Ambassador to China, with RFMF spokesman and bandmaster
Maj. Leweni as Defense Attache. Again, it appears agrement
has not yet been received. AhKoy was a stalwart Minister in
the Rabuka governments of the 1990s, is a father figure to

SUVA 00000354 002 OF 002


2000 coup leader George Speight, is half-Chinese with many
interests in China, was knighted by the UK at request of PNG
PM Somare, and is the Embassy Suva landlord. Leweni has no
credentials to be a DATT, but he has been exceptionally loyal
to Bainimarama. He will not be missed in Suva. Leweni told
the media his mission will be to build defense cooperation
with China, to replace what has been lost by sanctions.
Interestingly, LtCol. Smith and new MFA Chief of Protocol
Maj. Sila Balawa were RFMF participants in a University of
South Pacific-sponsored preparation course for diplomats that
began before the December coup. We noted that timing to
Balawa recently, suggesting coup planners must have had
rather detailed personnel plans early on. Balawa denied it,
saying he had no idea chief of protocol would be his future
until just recently.

Promotions...more coming?
--------------

5. (C) Commodore Bainimarama announced on July 11 the
promotion of Navy Captain Esala Teleni to Commodore and
Colonel Iowane Naivalurua to Brigadier. Teleni has been RFMF
Chief of Staff and recently became interim Police
Commissioner. Naivalurua, who had Brigadier rank when
leading Fiji forces in UNAMI in Iraq, is now Fiji Prisons
Commissioner. (Comment. We know Bainimarama lobbied the
Qarase Government hard for a promotion to two stars. Could
that now be in the offing?)

More looking north to China
--------------

6. (C) When Jim AhKoy was asked by media what he intends to
accomplish as Ambassador to China, he noted Bainimarama's
"look north" policy for aid in lieu of traditional sources
like Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. PM
PermSec Parmesh Chand recently made clear the IG's interest
in tapping into Chinese Premier Wen's offer, made in Nadi in
April 2006, of some US$300 million in soft-loan opportunities
to the Pacific region. (We have repeatedly heard frustration
from the Chinese Embassy here that the Qarase Government and,
since the coup, the IG had shown no interest in exploring
such opportunities.) Chand suggested Chinese aid could help
meet Fiji's infrastructure needs. Also, the interim Minister
for Rural Development has mentioned the possibility of "Go
Farm Fiji" projects whereby Chinese citizens would lease
land, develop "build, operate, transfer" projects, and then
"resell" to landowners after the projects prove profitable.
(Comment: Such a concept sounds extremely unlikely to succeed
in rural Fiji.)

Reassuring Fijian land owners
--------------

7. (C) Responding to grumbling in the ethnic-Fijian community
that the IG is attempting to deal away land rights, Interim
PM Bainimarama stressed on July 10 that no native land will
be taken away from landowners by the IG. He accused
opponents of fear tactics for political gain. Deposed PM
Qarase made clear his view that only a lawfully elected
government can make changes to land legislation.

Some unions cancel strike; others still planning
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8. (U) On July 10, IG Public Services Minister Bune, Finance
Minister Chaudhry, and two public-sector unions announced
agreement on measures to avert a strike by the unions.
Issues in dispute were the IG's 5% pay cut and a reduction in
retirement age from 60 to 55. The resolution restores 1% of
the pay cut in December, effective from last January. The
age issue is put off, pending results of a court case. Other
public-sector unions claim, seemingly with considerable
justification, that the agreement was orchestrated to make
the IG look good by a few union leaders who have taken roles
within the IG. Several other unions, without such IG
connections, are continuing to threaten strikes in coming
weeks, including the Nurses Union. Police have rejected all
union applications to hold rallies. Bainimarama has said
publicly that the unions have the right to strike, and the IG
has contingency plans in place, including to inject more
soldiers into the public service as temporary replacements.
Nurses shuddered at that vision for hospitals.
DINGER