FIJI CABINET FRICTIONS; QARASE TRAVEL STYMIED;

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 SUVA 000425

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/28/2017
TAGS: PREL PHUM PINR PGOV FJ
SUBJECT: FIJI CABINET FRICTIONS; QARASE TRAVEL STYMIED;
TAMING THE GCC; CLEAN-UP DOUBLE STANDARDS; SOMARE ON FIJI;
PIF-FIJI WORKING GROUP LOSING MOMENTUM

REF: SUVA 420

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

Summary
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1. (C) Commodore Bainimarama's interim Cabinet is developing
fractures. Deposed PM Qarase's plan to travel to Suva this
week was derailed. Qarase alleges a military threat to kill
him on arrival and a military order to Air Fiji not to board
him. Interim government (IG) efforts to tame the Great
Council of Chiefs (GCC) continue. Bainimarama rejected a
high chief's public plea for IG reconciliation. Some
observers believe the exercise was a prelude to ethnic-Fijian
action against Bainimarama. The case of Nasir Ali
illustrates the IG clean-up campaign's double standards.
Recent events raise concerns about Fiji's Court of Appeals.
A media report suggests PNG PM Somare may be softening his
view of how the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) should relate to
the Fiji situation. The PIF-Fiji Working Group appears to be
losing momentum. End summary.

Fractures coming in interim Cabinet?
--------------

2. (C) We hear from seemingly reliable sources that, as
expected, fractures are developing within the interim
cabinet. Interim PM Bainimarama is reportedly unhappy with
interim Finance Minister Chaudhry, interim Attorney General
Sayed-Khaiyum, and interim Labor/Tourism Minister
Rounds-Ganilau. Chaudhry and his Fiji Labor Party colleagues
are seen as playing political games rather than focusing on
"moving the country forward." Sayed-Khaiyum is seen as
complicating the IG's legal problems. Sayed-Khaiyum has
taken quite a low profile in recent weeks, after taking a
lead public role in the months after the coup.
Rounds-Ganilau appeared not to be a "team player" during the
recent strikes. Comment: Elements in the ethnic-Fijian
community have accused Bainimarama of ceding IG
decision-making to ethnic-Indians like Chaudhry and
Sayed-Khaiyum. Our impression is that the military council
remains in control, but Bainimarama may feel pressure to
prove he, not Chaudhry, is in charge.

Qarase alleges RFMF threat
--------------

3. (U) Deposed PM Qarase, who has been exiled on his home
island in the Lau Group since the December coup, announced
his intention to fly to Suva on Friday, 8/31, to help prepare
his court case against the IG, reunite with his family, and
conduct personal business. Interim Chief Justice Gates ruled
some weeks ago that Qarase has a right to travel to attend
court. The military (RFMF) signaled it would not object,
suggesting Qarase is now irrelevant. But yesterday (8/28)
Qarase reportedly received a phone call threatening his life
if he returns to Suva. The caller claimed to be military.
Also Air Fiji, the only airline servicing Lau, received an
order, purportedly from the RFMF, not to board Qarase. An
RFMF spokesman denied any military threat to Qarase or order
to Air Fiji. Qarase has postponed his travel plans and has
asked associates to see about transporting him by ship.

Co-opting the GCC?
--------------

4. (C) On 8/24, President Iloilo issued a decree
restructuring the membership of the GCC. The decree drops a
few members -- the President, VP, PM, and "life members"
(i.e., former PM Rabuka) -- and adds six "co-opted" members.
It is not clear yet what "co-opted" means. The big change,
though, is in who selects. The 14 provinces are still to
provide 3 members each, but rather than the provincial
councils selecting them, the Minister for Fijian Affairs is
to choose. That, if implemented, would truly "co-opt" the
GCC from being an independent institution tasked under the
Constitution to protect ethnic-Fijian core interests into a
group hand-picked by the IG. GCC leaders who were deposed by
the IG in April have re-instituted a lawsuit challenging IG
authority to institute changes. In the meantime, an
IG-initiated review team has begun consultations within the
chiefly system on reforms. Comment: the high chiefs who have
dominated the GCC in the past will not be pleased by the
latest developments.

Chiefly reconciliation plea or call to arms?
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5. (C) The high chief of Naitasiri Province took out
full-page ads (English and Fijian) in the 8/26 Sunday Times
newspaper asking the interim PM to engage in national
reconciliation. The chief proposed that, given Fiji's
current economic hardship, increased racial hatred, and
unending political instability, Bainimarama and the IG should
accept an amnesty for coup perpetrators, elections by late
2008, demilitarization of government, and an end to "coup
culture." The chief said, "Nothing that this regime
undertakes will ever be legal and the regime cannot force its
will upon the people." Bainimarama firmly rejected the
proposal, saying it was "inciteful." He noted the military's
belief that the chief was behind a military mutiny in
November 2000 that nearly took Bainimarama's life. The chief
was convicted of treason and served nearly three years in
prison before being freed two months ago pending a new trial.
Comment: some suggest the ad was intended to set the stage
for action by ethnic-Fijian leaders against the IG: make a
"good faith" offer; see it rejected out of hand; force the
issue.

An odd way to combat corruption
--------------

6. (U) Shortly after the December coup, Commodore Bainimarama
tapped Nasir Ali, a senior Fiji Police officer, to lead the
charge, often very publicly, in IG anti-corruption
investigations. With creation of the Fiji Independent
Commission Against Corruption (FICAC) Ali retained the role.
Under former Police Commissioner Hughes, Ali had been
suspended from investigating an "agriculture scam" from
2000-2001, and there were rumors he had engaged in corrupt
practices while heading the Police Credit Union.
Bainimarama's first Police Commissioner, Jim Koroi, who later
moved to head an internal police anti-corruption unit,
resigned from the police last week. Letters he wrote to
Bainimarama and to then-RFMF Chief of Staff, now Police
Commissioner, Teleni have just become public. Koroi, a
straight-shooter, alleged Ali was unprofessional and should
in no way be allowed a role in investigating Police Credit
Union corruption issues. Last week, Teleni appointed Ali to
head the credit union investigation. When asked why, given
Koroi's concerns, Teleni said he trusts the guy.

Concerns about the Court of Appeal
--------------

7. (C) Acting Chief Justice Gates announced that three local
judges will sit as the Fiji Court of Appeal beginning next
week. In the past, most Fiji Court of Appeal judges have
come in from Australia and New Zealand; however, the former
President of the Court of Appeal, Gordon Ward, and a number
of Aussie and Kiwi judges whose terms ended in July
reportedly refused to consider extensions, not wanting to
take an oath to an illegitimate government. The three local
judges chosen are an interesting group. Two received their
high-court appointments since the coup, tainting them. One
of those and the third judge are retirees, serving only
temporarily on the high court. The list of appellate cases
to be considered has not yet been revealed. Interestingly,
Gordon Ward's Pacific Harbor home burnt to the ground last
Saturday night. Ward has been vacationing in Ireland.
Results of a police investigation have not yet been revealed,
but people are wondering if the fire was pay-back for Ward's
opposition to the IG.

Is PNG's Somare changing his line on Fiji?
--------------

8. (C) Papua New Guinea PM Somare, PIF Chairman until
October, reportedly has informed the media that the Pacific
Island Forum (PIF) "would do well not to impose unrealistic
political timetables on Fiji." Somare is quoted as saying
the region wants Fiji to return to democracy, but that return
should be "not temporary but enduring." Somare reportedly
argued that the Forum risks undermining its ability to
influence the IG if it completely refuses to acknowledge that
the IG is in effective control of Fiji. Somare suggested
that the Forum "should perhaps seriously cede to the
principle of doctrine of necessity and deal with the Fiji
Government from within the Forum." Comment: Until now, we
had received the impression, including from the PNG High
Commissioner in Suva, that Somare was intent to maintain the
PIF's firm line on Fiji.

PIF-Fiji Working Group losing momentum
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9. (C) PIF Working Group members tell us the Fiji side's
initial willingness to engage on election-planning issues is
fading. At a meeting last week, the PIF side raised, yet
again, the need to move rapidly to hire a Supervisor of
Elections, from overseas if no qualified Fiji citizen
applies. The PIF offered to provide very quickly a list of
qualified prospects and noted probable donor willingness to
help fund the right sort of Supervisor. The Fiji side
(PermSecs Chand and Ligairi) acknowledged interest in
funding, but then started mumbling about needing to "sort out
internal processes" first. The sense was the Fiji side wants
to appoint whomever it wants in a time frame that could
stretch out. We are told it was not an encouraging meeting.

Comment
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10. (C) The rumored IG Cabinet frictions, the alleged effort
to keep Qarase exiled, the endeavors to rein in the GCC, and
controversy surrounding the Naitasiri chief's reconciliation
plea, all could relate to the sense reported reftel that
ethnic-Fijian discontent with the IG is undiminished and may
even be increasing.
DINGER