Frank (Voqere) Bainimarama's recent "Perfectly Frank" interview by Australia SBS video journalist Mark Davis has been widely circulated by those opposed to Bainimarama, probably because they think he came out of the interview rather poorly. I thought differently. True, his "style" is not the typically diplomatic and he has a "raw" way of saying things in English, but what he actually said confirms my impression: he's perfectly consistent in what he says he's trying to achieve, and he means what he says. Of how many diplomats or politicians can this be said?Of the interview itself, the two men seemed to be talking past each other on different planes of non-comprehension. Davis couldn't understand where Bainimarama was coming from: "Surely this man cannot believe what he's saying!" while Bainimarama seemed to be thinking: "How many times are they going to ask these questions? Why don't they believe me?"
In this post Baimarama's main points are grouped by topics. Otherwise his words are unchanged. Some quite lengthy exchanges have been omitted. To see the video of the interview, click here, and to read the text in full, click here. Read more...
On Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Island Forum
"A lot of people don't want to understand the situation here - especially Australia and New Zealand ...Why is [the Australian Foreign Minister] warning me? Is he the forum? He's not the forum. The forum is a group of island nations in the Pacific - it's not Australia, it's not New Zealand. But do you see what's happening? They are using bulldozing tactics to have their way with the Forum. ... there's a lot of things that you from Australia and New Zealand don't see. You don't understand the politics in Fiji."
On Australian and New Zealand Influence on Internal Fiji Politics
Bainimarama: "The only reason these people [his main opponents] are vocal is because of the stance taken by Australia and New Zealand."
Davis: "It's encouraged them?"
Bainimarama: "It's encouraged them. In fact, they are encouraging one another."
On What He's Trying to Do
"I keep telling everyone a radical change needs to be brought in. And radical change cannot be brought in by some weak organisation ... Yes [I am demanding "changes" and "obedience", Davis's words] for a reason, because we want to bring about changes and you can't bring about changes if you wait 20 years for that to come about. You need to have it done - today... If there were going to be any changes to the electoral reform, why didn't we make the changes in the last 30 years?
On Why No Elections Now
Davis: "If you an election were held today, I think you'd agree, Mr Qarase would probably win it."
Bainimarama: "Exactly. Because of the way the constitution is done, how the electoral system is made up, that can never change. And why? Because the politicians are happy with that - they are comfortable with that. They want the race issue to remain so that they can win.""He would win it and where would that take us? ... It's not going to take us anywhere because as I've said we are trying to change the mindset of the people from the racial issues that were prevalent in the last 10 years to what we want to take Fiji to."
Davis: "Equal suffrage Multi-ethnic equal rights?
Bainimarama: "Exactly. Isn't that what the Australians would want?
On the Role of the Military in Bringing about Change
Bainimarama broke the 2000 Speight coup, installed Qarase but as Davis said "they quickly fell out, again on issues of race and indigenous power."]
"What I did in 2000 was exactly what I did in 2006. We took away executive authority in 2000 because of the chaos and I handed executive authority to the politicians, the political masses, in the understanding that politicians were going to take us forward. They did not. Qarase and his crowd did a turnabout, did a turnaround on the military. Everything, or the direction that we wanted them to take the country to, to include all the races, they didn't do that.So I took it back in 2006. I took it back to prepare the politicians to lead this nation and the only way we can prepare the politicians is by getting a new constitution, getting a new electoral system in place. One man, one vote, and see what happens? If one man, one vote is good for Australia and New Zealand, why isn't it good for Fiji?"
"... what we want right now in Fiji is to bring about radical changes. Strong changes. Make changes to improve the lives of the people of this nation. No-one can bring those changes into being except the military here, now. In Fiji's history, no-one can bring about the changes to the public service. No-one can bring about the changes to the land and bring about land reforms. We can do that. We are not elected. We don't have to please the indigenous community. We don't have to please any chiefs. We don't have to please any members in the Methodist hierarchy. We do what is good for the nation irrespective of your colour, irrespective of your religion, irrespective of your creed.
On Media Freedom
"My government believes in media freedom. However, the media must ensure that their work does not impact negatively on the right of others or the stability and well-being of a nation. But it's not a military dictatorship where we abuse our authority.They can print whatever they want, but irresponsible journalism is not going to be tolerated.
On Ousted Former Prime Minister Qarase
"I want Qarase and his politics to be irrelevant. I want him out. I want his politics irrelevant from now on, OK? I don't want any race issue brought back again. .. This is the action that will stop all coups, that will stop all the destabilising forces from bringing up race issues from now onwards. That's what we are trying to do."
On Methodist Leaders and Chiefs
Davis: "You've got Australia and New Zealand against you, you're going to have a lot of the chiefs against you. You've now got the Methodist Church against you, and that's the biggest church here. I mean, can you hold this together for five years?"
Bainimarama: "You must remember I'm a member of the Methodist Church. I'm not against the reforms. There are a hundred thousand more like me. Just because some of the chiefs are against me, it doesn't mean that the rest of the indigenous population are against me. The only reason these people are vocal is because of the stance taken by Australia and New Zealand."
Mark Davis Concludes
"For now, Bainimarama's biggest headache doesn't come from foreign nations. The real power he is challenging doesn't lie in Canberra or Wellington - it lies in a thousand traditional villages across Fiji. While all the correct indigenous protocols are being followed today, it is those same protocols and the associated privileges that Bainimarama is directly challenging. In essence, he's proposing sweeping constitutional changes to eliminate electoral, employment and other advantages given to indigenous Fijians over their ethnically Indian compatriots."
My friend Bhaiya comments on Davis's conclusion
Davis appears to be caught in a ‘time warp’ himself. The issue in Fiji is not merely a ‘Fijian’ –‘Indian’ one! It is also about the abuse of a racially justified electoral system and policies, including affirmative action policies, by an indigenous elite. Disadvantage and exclusion in Fiji affects a broad mass of people that include ethnic Fijians, Indo-Fijians, mixed-race people, Solomoni, Ni-Vanuatu and several other minorities.
Cartoon: Cafe Pacific
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