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Hon, Laisenia Qarase Prime Minister and Minister for Sugar and Investment Tuesday 5th December, 2006 Fellow citizens, bula vinaka and greetings to you all. I am still here, your Prime Minister. As you will have heard from the news media and seen on television, serious developments are taking place in Suva. The Fiji Military Forces have seized control of all Government vehicles assigned to Ministers. These include my own official vehicle. They have mounted road checkpoints throughout the city. They have taken the keys to the Office of the Prime Minister in Government Buildings. It is clear that their intention is to bring to a standstill the functioning of my elected Government. This morning, I had intended to convene a special meeting of our countryÕs Multi-party Cabinet. This was to specifically consider the new demands of the Military Commander, as conveyed through the President and the Vice President. These new demands included the extension of the CommanderÕs contract of appointment to the year 2012, even though his current five year contract has another two years to run. Another development this morning was the meeting by our President with the Military Commander. I understand the President will publicly announce the outcome of that meeting. However, in earlier contacts with me, the President had wanted me either to totally accept the demands of the Military, or to resign as Prime Minister. I want to inform you all, the people of Fiji, that as your elected Prime Minister, I have absolutely refused to bend to these demands. Both courses of actions would be contrary to the supreme law of our country, and that is FijiÕs Constitution. As your Prime Minister, I stand firmly in support and defence of our Constitution, and of the rule of law and parliamentary democracy in Fiji. Any Military takeover of the elected Government would be unlawful, and those responsible would bear the consequences, as no one is above the law. Worse still, the consequences to FijiÕs economy would be catastrophic. Already, we are seeing innocent people being laid off their jobs. Investments are being put on hold. A development that should be of concern to us all is the decision by the Emperor Gold Mining Company at Vatukoula to close its operations. This means that 1750 innocent workers would lose their jobs, and just imagine the suffering this would bring to their families. I appeal to the Military and to all those soldiers who are loyal and who remain faithful to their oath of office. It is not too late to draw back from the brink of disaster with which our country is now faced. Already, the New Zealand has announced several sanctions against Fiji. The stoppage of all Military assistance to Fiji. A ban on travel to NZ by senior Military staff and their families. New Zealand will also call on the Commonwealth to place Fiji on its Commonwealth Action Group agenda. This could mean the expulsion of Fiji from the Commonwealth of Nations. Other countries are expected to follow what New Zealand has done. To you, the citizens of Fiji, let me assure you, categorically, that under no circumstances will I resign as Prime Minister, or give advice to His Excellency to dissolve Parliament. There is no reason whatsoever, for me to do so. I am the democratically-elected Prime Minister, appointed in accordance with the Constitution, and the General Elections in May gave my party a clear majority in Parliament. The functions of law and order, as exercised by the Police, are intact. There is no outbreak of civil disorder. The public are coming out openly expressing their support for the maintenance of the rule of law and parliamentary democracy. I am much heartened by the expressions of support the Government is receiving from right across the community. I make particular mention of the overwhelming backing from the vanua which is standing against any threat to our democratically-elected Government. The vanua does not want an unlawful seizure of power. The emphatic message I am receiving is in favour of the rule of law, parliamentary democracy, and the preservation of order by the Police. As I have said, any forcible takeover of Government and Parliament would be a breach of our Constitution. Anyone who is a party to the illegal overthrow of the Government would be guilty of an act of treason. This is the most serious offence against the State, punishably by life imprisonment. I ask those considering such a course to think very, very carefully about what they would be doing. I issue the same warning to anyone contemplating accepting an appointment in an illegal administration. The Constitution would remain in place, as would all the laws of our country. People who might try to usurp power would, therefore, be answerable to the Constitution and to criminal laws. The law has a long reach. There is no escape from it, especially when evidence is readily available. The Military leadership has been citing the Doctrine of Necessity to justify intervention by His Excellency the President. They claim it is necessary for His Excellency to dismiss the Government, dissolve Parliament and appoint an Interim Administration. The Doctrine of Necessity is totally irrelevant to the present circumstances. It simply does not apply. What we are witnessing instead is an orchestrated attempt to try to destabilize the country and justify a Military takeover of Government and our country. I ask members of the Military to consider the consequences not only for themselves, but also for their families and relatives. Are you prepared to break the law, sacrifice your freedom, and condemn your families to suffer, only so that the Commander can get his contract extended to 2012? Are your prepared to put our country at the risk of sanctions and boycotts, and withdrawal of vital aid? I ask every soldier to think very carefully about the legal consequences of taking part in an illegal takeover of Government. In the ultimate, it will be their own families who will suffer from any unlawful action they take now. Ladies and gentlemen, it is still not too late to save our country. There is still time for every section of our society to make their voices known. I appeal to you to come out and express your support for the rule of law and democracy in Fiji, and say no to an unlawful takeover of our country by the Military. In this late hour, it is never too late to speak out with one voice, to save our country from economic calamity and ruin. May God bless you all. ****** |
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