FIJI: Arrests fuel democracy debate

Democracy and freedom of speech are at the forefront of discussions concerning the arrests of five prominent Fijian politicians over the weekend. The men were allegedly detained on Saturday for a comment made at a meeting that discussed Fiji’s 2013 Constitution; the meeting was also held without a legal permit.  They were kept in custody overnight and released on Sunday. Among the group was former Fiji prime minister Sitiveni Rabuka, National Federation Party (NFP) leader Dr Biman Prasad, academic Dr Tupeni Baba, trade unionist Attar Singh, and Jone Dakuvula from the organisation Pacific Dialogue. Another former prime minister and current Fiji Labour Party (FLP) leader, Mahendra Chaudhry, handed himself into police on Sunday and was released yesterday morning without charge. ‘Intimidation’ In an interview with Radio New Zealand International, Chaudhry referred to the incident as an act of “intimidation” and said there is no democracy in Fiji. “If we can’t hold a forum to discuss our own Constitution in a democracy…what kind of democracy is that?” “We want to live in a free society not where there are restrictions on free speech.”