SUVA (Pacific Media Watch / The Jet newspaper / Fiji Sun / Fiji Broadcasting Corporation / Fiji Times): Fiji's NGO Coalition for Human Rights has hit out at the regime's leader, Voreqe Bainimarama, saying that NGOs have been muzzled by military decrees ahead of elections.
Bainimarama had accused Fijian NGOs of "cowardice" for not speaking out against purported racist statements uttered by Laisenia Qarase, the former prime minister who was ousted by Bainimarama in a military coup in 2006.
NGO Coalition for Human Rights chairperson, Shamima Ali, said it was ironic that Bainimarama had put in place military decrees muzzling the NGOs, yet was now accusing the same NGOs of being silent.
“Everyone knows that we spoke out against Section 115 of the Electoral Decree because it more or less muzzled NGOs in the lead up to elections in September. It took away our rights as citizens to take part in political debates and discussions. We had meetings with Mr Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum calling for the removal of 115 but nothing was done. So we have to be very careful about what we say or do for fear of breaching the decree," said Ali.
The furore broke out after Qarase said God had given Fiji to the iTaukei and apparently made comments "about numbers from the Quran being used on the ballot paper for the general election", the Fiji Broadcasting Corporation reported.
National Federation Party leader Professor Biman Prasad told the Fiji Times that Qarase was fanning the flames of racial and religious hatred.
"He thinks that those following Christianity people can never be equal to others," Prof Prasad said.
'Racist' policies
When he was in power, Qarase came up with policies to advance the interests of I'Taukei (indigenous) Fijians, something which was decried by Indo-Fijians as "racism".
Ali pointed out that it was not even clear to NGOs exactly what was allowed by the electoral decree and what was not.
he National Federation Party has condemned former Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase’s statement against Fiji being a secular state.
NFP leader Biman Prasad adds Qarase’s comments about numbers from the Quran being used on the ballot paper for the general election has only made things worse.
“We believe Qarase is churning the flames of racial and religious hatred. This is racial. He thinks those following Christianity can never be equal to others. We believe he’s opening old wounds and his comments reminiscent dark days during the military coup.”
- See more at: http://www.fbc.com.fj/fiji/21985/nfp-condemns-qarase%E2%80%99s-comments…"Just recently one of our sister organisations the CCF has come under FICAC scrutiny for allegedly 'breaching Section 115' of the electoral decree. Because of that they have had to defer the series of conversations they were holding as a lead up to free and fair elections. This sort of intimidation has forced us to refrain from any political issues. In other words, we adhered to the decree and then now we are being criticised for it,” she added.
The Electoral Decree also obliges trade union officials to give up their jobs if they want to stand as party candidates.
Today the president of the Fiji Trades Union Congress, Daniel Urai, said he had stood down from his union job in order to run as an candidate for the People's Democratic Party.
The decree says union officials and other "public office holders" must step down from their posts if they want to stand in the election, but that government ministers were exempt from the rule, RNZI reported.
Fiji's Return to Democracy seminar with Shamima Ali
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