The 2006 military takeover in Fiji: the coup to end all coups?

Table of Contents......Page 5
Acronyms and abbreviations......Page 7
Authors’ biographies......Page 11
Introduction......Page 15
1. The enigmas of Fiji’s good governance coup......Page 17
The coup......Page 33
Introduction......Page 35
Gathering storm......Page 36
Controversial bills......Page 37
General election......Page 40
Multiparty cabinet......Page 41
Confrontation with the military......Page 43
The Great Council of Chiefs......Page 45
Military demands......Page 47
Impact and implications......Page 49
3. Fiji’s December 2006 coup: Who, what, where and why?......Page 57
4. ‘This process of political readjustment’: The aftermath of the 2006 Fiji Coup......Page 81
The ‘President’s Mandate’ and the ‘Doctrine of Necessity’......Page 82
Appointment of the interim administration......Page 85
Politicization of public institutions......Page 87
The Church, the chiefs and the Indians......Page 91
The response of civil society......Page 94
External response......Page 98
Warfare in cyberspace......Page 102
Where to now?......Page 103
Themes......Page 109
5. The changing role of the Great Council of Chiefs......Page 111
The Great Council of Chiefs as an instrument of colonial rule......Page 112
The GCC’s dual political role......Page 114
The army coups of 1987: Managing militant ethno-nationalism......Page 115
The GCC and liberal constitutional reform......Page 117
The coup crisis of 2000......Page 119
The 2006 coup......Page 121
Conclusion......Page 123
Postscript......Page 126
6. The Fiji military and ethno-nationalism: Analyzing the paradox......Page 131
The expansion of Fiji’s military......Page 133
The shifting constitutional position......Page 135
Bainimarama and the link with the Mara dynasty......Page 136
Divergent trajectories......Page 138
Good governance by militarization......Page 142
Conclusion: Military futures......Page 146
A snapshot of the economy post-coup......Page 153
The economic impacts of the coups......Page 154
The macro-economy......Page 156
Fiscal policy......Page 158
Monetary policy......Page 159
Garments......Page 160
Sugar......Page 161
Tourism......Page 162
The way forward......Page 163
Conclusions......Page 164
The authoritarian preference......Page 169
Roadmap to engagement......Page 171
The real danger of elections......Page 173
The invention of obstacles......Page 175
Were the 2006 polls rigged?......Page 176
The power of chiefs, padres and pastors......Page 180
The advantages of sheep’s clothing......Page 183
Roadmap to Damascus......Page 187
End of the roadmap......Page 190
Conclusion: The primacy of domestic discontent......Page 191
Religion......Page 199
The umbrella groups: The FCC and the ACCF......Page 201
The Fijian ethos, churches and politics before the 2006 coup......Page 202
The ACCF’s response to the December 2006 coup......Page 204
A Catholic coup?......Page 210
The relationship between religion and politics in Fiji......Page 213
The FCC and ACCF revisited......Page 215
Conclusion......Page 216
10. The good, the bad and the faithful: The response by Indian religious groups......Page 223
The Indian community between 1987 and 2006: A community under siege?......Page 224
Responses to the build-up to the coup......Page 225
Post-coup responses......Page 226
The perceived impact on poverty......Page 227
The response of the TISI Sangam......Page 229
The response of the APS/Fiji......Page 230
2007 – Mahendra Chaudhry: The return of the king?......Page 231
The National Council for Building a Better Fiji: Dharmic or adharmic?......Page 234
Sanatan v Arya......Page 236
TISI Sangam v Andhra Sangam......Page 238
Fiji Muslim League v Ahmadiyya......Page 240
The Indian division of the Methodist Church......Page 241
Conclusion......Page 242
Labour......Page 249
Paramountcy of ‘indigenous rights’ coups and the ‘clean-up’ coup......Page 251
The labour movement......Page 253
Divisions in the labour movement......Page 254
Divisions in the Fiji Labour Party......Page 257
The Fiji Labour Party and the coup......Page 258
The labour movement’s downfall......Page 259
Phoenix rising?......Page 262
Editor\'s Note......Page 267
The signed partnership agreement and memorandum of agreement......Page 268
Media......Page 279
13. The Fiji coup six months on: The role of the media......Page 281
The media in the lead-up to the coup......Page 282
The role of the media after the coup......Page 285
Conclusion......Page 289
Government/media relations post independence......Page 291
The immediate post-coup impact on the media......Page 293
Self-censorship......Page 295
The Fiji Human Rights Commission and the Anthony Report......Page 296
Expulsions......Page 299
Law and the constitution......Page 303
15. The impact of the coup on Fiji’s judiciary......Page 305
16. The erosion of judicial independence......Page 315
Transparency......Page 316
Threats to judicial independence......Page 317
Blurring of functions......Page 319
Freedom of expression......Page 320
Attack on press freedom......Page 321
Excluding the courts’ jurisdiction......Page 322
Double standards......Page 323
17. The rule of law and judicial independence amidst the coups and attempted coups in Fiji since 1987......Page 325
Background......Page 335
Necessity......Page 337
The claimed illegality of civil government......Page 338
Emergency action......Page 339
A permanent political role for the military?......Page 340
The rule of law......Page 346
Conclusion......Page 348
Perspectives......Page 351
19. The People’s Charter: For or against?......Page 353
20. ‘Democracy’ versus good governance......Page 357
Multiparty cabinet: A farce......Page 359
Excesses of the SDL......Page 361
Relations between the army and the government......Page 363
The People’s Charter......Page 364
21. From fear and turmoil to the possibilities of hope and renewal once again......Page 367
Incompetence and bad governance......Page 368
Falsehoods and deception......Page 369
A story of violence, hatred and revenge......Page 370
Recovery from 2000......Page 371
Growth in the economy......Page 373
International endorsement......Page 374
Why has Fiji been ravaged?......Page 376
The legal position on the military......Page 378
The SDL’s 2006 election win......Page 379
Another element in the coup......Page 380
Frenzied opposition......Page 381
More misrepresentations......Page 383
Coup convicts......Page 384
A faltering charter......Page 385
A new road to elections......Page 386
22. Resolving the current crisis in Fiji – a personal perspective......Page 389
The interim administration’s aspirations......Page 390
The people’s concerns......Page 391
The nature of politics in Fiji......Page 394
The implications of the 2006 coup on race relations......Page 395
The way forward......Page 397
23. Mythic constitutionalism: Whither Fiji’s course in June 2007?......Page 399
24. Creating a stable Fiji......Page 407
The expectations and realities of the 1999 election......Page 411
The multiparty system......Page 412
The 2001 election......Page 413
The 2006 election......Page 415
Comparing elections......Page 416
Conclusions and recommendations......Page 417
26. The impact of Fiji’s 2006 coup on human and women’s rights......Page 419
Was the December 2006 coup ‘different’?......Page 423
A coup is a coup is a coup......Page 425
Where to from here?......Page 427
28. Fijian Ethno-Nationalism......Page 429
29. Ethno-Nationalism and the People’s Charter......Page 433
Conclusions......Page 437
30. One hand clapping: Reflections on the first anniversary of Fiji’s 2006 coup......Page 439
The People’s Charter......Page 440
The military......Page 445
Elections......Page 446
The rocky road......Page 448
The Fiji Human Rights Commission......Page 452
Road map......Page 454
Common roll......Page 455
31. Fiji’s Coup Syndrome......Page 463
Index......Page 472