What an Idiot!
NO CHANGE, NO POLLS
14-Mar-2009 10:57 AM
AN ultimatum was issued to political leaders yesterday over the issue of democratic elections.
Speaking at the Political Leaders Forum yesterday, interim Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama said no elections would be held if the participants failed to agree
on a new electoral system.
He said more meetings would be held until all political leaders reached an agreement to change the system.
In addressing leaders of the 17 political parties Bainimarama said that the need to solve ongoing issues revolved around the political parties being
responsible to addressing issues together.
"It is for this reason that I propose that the Presidents Political Dialogue Forum should carefully consider and reflect on Fiji's experience of
democracy since Independence".
"We need to consider democracy from the different perspectives of our historical experience, the nature of our society and what we believe our country
needs to sustain democracy in the future."
"We cannot be hurried in this endeavour by outsiders giving ultimatums to fit into their own timetable for change," Bainimarama said.
The leader of the December 2006 coup also asked Fiji's leading politicians not to bring ethnic-based agendas to the dialogue.
"This is not the time to demand attention only to one ethnic group agenda, based on a narrow interpretation of indigenous rights as they are well
protected in the Constitution," the military commander said.
"We should consider it our duty to value, cherish and protect the economic interest, cultural and religious beliefs and identities of all our communities
because we are all one nation, we are all Fijians."
Bainimarama said views by many political parties that race was a fact of life could not be denied and on that basis, he feels that politicians were opposing
the proposed equal suffrage and non-communal based electoral reforms.
He added that "Such a view and logic is not genuine", nor "…justify the basis for having a communal system".
Bainimarama said holding elections under a "communally divisive system" "for the sake of satisfying some deadlines imposed" by
"outsiders" would not solve Fiji's problems.
By STAFF REPORTERS
