The end can’t justify the means...

The events of 2000 are testimony to the fact that whatever the end is; it can not be used as a justification of the illegal means taken. The Republic of the Fiji Military Forces knows this and so do the ministers in the current interim government.

The role of the military in Fiji as a nation-state is similar to that of any other democratic nation like Australia or the United States. They are largely seen as an instrument of war within which substantial power are underpinned by the monopoly of weaponry. So much so that in Fiji they are now dictating what the people must and must not do whether in public or in private. Some people say that they want to clean up the system by overthrowing a democratically elected government with the gun. This is, however, illegal. It raises the question of subordination and insubordination for that matter. In any case, it should be noted that whatever the military does must be done with the instruction of the government of the day and in accordance with constitution - normally, against external aggressions. Although the RFMF is to be seen as a permanent institution separate from government, they are not allowed to dictate their terms simply because they don’t have the mandate to do so.

The armed forces are best known for their organization especially in terms of discipline and precision. They are categorized in ranks, which are observed with strict obedience together with the practice of following orders passed down from their superior. The command to jump or shoot means action with no question asked whatsoever. This was a common excuse given by rebel soldiers during the military court martial after the Speight coup in May and the November mutiny at the Queen Elizabeth Barracks in 2000. This is not acceptable in any Court of Law. In the same year, the RFMF was noted for its very decisive role in as far as domestic politics was concerned. Soon after the Speight Coup, the RFMF was called in to restore law and order. At the time, the army was acting as an emergency service provider - their role was to be a guarantor of domestic order.

The culture and values observed in the ranks of the army are different from those practiced by civilian individuals and institutions. In any case, they are always prepared to fight, kill and possibly die depending on the orders and instruction given to them. This is what happened during the 2000 mutiny when soldiers who were loyal to Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama were ordered to defend the Barracks against the onslaught of the rebellious Counter Revolutionary Warfare soldiers. Whatever the military does they regard themselves “above” politics – a common feature of most military institution nowadays. In Fiji, they also see themselves “above” chiefs – and in the process questioning our own traditional leadership system.

Most of the stances taken by the RFMF since December 5, 2006 categorically outlined their interest as a group with their own set of ideas and beliefs on how things ought to be. The so-called ‘clean-up campaign’ for reasons of weeding out corruption cannot be made legal within the current laws. The end cannot justify the means. Not anymore! Committing treason to ‘save’ your people is not right. And George Speight has proven this to be true.

The technical knowledge and expertise of military personnel is one feature of the military that also has to be taken into account. In the RFMF, most senior and knowledgeable officers in the likes of Lieutenant Colonel Samuela Raduva, Colonel Alfred Tuatoko, Lieutenant Colonel Akuila Buadromo, Commander Timoci Koroi, and Colonel Ratu George Kadavulevu have been forced to resign because of their refusal to pledge their personal allegiance to the Commodore Bainimarama. And of course the most recent cases of Lieutenant Colonel Jone Baledrokadroka, Colonel Ratu Meli Saubulinayau and Lieutenant Colonel Etueni Caucau who have been asked to take their leave because of questions on their allegiance to the Commander. This is a big loss to the RFMF especially when making intelligent decisions, which have now been reduced to the dictatorship of one man. Everything that he wants to hear must be said. No more, no less. Although the formal line of instruction to civilian politicians is a loss for democracy within the top brass of the army, it is also a loss for Fiji as a nation especially when making strategic, defense and the broader foreign policy decisions. This should be the core of RFMF’s work.

In the most extreme case, the military can and has the power to replace civilian politicians with people of their own choice. Major-General Sitiveni Rabuka did it in 1987 as a form of indirect rule by the military. However, it again raises the question of legitimacy because there will be no opposition party, censorship may be imposed, and trade union may be banned with no protest and public demonstrations allowed. So, in the long term it will never solve the problem for the common people as well as for those who are so hungry for power. For the military, they may not be the ultimate guarantor of the integrity and security of the state.

In most democracies, there are a clear division between the political affairs of the state and the role of the military. In this case, the military is kept out of politics. These can be achieved in a number of ways

1. the military are formally subordinate to civilian leaders and
2. policy-making is the responsibility of those in government and the military does not have any authority to challenge the decisions made by the government.

This is line with the requirements of the 1997 Constitution but the RFMF has now taken a subjective stance and are therefore not politically neutral as they should be. In fact, what is now happening in Fiji imitates the propaganda of Hitler and Stalin in Germany and the Soviets respectively - whereby the armies were being turned into political soldiers.    

The current circumstance in Fiji is ripe for a political makeover, which will shake the economy, question our current structures and redirect the role of the Fijian traditional leadership system. All the fingers are pointing in that direction. And as far the RFMF is concerned there is a lack of legitimacy by civilian rulers creating a sense of conflict. But the question now is whether we are going to break the rules again to correct somebody else’s wrongdoing. It now rests with our leaders and their impact on Fiji’s political sphere.

The military can take advantages of its features to justify its intervention in the political affairs of the country. Whichever way they would like to think, it should be understood that policy-making remains the prerogative of the government. Right now, we don’t really know where we are going; perhaps it is a leadership crisis.

GO WITH GOD….

Comments (6)

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Le Mode Fiji. said:

	Religon and Politics.
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26 January, 2007
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green coconut said:

In my opinion, IN THIS SPECIFIC INSTANCE (the coup), the end justifies the means. Of the 9 demands of the military that Qarase was too stubborn to agree to, one, AND ONLY ONE made a coup justifiable: The qoliqoli bill of 2006. That our descendants will have the right to swim and fish in an Ocean that has washed this earth for millenniums. Qarase tried to deprive us of this God given right and reserve it for only a small section of society... because they were the ones who had most recently killed and conquered other tribes to take control of or defend those waters at the time the survey was done by the colonial administration.

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27 January, 2007
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The Pea said:

In addition to the opinions of the other two contributers, I would like to add that Religion and politics should always be seperated, since that is one of the pillars of democracy that now everybody (that got ousted) is so desperately crying after. It is a time for opportunism it seems, in a very extreme sense. How one can remain straight faced and call for all things that one has worked against or rejected not so long ago is a miracle to me. if a coup can ever be "justified" is a whole different kettle of fish. I am sympathetic with the concept of IN THIS SPECIFIC INSTANCE (see above), but that does not make it any better than "I support the cause, not the means" of 2000. It is becoming philosophical. I feel that this coup is the first one that actually tries to improve Fiji as a whole. I have a big range of feelings about this coup, more than I care to discuss here. But the coup saves a lot of time, money and nerves that the state would have had to loose, in the case that the Quarase government would have stayed on. Improvements to our civil service can be made swiftly, as well as the judiciary, the voting system (really important), the PWD so on so on. Quarase would have done his utmost to provide lip service and at the ´same time keep the status quo alive and well. We would have rotated and circled and twisted around the same old things. We are living in intersting times, where people and institutions show their own agenda, think Fiji Law Society, mistakes are being made and individuals try to settle scores through calling on the military. But for the first time I personally think that we are marching into the right direction. Pun intended.

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02 February, 2007
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CONCERNED CITIZEN said:

	I have an advise for people who have this view of the end doesn't justifiy the means- The means will be justified once we get to the other side of the tunnel,since we are still finding our way through this dark tunnel,why don't we leave our prejudices aside and help each other complete this journey;once we get to the other side I'll give u my opinion!!
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06 February, 2007
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tau said:

the army is not the enemy nor are the various institutions and their bureacracy- chiefly, cultural, state and ngos-the enemy lies within-yes within we indegenous fijians and our self debilitating traditions and smiling "vuvu" stab each other in the back ethos.my hope is that we fijians will also realise that we all need to work our arses off as families and mataqali and get economically self sufficient- the army,sdl,flp,govt depts will not give us prosperity-it didnt give the indians any freebees-and 20yrs of coups have only benefited the elite (indians and fijian)not the majority grassroots..so stop worrying about frank and qarase...go and plant tavioka and fish these qoliqoli areas..and get your kids educated and cut down on drinking grog...amen to that

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05 April, 2007
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tavioka_kei_na_ti said:

	go and plant tavioka and fish these qoliqoli areas..and get your kids educated and cut down on drinking grog...amen to that Vinaka, that is sage advice indeed. Amen.
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06 April, 2007
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