U.S. secretary of state Hilary Clinton urged to act on Fiji regime's violation of human rights

Statement from the family of Dr Mere Samisoni

The family of the prominent Fijian businesswoman, who had to attend court eleven times in five weeks in order to win permission to travel overseas for urgent medical treatment, has called on US secretary of state Hilary Clinton to bring Suva’s military regime to account for their violation of human rights and abandonment of the rule of law.

Dr Mere Samisoni, 74 and a member of parliament in Fiji’s last elected government that was deposed by military coup in 2006, was charged by the regime in January with incitement to political violence. Last month she applied to the courts for bail variation to seek urgent medical treatment linked to a dental condition.


Magistrate Usaia Ratuvili granted the request on 15 August, saying the Court was satisfied she would return to the country after her treatment. But when the State filed a motion of stay in the High Court, Justice Sailesi Temo criticised prosecutors that their complaint was not supported with strong factual foundation, adding that he was ‘sick and tired of lawyers coming to Court without studying or researching their cases.’

Justice Prabaharan Kumararatnam today denied the State’s application, saying it was a waste of time, and allowing Samisoni to travel to Australia where her condition will be treated in Brisbane. Kumararatnam is one of a growing number of Sri Lankan legal figures serving in Fiji since the regime removed most of the nation’s judiciary after abrogating the Constitution in 2009.

Samisoni’s family today criticised the Fiji regime’s treatment of their mother and grandmother, whose chain Hot Bread Kitchen operates in almost 30 locations and employs nearly 400 across Fiji.

They called for US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, reportedly planning to attend the Pacific Island Forum meeting in the nearby Cook Islands, and the governments of Australia and New Zealand to make Fiji’s regime account for human rights violations and the denigration of the rule of law.

Mara land acquired for Fiji Sugar Co-operation

Acquired by the regime: Seaqaqa estate

While identity is getting air time and being widely debated, the vanua is what the Constitution Commission has been lobbied on the most.

Chair Yash Ghai says 95 per cent of the submissions have concerned the land, telling the Fiji Times the Commission would need to carry out its own investigations 'to get all the facts right before we can make a decision' and 'ensure that land ownership and tenure became an inclusive economic institution in Fiji.'

Kamisese Mara

Commission member Penelope Moore subsequently told Fiji Times 'they had realised that there was a lot of cheating on how land had been utilised for commercial and non-commercial purposes.'

According to the Fiji Times: 'Ms Moore said from their own observations through the submissions made so far, a lot of decisions were made without proper consultation.'

It will be interesting to see the submissions and what agreements are being challenged but one recent deal involving the regime and the Fiji Development Bank is already out in the public arena - bar a pertinent fact - who had owned the land.

The regime last week revealed Cabinet had agreed for 'the Land Use Unit to purchase the idle repossessed Seaqaqa Sugarcane Estate' from the FDB for $700,000 using its Land Bank Investment portfolio.

Beddoes: Fiji Islanders unless itaukei

 A small sample of some of the estimated 300 submissions that is keeping the Constitution Commission (pictured above the day it was sworn in) busy.

Excerpt from Mick Beddoes personal submission:

Chapter 1:    The State

Section 1:    Republic of the Fiji Islands
Amend to read:    The Fiji Islands is a sovereign, democratic state

Section 2    Supremacy of Constitution
Retain    (1) and (2)

Section 3    Interpretation of constitution
Retain    (a) and (b)

Section 4    Languages
Retain    (1), (2), (3) and (4)

English, Fijian and Hindi have equal status in the Fiji Islands

Section 5    State & religion
Retain    Although religion and the state are separate, the people of the Fiji Islands acknowledge that worship and the reverence of God are the source of good government and leadership.

Make appropriate amendments to this Chapter to incorporate the following recommendations from
Pillar 2 of the People’s Charter for Change:-

Chapter 2:    The Compact

Section 6    Compact
Retain
Section 7    Application of compact
Retain

Make appropriate amendments or add to the 12 points of the Compact so as to incorporate the Shared values, vision and Principals as recommended in the  People’s Charter for Change FOUNDATION FOR THE COMMON GOOD:-

Ø   Equality and dignity of all citizens
Ø   Respect for the diverse cultural, religious and philosophical beliefs
Ø   Unity among the people driven by common purpose and citizenship.
Ø   Good & Just governance
Ø   Sustained economic growth
Ø   Social & economic justice
Ø   Equal access to the benefits of development including access to basic needs and services
Ø   Merit based equality of opportunities for all
3


Chapter 3:    Citizenship

Section 8:    retention of existing citizenship
Retain
Add sub section 8 (1)    All citizens to be known as ‘Fiji Islanders’ and our Itaukei
Known as ‘Fijians’
Section 9 to 20    retain

Inert a new section in this chapter on dual citizenship as follows:

Dual Citizenship is permitted provided that the holder of dual citizenship is:-

Bainimarama warned Qarase still his biggest rival - even behind bars

At home the day of his sentencing: surge in popularity.

Information from the inner sanctum shows the illegal leader Frank Bainimarama is grappling with the challenges of the 2014 election and that talk of him becoming the president instead is still very much alive.

Insiders say a special report prepared for the unelected prime minister has advisers telling him that while the SDL leader, Laisenia Qarase, is out of the way thanks to the 12 month jail sentence, there is no guarantee he will win at the polls in 2014.

In a report advising Bainimarama, advisers say he has 48 per cent of the Indian vote, 39% Fijian and 10% Others. The same report says Qarase has the support of 62 per cent Fijians, 25% Indian and 12% Others.