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Fiji lied to Pacific Forum: Samoa
23/02/2009
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Samoan Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi has accused his Fijian counterpart, Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama, of lying to the Pacific Islands Forum about Fiji's political future.
He was responding to accusations by Commodore Bainimarama that Samoa joined forces with Australia and New Zealand at the most recent Forum meeting to pressure other small island states into supporting a deadline for Fiji to announce a return to democracy.
Malielegaoi has questioned whether the Fijian leader was in a clear state of mind when he made the criticism, and says Fiji has failed to inform other Pacific leaders of the truth about whether it plans to return to democratic rule.
"My initial reaction to the comments made by Commodore Bainimarama was one of complete surprise," he told Radio Australia's Pacific Beat program.
"I thought that these comments reflected a leader who completely could not understand the issues that are emanating from the Forum, and his responsibility as a leader of another country to comply with the principles upon which the Forum was established."
Malielegaoi rejected Bainimarama’s decision for not attending the Forum meeting in Papua New Guinea reasoning he would co-ordinate the response to heavy flooding across Fiji.
Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum represented the interim PM.
"I think he (Bainimarama) is trying to find some stupid grounds to hide behind his own failure to honour his commitment," Malielegaoi said.
"He was deliberately lying to the forum, and when he sent the Attorney General, the Attorney General came and lied through his teeth to the Forum."
Malielegaoi rejected outright any suggestion that Samoa, or any other country, coerced smaller Pacific states into supporting a harder line against Fiji.
"No one was forcing Bainimarama," he said.
"We have taken a very restrained attitude up to now. When Bainimarama began to unleash those comments on Samoa, I think I have an obligation to respond.
"We are an independent country, many many years before Fiji became independent, and we did not arrive at that independence without expressing our very strong wish to the leaders of New Zealand at the time that we wanted independence."
Fijilive
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Posted Comments
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Posted
By: sereyawa
Posted On:
Feb 24 2009 16:30:40
Comment:
Samoa independent from NZ - that's a new one Mr PM. Niue & Samoa are direct beneficiaries of massive aid and special immigration policies as against what the people of Fiji get from NZ. No one dictates to Fiji - independent that Fiji is. The Forum is not going to solve Fiji's problems cause if it could it would happened by now. The situation we are in is partly the fault of the SDL Govt. How can a Govt which has just returned to power with such a small margin of seats suddenly want to enact laws that benefit just one group of people? Start appointing those who were responsible for the George Speight coup into very senior Govt positions, put back Senators into their seats after getting charged with treason. Did we hear anything from the Forum then? No it was a case of all very quiet on the Pacific Front! The path the SDL Govt had drawn up would have brought the island of Fiji into a state of racial violence you would have not believed could have happened. Their policies were to make it almost impossible for the non-Fijians to survive or exist in Fiji, yes the educated & trade people would take off off to NZ & Aussie but what about the poor ordinary people, the farmers etc. Did we hear Samoa say anything then or were you happy with Qarase's plans for racially divided Fiji? Maybe when violence would have started then Samoa would have said something? Get real for a change and see what was taking place before your very eyes - Frank might not be the answer to Fiji's problems but it sure as hell beats where Qarase was intending to take the country to with his cronies. Frank has not lied to anyone as the present person leading this country has a right to change his mind-promises, since when did the Aussie Govt kept their promises to the Aborigines or for that matter to the Maori people? You don't live in a multiracial country so what is happening to Fiji is out of your depth to comprehend - it's best left to the people in Fiji to decided-you can on the other hand just follow along as the lap dog for NZ or Aussie we do not answer to Aussie or NZ.
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