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Fiji’s interim Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama has warned that he will not relinquish leadership of the country if political leaders are not ready for a new direction in Fiji politics.
The no-nonsense military leader made the comment in an exclusive interview with FijiLive only hours before his first-ever meeting with representatives of 14 Fiji political parties in Suva today.
Bainimarama expects the leaders to “drop divisive politics of the past” and work within the framework of a People’s Charter for better governance of the country.
“I hope they come to the Monday forum with the understanding that there will be a change in mindset,” he told FijiLive.
“They should come with proposals on the way forward, not demands! If they show politics of the past in their demands then Monday is not for them and neither will I hand over leadership.”
Twenty-two months after seizing power in his so-called 'clean-up campaign' Bainimarama reiterates that political leadership of the country is best left with the politicians, but only if they do what is right for Fiji.
“There should be good governance after elections,” he said.
"I’m not going to give up leadership of the country until the political parties are ready to show good governance. Because that’s the gist of the PR I am receiving from some political parties. That is, they want to revert to the politics of the past after elections.”
Bainimarama hopes to set the stage for further dialogue with the political leaders after today.
Meanwhile, deposed Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase’s Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua (SDL) is unmoved by Bainimarama’s conditions.
“We are going with an open mind and one of our requests is to take the country back to election,” said SDL national director Peceli Kinivuwai.
“We are firm with our decision and they (interim Government) will not dictate to us because they have to understand that we command majority of support from the people.
“The SDL party is happy that we’ve got a chance to talk with the interim Government and other political parties. We view this as positive but let’s hope that this does not come to an abrupt stop.”
Fiji Labour Party leader Mahendra Chaudhry says he wants to use the forum to tell the interim PM that he must set a firm date for election.
"We cannot continue to prolong this climate of political uncertainty because it's having a detrimental affect on our economy, as well as our regional and international relations,” said the former interim Finance Minister in the Bainimarama Government.
