VAVA’U (Pacnews) — Fiji’s military leader says while he is happy about the decision of the Pacific Islands Forum, he is equally disappointed with the attitudes of Australia and New Zealand.
Speaking to Fiji journalists covering the Forum summit retreat in Vava’u, Commodore Frank Bainimarama said while most of the Forum Leaders were satisfied with his intervention on the need for political reforms, Australia’s Foreign Minister Alexander Downer and New Zealand’s Prime Minister Helen Clark were unmoved.
“I had just explained in detail what had transpired in Fiji, why we did what we did, and after my 10 to 15 minutes presentation, they (Downer and Clark) fired the same questions back on issues I had just explained. It seems to me that they have set up a blanket wall and they are not going to give in,” said Bainimarama, who is also interim prime minister of Fiji.
He believes the two countries can never be satisfied with the situation in his island nation.
“They want to see a concrete roadmap. I don’t know how concrete they want us to be,” he said. “We have given them all the signs that we want to head toward a 2009 election but I get the impression that they think I have evil intentions in that I want to stay around for another 10 years (as prime minister). I can’t figure out what else and how else would they not come along with us.”
But he was still happy with the Forum decision to support his commitment to hold elections by early 2009 and also the leaders’ decision to note his endeavors to develop a people’s charter.
“As they say in rugby, we came as underdogs and went away as winners,” Bainimarama said.
Asked about his earlier threat to disallow the prime minister he ousted, Laisenia Qarase, from contesting any other elections, Bainimarama said the proposed charter will still rein in politicians like his predecessor.