“This is an internal matter for our country to address,” said Fijian interim prime minister, Commodore Frank Bainimarama, while launching the public outreach program for the draft People’s Charter.
“My government does not appreciate unhelpful comments from those without, especially those who do not understand our values, our problems and our challenges,” he said.
Without naming countries, Bainimarama, said: “Their comments are unhelpful during this sensitive period of building bridges and negotiations.”
He labeled their interventions as “fuelling confusion.”
Bainimarama labeled the March 2009 election date as a “police baton for some international community to beat me and Fiji with, in the name of restoring democracy.”
“I want an early election but this must follow the necessary reform of our electoral system,” the interim prime minister said.
The draft People’s Charter will now be put to six weeks of wide public consultations before it is submitted to the president of Fiji.
150,000 copies of the draft charter, translated into the two major vernacular languages, Fijian and Hindustani, have been printed to be circulated during the public consultations.
The National Council for Building a Better Fiji has assured that the people will not be forced in accepting the charter.
“Any decision will be taken without coercion or any undue pressure and it will solely be the prerogative of each individual, said Ratu Filimoni Ralogaivau, one of the members of the charter taskforce team.
“The draft People’s Charter may not have all the solutions to Fiji’s problems. However, it is giving people of Fiji the opportunity to be involved and participating in finding solutions to our nation’s problems,” he said.
