Bainimarama cited a survey which he said had shown 64 percent of Fijians wanted a new electoral system, and he was not going to return to the old, race-based formula.
“The decision that was taken by the Court of Appeal last week did not force us to go into the old electoral system, which was not good,” he said.
He said the Appeal Court judges who ruled against the legality of his interim government had made up their minds before hearing the case, and did not take the need for reform into account.
“It was interesting to all of us that they came up with a 52-page judgment in 24 hours…most people thought they made the decision before they came to Fiji.”
Bainimarama said freedom of speech causes trouble and is to blame for the country’s political turmoil.
He said Fiji does not need free and open public discussion about current issues
“That was how we ended up with what we came up with in the last couple of days,” he told Radio New Zealand.
“If we [the government and the media] had worked together from 2006, we wouldn’t have had that happen to us.
Bainimarama said he had imposed emergency restrictions so the reforms could be implemented.
“We want to do these changes, these reforms, the last thing we want is opposition to these reforms throughout,” he said.
“The circumstances have changed. We [the government] now decide what needs to be done for our country. We will now decide what is going to be done, we will put these reforms in place so we have a better Fiji.”
Bainimarama, again citing the survey of opinion, said the future would be decided by Fijians and had nothing to do with New Zealand or Australia.
“This is nothing to do with the Australian or New Zealand governments. This is to do with Fiji and the people of Fiji,” he said.
“This is the practicality on the ground. We want changes; we’re going to come up with changes; we’re going to provide those changes.”
Bainimarama said the media restrictions will be lifted “hopefully in a month.”
He appeared unconcerned about the prospect of Fiji being suspended from the Commonwealth and the Pacific Island Forum.
“We want to be part of them, but if they decide to remove us, what can we do?”
Asked whether he would agree to a Radio New Zealand reporter going to Fiji, Bainimarama said he would answer any questions that needed answers. “There is no need; ask me the questions and I’ll tell you.”
The country has had an extraordinary few days sparked by a court ruling last Thursday that Bainimarama’s regime, in power since a 2006 coup, was illegal under its 1997 constitution.
The following day, the country’s president, Ratu Josefa Iloilo, sacked the judges, dissolved the constitution and ruled out any election for five years.
Bainimarama briefly returned to the barracks before being reappointed prime minister on Saturday in a turn of events slammed by critics as a cruel, carefully orchestrated hoax.
The military government has used events to press its agenda for a “cleanup operation,” putting police on the streets and severely restricting and vetting local media coverage.
The few international reporters on the ground, the last bastion of press freedom in the country, were deported on Tuesday.
