In a letter, Commodore Bainimarama expressed deep concern on the public statements made by the chairman of the Pacific Islands Forum and Premier of Niue Toke Talagi.
Bainimarama said despite Talagi’s non-engagement with him or people of Fiji, he continued to make irresponsible and incorrect statements.
“Since your appointment to the chairmanship of Pacific Islands Forum you have neither communicated directly with me in any substantive manner on the Fiji situation nor visited Fiji to determine for yourself the ground realities,” he wrote.
“This has resulted in your inability to speak rationally and independently on the punitive, discriminatory and inhumane travel sanctions imposed on the citizens of Fiji by two PIF members, namely Australia and New Zealand,” he added.
He reiterated that Fiji will not be able to return to parliamentary representation by March this year.
According to Bainimarama, the way forward to Fiji entails
• Electoral reforms to remove race base, divisive and undemocratic system of political governance has to be effected first before she returns to parliamentary democracy;
• That the recently approved People’s Charter is the guiding document for a reform agenda to create a united, truly democratic and progressive Fiji with a modern and transparent system of governance;
• Based on the principles of the rule of law, PIF must accept and recognize the ruling of the three-member panel of the High Court of Fiji. The ruling held that the appointment of the interim government by the president is valid in law and legal;
• PIF has to recognize the sovereignty of all Forum states and their right to participate as equals, be accorded actual equality and a fair hearing; and
• PIF is built on the spirit of genuine Pacific dialogue and engagement, not on ostracization and isolation. Bullying and neo-colonialism do not feature in the Pacific way.
Bainimarama is also looking forward to meeting Talagi in Papua New Guinea nest week.
The Forum Secretariat does not have the authority to determine nor limit the scope of leaders’ discussions, said acting Deputy Secretary General Rick Nimmo.
Responding to General Voters Party’s Fred Caine who had requested Secretary General Tuiloma Neroni Slade to remove matters relating to Fiji’s suspension from the agenda, Nimmo said the Forum can only provide support to leaders and facilitate their decisions.
He said Pacific Leaders, at their meeting in Niue last year, had tasked the Forum Ministerial Contact Group to continue to monitor the Fiji situation.
“This also included the possibility of the group returning to Fiji and directed it to report back to the leaders,” he said.
Nimo stressed that following the receipt of the MCG’s report, the leaders have agreed to meet in Port Moresby later this month to consider it.
“As you would appreciate, the convening of a retreat to consider the MCG’s report reflects leaders’ concern to ensure Fiji’s earliest possible return to democracy pursuant to their 2008 decisions,” he added.
The special leaders meeting will be held in Port Moresby on the 27th of this month.
