Fiji Coup

In the past twenty years of Fiji's history, this South Pacific nation has witnessed four coups; within the core of each one rests the tensions involving Indian Fijians and the majority of ethnic Fijians; Indian Fijians make up over forty percent of the country's population.

The most recent Fiji coup happened on December 5, 2006, where the military chief of Fiji, Frank Bainimarama, removed control from its elected government, after months of threatening to compel Fiji Prime Minster Laisenia Qarase from administration. Commodore Bainimarama stated that the invasion is temporary, and a caretaker government will be placed earlier than when the new elections are held.

This Fiji coup rooted from the plans of the government for legislation that would permit the conspirators of the 2000 Fiji coup (where Commodore Bainimarama played a major role in putting down) to be pardoned, in addition to allocating ownership of coastal properties to ethnic Fijians; Bainimarama was not in favor of the planned legislation. The actions of Bainimarama have been condemned both abroad and locally, which has led to the suspension of Fiji from the Commonwealth.

The 2000 Fiji coup happened May 19, 2000, where a group of armed indigenous nationalist headed by a local businessman, George Speight, stormed the parliament of Fiji and took Prime Minister Mahendra Chaundry (first ethnic Indian prime minister), and a number of MP's hostage. The prime minister was held for fifty-six days; Speight stated he acted to bring back indigenous Fijians rights which were being demoralized by Indian minority.

After ten days, Commodore Bainimarama took action against Speight, declaring martial law and afterwards handing authority to an interim administration led by Laisenia Qarase; he continued to win two elections. Although Speight and his accomplices were first given amnesties by Commodore Bainimarama, they were afterwards arrested, and Speight currently serves life imprisonment for treason.

Similarly, a Fiji coup on May and September of 1987 led by Colonel Sitiveni Rabuka seized power of then Prime Minister Timoci Bavadra, with the objective of making indigenous Fijians politically prevailing; declaring Fiji as a republic and making himself its leader, and withdrawing from the Commonwealth.

Every Fiji coup has caused enormous damage to Fiji's tourism industry (which is one of its biggest industries aside from gold and sugar) and political instability, lurching from one political crisis to another. This has resulted to the country's being unpopular among tourists these days and has significantly affected the country.