Fiji govt accused of stoking fear to stay in power as troops deployed

• Fiji’s opposition accuses the government of sowing “fear and chaos” in an attempt to remain in power.
• PM Frank Bainimarama cites unsubstantiated reports of post-election ethnic violence.
• The military has been involved in four coups in the last 35 years.

Friday, the opposition party in Fiji accused the government of sowing “fear and chaos” in an attempt to remain in power, as the military began to deploy on the streets of the capital city Suva.

A small number of military vehicles were observed on patrol by AFP reporters a day after Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama announced their deployment to maintain “law and order.”

The scene was otherwise tranquil, with people conducting their final Christmas shopping.

Bainimarama, a former naval commander, has led Fiji since a 2006 military coup and has refused to concede defeat following the December 14 elections.

The opposition, led by a rival ex-coup leader and former prime minister Sitiveni “Rambo” Rabuka, was able to cobble together enough seats to form a coalition government.

Allies of Bainimarama have delayed the nomination of Rabuka as the next prime minister.

Bainimarama has cited unsubstantiated reports of post-election ethnic violence as justification for deploying the military in order to “fulfill our duty” to keep Fiji safe.

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The military has been involved in four coups in the last 35 years, as stipulated by the constitution of Fiji.

Many Fijians are concerned that the government’s claims of ethnic violence and military deployment are a cover for a “creeping coup.”

Australia advised tens of thousands of its citizens traveling to Fiji during the summer to “to avoid any post-election demonstrations, rallies and public gatherings, which could occur with little warning.”

Rabuka criticized the government for claiming that racism has increased since the election.

He claimed that senior government officials were “sowing fear and chaos” and “trying to set the nation alight along racial lines.”

Fiji, a nation comprising more than 300 islands in the South Pacific, has a sizable Indo-Fijian minority, and interethnic violence has been an issue in the past.

However, Rabuka asserted, “Senior police officials have confirmed to us that these allegations of stone-throwing against Indo-Fijians are false.”

A number of Fijians have utilized social media to refute claims of division and unrest.

Using the hashtag #FijiIsUnited, they posted images of themselves with friends from other ethnic groups, messages of solidarity, and mundane photos to demonstrate that life has returned to normal.

Assistant Commissioner Abdul Khan, an Indo-Fijian, abruptly resigned from the Fijian police force, reportedly in protest of the government’s actions.

While parliament was delayed, Bainimarama’s allies worked to dismantle the coalition agreement of the opposition.

Members of the small Social Democratic Liberal Party are under intense pressure to abandon their support for Rabuka and join a Bainimarama administration.

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