The Sydney Morning Herald from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia • Page 6

The Sydney Morning Herald, Monday, May 18, 1987 mm The Otieeri standi firm to Fijians turn to God for guidance and so does Colonel Rabuka Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister, Mr Paias VVingti, in a lightning change of position, yesterday launched a bristling attack on the military in Suva. Mr Wingti said that PNG "unhesitatingly recognises" the authority of Fiji's Governor-General, Ratu Sir Penaia Ganilau, as Fiji's sole constitutional authority. "PNG rejects a military government and calls for the restoration of civil authority." He said PNG's High Commissioner in Suva had been told to assure Ratu Penaia of support. Mr Wingti's change was undoubtedly the result to a large extent of the uncompromising stand taken against the coup by Vanuatu's Prime Minister, Father Walter Lini, in the past two days. The strongest PNG statement so far comes from Mr Tony influential Member for Moresby North-East, and for five years head of Foreign Affairs.

Mr Siagoru said for Ratu Mara, "the greatest of our island to accept "the position of Foreign Minister in the new regime means he condones its actions which means there is great cause for concern over the future democracy in our part of the recognition of the new regime would have caused a rift among the three Melanesian States, PNG, Vanuatu and the Solomons, which meet in a Melanesian Summit in Rabaul next week. The only PNG leader to refrain from criticising Ratu Mara is his friend, the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Michael Somare. PETER HASTINGS By YVONNE PRESTON, Staff Correspondent LONDON, Sunday: The Queen personally intervened in the Fijian crisis yesterday in her capacity as Fiji's Head of State. In a direct radio link with the Governor-General, Rata Sir Penaia Ganilau, she is said to have urged him to stand firm against the rebels who seized power on Thursday Buckingham Palace has confirmed the direct contact, though it refused to disclose what had been said. Reports today, based on sources in Suva, say the Queen backed the Governor-General's refusal to recognise the regime set up by Lieutenant-Colonel Sitiveni Rabuka.

The Governor-General is the Queen's personal representative. The action of the rebels in overthrowing Fiji's Constitution is virtually a rebellion against the Queen, who is Queen of FU'- The military takeover in Fiji is the most serious constitutional crisis to face the Commonwealth since the US invaded Grenada. Other coups have taken place in -M A. 3 71 -i A I i 4 Commonwealth countries, but this is the first to occur in a country which recognises the Queen as its Head of State. The British Government has also backed the Governor-General of Fiji in his stand against the leaders of the military coup.

The Foreign Office said: "The Governor-General remains at his post. In the view of the British Government, he has not been lawfully deprived of his powers as Governor-General." i By TON STEPHENS, Herald Reporter SUVA, Sunday: Today's events in Fiji do little to restore one's faith in the power of prayer. Fijians both Indians and those of the native race are extremely religious people and most Fijians spent part of today in prayer. The leader of the military coup, Lieutenant-Colonel Rabuka, is believed to have said a prayer or two. He is, after all, not only a former international rugby player but also a Methodist lay preacher.

Colonel Rabuka is thought to have attended chapel at the Queen Elizabeth barracks. The content of his prayers remains a secret between him and his God. But many religious Fijians made no secret today about their displeasure with the colonel. For the first time in modern Fijian history, religious radio programs, broadcast every Sunday to all parts of the Fijian islands, were cancelled. The military regime obviously feared what the preachers would have to say about their takeover.

In an equally serious sign of disaffection from the Church, Christian leaders went late today to visit the deposed and arrested former Prime Minister, Dr Tim-oci Bavadra. The Christian leaders had been seeking permission for the visit throughout the day. When there was no response to their requests, the clerics went to the Prime Minister's residence, where Dr Bavadra and some of his ministers are being held. There were all manner of ironies in the visit. The delegation was led by the President of the Methodist Church in Fiji, the Rev Josateki Koroi, who also happens to be the senior Army chaplain and holds the rank of major.

He pulled rank to get into the Prime Minister's residence. "He is a Christian first and everything else including being a soldier comes second," said his wife, Mrs Nola Koroi. Mrs Koroi was raised in Warwick, Goondiwindi and Kingaroy, and her mother, Mrs Ella Lambert, lives in Killara. Mr Koroi was joined by Bishop Jabez Bryce, the Anglican Bishop of Polynesia, and the Rev Daniel Mastapha, former president of the Methodist Church. Members of the Fijian Methodist Church in Suva gather to attend services.

not withdraw, the Queen could be obliged to meet a rebel against her authority at next October's Commonwealth summit in Vancouver. In Wellington, a leading member of Fiji's Labour Party claimed today that former Prime Minister Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara is the power behind the country's military coup and its real leader. The Labour coalition vice-president, Mr Simove Duratalo, told Radio New Zealand in an interview from Hawaii that Ratu in with the other airline is El The British Government has no role in the affairs of Fiji, an independent country. This points up one of the paradoxes of the Queen's position as head of the Commonwealth and Head of State of 18 Commonwealth countries. The other 31 are republics.

The paradox prevents the Queen from taking advice from her own ministers oyer the Fijian coup. Tlie Observer notes today that if Lieutenant-Colonel Rabuka does Checking one-two-three. Mam "has kidnapped democracy and destroyed his own creation, the 1970 Fiji Speaking from his refuge, where he fled with his. wife and children on the day of the coup last Thursday, Ratu Duratalo said: "Rabuka is just a pawn." "The real man behind the coup is Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara and others in the Alliance Party the former governing party defeated in the recent elections." He said Ratu Mara, during his 17 years in power, had "pretended to the world that he was a multiracial man and that he was for Vijay Dutt writes: The Indian Government is deeply upset by what Vt feels is a blow to democracy in Fiji. New Delhi has been in touch with the Commonwealth Secretary, Mr Sonny Ramphal, in the hope that Commonwealth countries will respond to help preserve the basic principle of the Commonwealth, that representatives of the people whose wish has made their country remain a member of the Commonwealth, make up the Government.

very much a case of the old Another to check your bags. Melbourne, Adelaide 1st April 10th, 1987. II A Governor-General flies out to his own paradise island rr-tiiiniir rttl'4 mm And tve honour and defend the course of freedom ever May God bless Fiji for evermore. Then they sang Cod Save Tlie Queen. A Muslim leader, Mr Abdul Rasheed, told the meeting: "We are very grateful to the police superintendent for having been so kind to allow us an extra 15 minutes." Mr Kasheed said the gathering was a prayer meeting, not a political meeting.

Another Indian said: "Yes, it is a prayer meeting. It's just that, every now and again, there is a political statement too." Several other Indians in the crowd wondered whether prayers could ever work. Whatever one called the meeting, the police closed it down. They said it was an unlawful assemblv. W'-w .7 General's plane with a petition asking him to increase his appeals for other countries to help Fiji.

Ratu Ganilau was then driven quickly back to Government House in the centre of Suva, followed by demonstrators. The Governor-General has been instructed by the new regime not to make any comment to the press following his declaration late last week that the seizure of power was illegal. He had said he would assume control of the country "in the absence of Ministers of the "As Commander-in-Chief in Fiji, I now call upon all the officers and men of the Royal Fiji Military Forces and members of the public service to return their lawful allegiance with the oath of obedience without delay." He was ignored. The stand by the Governor-General against the military takeover is even more interesting in the light of his family ties to the long-term Alliance Party Prime Minister, Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara. Both are traditional tribal chiefs with a conservative upbringing, and Ratu Ganilau's daughter is married to Ratu Mara's son, a lieutenant serving with the Fijian peace-keeping troops in Lebanon.

Ratu Ganilau became a member of the Legislative Council in 1957. In 1973 he was elected Deputy Prime Minister. He was knighted in 1974 and was appointed Governor-General in 1983. which the Government formed in 1973 to take over from the Australian company CSR, has been losing money. Tourism, the other big foreign-exchange earner, is also set to plunge unless the political crisis is quickly resolved.

Mr Stinson appealed to foreigners yesterday to continue visiting Fiji. In recent months, Fiji's economy, the strongest among the island states, has been buoyant, with significant growth since the disastrous cyclone of 1985. Under the Bavadra Government, Fiji was looking at investment projects worth $300 million this year, of which $100 million was firmly committed. A tiffin rail Mr Koroi officiated at Colonel Rabuka's wedding. Colonel Rabuka became treasurer of the Nambua Methodist Circuit, an area in Sua which takes in the military camp, earlier this year.

The ousted Dr Bavadra is a member of the same circuit. Other citizens of Suva offered prayers at various meetings. The biggest of these moved from outside the Prime Minister's residence to Sukuna Park and then on to Boran House, where the Indian ministers in Dr Bavadra's government had been moved. Christian, Hindu and Muslim leaders all addressed the crowd of 3,500 in the park. Schoolchildren sang the Fijian National Anthem: As we stand united under noble banner blue.

Shores of golden sand and sunshine, happiness and song fib 1 '4 1 Picture by BRtCt MILLLR. Hcrjld The Governor-General heads for the airport in his official white Land Rover. lie figure to express disapproval of the grab for power. The villagers today were also greatly concerned about what is going to happen to them. "People here are really scared now," one farmer said.

"Up to now we have not fully realised what has been happening in Suva but now that we do, people are frightened." After spending the weekend in his modest single-storey home, the Governor-General was driven at high speed to the airfield along the island's dirt roads in his official vehicle, a white Land Rover with a flag on the bonnet. On returning to Suva, supporters of the sacked Bavadra Government met the Governor- burn their crops or leave them in the ground. The Indian population is descended from workers brought in to work the sugar plantations and dominates the industry. The regime's Finance Minister, Mr Peter Stinson, said yesterday that Fiji had foreign reserves equivalent to more than five months of imports. He said Fiji would continue to honour all international financial obligations and that the Government would ensure the sugar harvest went ahead.

Sugar is the mainstay of the Fijian economy, earning roughly half its export income and employing 25 per cent of the workforce. The Fiji Sugar Corporation, Mm 'WW By MICHAEL LAURENCE, Herald Reporter SUVA, Sunday: The Governor-General of Fiji, Ratu Sir Penaia Ganilau, who is continuing to refuse to co-operate with the military regime, spent the weekend away from the protests in his paradise island home of Taveuni. There were rumours that Ratu Sir Penaia, 67, had been kidnapped at gunpoint by the soldiers of Lieutenant-Colonel Rabuka. In fact, he had left Suva to attend the community funeral of his sister, at Adima. He was the principal mourner at the funeral which was attended by more than 500 grass-skirted villagers.

The Governor-General, who is the high chief of Taveuni, is believed to have assured the residents that the dispute would soon be resolved. The Herald followed Ratu Sir Penaia to Taveuni in an attempt to speak to him. But the local police in the island village of Somosomo barred the entrance to his estate for the first time in the memory of local residents. And the Herald was later prevented from returning to Suva on the same commercial Fiji Air flight as the Governor-General, although seats were available. Taveuni is truly a Pacific paradise with coconut palms, lush volcanic soil and friendly, easy-going people.

The majority of its 5,000 residents are understood to support the Governor-General's opposition to the military takeover. And there is concern among the villagers for his safety as he has become the best-known pub- One counter to pick-up your ticket. And, in some cases, yet another for seat allocation. On the other hand, Australian Airlines offers One-Stop check-in No waltzing about between counters, less queues and less waiting. Which, as recent independent research revealed, Australian Airlines Business Class will get you onto the plane a good deal quicker than our opposition.

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The Indian community, which dominates commercial life in Fiji, is capable of mounting a paralysing economic boycott. Indian-owned shops will be closed tomorrow and nationwide strikes are certain if the Bavadra Government continues to be held in custody. The military regime has ordered the country's banks to close tomorrow, and until further notice, for all but foreign currency transactions. The sugar harvesting and cane-crushing season is about to begin and the Indians are threatening to 19 iljf uui way j. ys.

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