Executive authority for army
Maciu Malo
Saturday, September 01, 2012
A HINDU priest wants the President of Fiji to be selected by the Military Council.
Moti Chand Maharaj said the involvement of the military in the government could provide solutions to stopping the coup culture in Fiji.
The Ba resident also welcomed the idea of all citizens to be called Fijians.
“The army shall have the executive authority at all times and they should dissolve the parliament if it is not functioning well,” said Mr Maharaj.
“It is good that after so many years this government has given us a common identity. The President should be nominated by the army council and there should be 60 members of parliament.
“Voting should be made compulsory and those who refuse to vote should be fined. There should be no racial seats and we should have elections every five years.”
Mr Maharaj said previous parliamentarians should not be allowed to contest a seat and any political institution preaching racialism should be banned.
“Females should not be discriminated against and people should not take advantage of the freedom given to them.
“Christian churches should respect other religions in Fiji and squatters should be helped to own the land.”
He said a Bollywood City should be established at Yaqara to provide employment and that the government address pending issues with Social Welfare assistance.
He commended the government for assisting school students with free bus fares and free education to Form Six level.
Given Fiji’s series of military coups since 1987 and and political power of the former Great of Council of Chiefs as a second government in Fiji, it is a good idea to give Executive Power to a military council to appoint president rather a racial group like the former Great of Council of Chiefs.
Indians no more threat as a political entity because it they no longer have the majority with only 34% population dues to a massive immigration to other countries.
The problem will continue to exist because Fijian commoners and Chiefs of Fiji who only have ceremonial powers as individual chiefs but no political domain over geographical areas. Any traditional powers they want use cannot run against local ordinances and Fiji Constitution.
The military coup was not due to Indian domination but Fijians themselves. The current military government muted the Great Council of Chiefs which has the Executive Power to appoint the President of the nation which meant two things:
(1) Only the Fiji Chiefs could make that decision and no other race or class of people had the say in choosing the President.
(2) The Council was bound to appoint only a Fijian and no other race as the nation’s President. And clearly meant no Indians. It made the process racial, undemocratic and laughable.
Fiji Military is comprised mostly of Fijians with a few Indians in the rank and files. However, unlike the Great Council of Chiefs, Fiji Military is not strictly bound by traditional rules and has the freedom to exercise its own discretion in choosing from its own ranks or even someone outside and even a non-Fijian as the President.
But right now as the constitutional review commission is hearing submission – as i posted elsewhere – Fiji needs to appoint the current military leader and Prime Minister, Frank Bainimarama as the next President of the country.
Without this guarantee the opportunity for future military intervention will be left wide open.
In many ways, therefore, Pundit Moti Chand Maharaj is right.