Laisenia Qarase

Infobox_Prime Minister|name=Laisenia Qarase
order=6th Prime Minister of Fiji
imagesize= 125
term_start=July 4, 2000
term_end=March 14, 2001
March 16, 2001 - December 5, 2006
predecessor=Ratu Tevita Momoedonu
successor=Ratu Tevita Momoedonu (2001)
Jona Senilagakali (2006)
deputy=
birth_date=Birth date and age|1941|2|4|mf=y
birth_place=Mavana, Vanuabalavu Island, Lau
spouse=Leba Qarase
party=Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua
constituency=

Laisenia Qarase (born February 4, 1941) served as the Prime Minister of Fiji from 2000 to 2006. After the the military quashed the coup that led to the removal of Mahendra Chaudhry, Qarase joined the Interim Military Government as a financial adviser on June 9, 2000 until his appointment as Prime Minister on July 4. He won two parliamentary elections, but the military intervened and forced him to step down on December 5, 2006.

A native of Vanuabalavu Island in the Lau archipelago, he is one of many Lauans to have held top leadership positions in Fiji.

Early career

Following his education at Suva Boys Grammar School, Qarase went on to graduate from New Zealand's University of Auckland with a degree in Commerce. He entered the banking profession and became managing director of the publicly owned Fiji Development Bank in 1983, a position he held for fifteen years. In 1998, he moved to the private sector and became head of the Fiji Merchant Bank. In 1999, Qarase received his first political office, when the Great Council of Chiefs nominated him to fill one of the 14 seats allocated to them in the 32-member Senate, where he soon gained a reputation as a vociferous opponent of Mahendra Chaudhry's government.

As Prime Minister of Fiji

Qarase was removed from power in a military coup on December 4, 2006, after many months of tensions between his government and the Military came to a head in late November. He had been Prime Minister since 2000, except for a period of two days (14-16 March 2001), when he temporarily vacated the office to meet a constitutional technicality; the Supreme Court of Fiji had ruled that his government was unconstitutional and that Mahendra Chaudhry remained the rightful Prime Minister. In a series of moves that legal experts have considered to be of doubtful constitutionality, Qarase resigned on March 14, in favour of Ratu Tevita Momoedonu (who had been a Minister in the Chaudhry Cabinet) so that Momoedonu could advise President Ratu Josefa Iloilo to dissolve the Parliament and call an early general election. As soon as this technicality had been attended to, Qarase resumed the Prime Ministership. He was subsequently confirmed in office when he led his newly formed Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua (SDL) to victory in the election held to restore democracy in 2001. As Prime Minister, Qarase proved popular with business leaders, who appreciated his steps to liberalise the economy and boost tourism, the main source of foreign exchange.

Qarase narrowly won the parliamentary election held on 6-13 May 2006, with his party taking 36 of the 71 seats in the House of Representatives. Qarase retained his own constituency with some 93 percent of the vote, after an expected challenge from Adi Koila Nailatikau, his predecessor as Lau M.P. and daughter of former Prime Minister and President, Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, did not eventuate.

Domestic policy

Qarase was known as a champion of the interests of indigenous Fijians. He rejected suggestions that he was a racist, however. Addressing Muslims celebrating Muhammad's birthday on 25 April 2005, he said that the concept of racism was "alien and abhorrent" to him. He argued, however, that to ignore racial issues would be "irresponsible and dangerous," because race was "a fact of life." He said that his government was working to build "an inclusive society, where the views of every community and group are taken into account." He summed up his vision for Fiji by saying, "My government's aim for Fiji is not to return to where we once were but to journey forward together to a place we have not yet been, a Fiji of lasting peace and harmony, where nobody is left behind or goes without."

On 22 May 2005, he blamed lack of genuine mutual respect and appreciation among Fiji's diverse religions and cultures for many of the divisions the country currently faces.

In a speech on 25 May, Qarase affirmed his strong support for the chiefly system, saying that to weaken the chiefs would be to weaken the nation. "I believe that the chiefs of Fiji have relevance for all our citizens not just the Fijians, they still represent stability, order and continuity. ... If the chiefs were diminished, the entire nation would be weakened and be vulnerable," he said.

In a parliamentary debate on 3 June, Qarase set out his own interpretation of why indigenous Fijians wanted to keep the leadership of the country in their own hands. This attitude sprang from insecurity, which he considered understandable in view of what has happened to indigenous peoples elsewhere. He said that Indo-Fijians had not responded to indigenous initiatives to extend the hand of friendship of cooperation, and that until a higher level of interracial trust could be achieved, the insecurity felt by many ethnic Fijians would remain. Rightly or wrongly, Qarase said, those responsible for the overthrow of the Into-Fijian-led government in 2000 were responding to the "Tagi in Taukei," or cry of the Fijian people. The government's controversial proposal to establish a Reconciliation and Unity Commission would give such people a chance to clear their consciences.

On 7 July, Qarase told the people of Bua Province that he intended to prioritize legislation to codify and protect indigenous Fijian rights. He indicated that he would seek the support of other communities, too. He blamed the lack of legislation safeguarding their rights for the "dissatisfaction" which contributed, he said, to the military coup of 1987 and the civilian coup of 2000.

He denied being a racial chauvinist, however, insisting in an address to the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association in Nadi on 29 August 2005 that while ethnic Fijians were unwilling to relinquish power, they were willing to share it. He considered that the practical reality of communal politics, however, would take many years to overcome. A greater degree of interracial trust, confidence, and assimilation was required to get away from the situation where democracy was merely a façade for ethnic politics. "It requires commitment, vision and will. Differences of ethnicity and multi-culturalism have to be managed and accommodated," Qarase said. "It is a difficult balancing act, which must take account of the interests of all communities." He added that there were about a dozen minority groups, in addition to the two principal races; they, too, must be assured of their rights. He defended his affirmative action policies, saying they were not discriminatory but "a temporary measure to correct ... imbalances" and close the economic gap between indigenous Fijians and Indo-Fijians.

Qarase told the Fiji Village news service on 31 August that he did not believe racism was a major problem in Fiji. There had been racial issues dividing the country in the past, he said, but they had been resolved.

On 4 September, Qarase reacted angrily to allegations made by Opposition Leader Mahendra Chaudhry that he and his party used hate speech to gain the support of the indigenous community. Qarase said that he did not condone hate speech, and claimed that Chaudhry himself was often guilty of using hate speech in his political campaigns.

Foreign policy

Qarase also took a strong stand against what he saw as foreign interference in Fiji's "domestic affairs." On 2 March 2005, he strongly reacted to a U.S. State Department report critical of racial discrimination in Fiji, and of the racial divide between Fiji's two main political parties. He rebuked the United States for interfering in Fiji's internal affairs. "Fiji can make a similar report on the US on all those issues. Our report would be far worse than the US state department's report on Fiji," he said. Then, on 13 April 2005, he rejected criticism from Australia and some other countries over the prosecution and imprisonment of two foreigners charged with committing homosexual acts, and said that other countries needed to respect Fiji's independence.

He also spoke out on issues relating to poverty and economic development in third world nations, including Pacific Islands states. Addressing the 28th annual meeting of the Association of Development Financing Institution in Asia and the Pacific (ADFIAP) at the Sheraton Resort in Nadi on 13 May 2005, Qarase said that poverty was the "greatest challenge" for development banks. He lamented what he called the greed and consumerism of rich countries which, he said, had the greatest concentrations of wealth in history while nearly half of the world's population is classified as poor, with more than a billion people living on less than one dollar a day. He called this disparity "an insult to the very concept of social justice" and "a shameful mark on the civilization of the 21st century." He went on to say that "The shame is compounded by the failure of developed countries to commit enough of their wealth and resources to helping poor populations from developing countries."

Qarase called for an international system to provide market access to exports from poor countries, to enable them to earn their own way in the world. He also condemned corruption, saying that it hindered investment, stunted economic growth, and led to rediced standards of living and to a fall in government revenues, and called it "a stain on the integrity of any nation."

Qarase was known as a staunch friend of Israel, a position he attributed to his strong Christian faith as well as to [http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:Y3iD1CqYQ-0J:www.icej.de/waj/pdf/Sept_Okt_2003.pdf+Qarase+Levites&hl=en his partially Jewish ancestry] . On his orders, all United Nations votes involving Israel must be referred to him personally for approval. His support for Israeli interests was not unconditional, however, and Senator James Ah Koy (a fundamentalist Christian) strongly rebuked him in Parliament for not standing for Israel strongly enough.

Qarase was critical of the World Trade Organization, saying that its policies were unfair to small countries like Fiji. "WTO is trying to impose equality of trade in an unequal world," he said at the 18th Fiji-Australia Business Forum in Sydney on 17 October 2005, "but for developing countries like Fiji there is no level playing field, just a slippery slope." He believed that it would be a long time before Fiji's economy could compete on equal terms with that of more developed nations.

Political controversies

Qarase faced challenges on numerous fronts. Some of these challenges relate to his handling of the 2000 coup aftermath, others to the implementation of policy by his government.

Constitutional controversies

Less than one percent of the Indo-Fijian population voted for his party in 2001, with a further 22 percent voting for the National Federation Party, which was loosely allied to his party. Subsequent byelections and local government elections showed that his support in the Indo-Fijian community increased, but only marginally. Almost 75 percent of Indo-Fijian voters supported Chaudhry's Fiji Labour Party, which Qarase refused to include in his Cabinet, despite its winning of 28 seats, more than three times the number stipulated by the Constitution for representation in a multi-party cabinet. On 18 July 2003, the Supreme Court ruled that the exclusion of the Labour Party was in breach of the Constitution, and demanded that the situation be rectified. Subsequent appeals, counter-appeals, and negotiations stalled the appointment of Labour Party ministers, however. In June 2004, the Supreme Court ruled that the Labour Party was entitled to 14 out of 30 cabinet posts. Qarase announced that he would respect the ruling and implement it. His refusal to include Chaudhry himself in any cabinet, however, continued to stall the ensuing negotiations about the composition of the cabinet, until the Labour Party announce late in 2004 that it was no longer interested in joining the cabinet.

Several times throughout 2005, Qarase called for amendments to change the constitutional requirement for a multi-party Cabinet to a multi-ethnic one. This, he told the Fiji Village news service on 23 December, would guarantee equitable representation to all ethnic communities without requiring the government to compromise with ideologically opposite parties.

Qarase also faced criticism for comments made at the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association in Nadi on 29 August. He said that while Fiji "accepted" western-style democracy, it was an alien concept and certain aspects of it clashed with Fijian traditions. "The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, vesting every individual with equal rights, was directly opposed to the hierarchical social structure of indigenous Fijian society. Chiefs were at the apex by virtue of their birth and rank. The rest of the people had a communal functional role in this hierarchy," Qarase told the workshop. National Alliance Party leader Ratu Epeli Ganilau, the son of Fiji's first President and the scion of a high-ranked chiefly family, ridiculed Qarase's speech, saying that Fiji's political and judicial institutions were firmly rooted in western democracy. He said that the Fijian people should not be "misled" by the Prime Minister's claims that democracy was alien to Fiji. "Mr Qarase should answer whether he wants the western system of governance which allows him to be Prime Minister, or the Fijian tradition which requires the chiefs to rule by virtue of their birthright and rank. Otherwise, he is just being hypocritical to save face," Ganilau said on 4 September.

Coup-related controversies

Another challenge for Qarase was the conviction of persons responsible for their part in the 2000 coup. On 6 August 2004, Vice-President Ratu Jope Seniloli, and the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ratu Rakuita Vakalalabure, were found guilty of treason and were given prison sentences of four and six years, respectively. Both are stalwarts of the Conservative Alliance, a coalition partner in Qarase's government. Anxious not to lose the six votes of that party, on which he relied for his parliamentary majority, Qarase declared that he was "dismayed by the severity of the sentences" that had been handed down. His government indicated, however, that it would not interfere with the process of law. On 29 November 2004, however, Attorney General Qoriniasi Bale announced that the government had decided to parole Seniloli on health grounds, in return for his resignation.

A similar scenario unfolded in the trial of Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu, the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, and Senator "Ratu" Josefa Dimuri. On 3 April 2005, Lalabalavu and Dimuri were convicted of unlawful assembly for their role aiding and abetting the 2000 coup by visiting rebels at the Sukanaivalu Barracks on 4 July that year, and were sentenced to eight months' imprisonment. Lalabalavu subsequently resigned his ministerial portfolio. Both were released on parole after serving just eleven days of their sentences.

Opposition politicians charged that the release of Seniloli, Lalabalavu, and Dimuri was for political reasons, as the six votes of the Conservative Alliance are needed to maintain the government's parliamentary majority.

Also in May 2005, the Qarase government introduced controversial parliamentary legislation to establish a Reconciliation and Unity Commission with powers, subject to presidential approval, to compensate victims and pardon perpetrators of the 2000 coup. The proposal has generated a storm of protests from opposition politicians, many of whom were victims of the coup, as well as from the military. Even Ratu Ovini Bokini, Chairman of the Great Council of Chiefs, expressed concern on 18 May that the Great Council had not been consulted and was "in the dark" about the bill. Ratu Bokini's comments drew an immediate response from Qarase, who said that he saw no need for prior consultation with anybody. "Any Bill is drafted without consulting any party or stakeholders is because it contains what the Government wants to be included in the Bill," he said. At the annual conference of his Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua on 27 May, Qarase strongly defended the proposal, saying he believed it was essential for Fiji to bring closure to the agony of the past in order to move on. "We cannot bring the people together and concentrate all our energies on developing the country when the agony of 2000 is continuously haunting us," he said.

On 24 June 2005, former Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry called on Qarase to resign in the wake of what Chaudhry called "very serious allegations" made against him by Roman Catholic Archbishop Petero Mataca, who had publicly accused the Prime Minister of misleading a delegation of church leaders on May 2 about what the Reconciliation and Unity legislation contained. According to the Archbishop, the leaders, who represented a variety of denominations, had given their support to the bill after the Prime Minister had told them about its reconciliation and compensation provisions. Only later had they heard, through the media, that it provided for amnesty to be granted to persons convicted of crimes related to the 2000 coup, which Mataca said was unacceptable.

On 29 May 2005, former Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka accused Qarase of hypocrisy. Rabuka said that a number of groups had split from the Fijian Political Party, which Rabuka had led in the 1990s and which was then the only mainstream Fijian party, and it was this that had given rise to the current political disunity among indigenous Fijians. Qarase's calls for unity now were hypocritical, Rabuka said, as the Prime Minister's own Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua was one of the factions responsible for the fragmentation of the indigenous vote.

On 28 August 2005, Qarase said he was shocked by allegations that he had been a party to a plot to depose President Ratu Josefa Iloilo from office in 2000, barely a week after his inauguration. He said he had indeed attended a meeting at the Fijian Holdings boardroom, where Military Commander Commodore Frank Bainimarama said a group of six politicians, including nationalist Senator Apisai Tora, had asked him to remove the President, but denied that the topic had ever been raised. "I have never been part of any discussions to oust the president, I am a very peaceful person and to suggest that I was part of any discussions is unbelievable," Qarase said. Police Commissioner Andrew Hughes said on 2 September that they were hoping to interview Qarase.

On September 6, 2007, Commodore Frank Bainimarama said Fiji's military rulers declared again state of emergency since ousted Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase was engaged in destabilization when he returned last week to Suva after 8 months of exile. Elections were tentatively set on March 2009. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6981381.stm BBC NEWS, Emergency rule declared in Fiji] ]

Financing allegations

In December 2005, Qarase and Opposition politicians traded mutual accusations of misuse of public funds and abuse of office, and on 8 December, Chaudhry announced his decision to sue the Prime Minister, and Fiji Television, for defamation.

On 5 December, lawyer Rajendra Chaudhry, acting for his father, Opposition Leader Mahendra Chaudhry, gave Qarase a three-day ultimatum to apologize for what he said were defamatory allegations, that Chaudhry had attempted to collect a commission on an F$86 million dollar loan from the Indian government for the reform of Fiji's sugar industry, or else face a lawsuit. Qarase refused to apologize, and when the three-day deadline set by Chaudhry expired, he announced on 8 December that he would be suing Qarase as an individual, not as Prime Minister, meaning that Qarase would be unable to use state funds to fight his case. The writ, which named Qarase the first defendant, also named Fiji Television as the second defendant. "Qarase has been reluctant to furnish evidence to substantiate his claims ... The imputations are very serious and a direct question on my integrity and leadership. As such I have had the resort to legal action," Chaudhry declared.

At a press conference on 9 December, the Prime Minister revealed a confidential letter from Mahendra Chaudhry, written on National Farmers Union (NFU) letterhead in his capacity as General Secretary of the Union, to Charles Walker, chairman of the Fiji Sugar Corporation (FSC), in September 2003. The letter proposed that the NFU purchase shares in the FSC, and stated that he, FLP Senator Anand Singh, and United Consultancy of Auckland, New Zealand, were in talks with "an India-based milling company" to restructure the FSC. According to the Prime Minister, the deal would have transferred shares, that the government was considering selling, not to cane farmers but to their trade union representatives. "The benefit was only to the NFU," Qarase said. Qarase called for an audit of the office of the Leader of the Opposition, saying that it would prove his connections to the Indian company. Equipment in Chaudhry's office had been used to communicate with the company since 2002, he alleged.

Chaudhry derided the revelations as "laughable," and said that they showed no connection whatsoever between himself and India's Exim Bank, or with the Indian government loan. Nor did it substantiate, he said, Qarase's claims that he had sought a commission from the Indian companies. He filed an application in the High Court for a gag order to prevent the Prime Minister from making media statements until his lawsuit was heard, but Justice Anthony Gates dismissed the application on 14 December. Whether the Prime Minister's statements were defamatory was an issue that would have to be resolved in the trial itself, Gates ruled; in the meantime, the court would not interfere with constitutional guarantees of freedom of speech. Chaudhry was ordered to pay F$750 to Qarase and Fiji Television Limited to cover court costs. 9 January 2006 has been set for the hearing of the defamation case.

The same week, the Prime Minister found himself fending off allegations made by an Opposition parliamentarian, that he owned a property in Forster Street, funded by certain business leaders, and that he had received a double housing allowance while leading the Interim Government in 2000 and 2001. His private motor vehicle had also been purchased with the help of certain businessmen, the parliamentarian claimed. In reply, Qarase said that he did not know where Forster Street was. He owned only one property, in Mavana Village on the island of Vanuabalavu. He had never received the double housing allowance, he insisted, and could not afford to buy another property. He was still repaying a loan from the Merchants Bank for his private car, he said.

The Prime Minister also had to deny allegations made under parliamentary privilege by Senators Ponipate Lesavua and Ratu Dr. Epeli Nailatikau, and by prominent Opposition parliamentarian Poseci Bune, that two companies, one allegedly owned by his son Laisenia Qarase, Jr. and the other by Jale Baba, the General Secretary of Qarase's SDL Party, had benefited from government contracts. An angry Qarase challenged his opponents to repeat their allegations outside Parliament.

An audit report released in 2007 revealed that Qarase had incurred a total of $23,108.89 as precautionary measures for his safety between late November and early December 2006. the report also stated that the absence of invoices showed that payments were made prior to the purchases.

Fijilive.com reported that the Auditor General also highlighted the misuse of Taiwanese funds in his 2007 report, adding it did not follow financial regulations and overspending of funds over a period of seven months last year (2006) by the prime Ministers Office.

Honours

On 30 October 2005, Qarase was awarded the Star of Melanesia by Papua New Guinea's Governor-General of Papua New Guinea, Sir Paulias Matane. The award was given in recognition of his contribution to business and commerce, as well as his efforts to bring political stability to Fiji and to promote the interests of Melanesian peoples throughout the Pacific region. Honoured with Qarase were his Solomon Islands and Vanuatu counterparts, Sir Allan Kemakeza and Ham Lini Vanuaroroa, respectively.

Personal views

Qarase is known as a devout and outspoken Christian. Addressing the Christian Youth Conference in Suva on 15 May 2005, he called on young Christians to put their faith into practice, and not to be intimidated by peers who might consider a strong religious commitment to be unfashionable. He also called on Christian young people to do what they could to stop the spread of AIDS, which he said "poses a terrible threat to the world."

The Prime Minister took a public stand on 24 January 2006 to support controversial American evangelist and faith healer Benny Hinn, who was conducting a crusade in Fiji. Despite reports of disillusionment by some people who were not healed, many thousands had been, Qarase told the Fiji Sun, and at any rate, the healings were "only a small part" of Hinn's message.

He also took a strong stand against the legalisation of homosexuality. Reacting on 29 August 2005 to a decision of High Court Justice Gerald Winter to free a Fijian citizen and an Australian who had been convicted of sodomy, on the grounds that it was illegal only if committed in a public place, Qarase said he was of the opinion that any law which conflicted with God's laws should be amended, and he would study ways to ensure that homosexual acts remained illegal. Qarase's statement brought a strong reaction from United Peoples Party leader Mick Beddoes, who said that homosexuals were human beings and entitled to the full protection of the law.

2006 coup

On the occasion of his 65th birthday on 4 February 2006, Qarase stated that if re-elected in the election that was duly held on 6-13 May, it would very likely be his last term in office. He won reelection, but continuing disagreements between his government and the powerful Republic of Fiji Military Forces culminated in a military coup on 5 December. Fiji Village reported the next day that he had been flown to his home island of Vanuabalavu by the Military, while Radio New Zealand claimed that he had fled there. He told Radio New Zealand that he was "down but not out"; he intended to fight on, and called for a peaceful popular uprising. On the same day it was reported that he had asked for military assistance from Australia. The BBC reported that after being warned by Commodore Bainimarama not to "incite violence", Prime Minister Qarase planned to return to Suva, from which he was banished, but was warned that he faced arrest if he returns [http://www.fijilive.com/news/show/news/2006/12/12/12fijilive07.html] .

From Vanuabalavu, he remained outspoken in condemning the military takeover, comparing the new regime to those of Saddam Hussein, Adolf Hitler, and Idi Amin, [http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=53473] [http://www.fijivillage.com/artman/publish/article_34366.shtml] in an interview quoted in the Fiji Times and Fiji Village on 13 and 14 December 2006.

On 2 February, Fiji Village quoted Qarase as having told Radio Australia that he was considering contesting the election to restore democracy, expected to be held within the next five years. Qarase called for the date to be brought forward. [http://www.fijivillage.com/artman/publish/article_35603.shtml]

On September 6 2007, Bainimarama imposed a renewed state of emergency for one month, alleging that Qarase and his spokesman, Peceli Kinivuwai, were spreading lies and attempting to cause destabilization, following Qarase's return to Suva after having been confined to Vanuabalavu since his ouster. Bainimarama said that Qarase and his spokesman should return to Vanuabalavu and that they could "talk from there". [ [http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10462047 "Martial law declared in Fiji - again"] , "The New Zealand Herald", September 6, 2007.]

Qarase initiated a court challenge to the coup on October 4 2007. [ [http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/10/04/asia/AS-GEN-Fiji-Coup.php "Ousted Fiji prime minister begins court challenge to legality of 2006 military coup"] , Associated Press ("International Herald Tribune"), October 4, 2007.] Martial law was lifted on October 6 [ [http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/411366/1391326 "Martial law lifted in Fiji"] , tvnz.co.nz, October 6, 2007.] on the grounds that there was no threat. [ [http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/10/06/asia/AS-GEN-Fiji-Emergency-Rule.php "Fiji's military government to lift state of emergency after no 'threat to nation' found"] , Associated Press ("International Herald Tribune"), October 5, 2007.]

Qarase's cabinets

As Prime Minister, Qarase led three cabinets. The first was the interim cabinet formed in the wake of the 2000 coup. The second followed the election of 2001, and the third was the multi-party cabinet formed in 2006.

Interim cabinet, 2000-2001

Sources

* [http://www.chez.com/vipsgov/fijii-f.htm? About the 2000 interim cabinet] (French)
* [http://www.parliament.gov.fj/mp/hr_cabinet.aspx Fijian parliamentary website]

External link

* [http://www.stuff.co.nz/4643061a12.html "Ousted Fiji leader talks about life after the coup"] , AAP, August 5, 2008

References