Sitiveni Rabuka

Present and recent controversies

In 2004, the Fijian government announced that Rabuka would be Fiji's next Ambassador to Washington D.C. Continuing suspicions about his involvement in the 2000 coup, however, thwarted the appointment, with the American State Department reportedly rejecting him as unsuitable. On 27 May 2005, the Fijian government finally appointed Jesoni Vitusagavulu, a businessman and former banker, to the post instead.

Related Topics:
2004 - Ambassador - Washington D.C. - 2000 - American - State Department - 27 May - 2005 - Jesoni Vitusagavulu

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Rabuka is noted for his propensity to walk both sides of the street politically. On 15 September 2001, he called on Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase to include the Indo-Fijian-dominated Labour Party in the Cabinet, as per the constitution, saying that to exclude it threatened the future of the Indo-Fijian community. It would make them feel marginalized, he said, which could lead to an increase in emigration. In 2004 he called for Chaudhry to be reinstated as Prime Minister, despite his having lost the 2001 election that was held to restore democracy. On March 17 2005, however, he declared that no Indo-Fijian should ever expect to lead Fiji, and called on Indo-Fijians to follow the example of Sonia Gandhi, who, despite her assimilation to Indian culture, declined to become Prime Minister of India.

Related Topics:
15 September - 2001 - Laisenia Qarase - Labour Party - Cabinet - Constitution - 2004 - 2001 election - March 17 - 2005 - Sonia Gandhi - Indian culture - Prime Minister - India

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Rabuka has taken a measured position in relation to the government's proposed Reconciliation and Unity Commission, which will be empowered to recommend amnesty for perpetrators of the 2000 coup and compensation for its victims. This is in contrast to the great majority of politicians, who have taken a hard stand either for it or against it. On 19 May 2005, Rabuka said that the objective of the commission should not merely be to grant amnesty and compensation, but to uncover the truth about who was involved in the coup, directly or indirectly. "It should be able to get to all those who were behind the coup and not only us who were widely accused of taking part. It should be able to reveal those who planned it, financed it and executed it," Rabuka said. The prospect of amnesty, he said, might encourage some individuals to come forward who might otherwise be unwilling to talk.

Related Topics:
Reconciliation and Unity Commission - 2000 - 19 May - 2005

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Despite his own qualified support for the legislation, Rabuka has criticized the Great Council of Chiefs for endorsing it. So many among them were on the side of the coup perpetrators in 2000, he said, that their decision to support the bill could not be seen to have been made objectively.

Related Topics:
Great Council of Chiefs - 2000

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In early 2005, Rabuka ruled himself out of contesting the 2006 parliamentary election, but on May 7 said he was reconsidering, following appeals from Fijian businessmen and former politicians to be part of a move to unite all ethnically Fijian parties in a joint ticket to contest the next election. "I am genuinely interested because I have always been for Fijian unity," he said. He has stressed that he believes that political unity among indigenous Fijians is essential to prevent the election of an Indo-Fijian dominated government in 2006. He admitted, however, that he was seen as "a stumbling block" by many, but added, "I want to change all that." On 29 May, he said that political unity among the Fijian people should not be looked at half-heartedly as a possibility but wholeheartedly as a need. He accused Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase, who has also called for unity among ethnic Fijians, of hypocrisy, saying that in the 1990s there was only one mainstream Fijian party, but that others had split from it and founded numerous competing groups. Qarase and his United Fiji Party were implied to be among those responsible for the disunity.

Related Topics:
2005 - 2006 parliamentary election - May 7 - Ethnically Fijian - 2006 - 29 May - Laisenia Qarase - 1990s - United Fiji Party

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On 21 August, Rabuka said he was of the opinion that Prime Ministers defeated at the polls should not stand again. Former Prime Ministers remaining politically active led to instability, he said, pointing to recent political upheavals in Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands as examples. "It is healthy for party leaders who become prime ministers after being defeated at general elections to take the responsibility for the defeat and bow out of active politics and just become an adviser or remain as a party supporter but not in the front seat running for another election."

Related Topics:
21 August - Vanuatu - Solomon Islands

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