The Republic of Fiji Military says that it is deeply concerned with National Federation Party MP Parmod Chand’s statements regarding the 2000 military coup where he also blamed the former Commander and current Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama for the 2000 coup.
RFMF Chief of Staff Colonel Jone Kalouniwai says this questions Chand’s motives.
He says the 2000 coup was one of the most challenging times for Fiji and more so for the RFMF because there was some sense of split within the RFMF at the time.
Colonel Kalouniwai says former Commander Bainimarama always ensured that the safety and security of all Fijians is paramount.
NFP parliamentarian Parmod Chand today came out and said that Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama was not the saviour of the nation after George Speight’s 2000 coup.
Chand said that he played his part as a NFP executive in opposing the coup although he did not say anything publicly as an individual.
Bainimarama was out of the country when the hostage crisis started in parliament on May 19th, 2000, and martial law was declared on May 29th, 2000 when the military came out to control the situation.
Only then could the military come out of the barracks as they were waiting for a State of Emergency to be declared.
Bainimarama who was the Army Commander then managed to lead the RFMF to capture the hostage takers and release the hostages.
He then appointed an interim government to take the country to elections in 2001.
He was also targeted during the 2000 mutiny at QEB where rebel soldiers tried to kill him, and the rebel soldiers shot dead a few loyalist soldiers.
Parmod Chand says he does not believe that Bainimarama assisted the nation to come out of the crisis.
Chand also said that he was part of NFP and continues to oppose the coup and disagrees with Bainimarama that Chand did nothing.
He also said that Bainimarama did not save the nation.
While reacting on the situation on the November 2000 mutiny, Colonel Kalouniwai stresses that Chand should realize that the safety of the Army Commander and the personnel was paramount at the time knowing what the rebel soldiers wanted at the time.
While speaking on the 2000 coup, Colonel Kalouniwai says the weapons were moved out of QEB because the CRW soldiers at the time were conducting an exercise, and that is how they moved the weapons outside the camp.
Kalouniwai says that a lot of sacrifices were made at the time to ensure that the country stabilized quickly and the people are well protected.
Where were you during the horrific events of 2000 and when racist policies were being brought in by SDL in 2006? - PM
Where were you during the horrific events of 2000 and in 2006 when a number of racist policies were being pushed through?
Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama has raised the question to NFP parliamentarian Parmod Chand after Chand blamed Bainimarama for the 2000 coup.
Chand had said in parliament that it was Bainimarama’s fault.
[Transcription] - "May I remind this house that in 2000, the honorable Prime Minister was the leader of the Fiji military forces. He could not control his guns. He is to be blamed for the 2000 coup, not the people."
Speaking to Fijivillage from Montreal late last night, Bainimarama said that Parmod Chand did nothing when Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu and others took over the military barracks in 2000 and also victimised a number of Indo Fijian families.
Ratu Naiqama was handed a 8 month prison sentence for illegal assembly relating to the takeover of the military barracks in Labasa in 2000.
He was released after only 11 days of his 8‑month sentence as there was an approval that he could serve his sentence outside.
The Prime Minister who was out of the country when George Speight and others took over parliament on May 19th, 2000, said nothing was done by the NFP parliamentarian again when the racist policies were being brought up in 2006.
[Transcription] - "I hear from recording on Fijivillage about Parmod Chand blaming me for the event of 2000. The little coward. Where was he during the event of 2000? Probably hiding under his bus in Labasa. We never heard a squeak from him when the parliament group under Ratu Naiqama took over the camp and ransacked Labasa town. Now he has the guts and the courage and is yelling from the rooftops. In 2000-2006, never a squeak from him when the SDL Government came up with those racist policies. No words of encouragement for the Indo-Fijians. Now all of a sudden he's screaming from the top of his bus."
Bainimarama said that it was him as Army Commander and then as Prime Minister with the military and now with the constitution, that brought back stability to Fiji.
He said that Chand had no part to play in this.
[Transcription] - "But seriously who gave him the courage to do all this screaming? Its very simple. It's the security environment I and the military and the constitution he's now attacking, we gave him that courage, what little he lacks, and of course the confidence to now talk and harp. And he is not to forget that. Never! He's now acting like the big brave boy to the Indo-Fijian community because he wants their vote. The Indo-Fijians should not believe him. He didn't protect the Indo-Fijians in the event of 2000. I did with the military. He wasn't around to protect the Indo-Fijians when those racist decrees were going to be implemented by the Qarase Government. I and the military did. So really, he should shut up!"
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