Friday, May 01, 2009



Fiji: Sad

Fijian dictator Voreqe Bainimarama has given a petulent interview to The Australian, demanding people pay attention to him, and stating that there will be no elections before 2014. But he also included this bit:

He revealed that his long-term plans to produce a multi-racial democracy included the restoration of the Queen as Fiji's head of state.

[...]

The military chief envisaged that when democracy was eventually restored in five years, Fiji would ask the Queen to resume her position as head of state. The country declared itself a republic during the first coups of 1987. "I'm still loyal to the Queen - many people in Fiji are," he said, acknowledging her photograph above his desk. "One of the things I'd like to do is see her become Queen of Fiji again."

This is simply sad. And its ironic that having spewed so much venom about the "colonialism" of Australia and New Zealand in supporting democracy, he wants to reimpose the biggest colonial symbol of them all: a foreign monarchy. But I guess it goes with his whole mindset that Fijians can't be trusted to rule themselves...