Commodore Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama,
Prime Minister of Fiji
FRANK BAINIMARAMA was born in Suva on 27 April 1954 and was
educated at Marist Brothers High School. He enlisted into the Royal Fiji
Military Forces Naval Division as an Ordinary Seaman on 26 July 1975,
and was commissioned from the ranks as an Ensign on 01 November 1977.
Commodore Bainimarama attained Second Mate Qualification for the
Pacific Island from the Fiji Institute of Technology in 1980, and qualified
from the Junior Command and Staff College with the RNZAF in March of
1981. He was promoted Lieutenant in August 1981 before returning to
New Zealand to attend the NBCD Course in October the same year. He
qualified in the International Relation Examination in 1981.
In March 1982 he completed the Short Navigation Course on board
HMAS WATSON and in 1983 was attached to the United States Coast
Guard Center in New York for Search and Rescue Training.
On his return to Fiji he assumed command of HMFS KIKAU. In
1984 whilst in command of HMFS KULA, Commodore Bainimarama
conducted a four months deployment in the markings of the Exclusive
Economic Zones of Tonga, Tuvalu and Kiribati. He was promoted
Lieutenant Commander in February of 1986 and in September departed and served two tours with the multinational Force Observers in the Sinai as Company 2IC/OC and later as Battalion 2IC.
After his return from the Sinai in September 1987 Commodore
Bainimarama took delivery of Fiji Navy Ships LEVUKA and LAUTOKA
from Louisiana, USA. In April 1988 he was appointed Commanding
Officer Fiji Navy and was later promoted Commander on 4 October 1988.
In 1991 Commodore Bainimarama attended the Malaysian Armed Forces
Staff College in Kuala Lumpur and returned to resume command of the Fiji
Naval Division in January 1992. At the end of 1992 he was at the
Australian Warfare College at Newcastle on Maritime Surveillance
Training.
He attended the Asian Institute of Technology in Disaster
Management in 1993 and a year later attended Exclusive Economic Zone
Management Training a the Dalhousie University in Canada. He was
promoted to the rank of Captain in October 1994 before attending the
Australian Joint Services Staff College [JSSC].
He assumed the appointment of Chief of Staff of the Republic of Fiji
Military Forces in October 1997. Commodore Bainimarama was appointed
Commander of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces and promoted
Commodore on 01 March 1999.
Commodore Bainimarama has been honoured with the Meritorious
Service Decoration and the Officer of the Order of St John of Jerusalem for
outstanding service to the military and Fiji. His additional awards include
the Multinational Force and Observers Peacekeeping Medal, the General
Service Medal, the Fiji Republic Medal and the Anniversary Medal.
Commodore Bainimarama is married to Maria Makitalena and they
have six children and four grandchildren. His interests include all sports, in
particular rugby union and athletics, military history and current affairs.
H.E. Ratu Josefa Iloilovatu Uluivuda, President of the Republic of the Fiji Islands
After working as a teacher and civil service administrator, Iloilo later became a member of the House of Representatives. He subsequently served as a Senator in the 1990s, and was President of the Senate prior to his becoming Vice-President of Fiji on 18 January 1999. He was in this position under President Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara in 1999 and 2000, when Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry's government was overthrown by Fijian nationalists led by George Speight in the Fiji coup of 2000. He was sworn in as President on 13 July 2000, but legal experts consider that he was constitutionally the President as of 29 May, the date on which Ratu Mara had been removed from office by the military, and to which his resignation in December that year had been backdated.
Originally widely thought of as a stooge of the military, Iloilo later won widespread respect among Fiji's diverse political factions and ethnic communities owing to his efforts to find, or even make, common ground among them. He refused to intervene directly in the disputes among politicians, but quietly reached out to disaffected factions, including the Indo-Fijian community. He was admired for his success in persuading the military to allow a return to democracy in 2001.
Political controversies
On 20 June 2005, the Fiji Times reported that "a reliable source" close to the government had accused Iloilo of refusing to discipline Commodore Frank Bainimarama, the Commander of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces, for his public criticism of government policies. The source said that Iloilo had refused repeated requests from the Home Affairs Minister, Josefa Vosanibola, to take disciplinary measures against Bainimarama for publicly opposing the early release of prisoners convicted of coup-related offenses, as well as the proposed establishment of a Reconciliation and Unity Commission (called the "Reconciliation Bull" by Bainimarama) with the power (subject to presidential approval) to compensate victims and pardon convicted participants in the coup. The source said that the President's refusal to act was making the Home Affairs Minister look foolish and incompetent, and suggested that Iloilo was not following the Constitution. As President, Iloilo is Commander-in-Chief of the Military, but, according to the source, is required by Section 96 of the Constitution to act on the advice of the appropriate Cabinet Minister, in this case the Home Affairs Minister.
According to an unconfirmed report in the Fiji Times on 25 June, Iloilo and his Vice-President, Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi, had asked Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase to withdraw the government's controversial legislation to establish a Reconciliation and Unity Commission, with the power to compensate victims and pardon perpetrators of the 2000 coup. The Prime Minister reportedly replied that he would "consider" the matter. Spokesmen for the President and Prime Minister have declined to confirm or deny the report, which was written by freelance journalist Wainikiti Bogidrau, the wife of an army officer. On 27 June, the Fiji Labour Party claimed on its website to have known of the meeting before the article was published, and further alleged that the Prime Minister had intended to ask the President to use his position as Commander-in-chief of the Military to curb Commodore Bainimarama's public criticism of the bill, and that he was taken aback by the President's request to withdraw the legislation.
In his traditional speech opening Parliament on 1 August, Iloilo said that the government had introduced it for the purpose of fostering unity and stability. His speech welcomed the public debate, saying that reconciliation was "a difficult but necessary process," and it called on parliamentarians to uphold what is right, fair, and in the interests of the country. The speech also said "As parliamentarians you must carefully examine your conscience on the deliberation of sensitive issues and not be swayed by divisive racial remarks which have been a common and unfortunate hallmark of debate in our Parliament."
Views on the chiefly system
In an opening address to the Great Council of Chiefs on 27 July 2005, Iloilo told his fellow-chiefs that they needed to adapt to the modern era, or else risk "simply becoming decorations." He said that Fiji was at a critical moment and facing many challenges, and that the nation was looking to the chiefs to unify a divided society and promote stability and good will.
Iloilo recalled warnings from Fiji's first modern statesman, Ratu Sir Lala Sukuna (1888-1958), that the chiefs risked becoming an irrelevance if they did not take their leadership role seriously and prove that they had the qualifications and authority that their ancestors had possessed. "We should never forget Ratu Sukuna's warning about the dangers of chiefs simply becoming decorations. He said if that happened they were finished. He declared chiefs could only be sure of their people continuing to follow them as long as they appreciated that chiefly authority was better than anyone else's." He called on chiefs to be educated and trained for leadership. "Before we are in a position to advise our people on the right course we must also make sure that we have the knowledge and the awareness required to fulfill this duty properly. If we do not have this, we can not lead. When we are equipped with leadership skills that complement traditional rank, we are appropriately prepared to provide the inspiration, the motivation and guidance expected of us," he said.
Beliefs
A deeply religious man, Iloilo has been a lay-preacher and was Vice-President of the Methodist Church of Fiji and Rotuma in 1997 and 1998. In September 2004, he hosted a state dinner for Argentinian-born American evangelist Luis Palau. He also delivered the opening address at Fiji's National Day of Prayer on 15 May 2005, which was also observed in may other countries. He called on Fijian citizens to seek God's wisdom to find the way forward for the nation, and said he considered prayer to be "as important to our nation as breath is to our lives." Reminding Christians of the Jewish Year of Jubilee, a year for cancelling all debts owed by one's fellow-man, Iloilo called on the people to pursue both personal and national reconciliation and forgiveness, saying that they would reap what they sowed. "Whatever you sow you shall reap. If you sow the seeds of harmony, peace and goodwill you will reap the fruits thereof. If you sow the seeds of discord, hatred and injustice you cannot expect to reap good results," Iloilo said.
Health concerns
Iloilo, who is now (2007) 86 years old, has long been the subject of speculation about his health. He is known to suffer from Parkinson's Disease and has required regular medical treatment in Australia. The Fiji Times reported on 18 July 2005 that his health had taken a recent turn for the worse, and that he had needed to use a wheelchair for three weeks. Suspicions about the state of his health intensified after journalists were twice refused entry to Government House, the President's official residence, including the swearing-in ceremony of Information Minister Marieta Rigamoto.
