4 Sep 2007

Fiji Military Council confirms its opposition to any political role for deposed PM

8:43 am on 4 September 2007

Fiji's Military Council says it will not allow deposed prime minister Laisenia Qarase or his SDL party to come back into power.

The military spokesman, Lt Col Mosese Tikoitoga, has told the Fiji Times the Military Council, which is made up of senior officers, has decided that it will make sure that people like Mr Qarase with their racist policies should not return to power.

He says in order to carry out the president's mandate to take the country forward, Fiji needs to work on a strategy to ensure that decisions are not based on race and religion.

Lt Col Tikoitoga says if Mr Qarase comes back into power, there is no guarantee that the coup culture would stop.

He says the Military Council wants Fiji to be a united country free of divisive policies.

He says people like Mr Qarase and others like him are all one-sided and Fiji will not progress because of their divisive policies.

Lt Col Tikoitoga says the decision was reached by the Military Council a few months ago.

It was disclosed by the interim prime minister yesterday when Commodore Bainimarama said that to end the coup culture, Mr Qarase and his former cabinet should not be allowed to return to power.