Question 1
What were the reasons for the two Fiji Coups in 1987?
Ever since the arrival of the British Colonists and the signing of the Deed of Cession on the 10th of October, 1876 there was an introduction of a new race that had came with the Indentured Labor System. With the new races as a majority there arose a lot of differences with the races. These differences came forth in the coup of 1987 when the new Coalition government had defeated the previous winners the Alliance Party. The new government reflected the multiracial nation where the rule of law and parliamentary democracy prevailed. This in turn led to the two coups that occurred during the year.
May Coup
This was the first coup that occurred on the 14th of May, which was the military overthrow of the government of Dr. Timoci Bavadra. It was caused by a lot of reasons. Firstly, it was because some of the members of the former Mara government and the previous Alliance Party members feared that their political careers and their personal interests might be threatened and their careers might be ruins. Secondly, it was a result of the military actions to protect the constitutional interests. It was also the ditch of self-defense by the Royal Fijian Military Forces against the actions of the newly elected Coalition party government that threatened to sudden civil unrest and cut up the armed forces. Those were some factors that led to the coup.
September Coup
This was the second coup of the year and was also led by the Major General Sitiveni Rabuka. There were a lot of results that came with the coup that ended up with the ruling of the country from Monarchy to being a Republic. It was also due to the Deuba Accord. The agreement for the Deuba Accord had occurred in September 27th of 1987. It was the situation where the Governor General had attempted to assert executive power. These talks had been between the deposed government and the Alliance Party and it dealt with the unity of the different races and ethnicities. Rabuka had noticed that his gaining from the previous coup might be lost so he staged another coup.
Question 2
Explain the role of the Great Council of Chiefs during the coups.
The Great Council of Chiefs is an important part of the history of Fiji as it had existed alongside the Colonizers. It was formed due to the law that had been declared that Indirect Rule had to be practiced. It was established in the year 1876 under the leadership of Sir Arthur Gordon. It was formed as it tried to protect and preserve the native way of life of the natives, so this organization was a major symbol for the natives as they followed their way of life and systems of rule. This sort of organization in more than one way had led to the outbreak of the coup:
- Firstly, it was the major symbol of Fijian identity and strength in the colonial and political structure.
- Secondly, it affirmed ethnic political unity transcending geographical and cultural differences amongst the natives opposing the other groups of people.
- The GCC is a major symbol of Fijian Identity and strength.
Thus, these are some of the ways that the GCC influence the people and how they lead to the outbreak of the coup.