Not conceding, Bainimarama’s options

If he plays them instability ahead for Fiji

It was a January day in Nadi, Fiji, and I was at a conference on money laundering in the Pacific. At breaks, the talk was about how long Fiji’s new government was going to last. A coup was coming, some were certain. I was dismissive; surely Fiji had learnt the cost of coups already? Who would lead a coup, anyway? Sitiveni Rabuka? Five months after that January day - January 2000 -  there was a coup that overthrew the year-old government of Fiji Labour Party leader Mahendra Chaudhry.

There had been celebrations in May 1999 as Chaudhry won. 

In places like Nadi, Indians were cheering on the streets. Many ominous claims that there would be consequences for flaunting the win like that. The defeated was, of course, Rabuka who had come up with a new constitution and was defeated using it. In early 2000 he was actually dining out on the international applause for the peaceful transition of power. Within a month I was with Rabuka in the Solomon Islands where he was working for the Commonwealth trying to settle ethnic tensions. He was loving it, and not downcast at having lost his job to Chaudhry.

Right up until 10 May 2000, I had no idea a coup was coming.

I have written on the 1999 election and the 2000 coup. My critics in Fiji are fond of saying I should learn to forgive and forget;  it was two decades ago man! Lost has been the line about learning history to avoid repeating it.