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Issue No:546; 4 March 2001
Today's Fiji Times says that the Fiji Military does not want Prime Minister Mahendra "Chaudhry and his group" back in government. In a lead story, written by Margaret Wise subtitled "Army regards deposed PM a threat to national security", the paper claims that the army came to this conclusion "after three days of discussions on the implications of the Court of Appeal ruling". The Fiji Times quoted unnamed senior army officers as saying: "The military is hoping that the pathway chosen to return Fiji to constitutional rule is in accordance with the law - that is according to the provisions of the 1997 Constitution. But at the same time as a matter of national interest we cannot afford to have Mr. Chaudhry and his group back". No other newspaper or media organization was given this statement from the army. Yesterday the Fiji Times argued that Sir Paul Reeves said that Mr. Chaudhry is incapable of leading Fiji forward. On Friday, the paper editorialised that the Qarase regime should stay in power to take the country forward. Today's article comes in a series of articles sending the message that the People's Coalition Government should not be returned to government despite the Fiji Court of Appeal ruling. The paper today did not explain how would it be possible to have a government with Chaudhry and his group out of it - the People's Coalition has at least 47 MPs out of 71 with it. |
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People's Coalition Government - Fiji Islands |
