Chaudhry grilled over 2006 coup

Fiji Labour Party leader Mahendra Chaudhry has denied supporting the 2006 coup after being challenged over his decision to serve as finance minister in the Bainimarama government that followed the military takeover.

Mr Chaudhry, a former prime minister, faced questions from moderators Vijay Narayan and Stanley Simpson at the Fijian Media Association (FMA) Town Hall at Fiji National University (FNU) on Thursday night.

“We did not support the 2006 coup”.

The exchange followed a remark by National Federation Party leader Professor Biman Prasad that “there are some on this table who have supported coups”.

Mr Simpson suggested that Prof Prasad may have been referring to Mr Chaudhry.

Mr Chaudhry said the Fiji Labour Party had issued a statement condemning the coup.

He maintained that he had joined the Bainimarama government as finance minister “at the request of the president”.

“I have answered that question many times before,” he said.

Mr Narayan responded: “A coup is a coup.”

Mr Chaudhry said then Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase had been warned against proceeding with a Bill and releasing people convicted of coup offences.

Mr Simpson challenged him on whether that meant the military takeover was justified.

“So it was justified?”

“No,” Mr Chaudhry said.

Pressed further, Mr Chaudhry said: “It’s not that simple.”

The questioning then turned to immunity provisions in the proposed Constitution (Amendment) Bill.

Mr Narayan asked: “Do you want immunity in or out?”

“Out,” Mr Chaudhry said.

Asked whether immunity should be removed completely, he replied: “Yes.”

Immunity debate

Earlier, Deputy Prime Minister Manoa Kamikamica had warned that removing immunity could expose individuals to legal action, including Mr Chaudhry, “because he was in the 2006 first cabinet”.

Prof Prasad later criticised Fiji's history of coups and the political figures associated with them.

“The country is saturated with coup leaders, coup supporters.”

Without naming anyone, he also referred to a panellist who was “kicked out by Bainimarama two years into the government”.

Unity Fiji Party leader Savenaca Narube also criticised the country's history of military takeovers.

He said leaders who led coups “have led us for 26 years” and argued that immunity “reinforces the coup culture”.

The exchanges highlighted divisions over whether immunity provisions should remain in the Constitution as political leaders debated the proposed amendments.