Former Prime Minister, Mahendra Chaudhry says contestants closely associated with party politics should be disqualified from the position of Great Council of Chiefs Chair.
As the GCC gathered today in Pacific Harbour to select its new chair and vice chair, Chaudhry said the body should pursue a development agenda for the indigenous community and protect itself from becoming, yet again, a tool in the hands of those
seeking political dominance over other communities.
“We have seen the GCC make that mistake thrice by supporting military backed coups that forcibly removed democratically elected Governments in 1987 and 2000, seriously damaging relations between the two major communities of our nation.”
“These treasonous acts have largely gone unpunished because of the (constitutional) immunity granted to the perpetrators of the coups,” he said.
“Fiji’s depressed economic and social conditions with high unemployment and poverty are directly the result of these tragic events, with the indigenous community now constituting 75 per cent of those living in poverty.”
“Unfortunately, there are clear indications that some elements in the Coalition Government are still pursuing the same old course and are jockeying for positions to achieve their aim,” he further stated.
