Fijian soldier, politician, and prime minister (19929), born near Suva, Fiji. He trained at Sandhurst Military Academy, served with the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon, and returned to Fiji with the rank of colonel. After the 1987 elections, which resulted in an Indian-dominated coalition government, he staged a coup and set up his own provisional government. The country was declared a republic, and prime minister Mara was reinstated, but Rabuka retained control of the security forces and internal affairs. As leader of the Fijian Political Party with the rank of major-general, he became prime minister following the elections in 1992, and after defeat in the 1999 elections by Mahendra Chaudhry retained a presence in local politics, acting as mediator in the attempted coup by George Speight in 2000.
Sitiveni Rabuka
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Major-General Sitiveni Ligamamada Rabuka OBE, (born September 13, 1948) is best known as the instigator of two military coups that shook Fiji in 1987.
The 1987 coups
Rabuka, by now a colonel, emerged suddenly from obscurity on 14 May 1987 when he staged the first of two military coups to reassert ethnic Fijian supremacy, following the 1987 election, which had brought an Indo-Fijian (ethnic Indian)-dominated government to power.
In 2006, Rabuka finally apologised for having executed the coups. Fiji Live reported on 28 March that Rabuka had told India's Ahmedabad Newsline, while visiting India for medical treatment, that he regretted his role in the coups, which he described as "democratically wrong."
Prime Minister of Fiji
Following the adoption in 1990 of a new Constitution that guaranteed ethnic Fijian domination of the political system, Rabuka was chosen to lead the newly-formed Fijian Political Party in 1991. This party won the parliamentary election of 1992 and Rabuka became Prime Minister.
The 2000 coup and Queen Elizabeth Barracks mutiny
Following his electoral defeat, Rabuka was elected Chairman of the Great Council of Chiefs. Claiming that the coup leader George Speight - who was then in custody and has since been convicted of treason - was only a front, Mara appeared on Close-Up on Fiji Television on April 30, 2001, and revealed that on May 21, 2000, two days after the coup, he had confronted Rabuka and Isikia Savua, the police chief, about their possible involvement in it.
In an interview with Fiji's Daily Post on 2 July 2001, Rabuka angrily denied the allegations, saying that they were the ravings of "an angry old man" and "very unbecoming of a national leader and of a statesman." The charges, however, were repeated on the floor of the Senate on 23 October 2004 by Adi Koila Nailatikau, Mara's daughter.
Former Attorney-General Sir Vijay Singh published a memoir in 2006, supporting the allegations against Rabuka. Fiji Village quoted Singh on 18 August 2006 as saying, at the launch of his memoir, "Speaking Out", that Rabuka had told him personally that he was one of the ring-leaders and that real target of the coup was not the Chaudhry government, but Ratu Mara, and that Mara had voiced his own suspicions about Rabuka to Singh. He had no doubts that it was Mr Sitiveni Rabuka and Mr Isikia Savua (the then Commissioner of Police who had organised the miserable affair at parliamentary complex," Singh said.
Rabuka refused to comment on Singh's allegations, citing sub judice.
Alleged role in mutiny
Rabuka was also accused of instigating or supporting the mutiny that took place at Suva's Queen Elizabeth Barracks on 2 November 2000. In an interview with the Fiji Times on 12 November 2000, the Military Commander, Commodore Frank Bainimarama charged that while the revolt was in progress, Rabuka had visited the barracks with his army uniform in the car, ready to take over command of the army.
Bainimarama also accused Rabuka of having "politicized" the Counter Revolutionary Warfare (CRW) unit, which he had founded as a bodyguard in 1987, to favour both the mutiny and the earlier takeover of parliament in May. Members of the CRW were involved in both the May coup and the November mutiny. On 13 November 2000, he said that rebels interrogated by the military had implicated Rabuka. He accused Rabuka of trying to take civilians into the barracks to act as human shields for the mutineers, and stated that Rabuka's intention was to "claim military leadership and ultimately overthrow the Government of the day."
Rabuka, a retired officer, denied supporting the mutiny, but refused to comment on an accusation from Bainimarama that he had called a meeting of senior officers loyal to him to depose Bainimarama.
2006 arrest
Rabuka's denials of the allegations against him did not end the controversy.
Rabuka was arrested on 11 May 2006 on charges of inciting Lieutenant Colonel Viliame Seruvakula to commit a military mutiny on 2 November 2000, in the aftermath of the 2000 coup.
Rabuka appeared in the High Court on 30 June and pleaded not guilty, Fiji Village reported.
Fiji Village reported on 6 September that Rabuka had been refused permission to travel to Papua New Guinea for a golf tournament.
Present and recent controversies
In 2004, the Fijian government announced that Rabuka would be Fiji's next Ambassador to Washington D.C.
Views on non-Indigenous Fijians as Prime Minister
Rabuka is noted for his propensity to walk both sides of the street politically.
On March 17, 2005, however, he declared that no Indo-Fijian should ever expect to lead Fiji, and called on Indo-Fijians to follow the example of Sonia Gandhi, who, despite her assimilation to Indian culture, declined to become Prime Minister of India.
The Reconciliation, Tolerance, and Unity Bill
Rabuka took a measured position in relation to the government's proposed Reconciliation and Unity Commission, which will be empowered to recommend amnesty for perpetrators of the 2000 coup and compensation for its victims. On 19 May 2005, Rabuka said that the objective of the commission should not merely be to grant amnesty and compensation, but to uncover the truth about who was involved in the coup, directly or indirectly. It should be able to reveal those who planned it, financed it and executed it," Rabuka said.
Despite his own qualified support for the legislation, Rabuka criticized the Great Council of Chiefs for endorsing it.
Rabuka spoke out on 21 October to oppose proposals to establish a separate but parallel indigenous system of justice, saying that such a system would be unable to deal with more serious criminal offences.
Views on military unrest
On 12 January 2006, Rabuka called on the government of Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase to get tough with the Military Commander, Commodore Frank Bainimarama. Commenting on recent Military threats to remove the government, Rabuka said that instead of fearing the power of the Army, the government should realize that the Commander was not indispensable and could be replaced.
Views on the chiefly system
Rabuka found himself embroiled in controversy in September 2006, when he called for the abolition of Fiji's chiefly system and for the nationalization of land owned by indigenous Fijians.
Senior Fijian chiefs strongly criticized Rabuka for his stance. Great Council of Chiefs Chairman Ratu Ovini Bokini was quoted by [[Fiji Village on 4 September as saying that if Rabuka, a commoner, did not believe in the traditional chiefly system, he should consider resigning his life-membership of the Great Council, which was granted to him. Bokini's predecessor, Ratu Epeli Ganilau, had voiced similar views the previous day, with Fiji Live quoting him as accusing Rabuka of hypocrisy. Another high chief, Ratu Epenisa Cakobau, told the Fiji Sun that as a commoner, Rabuka was privileged to be allowed membership of the Great Council of Chiefs, and had no right to attack the system.
Rabuka also came under attack from the Methodist Church.
In early 2005, Rabuka ruled himself out of contesting the 2006 parliamentary election, but on May 7 said he was reconsidering, following appeals from Fijian businessmen and former politicians to be part of a move to unite all ethnically Fijian parties in a joint ticket to contest the next election.
On 21 August, Rabuka said he was of the opinion that Prime Ministers defeated at the polls should not stand again. "It is healthy for party leaders who become prime ministers after being defeated at general elections to take the responsibility for the defeat and bow out of active politics and just become an adviser or remain as a party supporter but not in the front seat running for another election."
On 19 October, Rabuka said that the current parliamentary team representing Cakaudrove enjoyed his full support.
Despite his role in the formation (30 July 2005) of the Grand Coalition Initiative Group, an electoral pact of five political parties supported mostly by indigenous Fijians, to contest the 2006 elections, Rabuka expressed doubts about its workability on 27 December.
At the same time, Rabuka said that another coup would be unlikely, and that given the disunity among indigenous Fijians, attitudes towards a non-indigenous Prime Minister would not matter.
On 7 February 2006, Rabuka said that he was still considering whether to contest the forthcoming elections.
In the end, Rabuka decided not to contest the election, and his party fielded only one candidate.
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Preceded by: Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara |
Prime Minister of Fiji 1992 - 1999 |
Succeeded by: Mahendra Chaudhry |
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Preceded by: none |
Chairman of the Great Council of Chiefs 1999 - 2001 |
Succeeded by: Ratu Epeli Ganilau |
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Preceded by: Ratu Inoke Kubuabola |
Chairman of the Cakaudrove Provincial Council 2002-present |
Succeeded by: none (present incumbent) |
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