KEY POINTS:
Foreign Minister Winston Peters' office says plans to restore democracy in Fiji in 2010 are disappointing and progress needs to be made sooner.
A spokesman for Mr Peters told NZPA that the plans announced by military commander Commodore Voreqe (Frank) Bainimarama, who led a coup to overthrow the
Government on December 5 last year, were flawed.
Cdre Bainimarama overthrew the elected government of Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase, claiming the largely indigenous government was corrupt and too soft on those responsible for the previous coup in 2000.
Yesterday Cdre Bainimarama said he had laid out a "road map" to democracy which included plans for a constitutional review, a census of Fiji's 900,000 people and an examination of electoral boundaries in the next two years.
"Under this roadmap, Fiji will be ready for a general election and a full restoration of parliamentary democracy in 2010," he said in a statement.
Mr Peters' spokesman urged Cdre Bainimarama to follow proposals set out by an eminent persons group (EPG).
The group, commissioned by the Pacific Islands Forum, was led by Vanuatu's Deputy Prime Minister Sato Kilman and also comprised of Samoa's Environment Minister Faumuina Luiga, Papua New Guinea's retired Chief Justice Sir Arnold Amet and General Peter Cosgrove, retired chief of the Australian Defence Force.
"Commodore Bainimarama's so-called roadmap is disappointing," the spokesman said.
"By not committing to firm dates for an election he has not met the expectations of the EPG or the Pacific region."
The EPG recommended elections take place within eight months to two years. It also said the election timetable should be uncoupled from the "clean-up" campaign.
"And other processes that could subsequently be used as a pretence to delay elections should also be delinked from an election timetable," the spokesman said.
"We'd encourage Bainimarama's administration to reconsider its proposed roadmap in light of the EPG report which represents a credible way forward for Fiji's return to democratic government and the rule of law."
The United States State Department yesterday said elections should be held sooner. Deputy spokesman Tom Casey said the administration "wants to reiterate our call on the government to return to democratic rule, not a year from now or two years from now or three years from now, but now."
Cdre Bainimarama had previously said his takeover would not be permanent but it was the first time he had given a timetable for elections.
He said a mini-budget would be announced on March 2.
Cdre Bainimarama took over executive authority from President Ratu Josefa Iloilo in the days after his coup, dissolving parliament, declaring a state of emergency and installing a military doctor with no political experience as caretaker prime minister.
The military strongman then reinstated the ageing and ailing president and named himself interim prime minister.
His coup drew international condemnation, with Australia, New Zealand, Britain and the United States imposing economic, diplomatic and defence sanctions.
A former British colony, Fiji had its Commonwealth membership suspended in protest at the coup, just as it did after two similar upheavals in 1987 and again in 2000.
Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer repeated his call for Cdre Bainimarama to step down.
"I think the idea of a military commander continuing to control the country is inappropriate," he said.
"I think to have a civilian prime minister and a roadmap back to democracy is the right approach for Fiji, but we'll just have to wait and see," he told reporters in Adelaide before Cdre Bainimarama's election announcement.
- NZPA
