Stop The Supression of Human Rights, Freedom of Speech & Freedom of Association: A Fijian Petition to President Obama

To: President Obama We, the undersigned, urge you to condemn the recent signing by Fiji's United Nation representative Peter Thompson, of diplomatic relationship under United Nations agreement with Cambodian and other similar States which have records of Cou-de-tat-ism, Human Rights Abuse, military dictatorship and abrogation of rule of law and constitution forcefully, lack of Participatory Process of Policy-Making and Removal of Public Emergency Regulation which has been in force since the military coup-de-tat on 5 December 2006 by Frank Bainimarama. To quote from KI media who recently stated, "The signing was done by Fiji’s permanent representative to the UN Peter Thomson and his Cambodian counterpart Dr Sea Kosal. Dr Kosal welcomed the new relationship between the two countries. Thompson says the Fiji government is looking at establishing new diplomatic relations with all state members of the United Nations. In the last three months, Fiji has formalized diplomatic relations with Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Eritrea, Georgia, Macedonia, Myanmar and the United Arab Emirates. A delegation from Russia is also expected in Fiji this week to sign a memorandum of understanding on defence and hold bilateral talks with Government." unquote. This in itself is indicative of how this military dictator in Fiji has removed the basic and fundamental rights for the people and are dictating at the expense of the Nation what direction Fiji needs to take. The coup leader and his regime are not the politically elected people of Fiji and are in power because they have the guns. Public Emergency Regulations have been in force since the coup of 5 December 2006 and still continues today. Most of the line-ups of the current regime are selected from a list of people that also have history of nepotism and corruption behind some of them and who did not get the numbers to be elected into the last Government of the then elected and ousted Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase. Many have said this coup is an Indian coup and yet the line up in the illegal regime are mostly Fijians whilst Indians are doing the thinking and manipulating from behind the scene be it issuance of decrees, abrogation of rule of law and constitution. Evidence are surfacing that alot of important decision making are being made by a selcted few favouring the Indian segment more than the Fijians or First Nation People/Indigenous. This exemplifies politically-motivated targeting all those that are in opposition to what this current Fiji illegal regime is doing, be it the policies and decrees they are implementing or the lack of judicial accountability and fairness in the proceedings, the continuous Human Rights abuses and denial of Fiji citizens’ rights to freedom of expression, freedom of media, freedom of association and holding public meetings. We want all those involve in this current illegal regime in Fiji to be held accountable for the changes and reforms being implemented and which people are being coerced to conform to in view of the current state Fiji is as it is still under PER almost 4 years after 2006 coup. We want the United Nations to review its current standing with the current illegal regime in Fiji, as it is ironic that on one hand the UN promotes its UN Declarations for Human Rights and the UN Declarations for Indigenous people and yet on the another level appears to be condoning activities by the current illegal regime who claims they are rooting out corruptive activities and mismanagement when the illegal regime in Fiji themselves are responsible for the mess Fiji is in and the corruptive activities and nepotism Bainimarama & his regime has entred into. One only needs to draw the eample where Bainimarama, released his brother in law from prison for having been involved in the abuse of one of the victims who died at the hands of the military due to massive abuse and beatings. It is not fair to cite other Human Rights abuses occuring in other countries as Fiji is steeped in its Fijian tradition by the Indigenous Fijians who are now facing the brunt of beeing rooted out of their own homeland and decisions dictated down to them not via their Great Council of Chiefs which has been abolished simply because they disagreed with Bainimarama and did not wish to sign what he had wanted to put in place. The situation in Fiji has gone on for too long and the degree of abuse or other maltreatment by this illegal regime must not be measured against other countries and the United Nations must bear in mind the Deed of Cession agreements that occured between Fiji's forefathers where it secured their livelihood, their land and their traditions and culture. For a group of settler societies to now come in and dictate via the coup leader who is half Fijian and does not have much respect for the Indigenous Fijians Traditional Culture as was seen when he threw the 'valued Tabua or whales' tooth' back to his own Chiefs from his village in Kiuva who went to ask him to end the Fiji saga. This in itself is a sign of arrogance and disrespect to the Fijians and their culture let alone his High Chief who Bainimarama had been noted to have commented, saying the Fijian people are 'stupid'. As Fijian citizens, we have grave concerns for Fiji and the people by the prolonged state of Public Emergency Regulations, the silencing of seasoned and long-serving, trustworthy, respected, and democratically-elected leaders who now are being warned that they may not be able to run for the next parlimentary elections scheduled, too far away in 2010, a total of 08 years approx of Fiji being under military dictaorship. We ask how can United Nations and the International Community not step in to assist the Pacific Island Forum within Fiji's Regional Neighbors and the Commonwealth who have publicly shown their position in not supporting the current Fiji illegal regime by suspending Fiji's membership. The question we ask, why then does the United Nation and other International Communities are standing back and allowing the current illegal regime in Fiji under the coup man, Bainimarama to have a free reign of Fiji until 2014 which is looking very bleak at this point in time. Assistance are being given as we write by some International bodies to Fiji, and we now beg you all to reconsider your positions and try and view Fiji's problems taking a 'bottom-up approach' and assist in facilitating a qucik return to democrcay and rule of law. We believe the United States Government has the power to put pressure on other International Communities and in this instance United Nations in order that Fiji and its people may once again live in freedom and have the liberty to freely elect those they they wish to represent them in government and also reinstate the Fijian Great Council of Chiefs as these are the hallmarks of our Fijian Cultural tradition of which we are known for. Reforms on land must not take place until a properly elected government is in place as this illegal regime are bent more towards the capitalistic and individual needs being forced by some in the Indian segment of our Fiji socitey. Thre is an urgent need to restore liberty, freedom and removal of threat to freedoms of speech and expression and the rights to fair judicial process, transparency, and legal representation. As echoed by our fellow cambodians who are also fighting for similar rights we urge you Mr President to please speak up on behalf of our Fiji people because by your silence will mean continuous suspression of our basic and fundamental rights as free citizens of Fiji nation that once knew the beauty of Pacific Way which is now so abscent in our midst. Without your intervention some of our parents and grandparents and even mothers and fathers will never again taste that freedom. We beileve the United States is a powerful Nations and your Government is long reknowned to uphold its long-cherished values of freedoms of speech and expression and the rights to an independent and impartial judicial process, equality before the law, and legal representation. We again seek your urgent help, Mr. President, to take a strong position and indicate or make a supporting robust statement against the the recent signing and aligning of Fiji together with other States that have questionable values on Human Rights and Rule of Law as well as upholding true democratic values which have seen Fiji moved upward at one point to be on par with nations around the world in its commitment to establishing economic growth that is conducive to the needs and culture of the Fiji people taking into account the signing of the Deed of Cession in 1874 where Fijian or First Nation People were given the understanding that their Lands, their Customs and Traditions will be forever protected. Yours cordially, We the Undersigned.