We did not remove an indigenous government, Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama said in reference to the Qarase led administration.
During his campaign in Buca, Naidi, Valeni and Urata villages in Cakaudrove, he claimed they removed a government that ruled with unfair policies that caused racial division.
“Keitou a vagalala taka ga na matinitu e butobuto ka basika kina na vei vakaduiduitaki ni kawa tamata (we removed a government that operated in darkness, which brought racial discrimination),” he said. “Au vinakata me matata vakavinaka ya. Keitou a sa veivosaki tiko kei Lai (the late Laisenia Qarase), tukuna tiko vei koya nona policies e veivakaduidui taka na kawa tamata ra bula tu I VIti (I want to make that clear. We were talking to Lai (the late Laisenia Qarase) about his policies and told him it brings racial discrimination).
“Sega ni vakarorogo o Lai ka sa mani keitou bose na mataivalu me tarovi na ka e yaco tiko baleta keitou sega ni vinaka na ka e yaco na yabaki 1987 kei na 2000 me yaco tale I Viti ka ra mai vakaloloma taki kina na noda vasu (Lai didn’t listen to us so the military met and we discussed we need to stop the racial policies because we don’t want the events of 1987 and 2000 to happen again where our Fijian brothers and sisters of Indian descent were victims).
” That situation, he said, led to the 2006 removal of the Qarase government. Mr Bainimarama said since then, his Government had put in place policies that treated all citizens equally by calling all citizens Fijians.
Such policy, he told the villagers, did not remove any rights of landowners as their native land were now better protected.
“Before we came into government, native land consisted of around 87 per cent but after we got in, native land is now 91 per cent because the policies we have will not allow any native lease to be sold or transferred like the other governments did.”
