Graham Davis: The so-called arc of instability around Australia includes places that can be very pleasant when things are stable, and nowhere more so than Fiji .
It was once dubbed the way the world should be until the rest of the world decided some things here were best avoided.
The coup in 2000 and a subsequent mutiny in the ranks of the army were so traumatic theyve left a permanent scar on the national consciousness.
It was Fijis third coup in 13 years and the bloodiest
And the spectre of a re-run haunts all but the most venal and opportunistic of its 900-thousand citizens.
Fijis Prime Minister, Laisenia Qarase stunned the nation by saying there was no guarantee the events of 1987 and 2000 wouldnt be repeated.
He later claimed to have been misquoted but while the cameras werent there, a radio reporter was and what the Prime Minister said is unmistakable.
Laisenia Qarase FIJI Prime Minister: It was the failure of the leadership of the Labour Party at that time that contributed to the upheavals we had. ..There is no guarantee that they will lead our country peacefully nto the future. We must have our properties and our homes protected.
Graham Davis: Those comments enraged military chief Commodore Frank Bainimarama, so much so that he threatened to jail the Prime Minister for incitement.
Hed already led his troops through the streets of Suva last month in a none- too- subtle demonstration of whos really boss in Fiji.
Many thought a coup was already underway the military chief said he and his men were just out for a stroll. Commodore Frank Bainimarama Fiji Military Commander: We thought wed come out in public and do what militaries are supposed to do and take long walks but at the same time assure the people of Fiji that the military is always around to protect them. Graham Davis: But this was a definite show of force in the continuing battle between the military and the government over the Prime Ministers desire to pardon those involved in the events of 2000.
Bainimarama says that will only happen over his dead body and after Qarases coup comments on the weekend, the gloves are well and truly off. Commodore Frank Bainimarama Fiji Military Commander: (When he says theres no guarantee there wont be another coup, what do you make of that as head of the military?) I see that as a threat, I really think the Commissioner of Police should do something about that statement . He shouldnt be doing this (Hes a liar?) He is a liar and hes done this continually from Day One. Hes lied to the people of Fiji by telling them that after being nominated as Prime Minister he will do the right thing. He did exactly the opposite. He went 180 degrees the other way round.
Graham Davis: As the military chief tells it, there will be no more coups in Fiji whatever anyone says, the PM included. Commodore Frank Bainimarama Fiji Military Commander: We have determined that there will be no coup, if there is any thought of anyone coming up with any coup making in the next election, they will have to be ready to face the consequences. Graham Davis: And singing from the same song sheet is Fijis Police Commissioner Andrew Hughes, the former Australian Federal Police officer Canberra provided to help Fiji get back on its feet.
Andrew Hughes Fiji Police Commissioner: Were not going to allow some radical elements who decided they dont like the outcome of the democratic process and theyre going to take the law into their own hands and change it, no thats not going to happen.
Graham Davis: That message was never more needed than now, for something extraordinary is happening in Fiji the elements that produced the 2000 coup are again coalescing in this election indigenous extremists pitted against an Indo-Fijian they say they will never tolerate as Prime Minister.
Even the indigenous extremists are conceding that the man most likely to emerge as Prime Minister this time is the man they deposed last time, the Indo--Fijian Mahendra Chaudhry. Theyre again determined that his reign will be brief. The big difference this time is a military commander equally determined to enforce democracy with the gun Commodore Frank Bainimarama Fiji Military Commander: (The Nationalists are saying they will never accept an Indian Prime Minister ) thats what the Nationalist said (Will you accept an Indian Prime Minister?) We will accept anyone, we dont fear anything from the Labour..
Graham Davis: On the contrary, Bainimarama expresses a preference for Labour. Commodore Frank Bainimarama Fiji Military Commander: Let me tell you that anyone can be a better Prime Minister than what we have had in the last five years. Graham Davis: For his part, Mahendra Chaudhry returns the compliment. Mahendra Chaudhry Fiji Labour Party: I think Commodore Bainimara has a very hard job, its a hard job but hes a brave man and he trying to get the country back on track you know, on a stable footing ..-Australian should understand where Commodore Bainimarama is coming from. We all want law and order in this country, we cannot have a coup, we cannot have terrorists running this country. Graham Davis: To understand whats happening in Fiji, one needs to grasp a simple fact .that for all the talk of Fijian fears of being dominated by the Indians the British brought to work here in the mid 1800s Indians are merely scapegoats for a power struggle between the Fijians themselves.
The three coups were essentially triggered by shadowy groups of elite Fijians lunging for the spoils of power their poorly educated kin hoodwinked into blind support
Thats certainly what happened in 2000, the renegade businessman George Speight masking his own ambition by telling the world it was all about Indians threatening the Fijian way of life.
George Speight Upsot: We dont eat the same food .
Graham Davis: Speights particular target at the time was Mahendra Chaudhry, who endured 56 days of captivity in the nations parliament with much of his cabinet.
He did so with dignity and courage, helping to convince many that he more than deserves the top job. Mahendra Chaudhry Fiji Labour Party: They threatened to kill me and I said you can go ahead and do it but Im not resigning and then they tried to intimidate me, to terrify me and you know to get me to submit but Im made of stronger stuff than that . George Speight He was roughed up twice, I have to confirm that, but beaten in the sense of what that term suggests, definitely not. Mahendra Chaudhry Fiji Labour Party: Well yes they damaged this knee, I had to get surgery done on it in Australia a year later and there was also a cracked rib on the left hand side ( You were the democratically elected Prime Minister of Fiji and you were beaten by a mob of thugs?) yes. Graham Davis: Thanks to Bainimarama, in the end Speight lost, the military and police didnt join the uprising, he was captured, brought to trial and sentenced to life imprisonment for treason.
Yet while he languishes like Napoleon on the small island of Nukulau off Suva, the true story behind the coup has never been told .until now.
Maciu Navakasuasua 2000 coup conspirator: (Now you were one of the chief conspirators werent you?) yes Graham (In fact you recruited George Speight) a day before the takeover. Graham Davis: Today, the remarkable story of Maciu Navakasuasua, convicted bomber and hostage taker, speaking out from the relative safety of Australia, where hes seeking refuge.
He spent three years in jail for his role in the events of 2000 and is now breaking a six year cone of silence to reveal what really happened. Maciu Navakasuasua 2000 coup conspirator: George Speight, he didnt know anything. He just came in at the 11th hour ( he was the fall guy, is that what youre saying?) yes, ..to be our mouthpiece to be our leader on that special, specific appointed time ( so youre saying the whales got away and the sardine ended up in the can?) yes definitely, yes.
Iliesa Duvuloco Upsot: Not all laws are right, not all laws are correct, some laws are wrong Graham Davis: In the heart of Speight territory in Tailevu, we confront the man Maciu Navakasuasua maintains was the biggest whale of all.
Hes Iliesa Duvuloco - a vocal indigenous activist and leader of the Nationalist Party.
Having served time for a relatively minor role in the 2000 coup, Duvulocos now free and is contesting this election with the same strident message against the Indians.
Iliesa Duvucolo Nationalist Party: (Ive been told you were the mastermind of the coup) of the coup? (yeah) well the investigation is not over thats what everybody is blaming me, especially the commander..
(Were you the mastermind of the 2000 coup?) I dont believe so Graham Davis: On all counts, Duvulocos denials are less than emphatic.
Duvuloco Iliesa Duvucolo Nationalist Party: (Did you tell Navakasuasua to recruit George Speight?) Navakasuasua came later .(he says that on the morning of the coup on May 19th he came to your place and George Speight was there?) on the morning of the coup (yeah) I cant recall .. (Were you the coup mastermind?) no, no I dont think so.
Graham Davis: But emphatic about Duvulocos guilt isnt just Maciu Navkasuasua but the man Australia sent to prosecute the coup leaders.
Peter Ridgeway went to Fiji as deputy director of Public Prosecutions with the specific brief to track down the conspirators but was expelled last year when he evidently got too close.
Peter Ridgeway Former Fiji Deputy Prosecutor: A leading figure, a dominant figure, in the genisis of it was Iliesa Duvuloco ( the leader of the Nationalist Party) the leader of the Nationalist Party. He was was vocal, vigorous, he was one of the organisers, the dominant figure in the execution of the coup. Graham Davis: Two of Fijis most prominent indigenous businessmen have now been dragged into these allegations.
The first is Watisoni Nata, who heads the Strategic Air Service company at Nadi Airport
The second is Navitalai Naisoro, the head of Western Union in Fiji and a close advisor to Prime Minister Qarase.
Maciu Navakasuasua 2000 coup conspirator: You absolutely swear that they were behind the 2000 coup?) This is the truth Graham I was there, Ive been there, done it and these people were with me all along..
Graham Davis: In Fiji, Navakasuasuas account is being taken seriously, so much so that Nata and Naisoro were last week taken in for questioning by the police.
Andrew Hughes Andrew Hughes Fiji Police Commissioner: Theyve been interviewed and in due course we will be presenting to the DPP our brief of evidence and he will adjudicate on the quality of the evidence and charges may arise from that.
Graham Davis: Nata and Naisoro have yet to make public statements on these allegations. Although Navaksuasua has given the police a statement, he isnt keen to return to Fiji .
For hes been told that Navitalai Naisoro has made a specific threat against his life.
The allegation has come from another of the coup conspirators, Jo Waqabaca who, in the topsy turvy manner of Fiji politics is now an election candidate for Mahendra Chaudhry, the man he once held hostage.
Jo Waqabaca 2000 coup conspirator: Navitalai Naisoro, he told me that Matthew, the moment he lands in Fiji, hes got a gang ready to slit his throat.
(Do you think he would be killed if he comes back?) Yes definitely. Commodore Frank Bainimarama Fiji Military Commander: Well he has information that could take a lot of people down and because of that information he is a threat to a lot of people, the opportunists (Would they kill him?) I cant say that but he would certainly be a threat and they would go all out to ensure that he doesnt continue with his stories. Graham Davis: What undoubtedly places Maciu Navakasuasua most at risk is his remarkable account of the complicity in the 2000 uprising of politicians who are still at the centre of Government cabinet ministers in the current Qarase administration.
Some of them, like the Minister for Transport and Civil Aviation have already served prison terms for coup related activities
But today, the finger is pointed at new faces .the Minister for Fisheries and Forests and the Minister for Works and Energy.
Then, fresh allegations against the former military spokesman now working for the UN in the Middle East, and most intriguing of all, the leader of the 1987 coups and former Prime Minister, Sitiveni Rabuka. Andrew Hughes Fiji Police Commissioner: Well its known that he was a person of interest to our investigators, thats common knowledge ( that investigations proceeding?) Were consulting with the DPP on that (the files open) yes (When do you expect the DPP to make a determination?) very soon I think.
Graham Davis: To understand the full picture of how deep this conspiracy goes, we need to go back to 1999, the year Mahendra Chaudhry first won office.
Peter Ridgeway Former Fiji Deputy Prosecutor: (Were you aware as the chief investigator of the events of 2000 that the year before, in 1999, that the then head of the Nationalists Sakiasi Butadroka had asked Frank Bainimarama to carry out a coup then?) No I wasnt aware of that. Commodore Frank Bainimarama Fiji Military Commander: Yes he did (He did?) yes it was the day after the Labour Government was sworn in and he turned up in my office .it was basically to come and tell me to remove the Chaudhry Government and I said that was not going to happen. Graham Davis: Right from the start the Nationalists were intent on dislodging the Chaudhry Government. What hasn't been revealed until now is an extraordinary attempt in 1999, a full year before the Speight Coup to stage a popular uprising under the cover of darkness in the streets of Suva. .. Maciu Navakasuasua 2000 coup conspirator: I was assigned to go down to Lami power station in 1999 to blow the big transformer there, the plan was to cause a big blackout to the city of Suva.
Graham Davis: As soon as that happened, according to Navaksuasua, a mob would rampage through the streets of the capital causing the kind of damage that would eventually occur a year later. Maciu Navakasuasua 2000 coup conspirator: That was the plan, to justify the actions of the military to intervene ( So you guys were trying to get the military to intervene by causing mayhem on the streets of Suva) thats, thats the plan Graham
Graham Davis: But according to Navaksuasua, hed been given the wrong information and blew up the wrong transformer.
Maciu Navakasuasua 2000 coup conspirator: Who in the military knew about this?) I was told by Navitalia Naisoro that ah Lieutenant Colonel Filipo Tarakinikini would intervene as soon as we caused that big uprising.
Graham Davis: Tarakinikini was the dashing face of the military to the world during the 2000 coup, justifying its decision not to side with Speight.
Many in Fiji have wanted to ask him about his precise role in the events of 2000 but hes currently out of reach, working for the United Nations in the Middle East
Commodore Frank Bainimarama Fiji Military Commander: (Why isnt he back here facing an investigation over this?) well, he just doesnt want to come back ( what youve asked him?) Weve told his lawyers that he needs to come back and answer questions and answer charges (Do you think its strange the UN has given him a job?) It is, after all our participation in the United Nations peacekeeping areas (in the Middle East) in the Middle east (And one of your fugitives is over there on the UN payroll) thats right.
Graham Davis: But as Alice famously said it gets curiouser and curiouser. not least the alleged involvement in the conspiracy of two current Government ministers whove never been brought to justice.
Peter Ridgeway Former Fiji Deputy Prosecutor: There was later plotting of a coup to occur in April 2000, a month before the May coup (there was?) there was and in that planning, there was discussion of Molotov cocktails being used and thrown around the streets of Suva, the Westpac and ANZ banks being torched in order to bring out street riots and to incite the breakdown of law and order
Graham Davis: Around this time, claims Maciu Navakasusua, he saw the current Minister for Fisheries and Forests in the Qarase Government, Konisi Yabaki, at a gathering where coup plans were being discussed.
Maciu Navakasuasua 2000 coup conspirator: I was surprised to see Konisi Yabaki there, I asked Jo Waqabaca about it and Jo Waqabaca said dont worry, hes one of us
Peter Ridgeway Former Fiji Deputy Prosecutor: I know Konisi Yabaki but in terms of him being linked to these events thats new to me its a serious allegation and you certainly cant take that sort of allegation lightly and youd think now that being appraised of it, the Fiji Police would want to take it on board.
Graham Davis: But theres another current member of the Qarase cabinet whose alleged role in 2000 evidently escaped the attention of the deposed chief prosecutor - Savenaca Draunidalo, a former military officer now Minister for Works and Energy
Peter Ridgeway Former Fiji Deputy Prosecutor: -(Were you aware that Savanaca Draunidalo was actually the Nationalists choice to carry out the coup before George Speight?) No I wasnt, thats another piece of new information that I find fascinating but its news to me ( you didnt know that he was told to wait in the Holiday Inn hotel and be summoned to the parliament?) No I didnt. Maciu Navakasuasua 2000 coup conspirator: Hes the man, was the man. He was on standby at the time we took over the parliament. Iliesa Duvucolo Nationalist Party: .. He was waiting here on the morning of the coup? .. (and he was to be the mastermind of the whole thing? He was meant to carry it out not George, is that right?) I dont really know, maybe Suasua has more information
Maciu Navakasuasua 2000 coup conspirator: What happened in the end?.. he decided to leave us because well as soon as he see the march and all the lootings and breaking in of shops in the city, he must have thought no, this is not the right place for me (and he took off?) he took off so from there, George Speight bulldozed his way in and become leader
Graham Davis: May 19th 2000, the day of the coup the conspirators gathered at the home of Iliesa Duvuloco the Nationalist leader.
Maciu Navakasuasua 2000 coup conspirator: I went over to his place, I was surprised to see George Speight sitting there with him. They were talking and I could see Georges face, he was worrying about something. And I asked whats happening George edit ..and he said, no we cant do this because the boys are drunk, some of the boys are drunk.
Iliesa Duvucolo Nationalist Party: (well was Speight at your house, were some of the boys drunk?) as I said, you know (this is what he says) not in my house, there was nobody in my house, I was live in Ragg Avenue, that could be my office because my office is separate Graham Davis: But by now the die was cast. Drunk or sober, the assault on the parliament began, the mobile phone records speak for themselves.
Peter Ridgeway Former Fiji Deputy Prosecutor: On the day of the coup when Speight and his gunmen entered the parliament, in very short order, they got Chaudhry on his knees, they tied their feet up with gaffer tape, whatever, and Chaudhry was on his knees in front of Speight with a gun at his head and Speight was on the phone, he was on his mobile phone and he made a whole series of phone calls to one number and that was Iliesa Duvulocos mobile phone ( the leader of the Nationalist Party) the leader of the Nationalist Party and at the evry time those calls were made, Iliesa Duvuloco ..and a number of other failed candidates from the 99 election, were holding hands walking down the street in Suva, singing nationalist songs, patriotic war songs and announcing they were going to take over the parliament ( so that march and George Speight entering the parliament were a simultaneous act) totally simultaneous act, absolutely. Iliesa Duvucolo Nationalist Party: -well Im flattered (laughs) Im just flattered (well is it true?) no no, I was at the march, the march was my (were you the coup mastermind?) no no I dont think so.
Graham Davis: Fiji burned that day, 13 years of hard work to recover from the previous coups went up in smoke, justice is yet to be fully served.
Yet the man who goes to the polls this week seeking re-election wants to pardon all the coup conspirators, whether convicted or not.
To understand why he might want to do so, take a look at this man, Simione Kaitani, so close to George Speight in 2000 he calls for a round of applause.
Kaitani was eventually charged with taking an oath of office in Speights illegal government but was acquitted when there was no video record to prove hed done so.
In the buildings behind, ministers in a democratically elected government were being held at gunpoint, an Indo- Fijian Prime Minister was being beaten.
Mahendra Chaudhry Fiji Labour Party: Well he was very prominent during our incarceration here .edit ..I believed him to be you know one of the mob
Graham Davis: Where is Kaitani now? Well, at the right hand of Laisenia Qarase, the current leader Minister in the Prime Ministers office. Commodore Frank Bainimarama Fiji Military Commander: (Have you been tempted to stage a coup yourself?) No I have not but ah throughout the last five years , the military has been the bastion of law and order, ensure that this country remains peaceful and provides security for the people of this nation so weve moved away from that.
Graham Davis: But if not a coup maker then certainly a ferocious watchdog determined to enforce the will of the people with the gun.
Mahendra Chaudhry Fiji Labour Party: The people who have been critical of Commodore Bainimarama must understand where hes coming from (Hes a guarantor of democracy) yes (rather than) If we dont have law and order here we wont have democracy. Graham Davis: As weve seen, many of the big fish in Fiji seem to have got away, leaving the small ones caught in the net.
George Speight must rue the day he allowed himself to become the biggest catch.
So it comes as no surprise to learn of a sea change on the part of the stooge with the swagger doing life for bringing Fiji to its knees. Maciu Navakasuasua 2000 coup conspirator: One day he called me Mat just come, I want to tell you something, I regret what Ive done . what we did was wrong. (Speight told you that?) Speight told me.
Graham Davis: At senior level, the military and police in Fiji are united in their determination that the countrys coup culture will finally be broken
But regrettably for everyone, that doesnt guarantee there wont be trouble in the days and weeks ahead.
It was once dubbed the way the world should be until the rest of the world decided some things here were best avoided.
The coup in 2000 and a subsequent mutiny in the ranks of the army were so traumatic theyve left a permanent scar on the national consciousness.
It was Fijis third coup in 13 years and the bloodiest
And the spectre of a re-run haunts all but the most venal and opportunistic of its 900-thousand citizens.
Fijis Prime Minister, Laisenia Qarase stunned the nation by saying there was no guarantee the events of 1987 and 2000 wouldnt be repeated.
He later claimed to have been misquoted but while the cameras werent there, a radio reporter was and what the Prime Minister said is unmistakable.
Laisenia Qarase FIJI Prime Minister: It was the failure of the leadership of the Labour Party at that time that contributed to the upheavals we had. ..There is no guarantee that they will lead our country peacefully nto the future. We must have our properties and our homes protected.
Graham Davis: Those comments enraged military chief Commodore Frank Bainimarama, so much so that he threatened to jail the Prime Minister for incitement.
Hed already led his troops through the streets of Suva last month in a none- too- subtle demonstration of whos really boss in Fiji.
Many thought a coup was already underway the military chief said he and his men were just out for a stroll. Commodore Frank Bainimarama Fiji Military Commander: We thought wed come out in public and do what militaries are supposed to do and take long walks but at the same time assure the people of Fiji that the military is always around to protect them. Graham Davis: But this was a definite show of force in the continuing battle between the military and the government over the Prime Ministers desire to pardon those involved in the events of 2000.
Bainimarama says that will only happen over his dead body and after Qarases coup comments on the weekend, the gloves are well and truly off. Commodore Frank Bainimarama Fiji Military Commander: (When he says theres no guarantee there wont be another coup, what do you make of that as head of the military?) I see that as a threat, I really think the Commissioner of Police should do something about that statement . He shouldnt be doing this (Hes a liar?) He is a liar and hes done this continually from Day One. Hes lied to the people of Fiji by telling them that after being nominated as Prime Minister he will do the right thing. He did exactly the opposite. He went 180 degrees the other way round.
Graham Davis: As the military chief tells it, there will be no more coups in Fiji whatever anyone says, the PM included. Commodore Frank Bainimarama Fiji Military Commander: We have determined that there will be no coup, if there is any thought of anyone coming up with any coup making in the next election, they will have to be ready to face the consequences. Graham Davis: And singing from the same song sheet is Fijis Police Commissioner Andrew Hughes, the former Australian Federal Police officer Canberra provided to help Fiji get back on its feet.
Andrew Hughes Fiji Police Commissioner: Were not going to allow some radical elements who decided they dont like the outcome of the democratic process and theyre going to take the law into their own hands and change it, no thats not going to happen.
Graham Davis: That message was never more needed than now, for something extraordinary is happening in Fiji the elements that produced the 2000 coup are again coalescing in this election indigenous extremists pitted against an Indo-Fijian they say they will never tolerate as Prime Minister.
Even the indigenous extremists are conceding that the man most likely to emerge as Prime Minister this time is the man they deposed last time, the Indo--Fijian Mahendra Chaudhry. Theyre again determined that his reign will be brief. The big difference this time is a military commander equally determined to enforce democracy with the gun Commodore Frank Bainimarama Fiji Military Commander: (The Nationalists are saying they will never accept an Indian Prime Minister ) thats what the Nationalist said (Will you accept an Indian Prime Minister?) We will accept anyone, we dont fear anything from the Labour..
Graham Davis: On the contrary, Bainimarama expresses a preference for Labour. Commodore Frank Bainimarama Fiji Military Commander: Let me tell you that anyone can be a better Prime Minister than what we have had in the last five years. Graham Davis: For his part, Mahendra Chaudhry returns the compliment. Mahendra Chaudhry Fiji Labour Party: I think Commodore Bainimara has a very hard job, its a hard job but hes a brave man and he trying to get the country back on track you know, on a stable footing ..-Australian should understand where Commodore Bainimarama is coming from. We all want law and order in this country, we cannot have a coup, we cannot have terrorists running this country. Graham Davis: To understand whats happening in Fiji, one needs to grasp a simple fact .that for all the talk of Fijian fears of being dominated by the Indians the British brought to work here in the mid 1800s Indians are merely scapegoats for a power struggle between the Fijians themselves.
The three coups were essentially triggered by shadowy groups of elite Fijians lunging for the spoils of power their poorly educated kin hoodwinked into blind support
Thats certainly what happened in 2000, the renegade businessman George Speight masking his own ambition by telling the world it was all about Indians threatening the Fijian way of life.
George Speight Upsot: We dont eat the same food .
Graham Davis: Speights particular target at the time was Mahendra Chaudhry, who endured 56 days of captivity in the nations parliament with much of his cabinet.
He did so with dignity and courage, helping to convince many that he more than deserves the top job. Mahendra Chaudhry Fiji Labour Party: They threatened to kill me and I said you can go ahead and do it but Im not resigning and then they tried to intimidate me, to terrify me and you know to get me to submit but Im made of stronger stuff than that . George Speight He was roughed up twice, I have to confirm that, but beaten in the sense of what that term suggests, definitely not. Mahendra Chaudhry Fiji Labour Party: Well yes they damaged this knee, I had to get surgery done on it in Australia a year later and there was also a cracked rib on the left hand side ( You were the democratically elected Prime Minister of Fiji and you were beaten by a mob of thugs?) yes. Graham Davis: Thanks to Bainimarama, in the end Speight lost, the military and police didnt join the uprising, he was captured, brought to trial and sentenced to life imprisonment for treason.
Yet while he languishes like Napoleon on the small island of Nukulau off Suva, the true story behind the coup has never been told .until now.
Maciu Navakasuasua 2000 coup conspirator: (Now you were one of the chief conspirators werent you?) yes Graham (In fact you recruited George Speight) a day before the takeover. Graham Davis: Today, the remarkable story of Maciu Navakasuasua, convicted bomber and hostage taker, speaking out from the relative safety of Australia, where hes seeking refuge.
He spent three years in jail for his role in the events of 2000 and is now breaking a six year cone of silence to reveal what really happened. Maciu Navakasuasua 2000 coup conspirator: George Speight, he didnt know anything. He just came in at the 11th hour ( he was the fall guy, is that what youre saying?) yes, ..to be our mouthpiece to be our leader on that special, specific appointed time ( so youre saying the whales got away and the sardine ended up in the can?) yes definitely, yes.
Iliesa Duvuloco Upsot: Not all laws are right, not all laws are correct, some laws are wrong Graham Davis: In the heart of Speight territory in Tailevu, we confront the man Maciu Navakasuasua maintains was the biggest whale of all.
Hes Iliesa Duvuloco - a vocal indigenous activist and leader of the Nationalist Party.
Having served time for a relatively minor role in the 2000 coup, Duvulocos now free and is contesting this election with the same strident message against the Indians.
Iliesa Duvucolo Nationalist Party: (Ive been told you were the mastermind of the coup) of the coup? (yeah) well the investigation is not over thats what everybody is blaming me, especially the commander..
(Were you the mastermind of the 2000 coup?) I dont believe so Graham Davis: On all counts, Duvulocos denials are less than emphatic.
Duvuloco Iliesa Duvucolo Nationalist Party: (Did you tell Navakasuasua to recruit George Speight?) Navakasuasua came later .(he says that on the morning of the coup on May 19th he came to your place and George Speight was there?) on the morning of the coup (yeah) I cant recall .. (Were you the coup mastermind?) no, no I dont think so.
Graham Davis: But emphatic about Duvulocos guilt isnt just Maciu Navkasuasua but the man Australia sent to prosecute the coup leaders.
Peter Ridgeway went to Fiji as deputy director of Public Prosecutions with the specific brief to track down the conspirators but was expelled last year when he evidently got too close.
Peter Ridgeway Former Fiji Deputy Prosecutor: A leading figure, a dominant figure, in the genisis of it was Iliesa Duvuloco ( the leader of the Nationalist Party) the leader of the Nationalist Party. He was was vocal, vigorous, he was one of the organisers, the dominant figure in the execution of the coup. Graham Davis: Two of Fijis most prominent indigenous businessmen have now been dragged into these allegations.
The first is Watisoni Nata, who heads the Strategic Air Service company at Nadi Airport
The second is Navitalai Naisoro, the head of Western Union in Fiji and a close advisor to Prime Minister Qarase.
Maciu Navakasuasua 2000 coup conspirator: You absolutely swear that they were behind the 2000 coup?) This is the truth Graham I was there, Ive been there, done it and these people were with me all along..
Graham Davis: In Fiji, Navakasuasuas account is being taken seriously, so much so that Nata and Naisoro were last week taken in for questioning by the police.
Andrew Hughes Andrew Hughes Fiji Police Commissioner: Theyve been interviewed and in due course we will be presenting to the DPP our brief of evidence and he will adjudicate on the quality of the evidence and charges may arise from that.
Graham Davis: Nata and Naisoro have yet to make public statements on these allegations. Although Navaksuasua has given the police a statement, he isnt keen to return to Fiji .
For hes been told that Navitalai Naisoro has made a specific threat against his life.
The allegation has come from another of the coup conspirators, Jo Waqabaca who, in the topsy turvy manner of Fiji politics is now an election candidate for Mahendra Chaudhry, the man he once held hostage.
Jo Waqabaca 2000 coup conspirator: Navitalai Naisoro, he told me that Matthew, the moment he lands in Fiji, hes got a gang ready to slit his throat.
(Do you think he would be killed if he comes back?) Yes definitely. Commodore Frank Bainimarama Fiji Military Commander: Well he has information that could take a lot of people down and because of that information he is a threat to a lot of people, the opportunists (Would they kill him?) I cant say that but he would certainly be a threat and they would go all out to ensure that he doesnt continue with his stories. Graham Davis: What undoubtedly places Maciu Navakasuasua most at risk is his remarkable account of the complicity in the 2000 uprising of politicians who are still at the centre of Government cabinet ministers in the current Qarase administration.
Some of them, like the Minister for Transport and Civil Aviation have already served prison terms for coup related activities
But today, the finger is pointed at new faces .the Minister for Fisheries and Forests and the Minister for Works and Energy.
Then, fresh allegations against the former military spokesman now working for the UN in the Middle East, and most intriguing of all, the leader of the 1987 coups and former Prime Minister, Sitiveni Rabuka. Andrew Hughes Fiji Police Commissioner: Well its known that he was a person of interest to our investigators, thats common knowledge ( that investigations proceeding?) Were consulting with the DPP on that (the files open) yes (When do you expect the DPP to make a determination?) very soon I think.
Graham Davis: To understand the full picture of how deep this conspiracy goes, we need to go back to 1999, the year Mahendra Chaudhry first won office.
Peter Ridgeway Former Fiji Deputy Prosecutor: (Were you aware as the chief investigator of the events of 2000 that the year before, in 1999, that the then head of the Nationalists Sakiasi Butadroka had asked Frank Bainimarama to carry out a coup then?) No I wasnt aware of that. Commodore Frank Bainimarama Fiji Military Commander: Yes he did (He did?) yes it was the day after the Labour Government was sworn in and he turned up in my office .it was basically to come and tell me to remove the Chaudhry Government and I said that was not going to happen. Graham Davis: Right from the start the Nationalists were intent on dislodging the Chaudhry Government. What hasn't been revealed until now is an extraordinary attempt in 1999, a full year before the Speight Coup to stage a popular uprising under the cover of darkness in the streets of Suva. .. Maciu Navakasuasua 2000 coup conspirator: I was assigned to go down to Lami power station in 1999 to blow the big transformer there, the plan was to cause a big blackout to the city of Suva.
Graham Davis: As soon as that happened, according to Navaksuasua, a mob would rampage through the streets of the capital causing the kind of damage that would eventually occur a year later. Maciu Navakasuasua 2000 coup conspirator: That was the plan, to justify the actions of the military to intervene ( So you guys were trying to get the military to intervene by causing mayhem on the streets of Suva) thats, thats the plan Graham
Graham Davis: But according to Navaksuasua, hed been given the wrong information and blew up the wrong transformer.
Maciu Navakasuasua 2000 coup conspirator: Who in the military knew about this?) I was told by Navitalia Naisoro that ah Lieutenant Colonel Filipo Tarakinikini would intervene as soon as we caused that big uprising.
Graham Davis: Tarakinikini was the dashing face of the military to the world during the 2000 coup, justifying its decision not to side with Speight.
Many in Fiji have wanted to ask him about his precise role in the events of 2000 but hes currently out of reach, working for the United Nations in the Middle East
Commodore Frank Bainimarama Fiji Military Commander: (Why isnt he back here facing an investigation over this?) well, he just doesnt want to come back ( what youve asked him?) Weve told his lawyers that he needs to come back and answer questions and answer charges (Do you think its strange the UN has given him a job?) It is, after all our participation in the United Nations peacekeeping areas (in the Middle East) in the Middle east (And one of your fugitives is over there on the UN payroll) thats right.
Graham Davis: But as Alice famously said it gets curiouser and curiouser. not least the alleged involvement in the conspiracy of two current Government ministers whove never been brought to justice.
Peter Ridgeway Former Fiji Deputy Prosecutor: There was later plotting of a coup to occur in April 2000, a month before the May coup (there was?) there was and in that planning, there was discussion of Molotov cocktails being used and thrown around the streets of Suva, the Westpac and ANZ banks being torched in order to bring out street riots and to incite the breakdown of law and order
Graham Davis: Around this time, claims Maciu Navakasusua, he saw the current Minister for Fisheries and Forests in the Qarase Government, Konisi Yabaki, at a gathering where coup plans were being discussed.
Maciu Navakasuasua 2000 coup conspirator: I was surprised to see Konisi Yabaki there, I asked Jo Waqabaca about it and Jo Waqabaca said dont worry, hes one of us
Peter Ridgeway Former Fiji Deputy Prosecutor: I know Konisi Yabaki but in terms of him being linked to these events thats new to me its a serious allegation and you certainly cant take that sort of allegation lightly and youd think now that being appraised of it, the Fiji Police would want to take it on board.
Graham Davis: But theres another current member of the Qarase cabinet whose alleged role in 2000 evidently escaped the attention of the deposed chief prosecutor - Savenaca Draunidalo, a former military officer now Minister for Works and Energy
Peter Ridgeway Former Fiji Deputy Prosecutor: -(Were you aware that Savanaca Draunidalo was actually the Nationalists choice to carry out the coup before George Speight?) No I wasnt, thats another piece of new information that I find fascinating but its news to me ( you didnt know that he was told to wait in the Holiday Inn hotel and be summoned to the parliament?) No I didnt. Maciu Navakasuasua 2000 coup conspirator: Hes the man, was the man. He was on standby at the time we took over the parliament. Iliesa Duvucolo Nationalist Party: .. He was waiting here on the morning of the coup? .. (and he was to be the mastermind of the whole thing? He was meant to carry it out not George, is that right?) I dont really know, maybe Suasua has more information
Maciu Navakasuasua 2000 coup conspirator: What happened in the end?.. he decided to leave us because well as soon as he see the march and all the lootings and breaking in of shops in the city, he must have thought no, this is not the right place for me (and he took off?) he took off so from there, George Speight bulldozed his way in and become leader
Graham Davis: May 19th 2000, the day of the coup the conspirators gathered at the home of Iliesa Duvuloco the Nationalist leader.
Maciu Navakasuasua 2000 coup conspirator: I went over to his place, I was surprised to see George Speight sitting there with him. They were talking and I could see Georges face, he was worrying about something. And I asked whats happening George edit ..and he said, no we cant do this because the boys are drunk, some of the boys are drunk.
Iliesa Duvucolo Nationalist Party: (well was Speight at your house, were some of the boys drunk?) as I said, you know (this is what he says) not in my house, there was nobody in my house, I was live in Ragg Avenue, that could be my office because my office is separate Graham Davis: But by now the die was cast. Drunk or sober, the assault on the parliament began, the mobile phone records speak for themselves.
Peter Ridgeway Former Fiji Deputy Prosecutor: On the day of the coup when Speight and his gunmen entered the parliament, in very short order, they got Chaudhry on his knees, they tied their feet up with gaffer tape, whatever, and Chaudhry was on his knees in front of Speight with a gun at his head and Speight was on the phone, he was on his mobile phone and he made a whole series of phone calls to one number and that was Iliesa Duvulocos mobile phone ( the leader of the Nationalist Party) the leader of the Nationalist Party and at the evry time those calls were made, Iliesa Duvuloco ..and a number of other failed candidates from the 99 election, were holding hands walking down the street in Suva, singing nationalist songs, patriotic war songs and announcing they were going to take over the parliament ( so that march and George Speight entering the parliament were a simultaneous act) totally simultaneous act, absolutely. Iliesa Duvucolo Nationalist Party: -well Im flattered (laughs) Im just flattered (well is it true?) no no, I was at the march, the march was my (were you the coup mastermind?) no no I dont think so.
Graham Davis: Fiji burned that day, 13 years of hard work to recover from the previous coups went up in smoke, justice is yet to be fully served.
Yet the man who goes to the polls this week seeking re-election wants to pardon all the coup conspirators, whether convicted or not.
To understand why he might want to do so, take a look at this man, Simione Kaitani, so close to George Speight in 2000 he calls for a round of applause.
Kaitani was eventually charged with taking an oath of office in Speights illegal government but was acquitted when there was no video record to prove hed done so.
In the buildings behind, ministers in a democratically elected government were being held at gunpoint, an Indo- Fijian Prime Minister was being beaten.
Mahendra Chaudhry Fiji Labour Party: Well he was very prominent during our incarceration here .edit ..I believed him to be you know one of the mob
Graham Davis: Where is Kaitani now? Well, at the right hand of Laisenia Qarase, the current leader Minister in the Prime Ministers office. Commodore Frank Bainimarama Fiji Military Commander: (Have you been tempted to stage a coup yourself?) No I have not but ah throughout the last five years , the military has been the bastion of law and order, ensure that this country remains peaceful and provides security for the people of this nation so weve moved away from that.
Graham Davis: But if not a coup maker then certainly a ferocious watchdog determined to enforce the will of the people with the gun.
Mahendra Chaudhry Fiji Labour Party: The people who have been critical of Commodore Bainimarama must understand where hes coming from (Hes a guarantor of democracy) yes (rather than) If we dont have law and order here we wont have democracy. Graham Davis: As weve seen, many of the big fish in Fiji seem to have got away, leaving the small ones caught in the net.
George Speight must rue the day he allowed himself to become the biggest catch.
So it comes as no surprise to learn of a sea change on the part of the stooge with the swagger doing life for bringing Fiji to its knees. Maciu Navakasuasua 2000 coup conspirator: One day he called me Mat just come, I want to tell you something, I regret what Ive done . what we did was wrong. (Speight told you that?) Speight told me.
Graham Davis: At senior level, the military and police in Fiji are united in their determination that the countrys coup culture will finally be broken
But regrettably for everyone, that doesnt guarantee there wont be trouble in the days and weeks ahead.