Yellow Ribbon Campaign (Fiji) - Women's Organizations

Women's Organizations

• Shamima Ali, coordinator of the Fiji Women's Crisis Centre, called the bill an invasion of human rights and said (14 May) that the government should not bulldoze its way through and impose the legislation without the consent of the people. On 15 July, her deputy, Edwina Kotoisuva, said that rape and other sexual crimes, particularly against Indo-Fijian women, had been widely committed by perpetrators of the coup, and that the amnesty provisions of the proposed law could result in such crimes remaining beyond the reach of justice.

• Ravesi Johnson of the women's organization Soqosoqo Vakamarama i Taukei spoke out against the legislation on 26 May. "The proposed bill has the objective of granting amnesty to those who were accused of political crime," she said. This would, she considered, threaten the future peace and stability of the country where women wanted their children to be raised. (Johnson's opinion does not appear to reflect the group as a whole, which endorsed the bill on 21 July, according to its Tailevu Provincial representative, Adi Finau Tabakaucoro).

• Suliana Siwatibau of a group called Concerned Mothers Group Against the Bill said on 16 June that the widespread opposition to the legislation was motivated not only by its contents, but also because of what she said was the government's unwillingness to proceed with its development in a transparent and consultative process. Opposing amnesty for perpetrators of political crimes, the widow of the academic leader Savenaca Siwatibau called instead for more direct compensation of the victims of such crimes. "I do not see why they want to claim for compensation when this could be done through the Ministry of Labour on the workmen's compensation of something like F$20,000," she said. Siwatibau expressed concern that the legislation threatens the independence of the judiciary. She also said she was alarmed that it would have a corrupting effect on the minds and character of the future generation, which would threaten the future stability and prosperity of the nation. Children, she said, should not be exposed to this "coup culture."

Reacting to the decision of the Great Council of Chiefs to endorse the bill, Siwatibau said on 29 July that the chiefs were right to invite concerned groups to inform them of their objections, but had not been given enough time to deliberate on the matter. Over four fifths of the Great Council members are delegates of the country's fourteen Provincial Councils, which all endorsed the bill – something which came as no surprise to Siwatibau as they had been briefed only by the government and were required to make a decision on the spot, without being given the opportunity to hear alternative viewpoints. At the very least, she said the Provincial Councils should have been given a Fijian translation of the bill.

• The Fiji Women's Lawyers Association attacked the legislation on 22 June, saying that it was dangerous and would allow the overthrow of another lawfully elected government. The Association's President, Ulamila Fa-Tuituku, together with lawyers Ana Rokomokoti, Diane Buresova, Marie Chan and Renee Lal recommended in their parliamentary submission that the amnesty clauses be excised from the bill, because they only served the interests of the perpetrators of the coup. The Association also considered that the compensation provisions were insufficient to cover the gross violations of human rights that took place during the coup. There was nothing the government could do to take away the lifetime scars that the victims carried.

• The National Council of Women, representing 39 affiliate organizations, declared its opposition to the bill on 20 July, saying that women had not been adequately consulted and that insufficient attention had been paid to the crimes committed against women in the 2000 coup. Spokeswoman Sharon Bhagwan-Rolls expressed concern at the effect the bill would have on social values, as well as on constitutional principles. "We are concerned the provisions of amnesty will perpetuate the coup cycle and undermine the important values we share despite by our ethnic and religious diversities," she said. "We are concerned the provisions of the Bill duplicate constitutional provisions and serve to undermine the (independent) role of the judiciary, police and Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, as well as the Fiji Human Rights Commission." Baghwan-Rolls proposed a referendum to settle the matter – something the government has already rejected.