Fiji: the military wins again

The Fijian government has dropped its plans to grant amnesty to participants and backers of the 2000 coup. While I'm pleased with this result - the Reconciliation, Tolerance and Unity Bill was a poorly-disguised political stitch up designed to shield members of the government from prosecution - I am appalled by the manner in which it has been achieved. While Prime Minister Qarase denies that the backdown was due to military pressure, there is simply no other way of seeing it; the unelected military has effectively vetoed the actions of the democratically elected government it is supposed to protect by threatening a coup. If this was done by Muslims, people would be screaming "terrorism" - and that is exactly what it is. Unfortunately, there seems to be very little the Fijian government can do about it.

Actually, there is one thing they can do about it: disband the army. They're now a clear threat to the constitutional order, and certainly a greater threat than anything they are supposed to be "defending" against. Unfortunately, this is easier said than done; Army chief Commodore Bainimarama has in the past accused the government of trying to "weaken the army", and any attempt to reduce its size to a more reasonable and less threatening level might itself result in further threats to overthrow the government.