Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi has a peculiar take on the recent turn of political events in Fiji.



This is how Tuilaepa, who delights in pricking bubbles, describes last week's events,

"It's like a puppet show and Frank (Bainimarama) is the puppet master - a ventriloquist. And among his slew of dummies and dancing string clowns is his favourite hand puppet named Iloilo.

"Part of last Thursday's act, Frank asks his favourite hand puppet 'And who do you think should be Prime Minister Iloilo?'. Iloilo shouts back, 'Why of course it's you Frank."

Prime Minister Tuilaepa giggles.

"But one day soon the puppets will grow a brain and see Frank for the evil puppeteer he really is. It is then the curtains will fall on Frank."

He adds.

"The whole thing is a political charade and the whole world is watching. Nobody is fooled and no one is laughing. Frank is only fooling himself."

"It's a political stick-up and Frank has all the guns."



Asked what advice he'd give Commodore Bainimarama if he had a chance to sit down with him, Tuilaepa smiles.

"I'd tell him to go back to his barracks. Go back to what he knows best - which is throwing salutes, beating drums and organizing marching parades. He has no business in government. He knows nothing about civilian government. Go put back on his military uniform or . . . maybe, he'd look better in a prison uniform." Tuilaepa chuckles.

The three arms of State, the Prime Minister says, are no longer in existence in Fiji.

"There's no Parliament, there's no Executive and thanks to Iloilo there's no more Judiciary, no law and order. He's also abrogated the Constitution.

"Now my question is, who the heck is he to abrogate the Constitution? The Constitution is the supreme law of the land and the only place it can be amended, repealed or abrogated is Parliament where you have the elected representatives of the people.

"The Commodore should get over his greed for power and really sit and think. Is this the road he wants to take his country? Because his actions do not augur well for the future generations of Fiji ."



Prime Minister Tuilaepa believes the only way to return Fiji to democracy and "some state of political sanity" is through the actions of the people of Fiji .

"The reality is, Bainimarama will try to hold on to power with whatever means necessary. Just when you thought he can't go any lower, the bottom drops.

"The people of Fiji ...– the men women and children, young and old - will have to stand up and demand a return of their government. Pound the streets in protest marches if they have to. The Church leaders and traditional leaders of Fiji should also come out of their shells and lead the people.

"It has worked in Thailand, it has worked in the Philippines , Vietnam and Indonesia . And if the Fijian people want it bad enough, peaceful and passive resistance will work in Fiji . That is how Samoa gained political independence and that's how the people of Fiji will finally be free of Bainimarama's stranglehold on power.

"It's the only way you can rid yourself of such cheap idiotic dictators."

Samoa government's newspaper Savali, 21/04/09.