Military Coup Now OK! - Fiji chiefs change stance

by Edmund Jenks | January 10, 2007 at 07:06 am | 523 views | add comment | 0 recommendations

Maybe it's in what they drink!

Wellington - Fiji's Great Council of Chiefs - traditional leaders of the indigenous Fijian population - did an about-turn on Wednesday and announced its support for the new government appointed by the military following a coup last month.

The council condemned the overthrow of the elected government led by nationalist Laisenia Qarase at its last meeting in December, but reversed this position with chairman Ovini Bokini saying it supported the administration now headed by military strongman Commodore Voreqe (Frank) Bainimarama.

This from a Fijian travel website:

Perhaps nothing reflects the Fijians' reverence for tradition like yaqona (kava) drinking. Visit any Fijian
village or home, particularly on a weekend, and you will probably come upon the spectacle of a family sitting on the floor around a large wooden bowl filled
with a muddy-coloured liquid, drinking the contents from half a coconut shell. You will then be asked, "E dua na bilo?" (`Try a cup?').