Why Do You Oppose the Coup?

Ni Sa Bula,

I spent a good part of yesterday reading Dr. Bril Lal's piece that has Mahendra Chaudry, amongst others, up in arms. It made me think of a lot of things, and is the genesis for today's post.

I oppose the coup.

Why do I oppose the coup?

Looking back at the previous coups, the first 2 in 1987 occured when I was too young to understand the real implications of such a course. Also the fact that it was a new occurance in Fiji meant that most of the Taukei community then did not really understand the repercursions of this course of action. The fact that they supported the actions en-masse is a truthful, yet sad depiction of this.

The 2000 crisis occured when I had developed an appreciation for democracy and the rule of law, and had formed my individual opinions as to what I believed to be the best for Fiji. Looking back at that dark period in our history, I think I started to realise that coups were never the anser and should never be considered as a solution of any sort to the problems faced in one's country.

This belief really came to fruition last year. I believe that a coup is wrong. You can never justify it. In our 3 odd decades of existance as an independant nation, we have had too many disruptions to our progress. How can we afford this? How much have we lost, how much have we sacrificed, how much have we given up in this unfulfilling pursuit of power? We have had coups in the name of racial supremacy, coups that are said to be for economical power, coups that are rumoured to be for personal protection....yet none of these things do the country any good. What has any of the previous coups brought us collectively as a nation?

So why do you oppose the coup?

Is it because you are an SDL supporter?
Is it because you are a Nationalist?
Is it because you lost your job?
Is it because you have had a decrease in your income?
Is it because you hate the FLP?
Is it because you hate the Military?
Is it because you have lost loved ones?
Is it because you have had loved ones injured?

While all these, and many other reasons that have been omitted, are very valid reasons for opposing the coup, this coup, and any coup for that matter, should be opposed for the simple reason that it is morally, ethically, legally, socially, economically and politically wrong.

IT IS WRONG!!!

A coup is never the answer. It will alway produce an aggrieved party, it will never heal wounds and it will always perpetuate itself. It never produces what it promises, it never brings progress, it never solves problems, it can only supress, transfer and delay the issues that should be faced. It is like a thorn that is not removed fromt he foot, but covered over and left to fester another day. As such it must be resisted, it should never be condoned and if it takes place, it should never be supported. It reminds me of the old Chinese saying that says "When riding a tiger, it is difficult to get off". It is simply not worth the effort.

Most you you would now be wondering..."What difference does this make? Why is FijianBlack going on about this?"

The motive behind your reason is very important. If you oppose this coup because you are an SDL supporter, you will support any coup that favours the SDL. (Note : This could apply to any political party, I'm only using the SDL as an example) If you oppose this coup out of nationalistic sentiments, you will support coups that are nationalistic in nature, as the 1987 coup was, and to a lesser extent the 200 crisis. If you oppose the coup because you lost your job, then you would support a coup if it brought you better job security.

All these reasons, will make the person who believes in them, akin to a leaf, blown and tossed by the wind. Numerous examples of this sort of behaviour abound in our nation. We can all easily name 10 people whom we know to have been coup supporters/opposers at one time and have now changed their stance. Instead of right and wrong being defined in our hearts, it is then defined by what is happening around us. It then becomes a subjective measure, instead of the objective standard that right and wrong should be, a plumbline that everything must be measured against.

If you oppose the coups because they are wrong, then you will never sing a different song. You will always call it wrong, you will always say it is wrong, and you will always oppose it.

A coup demonstrates a lack of civility, a disregard for the governing laws of our nation, for the will of the people, it displays an unwillingness to accept that maybe, just maybe your point of view is not the commonly accepted one. It is no more that a bully that tries to force his views on others, and will not accept the fact that everyone is entitled to their own personal views and that these views, while possibly different from ours, must be respected, even if we disagree with them.

A coup is never right.

Why do you oppose this coup? If you oppose this coup for the only reason that is right, then there is hope for this nation. If you oppose this coup for any other reason, then we are doomed to repeat this mistake again.

God Bless Fiji,
FijianBlack AKA Mawdsomething