Fiji under Commodore Frank Bainimarama
The Great Council of Chiefs is made up of Fiji's highest ranking indigenous leaders. In normal times it has the power to approve, or veto government legislation, and to appoint Fiji's head of state, the president, and his vice president.

But since taking power with his coup in December 2006, Interim Prime Minister Commodore Frank Bainimarama's shown a certain disdain for the Council, and has been unhappy that it's blocked some of his policies and appointments. Last year he commissioned a review of the GCC. Last week it handed him its report, which includes a reccomendation neither the Prime Minister, President or Vice President should be a council member, as a way of ensuring it doesn't become politicised.

Publicly Commodore Bainimarama accepted those findings. But privately at about the same time, his interim cabinet appointed him as the new Chairman of the Council, and gave him the power to appoint new members. That didnt become public until the release of the government gazette a few days later.

Fiji's ethnic Indian population has been there since the mid 1800's. They now dominate the country's business and commerce world. But it's the indigenous people who've held political power, with the backing of the Great Council of Chiefs. Two coups, in 1987 were led by then Colonel Sitiveni Rabuka, unhappy with what he saw as a government dominated by Indo-Fijians. His actions made him a national hero.

The 2000 coup, led by failed businessman George Speight, with the support of members of the military, was opposed to then Prime Minister Indo-Fijian politician Mahendra Chaudhry. But Commodore Bainimarama's overthrow of Laisenia Qarase was different. He removed a government dominated by a political party seen as Fijian nationalistic There has been growing unhappiness in Fiji over the Commodore's percieved support for Indo-Fijians, including his appointment of former Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry to the interim cabinet.

Also they're unhappy with his plans to change the electoral system, ending race based voting, and introducing a one vote one value system. But many feel he's now gone one step to far. As Chairman of the Great Council of Chiefs, with the power to decide who can be appointed to it, theorectically the Commodore will be able to choose, without challenge, the person he wants as President.

That means he now has the power to creat legislation, to have it passed by the country's highest body of review, and the person who finally s igns off on his policies, has been appointed by him. In essence, there will be no separation between the legislative and executive arm of his interim government. One high chief Ro Teimumu Kepa has even called on the military to fight their Commander's plan. And in a country where most members of the Fiji's military are indigenous, and soldiers are expected to defend social custom, as well as borders, that's a call likely to be echoed.

But the ethnic makeup of Fiji's military is also under scrutiny. Fiji's Human Right's Commissioner Shaista Shameen has reccomended the adoption of national service as a way of ending racial discrimination in Fiji. It's one of five reccomendations onhow to end discrimination in Fiji. And it's been presented to "The Committee for the Eradication of all forms of Racial Discrimination" part of the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights. The commissioner feels if young Fijians from all ethnic backgrounds are forced to work together defending their country, racial barriers will fall. For Fiji's indigenous people, already upset about the weaking of its largest traditional institution, the Great Council of Chiefs, the suggestion the armed forces, one of their remaining bastions, could also be be diluted, has not been welcomed.

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