Josaia Waqabaca (pronounced ) is a Fijian public figure and former political organizer, who turned

police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and th ...

informant about the Fiji coup of 2000. Waqabaca was convicted and imprisoned in 2001 for plotting to kidnap the

Military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

Commander,

Commodore Commodore may refer to: Ranks * Commodore (rank), a naval rank ** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom ** Commodore (United States) ** Commodore (Canada) ** Commodore (Finland) ** Commodore (Germany) or ''Kommodore'' * Air commodore ...

Frank Bainimarama Josaia Voreqe "Frank" Bainimarama (Fijian: ʃoˈsɛia βoˈreŋɡe mbɛiniˈmarama born 27 April 1954) is a Fijian politician and former naval officer who served as the prime minister of Fiji from 2007 until 2022. A member of the FijiFirst ...

, in 2000. A former official of the

Nationalist Vanua Tako Lavo Party The Nationalist Vanua Tako Lavo Party (NVTLP) was a Fijian political party which championed Fijian ethnic nationalism. It was led by Iliesa Duvuloco, while Viliame Savu served as the party's president. Founding and ideology The party was ...

(NVTLP),Background Briefing: 4 February 2001 - Fiji: Encore for a Coup
at ABC Radio National Waqabaca claims to have been hired by two businessmen, at the behest of the party, to help bomb

Nadi Nadi (pronounced ) is the third-largest conurbation in Fiji. It is located on the western side of the main island of Viti Levu, and had a population of 42,284 at the most recent census, in 2007. A 2012 estimate showed that the population had ...

International Airport and strategic positions in Suva after the People's Coalition had come to power in the general election of 1999, and to have initially participated in, before withdrawing from, the campaign of unrest that led to the

coup d'état A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...

which deposed the

Chaudhry Chowdhury is a title of honour, usually hereditary, originating from the Indian subcontinent. It is an adaption from Sanskrit. During the Mughal rule, it was a title awarded to eminent people, while during British rule, the term was associated ...

government in May 2000. He supported similar allegations made by coup-convict Maciu Navakasuasua. In an interview with the

Fiji Sun ''Fiji Sun'' is a daily newspaper published in Fiji since September 1999 and owned by Sun News Limited. ''Fiji Sun'' was founded by and is part of CJ. Patel Group. The Fiji Sun has its main newsroom in Suva, Fiji. Its print center remains in su ...

, published on 22 December 2005, Waqabaca said that a religious conversion experience had led him to confess his role in the 2000 coup. The

reported on 6 March 2006 that Waqabaca had applied for the

Fiji Labour Party The Fiji Labour Party (FLP; fj, Ilawalawa Cakacaka ni Viti), also known as Fiji Labour, is a political party in Fiji. Most of its support is from the Indo-Fijian community, although it is officially multiracial and its first leader was an i ...

(FLP) nomination for the Suva City Fijian Communal Constituency for the upcoming parliamentary election, due on 6–13 May 2006. He described the ethnic politics to which he had once subscribed as "suicidal" and that dialogue with other ethnic leaders was the only way forward. He went on to contest the seat, receiving 675 votes, or 6.84 percent of the 9,865 votes cast. He thus became one of a mere handful of FLP candidates to poll more than five percent in a Fijian communal constituency. The ''Fiji Sun'' quoted Waqabaca on 16 March as saying that in late February, he had been confronted by Cabinet Minister Ted Young and rebuked for not joining the ruling

Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua The United Fiji Party ( fj, Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua, SDL) was a political party in Fiji. It was founded in 2001 by Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase as a power base; it absorbed most of the Christian Democratic Alliance and other conse ...

(SDL), and later by the businessmen who had planned the bombing of Nadi airport, who had forced him to sign a denial of his earlier media plans. He had signed the denial only out of fear for his life, he emphasized.

References

See also