Fiji's interim government has said the people of Fiji will determine the right date for national elections and will not be dictated to by outside forces.
"This is an internal matter for our country to address," said Fijian Interim Prime Minister Commodore Frank Bainimarama while launching the public outreach program for the draft People's Charter on Monday night.
"My government does not appreciate unhelpful comments from those without, especially those who do not understand our values, our problems and our challenges," the Suva-based Pacnews regional news agency Tuesday quoted him as saying.
Without naming countries, Bainimarama said "their comments are unhelpful during this sensitive period of building bridges and negotiations."
Bainimarama labeled the March 2009 election date as a "police baton for some international community to beat me and Fiji with, in the name of restoring democracy."
"I want an early election but this must follow the necessary reform of our electoral system," the interim prime minister said.
The draft People's Charter will be put to six weeks of wide public consultations before it is submitted to the President of Fiji.
A total of 150,000 copies of the draft charter, translated into the two major vernacular languages, Fijian and Hindustani, have been printed to be circulated during the public consultations.
The National Council for Building a Better Fiji has assured that the people of Fiji will not be forced in accepting the charter.
Source:Xinhua
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