Saturday, May 27, 1987 After the coup of 1987, there were attempts to resolve political differences in Fiji.
The Fiji Times of May 27, reported that deposed Prime Minister Dr Timoci Bavadra had called for direct talks between himself and the Alliance Leader, Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara.
He had wanted the Governor-General, Ratu Sir Penaia Ganilau, to act as an intermediary “to resolve the political crisis”.
Dr Bavadra conveyed the message to the Governor-General, Ratu Sir Penaia Ganilau, when he met him at Government House for an hour on May 26 1987.
During the meeting, Dr Bavadra stressed to Ratu Sir Penaia that his Government had been elected on a multi-racial platform and it intended to ensure that Fiji’s Constitution treated all races fairly.
“Equitable representation for all races as in the current House of Representatives needed to be reflected in the proposed Constitutional Review Committee,” Dr Bavadra told Ratu Penaia.
Dr Bavadra said he would consult his government members before giving Ratu Sir Penaia his decision on participating in the review committee.
In response to a request from Ratu Sir Penaia to help him in getting cane harvesting moving, Dr Bavadra said “this would only be possible if the military and others began to take a lower profile in cane areas and in other parts of the country.”
Dr Bvadra raised a number of issues with the G-G, including his concern that people in the Northern and Western divisions particularly farmers, were being harassed, threatened and intimidated by security forces and certain public servants.
