15 May 2003

Fiji marks 16th anniversary of Rabuka-led first coup

10:58 am on 15 May 2003

Fiji yesterday marked the 16th anniversary of Sitiveni Rabuka's first military coup in 1987 by counting the cost of all three coups.

A senior economist and former MP, Dr Wadan Narsey, has told Fiji TV that the cost of the coups in terms of people's incomes lost has been at least 500 million US dollars every year since 1987.

And Dr Narsey points out that this income has been lost forever.

As well, he says the country's financial institutions did not behave with integrity and abide by the law in the coups, which led to investors losing confidence that their money would be safe.

Dr Narsey also says that the loss of human capital through the exodus of skilled and professional people overseas, both Indians and indigenous Fijians, has been phenomenal.