Fiji's military blows budget on coup, cuts troops
SUVA, Oct 16 (Reuters) - Coups can be expensive. Just ask the Fiji military, which has been forced to cut troop numbers and slash rations after breaking its 2007 budget due to the extra costs involved in toppling the government.
The South Pacific island nation's military was allocated F$80 million (US$57 million) for 2007, but a bloodless December 2006 coup and subsequent "mobilisation" were not budgeted for, the army told local media.
The army has now reduced rations by more than half, slashing a soldier's daily pay from F$7 to F$2.50, to sustain operations, the news Web site fijilive.com said.
"Yes, we did bust our budget, but that was a national necessity for us," Military Land Force chief of staff Lieutenant-Colonel Mosese Tikoitoga told fijilive on Tuesday.
"We had to ask for an extra provision but we were not given any so we had to look from within. We had to cut on our rations."
The Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF), with around 3,500 men, is one of the smallest in the world.
To trim costs the army said it made soldiers redundant because it could not pay their wages, disbanded its reserves in July and cut a lot of training programmes.
"We did not buy any vehicles this year. We had to go borrow all the government vehicles. There were a lot of cost-cutting measures," Tikoitoga said.
The army is in talks with the country's interim government, headed by coup leader and military chief Frank Bainimarama, on a new budget, which will be announced in November.
Bainimarama staged Fiji's fourth coup on Dec. 5, toppling the democratically elected government of Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase, arguing his government was corrupt and soft on those involved in a 2000 coup. (F$1 = US$0.7152)
The South Pacific island nation's military was allocated F$80 million (US$57 million) for 2007, but a bloodless December 2006 coup and subsequent "mobilisation" were not budgeted for, the army told local media.
The army has now reduced rations by more than half, slashing a soldier's daily pay from F$7 to F$2.50, to sustain operations, the news Web site fijilive.com said.
"Yes, we did bust our budget, but that was a national necessity for us," Military Land Force chief of staff Lieutenant-Colonel Mosese Tikoitoga told fijilive on Tuesday.
"We had to ask for an extra provision but we were not given any so we had to look from within. We had to cut on our rations."
The Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF), with around 3,500 men, is one of the smallest in the world.
To trim costs the army said it made soldiers redundant because it could not pay their wages, disbanded its reserves in July and cut a lot of training programmes.
"We did not buy any vehicles this year. We had to go borrow all the government vehicles. There were a lot of cost-cutting measures," Tikoitoga said.
The army is in talks with the country's interim government, headed by coup leader and military chief Frank Bainimarama, on a new budget, which will be announced in November.
Bainimarama staged Fiji's fourth coup on Dec. 5, toppling the democratically elected government of Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase, arguing his government was corrupt and soft on those involved in a 2000 coup. (F$1 = US$0.7152)
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