Lawyer representing the state in the December 2006 case, Queens Counsel Guy Reynolds said the people of Fiji should trust in President, Ratu Josefa Iloilo to exercise his discretion and powers appropriately following the events of December 5th.

While making his submission to the High Court, Reynolds said not only the community and the people of Fiji but the court should also back the President in the exercise of his powers during the difficult circumstances.

He said the fact remains that the interim government exists and has existed entirely at the President's discretion. Reynolds stresses that each of the members of the interim cabinet could go today but the President has appointed them to take Fiji to fresh elections.

Meanwhile Reynolds said President Ratu Josefa Iloilo was put in an awful situation during the months of December 2006 going into January 2007 where he had to act due to a governmental vacuum.

He said it was the failure on the part of Ousted Prime Minister, Laisenia Qarase and others to do anything at all for two months after December 5th, 2006 which resulted in the President to act.

Reynolds said Qarase did not even contact the President and appraise him on the situation. He said there are not two governments in power but one government, which is the interim government.

Although Qarase's QC Nye Perram's submissions said that his clients had applied for pension due to economic duress after the events of December 2006, Reynolds said these applications for pensions validated their resignation or dismissals from government.

He also talked about Qarase waiting for two months before he took instructions to file proceedings in court. He said there should be no excuse for this delay as it was incumbent on Qarase to not only move quickly but immediately in order to assert that they wish to remain and were the government of Fiji.

He said they had a duty to move the court in order to maintain their positions but they failed to do that. Reynolds also said he is not going to humiliate Qarase publically to give reasons why he did not commence proceedings straight after December 5th, as just by repeating his reasons would be humiliation.

He said Qarase and others created the governmental vacuum and that vacuum had to be filled, and the President had to act.

Reynolds stressed that this is not an illegal regime in power, it is a Ministry to deal with the situation and a Ministry appointed by the President to take Fiji to the next elections.