Commodore Frank Bainimarama, Commander of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces, publicly challenged Home Affairs Minister Josefa Vosanibola and his Chief Executive Lesi Korovavala on 22 December to visit the Queen Elizabeth Barracks and dismiss him.

That afternoon, Home Affairs Minister Vosanibola told Fiji Village that he had briefed Vice-President Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi and Attorney-General Qoriniasi Bale in the morning.

Joji Kotobalavu, the Chief Executive Officer in the Prime Minister's Department, who chaired an emergency meeting of officials on the 28th, claimed that Vice-President Madraiwiwi had summoned Bainimarama during the afternoon, but military spokesman Captain Neumi Leweni denied this.

[attribution needed] Bainimarama assured his senior officers, however, that he was not contemplating a coup, according to a statement from military spokesman Captain Neumi Leweni quoted that day in the Fiji Sun.

Military spokesman Captain Neumi Leweni strongly criticized the shipment, and called on the government to reveal its motives for supplying the weapons to the police force.

He also charged Commissioner Hughes with complicity in the deal, which he said had been masterminded by the Australian Defence Review Team as part of a package to reduce the size of the military and transfer most of its duties to the police.

In another apparent escalation of the dispute, the military released a statement on 9 January 2006, to be published in newspapers the following day, threatening to take control of the country if the government failed to "continue the good fight".

It was the military that had entrusted the present government with restoring order and rebuilding the nation in 2000, the statement said, but instead it was continuously promoting "racist" policies and programmes to justify its existence to the indigenous community.

The statement came in response to comments made by Acting Foreign Minister Pita Nacuva in a newspaper interview, claiming that the attitude of the military was merely sour grapes.

Commodore Bainimarama dismissed Lieutenant Colonel Jone Baledrokadroka, the Acting Land Force Commander and effectively the second most senior officer in the Military, on 13 January, alleging insubordination.

Pending a meeting scheduled for 16 January between the prime minister and military commander, convened by Vice-President Madraiwiwi, The Sunday Star-Times in New Zealand anonymously quoted what it claimed was a senior indigenous Fijian politician under investigation for coup-related offences, as saying that any effort to dismiss Bainimarama could lead to "a bloodbath".

Meanwhile, police spokeswoman Sylvia Low had confirmed the day before that a complaint had been received from the military, calling for an investigation into possible collusion between Baledrokadroka and government officials over an alleged attempt to incite a mutiny.

The Fiji Sun quoted Regional Development Minister Ted Young on 21 February as saying that Koroi's endorsement of a possible coup had resulted in a major downturn in the tourism industry.

The Fiji Times printed a statement from Commodore Bainimarama on 16 January, the same morning that he was meeting the prime minister with Acting President Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi as mediator, insisting that there was nothing political about his anti-government pronouncements.

A unilateral government decision in 2003 to commute the sentences of soldiers involved in the Labasa mutiny that took place while the coup was in progress, had been taken without consulting the military, he claimed.

Prime Minister Qarase, in turn, had promised not to interfere with police investigations into alleged accomplices of the 2000 coup perpetrators, and had agreed to "address" the military's concerns over controversial legislation, including the Reconciliation, Tolerance, and Unity Bill.

"These meetings will create a new avenue for dialogue between the Government and the military rather than discussions in the media," prime minister Qarase told the Fiji Live news service.

The Public Service Commission (PSC) chairman Stuart Huggett revealed to the Fiji Times on 19 January that they had received a formal complaint from Commodore Bainimarama about Lesi Korovavala, the Chief Executive Officer of the Home Affairs Ministry.

Radio Gold reported on the 17th that Bainimarama had raised the issue at the meeting with Madraiwiwi and Qarase, accusing Korovavala of having caused the friction between the government and the military.

According to Radio Gold, Bainimarama had told them that he suspected that Korovavala had telephoned Baledrokadroka to arrange a meeting with the prime minister, and that he had evidence to support his claim.

Huggett revealed on 20 January that the previous day's meeting of the PSC had decided to appoint an independent team to investigate Bainimarama's complaint against Korovavala.

Vosanibola also questioned the integrity of the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, asking why it was taking so long to investigate the threatening telephone calls made to several ministers and senior civil servants in April 2005.

The Fiji Times reported that Prime Minister Qarase had refused to answer questions pertaining to the latest disagreement, and had switched off his cellphone when contacted.

Later, however, he told the Fiji Village news service that he would personally investigate Vosanibola's actions, to prevent any recurrence of the long-running impasse between the government and military.

Bainimarama announced on 27 February that on the advice of his senior officers, he had decided to discontinue his fortnightly meetings with the prime minister, saying that no progress had been made and that the talks were therefore pointless.

Spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Orisi Rabukawaqa said that the government had failed to grant soldiers' ration allowances or job evaluation exercises, despite the budget allocation, and raising the matter with the prime minister had proved futile.

Spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Orisi Rabukawaqa was quoted in the Fiji Times as saying that the views expressed by the Australian and New Zealand foreign ministers were disrespectful and irresponsible.

He accused Vosanibola of committing three serious acts of insubordination since 1983, the most serious, he said, in 2005 when he allegedly tried to thwart President Ratu Josefa Iloilo's decision to appoint Graeme Leung as Judge Advocate of the court martial retrial of former soldiers convicted of their roles in the mutiny that took place at Suva's Queen Elizabeth Barracks on 2 November 2005.

Fiji Live reported on 9 March that the Great Council of Chiefs had expressed concern at the strained relationship between the Prime Minister and the Military Commander, and had criticized the latter for his disregard for the government.

News remained quiet through the middle of 2006 until, in a speech at Ratu Latianara Secondary School, Commodore Bainimarama attacked government policies, which he said were creating a culture of lawlessness in Fiji.