Qoriniasi Bale, for his part, thought it unlikely that the legislation would be used to pardon Speight, as it made a pardon conditional on the person seeking it making a complete confession about who planned and financed the crisis. Speight has repeatedly refused to make any statement to that effect. Kotobalavu pleads with Bainimarama On 22 December 2005, the Chief Executive Officer in the Prime Minister's Department, Joji Kotobalavu, pleaded with the Military not to use or threaten force to stop the Unity Bill. His appeal came in the wake of another public refusal from the Military commander to accept the legislation. "The RTU Bill is not going to happen," he defiantly declared at a press conference the previous day. Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua (SDL) General Secretary Jale Baba challenged Commodore Bainimarama to pursue his opposition to the bill through political, rather than military, channels. "He should join a political party and see if they will vote him in," Baba declared. The Commander found support, however, from National Alliance Party President Ratu Epeli Ganilau and from Ema Druavesi, General Secretary of the Soqosoqo ni Vakavulewa ni Taukei (SVT), which ruled Fiji from 1992 through 1999. She accused the government of promoting the bill for "deliberate and dishonest motives," alleging that its real purpose was to release all coup convicts. She also charged that public servants Anare Jale, Joji Kotobalavu, and Lesi Korovavala, along with the Attorney-General's Office, seemed to have a personal dislike for the Commander. Parliamentary vote delayed Prime Minister Qarase announced on 18 January that the tabling of the legislation for final parliamentary approval was being postponed until further notice, pending "consultations." This move followed an extraordinary week which had seen unusual troop and naval deployments, rumours of a possible coup, and the dismissal of Acting Land Force Commander Lieutenant Colonel Jone Baledrokadroka for alleged insubordination, culminating in a meeting at Government House (the official residence of the President between the Prime Minister and Commodore Bainimarama under the auspices of Vice-President Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi on 16 January. In a statement issued after the meeting, Madraiwiwi said that the Prime Minister had agreed to consider the grievances of the Military and to consult them about possible changes to the legislation. This was not clarified further at the time, but on the 18th, the Prime Minister went further and said that the process of consulting everybody could take a long