Individuals involved in coups, past and future, should be ineligible for positions in Fiji’s civil service or statutory bodies, Fiji National University Head of Department of Ethics and Governance Dr Mosmi Bhim says.
Making her personal submission to the Constitution Review Commission, Dr Bhim said constitutional safeguards were needed to prevent coups and protect democracy.
She said Fiji’s constitutions had been removed following military coups, with new constitutions later adopted by governments led by coup leaders.
Dr Bhim said the security sector should be reformed to prevent future coups and the removal of the Constitution.
“The security sector needs to be reformed to prevent coups in Fiji and removal of constitution,” she said.
“And the constitution itself needs to have safeguards to prevent coup leaders from holding public office.”
She said the reforms should also prevent military interference in law enforcement.
Dr Bhim said only elected parliamentarians should be eligible to be sworn in as prime minister or ministers.
“Constitutional provisions to safeguard democracy, to prevent unelected persons, military or civilian, because civilian people have also carried out coups.
“So to prevent either military or civilian from forming government, who are unelected, constitution needs provision that only elected parliamentarians can be sworn in to positions of prime minister and ministers.”
She also proposed that votes of no confidence remain an avenue for democratic leadership change and said governing parties should be able to replace a prime minister who loses the confidence of the party, Parliament or segments of society.
Dr Bhim said people involved in coups should be barred from contesting elections, serving as members of Parliament, holding the offices of prime minister or minister, or being employed in the civil service, statutory bodies, independent institutions or the security forces.
