Opposition MP Jone Usamate has warned that legal precedent is unforgiving, saying the same standards once celebrated by government are now being applied to it.
In a strongly worded statement, Mr Usamate said precedent does not bend to political sentiment.
“The funny thing about legal precedent is that it doesn’t care about your feelings. Once you set a standard to bury your opponent, you have already dug your own grave,” he said.
He referred to events in 2024, when former Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama was jailed.
“In 2024, this government cheered when Frank Bainimarama was sent to jail for a private conversation — a ‘suggestion’ to stay away from a file. They sharpened that sword themselves. Now, that same sword is at their own throats.”
Mr Usamate said the High Court’s recent ruling was clear in its findings against Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka.
“I look at the facts, and the High Court has ruled that Prime Minister Rabuka acted unlawfully and beyond his powers by terminating Barbara Malimali.”
Drawing a comparison between the two cases, Mr Usamate said the contrast was stark.
“Let’s look at the bottom line. In 2024, a man was jailed for a verbal nudge. In 2026, the current Prime Minister executed a formal, documented and illegal removal of a constitutional officer, bypassing the Judicial Services Commission entirely.”
He also pointed to the Prime Minister’s own remarks, saying accountability must follow.
“The Prime Minister says, ‘This one I made on my own.’ I take him at his word. He made the decision alone, he broke the law alone, and if we are to respect the 2024 precedent, he must face the consequences alone.”
Mr Usamate concluded by saying leadership demands strict adherence to the law.
“The law is a straight line. If you cannot walk it, you have no business leading the march.”
