THE Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF) Commander Major General Ro Jone Kalouniwai has welcomed recommendations to strictly define its Constitutional role, refocusing its core mandate on external defence while firmly subjecting the institution to democratic civilian authority.
Public submissions to the Constitutional Review Commission (CRC) detailed in Chapter 11 of the CRC report sought clarification of the RFMF’s constitutional role, ensuring the military assists civil power only under explicit parliamentary approval or strictly defined statutory conditions.
Maj-Gen Kalouniwai agreed that tight legal guardrails are necessary to prevent the military from exceeding its mandate in an increasingly complex domestic environment.
He said without legislative boundaries, the risk of institutional drift into political affairs remains a central concern.
“Yes, that’s the whole idea, as I said, the whole environment is changing. We have to be very careful because things are becoming very fluid,” he said.
The commander stressed that clear procedures act as a protective hedge for the force itself, shielding it from internal instability and political manipulation.
Establishing defined roles prevents the military from stepping across institutional lines during periods of civil tension.
“There’s a lot of blurred happening and it’s easy for the RFMF to cross over, so we need these restrictions, we need these procedures in place that can help us keep where we are.
“The RFMF is an institution that if you’re not careful, things can happen and I don’t want to have that happening.”
The commander emphasised that placing the armed forces under civilian governance guarantees that operational deployments remain legitimate, lawful, and accountable to Parliament.
“Putting these things in place is just going to help the RFMF in terms of being guided by civilian leadership, having the opportunity to do things the way we should be doing it.
“So having a definite role in place that safeguards the RFMF in terms of its responsibilities, those are the things that we want.”
Ro Jone Kalouniwai. Picture: BALJEET SINGH
