The Republic of Fiji Military Forces has warned that Fiji remains trapped by the “shadows of the past,” telling the Constitution Review Commission that constitutional ambiguity over the military’s role has allowed intervention in politics and prevented the country from fully consolidating democracy.
Appearing before the Commission today, Commander Major General Ro Jone Kalouniwai said Fiji must confront its past and reject what he described as the false choice between justice and peace.
“From one crisis to the next, we must deliberately reset the nation’s moral compass, and we must reject a false choice between justice and peace, a choice in which our silence has too often been the price of a fragile, superficial calm.”
The RFMF proposed replacing a culture of fear with one built on trust between the State, the military and the people.
“We propose a transition from a culture governed by fear to a covenant of trust between the State, the military and the people, a UN-principled truth and reconciliation process to dismantle the machinery of silence, the end of a culture of impunity, so that the law applies equally, regardless of rank, and the enhancement of a conscious right to truth.”
Major General Kalouniwai stressed that the submission was not intended to target members of the military but to secure a better future for the country.
“We make this submission not to injure our fellow soldiers, but to secure our children’s future—a Fiji where the law protects the inhabitants and not the architect.”
He argued that Fiji remains caught in what he described as a cycle of “elective governance,” where democratic principles gradually weaken over time.
“Our argument is that Fiji is trapped in a cycle of elective governance in which democratic principles erode gradually, not always by force, but through the slow hollowing out of institutions.”
The RFMF Commander said uncertainty surrounding the constitutional role of the military has left the door open for political intervention.
“This drift has been fuelled by constitutional ambiguity regarding the military’s role. Because the boundaries of military power have never been clearly fixed in law, the door has historically remained open for intervention, allowing the shadows of the past to persist and preventing the nation from ever fully establishing democracy.”
The military’s submission forms part of its recommendations to the Constitution Review Commission on reforms it believes are necessary to strengthen democracy, accountability and national reconciliation.
