Fiji military chief warning has been ‘dealth with’: PM

• Fiji’s PM says the military chief’s public warning to the new government has been “dealt with”.
• Major General warned parliamentarians against making “sweeping reforms”.
• Fiji’s 2013 constitution grants the military the constitutional right to interfere in politics.

The military chief’s public warning to the new government had been “dealt with,” according to Sitiveni Rabuka, the prime minister of Fiji. He added that it was doubtful the constitution would be modified to eliminate the military’s involvement in the island nation’s democracy.

Major General Jone Kalouniwai, commander of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF), cautioned parliamentarians on Tuesday against making “sweeping reforms” less than a month after a close election that ousted Frank Bainimarama, who ruled the Pacific island for 16 years after seizing power in a coup.

Military takeovers have occurred in Fiji before, notably the two that the current prime minister Rabuka organised in 1987. On December 24, Rabuka was appointed prime minister after a coalition of parties narrowly decided to install him as the country’s leader in the strategically significant Pacific region.

In his public remark, Kalouniwai referred to Fiji’s 2013 constitution, which some observers believe grants the military the constitutional right to interfere in politics and entrusts the military with preserving the welfare of Fijians.

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The government of Rabuka has already told the press that it wants to revise the constitution and will seek measures to reduce the role of the military.

After speaking with Home Affairs Minister Pio Tikoduadua, Rabuka told reporters on Wednesday that Kalouniwai’s public warning was “a one-off statement that has been dealt with.”

In a headline, the Fiji Times daily quoted Rabuka as saying that after public concern about a potential military intervention on Wednesday, residents should “relax.”

In response to inquiries at a news conference that was broadcast live on the internet on Wednesday, Rabuka stated that the government could only modify the constitution to redefine the military’s role in Fiji’s democratic system.

“That’s something that will be very difficult to achieve at this time – it demands a majority of two-thirds in the house and two-thirds of registered voters,” he said.

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