It is a sad reflection of the state of Fijian democracy that it has taken the intervention of the RFMF Commander, Major General Ro Jone Kalouniwai, to ensure that the Fijian people will get to see the Ashton-Lewis Commission of Inquiry Report into the scandalous circumstances of Barbara Malimali’s appointment as FICAC Commissioner.
Why is it sad? Because it demonstrates that Parliament isn’t the ultimate authority in the country and the ultimate safeguard of the people’s interests. The Report’s release won’t be because of the efforts of a strong opposition embarrassing the government into making it public. It will be because the military has held a metaphorical gun at the Prime Minister’s head and forced him into a corner.
The democratic process has actually failed and demonstrated that the more things change in Fiji, the more they stay the same. It is the military, not the parliament, that is effectively the ultimate authority in the country. And in this instance, without the military, there has been no guarantee whatsoever that the Coalition would release the COI Report.
The Prime Minister, Sitiveni Rabuka, was prevaricating. At first he said he favoured making the Report public. Then he said it would be kept secret. Then he changed his mind again, saying it would be made available. And then he hesitated yet again as he came under intense pressure from his three deputies – Biman Prasad, Manoa Kamikamica and Viliame Gavoka – all of whom are rumoured to be adversely mentioned in the Report.
Accounts began to circulate that the Report wasn’t going to be released after all. An intense campaign was brewing behind the scenes – assisted by sections of the legal fraternity and the media – to depict the Ashton-Lewis Inquiry as a witch hunt. For the government to go no further than remove Barbara Malimali and the deposed attorney-general, Graham Leung. To effectively make them sacrificial lambs and move on, saving its ministers from fresh investigations and possible charges.
Yet this option was stopped dead in its tracks when the Commander of the RFMF insisted that the Report be released. Ro Kalouniwai is reported to have been uncharacteristically blunt, saying that if the Prime Minister wasn’t going to release the report, he would get hold of it and do so. One rumour has it that the Commander even encouraged Alexandra Forwood – the COI complainant and chronic Coalition bête noire – to leak a video of the evidence given at the Commission by Siromi Turaga. She did so on Facebook on Wednesday night after Turaga was announced as Acting Attorney General. And If is true that it was at the Commander’s urging, he really was on the warpath.
By the time the Prime Minister met with his three deputies yesterday morning, any hope they had of him preventing the Report’s release, shutting down the COI process and sparing them fresh investigations and possible charges had vanished. Sitiveni Rabuka’s hand had been forced by the RFMF Commander. He would have been able to say, hand on heart: “It isn’t something I want. He is giving me no choice”. Which is undoubtedly why Biman Prasad, Manoa Kamikamica and Viliame Gavoka left the meeting with the PM stony-faced and were uncharacteristically silent in the face of media questioning.
Whatever took place at that meeting, Ro Kalouniwai arrived at the Prime Minister’s office later in the morning and so did the Police Commissioner, Rusiate Tudravu. And shortly afterwards – with both of them now officially given access to the full and redacted versions of the COI Report – the Police Commissioner announced that the CID would be handling any investigation into the recommendations of Justice Ashton-Lewis. Get that, Fiji. Not FICAC but the CID.
As Grubsheet has already reported, a police investigation into Biman Prasad has been proceeding for some time. But now, with the military’s backing, that investigation becomes a wider probe into the COI recommendations as a whole. And also, at the military’s insistence, we are all going to get to see a version of the Ashton-Lewis Report. It will have the names of those under investigation redacted to protect the integrity of the process but it will be released whatever Coalition ministers think. The power to suppress it has simply been taken out of the government’s hands.
The main question now is what happens with the Chief Justice and head of the Judicial Services Commission, Salesi Temo. Barbara Malimali is seeking a judicial review of the decision by the Prime Minister to dismiss her, arguing that he didn’t have the power to do so. That only the JSC had the authority to recommend to the President that she be terminated.
The problem is that Justice Ashton-Lewis reportedly recommends that Salesi Temo also be removed – that he be suspended and tried for misbehaviour by a panel of three judges, as the Constitution stipulates. If this is true, then it is undoubtedly why the JSC was bypassed. Is Salesi Temo the next to go? We shall see.
But there will also have to be a purge of the ODPP if any police docket from the CID investigation into the COI recommendations is to ever make it to the courts. The gatekeepers under Nancy Tikoisuva are hopelessly compromised and are also going to have to go. And that’s where there is a ready-made solution with the safe return of the substantive DPP, Christopher Pryde, who is waiting offshore to get the green light to come back and the threat of a FICAC charge at Nancy Tikoisuva’s instigation lifted.
So if things go as they should, this is merely the early stages of a long process in which some of those who were once certain of their positions will have the earth collapse beneath them. The startling fact is that it doesn’t really matter anymore what the Prime Minister decides. The RFMF Commander has made it clear that he is going to ensure that the COI Report is published and its recommendations implemented. It will be Ro Kalouniwai and Rusiate Tudravu who will push the reform process through to root out any corruption at the heart of the state. And anyone who gets in the way of that will have to answer to them.
It is all perfectly legal. Section 131 (2) of the Constitution says: “It shall be the overall responsibility of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces to ensure at all times the security, defence and well-being of Fiji and all Fijians”. The Commander has clearly decided that suppressing the COI Report and turning a blind eye to its findings is contrary to the well-being of Fiji and all Fijians. And the RFMF will fulfil its constitutional obligation.
Whatever the Fijian people think about Section 131, it has never had more relevance. Why? Because as the integrity of our institutions of state has crumbled under the Coalition, the military – for better or worse – has effectively become the principal guarantor of proper transparency and accountability on the part of an elected government.
It has happened because parliament has failed. The checks and balances that would normally exist, and especially a strong opposition to hold the government to account, are no longer there. This includes opposition MPs being bought off with cabinet positions. So that at the end of the day, the men in green with the guns have, in this instance, become the people’s last defence. We will get to see the Ashton-Lewis Report because of them and we will be relying on them to insist that the momentum to implement its recommendations be unstoppable.
It tells us, above all, that our civilian institutions in Fiji are weak and our democracy is still very fragile. Hopefully it will trigger a great deal of soul-searching in the community in the coming weeks and months and a general determination to get a better outcome when Fiji goes to the polls again next year.
It is also the ultimate irony. Or make that two ironies. That it was Sitiveni Rabuka who decided to appoint David Ashton-Lewis in the first place, ignoring the age-old dictum in politics that you should never commission an inquiry unless you know the outcome in advance. And the bigger irony, which is the sight of the military officer who seized power at gunpoint in 1987 being forced to be more democratically accountable by his successor in the RFMF 38 years later.
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Some of today’s coverage in the Fiji Times. My regrets that I still can’t access the payment page for a Fiji Sun subscription.
So, technically, a coup.
Maybe thats who we really need in government. The military!
A coup, by one definition, is a “sudden, violent, and unlawful seizure of power from a government”.
1987 was a coup. The RFMF Commander insisting 38 years later on an elected government fulfilling its democratic duty is not a coup.
Thank you, GD and Grubsheet, for the services and commitment to Fiji.
Not one journalist in Fiji is capable of analyzing Fijian governance issues, politics, or the players involved to know to ask the right questions the way you do. Nor do journalists in Fiji know how to be forthright or able to dissect the complex political issues, legal and administrative.
The entire media fraternity simply do not possess the ability to properly practice their craft. Not to mention, the whole pretentious lot have sold out the Fijian people and abandoned their duty as a fourth estate and fifth estate. All in the name of government bribes disguised as ‘grants.’
A possible reponse in the matter of: “The main question now is what happens with the Chief Justice and head of the Judicial Services Commission, Salesi Temo” could be another question: The main question now is what happens when the head of government (SLR) called the RFMF’s bluff by still refusing to publicly release the CoI?
What could be RFMF’s next (step(s))?
Who will preside over Barbwire, challeging her dismissal with the entire judiciary compromised the way it is now?
Will the president dismiss the CJ?
Will the police well and truly investigate and prosecute those that should be brought before the courts?
Answers to the above, and questions posed in Grubsheet’s commentary rests with the PM.
Will the PM finally be transparent and decisive or continue to snake his way in this endless pantomime.
Once again, thank you, GD, for your invaluable contributions to the cause, of calling out corruption in its many forms, and speaking truth to power.
Oh yes! The likes of Stanley Simpson and co are nothing but a freaking disgrace to Fiji. Bullshit kailoma talk is what they are good at. All hot air and biased reporting.
Basically, without any guns drawn.
Arrseh@le SMH
Don’t need coup neither want to hear.
Military should stay in camp to protect it’s people,not just to remove governments as they want.
Ballot is where government is removed idiot .
@Noku You are the real asshole and idiot for defending corrupt practices and the burying of the COI Report which the military has rightly spoken out against.
Arrsehol:::-s don’t get it right.
No coup,full stop.
If you disagree, speak out.
Commander gave his views.
No one stops that.
Don’t come with guns and remove a government who has been voted by people.
Ratu Poni.
Go and drink homebrew under a mango tree.
This unique constitutional arrangement under Section 131 confers institutionalized authority on the military to intervene beyond the scope of conventional executive powers. Ironically, it now challenges the very architect of its inception. Sitiveni Rabuka (SLR) first introduced this framework in the 1990 Constitution by broadening the military’s role from merely “defence” to include responsibilities for “security” and acting in the “best interests” of Fiji. The rationale for this expansion remains unclear, though it may reflect a persistent siege mentality and militarized worldview. Despite subsequent constitutional revisions and redrafts, this provision has consistently been retained—likely due to the strong historical and emotional affiliations of former leaders with the military establishment. It has now become evident that this clause grants the military quasi-sovereign powers capable of superseding civilian governance. Whether this is ultimately beneficial or detrimental remains to be seen, but it is a distinctly Fijian constitutional phenomenon.
Agree, since the office of the president seems compromised, the alternative has sufficed.
Thanks to Frank, the coup culture in Fiji is finished. The military is given critical powers. That is to ensure the constitution is always followed. Military cannot take over the government with guns and throw out the constitution. Yes, they are the custodians of the constitution.
The self-proclaimed “changed man” who started coup culture 38 years must be quietly shaking his head. His intelligence is no comparison to that of Frank. But he cannot say it. Snakes don’t have allegiance or friends. They cannot talk. They would bite anyone on their path. Anyone could possibly find him/herself under the bus.
The COI may have backfired. The intention was to get threats like Manoa out of the way. Malimali was to go. Limp Baimaan and others could stay, he knew they will be of no value in next election.
Mr Ashton-Lewis is not from one of the Fiji provinces. He showed no favours to kaivatas, etc.
He goes to the same church, he follows Christianity. Not “Fijian Christianity”. (No insult to so many of my Fijian Christian brothers who follow Jesus in the rightful manner).
God is watching PM, “the changed man”.
How much longer will you dodge the bullet of justice. Jesus is the best judge.
Good one – release the COI report to the public for their consumption as per taxpayers.
We shall see all the corrupted people managing our judicial system and parliament.
The time is here for the people to see the COI report – good for the public and bring on the GE 2026 so that we can choose wisely for our reps to the parliament.
So all the talking is over now, we want to see the real culprits who are the custodians of the current corrupted system.
We must all unite to remove corruptions from the government and the judicial system.
Thank you for excellent narrative and summary of the situation today GD. Truly an irony that the army has to get involved because those that should are corrupt or compromised. The biggest culprit Temo remains there hoping he can still be a king maker. More money will be thrown on lawyers challenging the fallout while the country burns.
Where Would Fiji Be Without the RFMF’s Constitutional Mandate?
Imagine where Fiji would be today if the 2013 Constitution had not empowered the Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF) with the mandate to safeguard the security, stability, and well-being of the Fijian people.
Without this provision, the current government under Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka would almost certainly have suppressed the Commission of Inquiry (COI) report, protected those implicated, and ensured that key figures avoided accountability. A few high-profile sackings would have been staged for show, followed by Rabuka attempting to crown himself as a national hero.
The truth is unavoidable: there must be a complete and uncompromising cleansing of leadership within FICAC, the Judiciary, and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP). These institutions—meant to function independently—have been tainted. Until their leadership is thoroughly overhauled, there will be no return to lawful governance or public trust.
Moreover, any ministers implicated—whether through political interference, abuse of office, or other misconduct—must step down immediately to allow for urgent, impartial investigations. This includes Biman Prasad, Manoa Kamikamica, Viliame Gavoka, Siromi Turaga, Ifereimi Vasu, and any others named in the COI report. The Prime Minister has more than enough MPs to continue running the government. These resignations will not cause collapse—they will restore credibility.
The Commander has now intervened, and rightly so. But let us not forget: had the RFMF acted earlier—when the rule of law was repeatedly undermined—the current situation could have been avoided altogether.
Fiji cannot afford selective justice or political games. The time for accountability is now.
When you put monkeys in charge, the law of the jungle takes hold very quickly as we see. Even monkeys have certain rules they live by. They are not allowed to make the rules as they go. Recalcitrants are dealt with swiftly.
But the monkeys in Fiji have been allowed to make the rules as they go. That cannot be allowed to go on. The laws of nature dictates that someone or something eventually has to do something.
And those who believe there is a changed man, a word of advice, you cannot change the DNA of any one or anything. That goes against the laws of nature. So stop being stupid.
Not really. People just need to vote better. Stop voting in the corrupt sweet talkers.
As long as people vote along racial lines and not party policies or philosophies, nothing will change.
Racial politics will continue in Fiji as long as ethno-nationalists continue to preach that native land will be taken away by the vulagis.
It has been proven over time that this scaremongering is just what it is.
Yet we the indigenous continue to get sucked into it. And our sense of self entitlement continues to increase over this same time.
While we are starting to see some people changing, the bulk of us natives are still stuck in this illogical, uneducated, naive thinking.
@ Anonymous
A vocal Fijian chief says the key to solving Fijian (i’taukei) social ills is to ‘decolonise’ current thinking and systems put in place by successive governments.
For him, ‘decolonisation’ requires a return to the feudal arrangements of the past. Not once in his various diatribes for ‘decolonised’ systems does he mention the word ‘democracy’. I wonder why?
Exactly. There are two routes politicians can take in addressing national issues:
1. Acknowledge the problems and actively work to find and implement solutions.
2. Find some other group to blame for those issues and persecute that group with the promise that everything will be better once that “other” group is controlled/eliminated.
Rabuka has mastered number 2, blaming the Indians, which is the laziest form of politics. And Biman is stuck on blaming the last government.
End result? The country goes nowhere. But these kinds of politicians really have their own interests at heart, and sadly, the majority of Fijians continue to allow themselves to be deceived come election time.
This whole CoI is a mess. Why invest in the inquiry and then not be open about the findings and next steps? Even after the report is handed formally, it appears that their counsel assisting doesn’t know the boundaries. Ms Mason is now appearing to comment on implementing the findings…rather unprofessional!
No wonder the military has to be the mature party in the national interest.
I see that Malimali has gone to the High Court. Tuvalu must be laughing…they dodged a bullet. What is the matter with the heads of these corruption agencies? I think power corrupts and leaders of these organisations get a god complex. PNG ICAC is in turmoil after their top 3 accuse each other of corruption.
Interesting exchange on FB by Tanya Waqanika (Malimali’s lawyer) and Lynda Tabuya:
TW: “Thank you Fiji Law Society. The Rule of Law must always be upheld, otherwise such actions results in a Constitutional crisis. The COl report must be released for the sake of transparency.”
LT: “Maybe the JSC is compromised as well per COl report? What happens then?”
TW: “Lynda Tabuya – if the JSC is indeed comprised as per the COl report, that would also implicate our current Hon Speaker as he was a JSC member on the appointment of the suspended Commissioner.”
Fiji the new way to the world. All CHORS protect each other.
These current lot in government are a load of CRAP. No shame, no principles, no ethics….just pure CHORS.
The Fiji Military Forces remains the most formidably influential institution in the country. This is despite Rabuka and his inept Cabinet and coalition MP assiduously cultivating a political environment in which they can manoeuvre our nation’s laws to their advantage. It’s a pathetic state of affairs and one that unfortunately all Fijian citizens are forced to endure.
Frank and Kaiyum, who I and numerous Fijians despise for their dictatorial rule, were 100% right when they used to say in Parliament that if this lot came into power they’d be completely clueless.
Vinaka Graham… I met the late Turaga na Talatala Qase Reverend Davis at the Leichhardt Methodist Church in 1995. I had a cup of tea afterwards and introduced myself. I told him my Mum was a Soprano in the Centenary Church Choir. His face lit up. He said he knew my Mum and asked me to send his regards to her at that time. My Mum also, sadly, passed away in 2008. Vinaka tale, Graham, and keep up the good work to keep these bastards in parliament honest……vinaka Major General Kalouniwai, pheewh, at last the sleeping giant has woken up…..as Lawrence of Arabia once famously said, “take no prisoners”…..
Vinaka, Ezy. A lovely memory of our parents. The Centenary Choir was often the backdrop to our lives at home on my Dad’s cassette player. Along with Mozart and the Goons. Loloma yani.
Lawyers in Fiji, local and imported, are enjoying the various litigations, constitutional crisis, counter claims, interpretations and opinions sought. All the while the local and global economy is in doldrums and most businesses and the public facing dire economic stagnation or recession.
Great time to be a top gun lawyer.
Thanks in no small part to those inept enough who need expensive guidance everyday on which direction the sun rises from.
Who said coup will be over. 2013 constitution is a legal mandate for Army to do a coup. Only time will tell.