RFMF Commander Major General Ro Jone Kalouniwai appears on fijivillage Straight Talk

As the Commander of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces, Major General Ro Jone Kalouniwai embarks on reconciliation, trust, peace and healing efforts within the RFMF, he says it requires very strong and transformational leadership where leaders lead by example and motivate the troops to understand the real essence on why they have been called to be soldiers.

While speaking on fijivillage Straight Talk With Vijay Narayan, the Commander says 1987 was an epoch moment (or a period of time in history) for the RFMF and Fiji because the decisions that were made by the RFMF leadership did not only have the impact on the RFMF but the nation as a whole.

He says it was the beginning of that continuous involvement of the RFMF in government and the political environment within Fiji.

Major General Kalouniwai says when you come down to the 2000 coup, again that is an outcome of what happened in 1987, and then again in the 2006 coup.

The Army Commander says the issues are interwoven and complex, and there are political, economic, social, legal, security and traditional issues.

He add this makes it a lot more complex when it comes to command responsibility.

Major General Kalouniwai says he hopes the RFMF’s reconciliation process will encourage the nation that we need to reconcile with what has happened in the past.

He says has always told the troops that the RFMF has it’s own values, ethos, principles and standards.

The Commander says every soldier coming in is coming with their own imperfections and it is the responsibility of the institution to ensure that they understand the RFMF’s culture.

Major General Kalouniwai says when the culture took a new turn since 1987, it had it’s impacts as it was deviating from the traditional path of the RFMF.

He says the lines have gone so blurred that at times, people in the RFMF did not understand their role.

The Commander also says the constitutional provision which states that it shall be the overall responsibility of the RFMF to ensure at all times the security, defence and well-being of Fiji and all Fijians, needs to be clearly understood and to ensure actions are done within the rule of law.

He says the military laws are currently being reviewed.

The Commander says they are trying to protect the institution when it comes to the well-being part of the constitution.

He says the well-being part does not provide the left and right of arc.

Major General Kalouniwai says in the RFMF, soldiers including the Commander have to operate within that.

The Commander of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces, Major General Ro Jone Kalouniwai has revealed on fijivillage Straight Talk With Vijay Narayan that he was getting calls from certain people after the 2022 general elections to remove certain people from some positions.

Major General Kalouniwai says these were real testing times for the RFMF.

When asked on what is his stand on those detractors trying to derail the RFMF’s standards and principles and influence the RFMF to take illegal actions against the government which could even result in him being targeted, the Commander says he will continue to follow the rule of law.

Although Major General Kalouniwai did not reveal the names of those people calling him to remove people, he says he will remain within the bounds of the law.

The Commander says his intent at the RFMF is based on the issue of trust and that is transformational leadership.

While leading the reconciliation and peace efforts within the RFMF, Major General Kalouniwai says as a leader of the military, he believes transformational leadership is very important because it makes you lead by example and build genuine trust and allows you to have that sense of unity.

He says transactional leadership has always influenced the loyalty of individuals not just within the RFMF but other organisations as well.

The Commander says when the individual realises the values, ethics and principles of the institution, they will always have the moral courage to speak out.

He says he stresses to the RFMF that every soldier has the right to be led well, and to be led in an ethical manner.

Major General Kalouniwai says this goes in line with adhering to the rule of law, and then we will not have any extraordinary action and a coup culture.

Army Commander, Major General Ro Jone Kalouniwai says when he was held hostage in the November 2nd 2000 mutiny at the Queen Elizabeth Barracks Operations Room, it was one of the darkest days for the Republic of Fiji Military Forces and the country, and we do not want to go back there ever again.

While speaking on fijivillage Straight Talk With Vijay Narayan, the Commander says the morning after the mutiny, when there were no officers within that particular area, he saw the danger of having soldiers who have no officers in place.

He also says there is a real need to have reconciliation and peace efforts which is starting from within the RFMF as a lot of healing has to take place.

He says you need to lead by example and with compassion, and the better soldiers will listen to you if the orders are coming from the heart. Major General Kalouniwai says after the 2022 general elections, he stood up in front of the troops and said to them that they will go down and follow the rule of law, they will abide by the democratic principles, honour the votes of the people and trust the democratic process of this country.

He says despite some people asking him to remove some people after the 2022 general elections, he was focused on following the rule of law and the democratic principles of the country.