Retired educator, Krishna Dutt who is a survivor of all four coups in Fiji says the Truth and Reconciliation Commission is seen as a vital step toward healing the nation's deep-seated wounds.
Speaking during the Steering Committee consultation in Suva, Dutt emphasized the need for a platform where victims can openly express their long-suppressed emotions.
Dutt says he has been locked up in police, military and maximum security cells during the coups and these events forever altered his life.
Dutt says he never imagined such places existed in Fiji and recounted his time in maximum security cells and revealed the trauma he endured.
He says despite the painful memories, he remains deeply connected to his homeland which is driven by a traditional belief that one's home is where their umbilical cord is buried.
He also recalls a moment of hope during his imprisonment when a former student, now a soldier, had showed him an unexpected act of kindness.
Dutt says the gesture symbolizes the essence of reconciliation which proves that the conflicts were not truly between ethnic groups but rather a distortion imposed upon the people.
Living alone in Fiji after his family emigrated, Dutt says it is important for the commission to allow individuals like him to fully open up and share their experiences.
He believes that such an initiative is crucial for the country to move forward and mend the divisions caused by its troubled history.
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