Trust in RFMF is low due to involvement in coup and human rights abuses – NDSR Report

The trust in our security forces has eroded over the years following each coup and the 2013 Constitution has not helped restore trust by widening the mandate of the RFMF under Section 131 (2) which introduced a guardian role for the military.

This is one of the country’s security threats and challenges that was highlighted in the National Security and Defence Review Report that was launched by the Minister for Home Affairs and Immigration Pio Tikoduadua.

The report says the confidence in the security agencies in being able to deliver on their role has been undermined by human rights abuses in the past.

It says the deployment of armed soldiers and police to Bau Island to arrest the chief and his herald, who was involved in a traditional chiefly installation ceremony, was quoted as an example of the security forces having overstepped their mark.

The report states that the concern surrounding the RFMF is primarily a legacy of its actions in the coups of 1987, 2000, and 2006.

It says stakeholders within the civil service and civil society organisations were quick to relay their experiences of abuses that took place at the hands of the security forces, while some civil society representatives, including NGOs shared their experiences of the suppression and abuse of their human and civil rights during the coups and its aftermath.

It further says others identified the risk of future military intervention in politics as a latent and ongoing threat that underpins their distrust, while one civil society organisation argued that immunity provisions in the Constitution increase the possibility of future coups and should be removed.

It adds that some stakeholders consulted by the review team reported that the immunity provisions in the 2013 Constitution promotes a coup culture and that it is bad for Fiji.

The report says steps are being taken to address this trust deficit through the RFMF Reconciliation and Restoration initiative, and this is a promising step toward rebuilding trust with affected members and their families and restoring internal cohesion within the military.

It says some stakeholders indicated this initiative could be extended to other government agencies, civil society, and the broader public.

It also says the proposed government-sponsored Truth and Reconciliation Commission provides an opportunity for such a national reconciliation process to occur.

It adds as a safeguard, the military identified the importance of force protection measures such as a contact reporting system, personal security vetting, and internal security controls, especially for weapons and ammunition.

Minister for Home Affairs Pio Tikoduadua says the RFMF Act has already been drafted but there is a lot of work that needs to be done with the Police Act.

He says there was a Police Act that came out some years ago, but they shut it down because it had some worrying issues and there was very little consultation done on it.

Tikoduadua says the review of both Acts will take time so that it is relevant for us in the future.