SODELPA leader Sitiveni Rabuka says he is not a nationalist but a patriotic Fijian.

Mr Rabuka made the remark at a gathering organised by the Friends of the Pacific at the Croatia Club Punchbowl in Sydney, Australia on Saturday.

The man who led the first military coup in 1987, claimed “there are so many people in Fiji living in fear.”

“But people point at me and they say to me ‘you caused it all, you brought about this atmosphere, this environment of fear’.

“My only response to that was I found that out and I changed.

“We are not understanding anything about politics.

“I became a solider for Fiji.

“I served in the Middle East for the world.”

He said he did what he did in 1987 for Fiji.

“My own people, my own leaders, my own church felt I was going the wrong way.

“I changed the constitution for Fiji.

“And because of that they went totally against me and defeated me in the 1999 general elections.

“I accepted that and went into retirement from politics.

“That was good enough for me,” Mr Rabuka said.

“I had said to them and I say to you all, it was a constitution worth losing an election for.”

Edited by Ranoba Baoa

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