Another coup is highly unlikely given the current stable and peaceful political climate.

It would be insane to even think about it because it would fail.

THESE ARE THE REASONS:

Political environment

The political environment we now live in makes it very difficult to carry out a coup. While politicians hit out at each other from time to time in and out of Parliament on a number of issues, they know that it would be crazy to even start thinking about a coup. They have learned from the coups of the past and how difficult it was to recover from their impact.

2013 Constitution

The Constitution has addressed all the issues that triggered the coups. It has removed elections based on racial lines and all citizens have a common identity – everyone is now called a Fijian.

While some of the Opposition politicians are still pursuing the old politics of fear and division, many people want to move forward and the Constitution provides the impetus to do it

Security

People generally believe that the country is safer now with the Republic of Fiji Military Forces overall in charge of the country’s security.

The RFMF and the Police now work more closely on intelligence gathering and sharing. They both keep an eye on any security threats.

We can be rest assured that any attempt to destabilise the country will be quickly neutralised.

The RFMF has undergone a major transformation from its status in the 1987 and 2000 coups.

It has learned from the bitter experiences of the mutiny in 2000 and it has declared that it would not be repeated.

Besides it has pledged to uphold the Constitution and defend our young democracy.

Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama has done a lot to improve the pay and working conditions of members of the RFMF including its Naval Division.

Officers have also undergone training and education to upgrade their qualifications to keep abreast with the modern changes with respect to Defence issues. The number of well trained officers keeps growing.

Upholding the law & independence of judiciary

This has been one of the hallmarks of our young democracy.

The number of cases that come before the courts indicate that our justice system is functioning well. Workers who are still aggrieved after going through the processes set up to deal with their grievances can still seek redress in a court of law.

Government Policies

People are now used to the various initiatives rolled out by the Government to benefit those in the lower rung of the socio-economic ladder. The initiatives range from free education to welfare benefits that never existed before.

The people-friendly policies are hard to beat.

Economic development

The unprecedented consecutive economic growth for the past 10 years, infrastructure development and reforms in the civil service to improve service delivery and efficiency continue.

The economic slowdown is an unavoidable temporary glitch that is affecting the global community.

When things return to normal we can expect the rate of growth to pick up.

What has been happening does not warrant any political agitation or even a coup.

George Speight leading the May 2000 coup and armed hostage taking in Suva. Photo: Fairfax NZ

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