PM Volunteers to Testify Before Commission

Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka says, he will voluntarily appear before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) even if he is not summoned to testify.

Only time will tell if he will also name the business people and alleged backers of the 1987 military coups which Fiji is still recovering from.

Mr Rabuka made the commitment, even going beyond his earlier statements that he would only comply if summoned by the Commission.

“Oh yeah, I can volunteer or I can be summoned,” Mr Rabuka said.

He had previously said he would abide by any summons from the commission investigating Fiji’s political past, including his role in the 1987 coups.

His offer to volunteer comes amid growing calls for accountability over the military coup and to demonstrate leadership by removing immunity provisions that protect coup perpetrators.

Mr Rabuka acknowledged that court immunity provisions remained protected by the 2013 Constitution and would require constitutional amendments to remove.

This comes as his Cabinet had filed a referral of constitutional questions to the Supreme Court this week following its failed attempt to amend the Constitution in Parliament last March.

Cabinet has requested the Supreme Court’s opinion on the interpretation and application of constitutional amendment provisions under sections 159 and 160 of the Constitution.

Other issues

During his interview with the media on Thursday, Mr Rabuka also addressed other issues including supporting the Great Council of Chiefs’ proposal for compulsory vernacular education.

“I think it’s a good idea and they should not limit it to vernacular,” Mr Rabuka said.

“In the upper classes, they should start introducing the land laws, Native Land Trust Act, Native Land Act, so that when disputes come up later, people understand who’s arguing with whom and on what.”

On drug prevention measures, Mr Rabuka said he has not gotten to the bottom of whether regulations put in by the FijiFirst government on glue sales were still applicable.

He also responded to questions about the GCC’s leadership structure, saying the council handled its own internal processes under the Fijian Affairs Act.

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