Editorial: 'No other way'

The voices of families and former schoolmates opposing immunity demand more than consultation — they demand justice.

Two powerful submissions during the Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2026 consultation in Somosomo, Taveuni, on Monday have placed Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka at a crossroads. Will he listen to the people and support the removal of constitutional immunity, or will history continue to haunt Fiji?

Monday’s submissions from people close to him serve as a reminder of his 1988 biography, Rabuka: No Other Way. His Own Story of the Fijian Coup. If there was “no other way” in 1987, is there no other way today than to confront the past and dismantle the immunity that protects those responsible?

Penisoni Gauna, a former Queen Victoria School student and friend of Mr Rabuka, spoke out after 39 years of silence. He recalled Mr Rabuka as a school head boy who stood up against bullying.

Gauna asked: “What happened to that just and noble head boy of ours? What became of him that he has become a deeply polarising figure in Fiji?”

He described Mr Rabuka as the “Genie that Ratu Mara let out of the bottle in 1987”, adding that the damage inflicted then continued to affect Fijians.

Gauna’s appeal was direct: “Dismantle from the Constitution the very immunity that shields you and others.”

That plea was echoed by the son of Lieutenant-Colonel Selesitino Kalounivale, who shares his father’s name. His father, a soldier in the Counter Revolutionary Warfare (CRW) Unit, was killed during the 2000 mutiny.

Just two years old when his father died, Kalounivale Jnr is now 28 and speaks for a family still seeking answers.

“We have been carrying this pain for 26 years. My dad has passed away, but his descendants are still crying for justice,” he said.

These are the voices of people affected by political upheaval, military conflict and unanswered questions. Families deserve truth, accountability and justice for their lost loved ones.

The consultation must not become a public relations exercise. If immunity is repeatedly raised as a concern, the voices of Fijians must be taken seriously. Leadership requires confronting the truth, not hiding from the past.

Gauna posed a fundamental question: “Can Rabuka summon the courage to confront the past rather than manage it, and leave Fiji a more accountable democracy?”

The words attributed to Napoleon offer a reminder: “God gave men dominion over the beasts and not over his fellow men unless they submit of their own free will.”

For a soldier, allegiance includes upholding Fiji’s sovereignty. Leadership demands sound judgement and responsibility to the people of Fiji — not unquestioning obedience at the expense of justice.

Fiji needs leaders brave enough to make the right choice after listening to the voices of the people.