Military PM culture

Since our first coup in 1987 to 1999, Sitiveni Rabuka was our Prime Minister until Ma­hendra Chaudhry, a civilian, with the FLP/ PANU coalition, ousted Rabuka's SVT party and became Prime Minister for a short stint.

George Speight terminated Chaudhry's term through the infamous civilians coup in 2000.

It was the turn of our civilian interim PM, the late Laisenia Qarase, who was appointed by the Bainimarama-led military council in 2001 to make way for a democratic election; Qarase's SDL party won a landslide victory and become our Prime Minister.

Again, on December 18th 2006, then RFMF Commander Voreqe Bainimarama, in an­other coup, took over government and be­came interim PM until our first democratic national election under the 2013 Constitution on September 2014, Bainimarama became Prime Minister.

He, again, claimed the 2018 general election but was ousted in 2022 by the current coali­tion government, led by the People's Alliance and retired RFMF Major-General, Sitiveni Rabuka.

So, will the culture of former RFMF offic­er's as Prime Minister be brought to a halt, or will it continue after the 2026 general elec­tion? Only time will tell.

Feedback: letters@fijisun.com.fj