Issue No: 678  13 April 2001

In an interview published this week in the Fiji Sun, Lt-Col. Viliame Seruvakula stated:

"The RFMF is a very professional institution. If it had not been for the 1987 coup, the RFMF would be right on par with the rest of the armies in the world. The problems we're facing now came about from the coup of 1987."

The problems referred to concern politicisation of the military. Seruvakula stated that in 1987, "we broke a "taboo'. That is bringing politics in the military. Politics is a 'taboo' in the military but the [1987] coup broke all that and a lot of values became weak and disappeared."

While a large majority of the soldiers supported the military coup in 1987, over the years a lot of young, professional soldiers gradually began realising the damage which was done to the army by politicising it.

Quite a number of young, bright and professional soldiers are now trying their best to keep the army apolitical.

This, however, seems to be a difficult task since with the politicisation, and the initial hate of ethnic-Indians which the 1987 mood led to, vanua politics in the form of tribalism and provincialism has infiltrated the military to such an extent that most soldiers can not see beyond their own provinces.

An expert in third world militaries stated that unless Fiji's military accepts the Constitution and serves with diligence the democratically elected governments, it will explode. He said: "In 1987, from the military point of view, it was alright for it to enter into politics. Then there were only two groupings - the [ethnic] Indians and [ethnic] Fijians. [Ethnic] Fijians were still largely united in the Alliance Party. As [an ethnic] Fijian institution, the military could, with unity, get rid of a government not backed by the Alliance. Now, there are so many political parties. And this is healthy. It allow people wider choice and strengthens democracy. It is natural that some [ethnic] Fijian parties will be part of the government and some will oppose it strongly. In this environment, there is no way in which any military intervention can be bloodless. The 2 November 2000 event was not only a mutiny. It was an attempted coup. It demonstrates what I am saying".

Lt-Col Seruvakula stated that former commander, Ratu Epeli Ganilau, had begun to clean the military of politics. He said that Ratu Epeli "is the unsung hero as he did a lot of ground work for Commodore Bainimarama to build on."