SUVA — The Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF) has called for the complete removal of its constitutional immunity, with Commander Major-General Ro Jone Kalouniwai declaring that the military no longer wants legal protection that could shield it from accountability for past coups. Presenting the military's submission to the Special Parliamentary Select Committee reviewing the Constitution Amendment Bill No. 32 of 2026 in Suva, Kalouniwai said the RFMF was prepared to relinquish the immunity provisions and accept accountability under the ordinary law, Mai TV Fiji reported.
Source: Mai TV Fiji, Nov 1
The RFMF asked Parliament to remove Chapter 14 of the proposed constitution, including the immunity provisions under Section 206, and replace it with a Truth, Accountability and Reconciliation Commission. Under the military's proposal, protection would be granted only through full disclosure — and never for the gravest crimes. Kalouniwai said the decision was voluntary and was not prompted by a court order, a government demand or any legal obligation. “It is a willing sacrifice, and only a willing sacrifice carries moral weight,” he said.
The commander acknowledged the institution's role in Fiji's political upheavals of 1987, 2000 and 2006, saying the RFMF had been at the centre of events that overturned the country's constitutional order. “Fiji too has wandered for almost 40 years since 1987. We have travelled through a wilderness of coups, of broken trust and of laws that place some people beyond the reach of justice,” he said. “Immunity has never protected the widow, the farmer or the child. It has protected only those who held power.” The military confirmed it signed a declaration on constitutional immunity on October 16, formally stating that it did not seek the protection under Section 206, and reaffirmed its acceptance of civilian authority under Section 151.
A warning about making immunity permanent
Kalouniwai warned that if the bill passes its third reading, Section 207 would entrench the immunity provisions and place them beyond the reach of the courts. “Once this Bill passes its third reading, Section 207 would make its immunity permanent and place it beyond the reach of the courts,” he said, urging the committee to ensure the supreme law protects every Fijian equally. Fiji Global News, reporting the same submission, said the commander also cautioned that if lawmakers “fail to choose rightly now, our grandchildren will inherit the same mark of impunity we inherited, and the cycle will turn again.”
Source: Fiji Global News, Oct 31
Beyond immunity, the RFMF recommended retaining civilian oversight of the military and restoring the Ombudsman, stronger protections for voting rights, human rights, the judiciary, anti-corruption institutions, children and people with disabilities, a constitutional duty on soldiers to refuse manifestly unlawful orders, and parliamentary oversight of internal military deployments. It also pointed to steps it says it has already taken towards confronting its past, including acknowledging its wrongs before God and the nation in March 2024 and presenting its matanigasau — a traditional apology — to families affected by the events of 2000, the Church and the Great Council of Chiefs in August 2025.
The military stressed that it was taking no position on the proposed referendum or on any political party, and pledged that soldiers would remain neutral during the referendum and future elections, would not campaign in uniform and would respect the outcome. “The RFMF exists to serve the people of Fiji, never to rule it,” Kalouniwai said. The debate is politically live: the National Federation Party, part of the governing coalition, has formally directed its MPs to vote against the bill at Monday's third reading, Fiji Global News reported. What happens next rests with Parliament — whether it accepts the military's own request to be stripped of immunity, or entrenches that immunity in the new constitution.