Fiji’s Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka says the trust and spirit of cooperation that existed within the coalition prior to 24 December 2022 is now gone.
This comes in response to recent actions by the General Secretary of one of the ruling coalition partners, the Social Democratic Liberal Party (SODELPA), Viliame Takayawa, who criticised the government delegation in Tonga.
Rabuka confirmed that Takayawa has apologised but said that moving forward, everything will be treated with suspicion and greater caution.
“If he does the same again, he did not mean the apology he gave, which means that he has to be dealt with more severely. You don’t do that, you just lay down the rules and you do not escalate the rules because somebody has repeatedly committed something. In this case, the bubble has been burst.”
He said SODELPA can remain part of the coalition but must act in the best interest of the people of Fiji and in a manner that supports the coalition in completing the next two budgets.
PM Rabuka said he wants members, ministers, and assistant ministers to retain the spirit of the coalition and the willingness to come what may and work together until the end of the term as a government.
Meanwhile, Rabuka has made a decisive move to calm the waters — declaring he will not abandon the coalition agreement without the endorsement of his party.
In a firm statement, Rabuka reminded Fijians that the tripartite arrangement was built on collective consensus, not personal impulse.
His comments came as he publicly accepted an apology from SODELPA general secretary Viliame Takayawa, calling it a powerful gesture of reconciliation.
“I will not unilaterally sever the coalition agreement as it was the product of a Tripartite Negotiations, which I as party leader of one of the coalition parties cannot do without a collective decision of my party,” Rabuka said.
With the country marking Girmit Day Monday and preparing for the upcoming Ratu Sukuna Day public holiday, Rabuka said the focus must remain on unity.
“Fiji is too small a nation to be saying unkind words about people, so we need to focus more on things that unite us rather than those that threaten our reunifications after our political turmoil over the past four decades.”
Rabuka said the apology — and his acceptance of it, served as a reminder of what the country must strive for as it commemorates its past and looks to the future.
“His apologies and my acceptance on behalf of the governing coalition during this time of National Truth and Reconciliation add reminders for us all as Fijians, celebrating Girmit Day Holiday and looking forward to the national holiday of Ratu Sir Lala Sukuna Day of the need to promote unity and harmonious relations at home as we pursue the Concept of Pacific as the Ocean of Peace to the World, said PM Rabuka.
