The commander of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces has urged parliament to strip constitutional immunity from those behind the country's past coups, RNZ reports. Major-General Ro Jone Kalouniwai made the case in a submission to a special parliamentary committee examining the government's proposed constitutional amendment bill.
He acknowledged that the military did not have clean hands after leading the coups of 1987, 2000 and 2006, and said removing immunity would convict no one but would restore the ordinary law. He added that a soldier who knew he would answer to the law could not be turned against his own people. Fiji's 2013 constitution protects past coup leaders, including Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, who led the 1987 coup. Rabuka's government wants to keep that immunity, and he told the committee the country relies on the military to keep order during disruptions.
Source: RNZ
