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'More Divided Than Ever': Fiji's Democracy Caught In 'Utopian Promises', Expert Says
As Sitiveni Rabuka's administration enters its final year before the next general election, his coalition is the latest in a line of governments that have failed to deliver on "utopian promises", a Fijian politics expert says.
Depending on when the writ of elections is issued, Fiji is expected to hold polls anytime between 7 August (earliest) this year and 6 February 2027 (latest).
Writing for Devpolicy Blog, the University of the South Pacific's associate professor of Pacific Journalism Dr Shailendra Singh said political and military elites, who carried out the 1987, 2000 and 2006 coups, made pledges to either uplift indigenous populations' interests or create a more equal society to justify their actions.
"It is safe to assume that none of these utopian promises have fully materialised. The country appears more divided than ever, and too many people still remain in poverty," he wrote this week.
Dr Singh said statistics from the World Bank reveal that roughly one in three people in the country live in poverty, with the iTaukei people making up the overwhmeling number of those who lack sufficient resources to meet basic needs.
"Coup instigators' rhetoric is one thing, but what is more troubling is that our elected leaders increasingly seem unbothered by going back on their word - even by their own low standards of keeping election promises."
He noted that Fiji is a "young, transitional democracy" and efforts to make debt reforms and balancing the national budget deficits can be "complex and difficult to achieve".
"However, successive governments are failing even when it comes to basic good governance policies and practices, which are often the pillars of sustainable development."
Dr Singh believes Fijian politicians must be accountable and have a longer-term vision for the country.
"One way to make politicians take voters seriously is to punish them at the polls if they fail to keep their promises," he said.
"This is the path to a healthier, performance-based political system that facilitates development - driven by the fear of and respect for the voter's power.
"This depends not only on politicians, but also on an engaged, ethical and informed electorate that votes on issues, rather than on the basis of race, religion, party or personality."
He added that indigenous leadership now plays a central role in shaping Fiji's political direction.
"With that power comes a duty to build a country that works for future generations of iTaukei while also ensuring that ethnic minorities continue to feel included and valued as equal stakeholders in a shared future."
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