A motion of no confidence in Parliament should be used to remove a Prime Minister instead of resorting to a coup, says Academic Dr Mosmi Bhim.
Dr Bhim is calling for greater accountability from political leaders and chiefs under Fiji’s proposed constitutional reforms.
Speaking during submissions on the proposed Constitution Amendment Bill, Dr Bhim said Fiji’s history showed that coups succeeded partly because political leaders, chiefs and sections of society supported illegal takeovers.
She argued that under the 1970 Constitution, chiefs had a majority in the Senate to protect indigenous rights and could have used parliamentary processes to address concerns about political power rather than supporting a coup.
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Dr Bhim questioned how chiefs would be held accountable in the future, particularly if they were allocated 14 seats in the Senate, and what safeguards would prevent them from supporting illegal changes of government.
“We must not forget that our political leaders, our chiefs, and segments of our society supported coups and that’s why they succeeded.”
Dr Bhim welcomed the retention of the motion of no confidence under Section 113 of the draft Constitution, saying it provides a lawful way to change a Prime Minister without resorting to a coup.
She urged the special parliamentary committee to ensure the proposed Constitution promotes accountability, protects democratic processes and provides lawful mechanisms for changing governments without repeating Fiji’s history of coups.