Fiji at the crossroads?

Abstract

Fiji has been outside the Commonwealth since the military coups of 1987 declared a republic, formalized the country's departure and rescinded the 1970 independence constitution which had constructed a numerical balance between indigenous Fijians and Indo‐Fijians in the Lower House of parliament. The 1990 constitution that replaced it was palpably unfair to the island's Indo‐Fijian population as well as to urban Fijians. The 1990 constitution deterred badly needed inward investment and, faced with a number of other problems Colonel Rabuka, the prime minister, realized that a substantial constitutional review and the necessary post‐report deliberations, would buy valuable time. After 15 months of deliberation the Constitutional Review Commission handed a report unambiguously committed to multi‐ethnic public management to Fiji's president. The United Kingdom, Malaysia and India have said that Fiji's return to the Commonwealth would be welcome, pending progress on constitutional reform, but an early return is unlikely.