Fiji Military’s deployment in the country’s drug issue will only be as a “last resort”, with the determination to be made by the Commissioner of Police, says Minister of Defence and Veteran Affairs Pio Tikoduadua.
Speaking at a press conference in Suva today, Tikoduadua pointed out that while the RFMF stands ready to assist, its role will remain supportive rather than primary, ensuring that civilian-led mechanisms remain at the forefront of the government’s response to the growing drug problem.
“The police force remains the lead agency in this fight,” he said. “The military stands ready to act whenever the welfare of the people is at risk. However…the RFMF’s readiness does not mean it is the first solution to every challenge that the nation faces. Deploying the military is a serious decision that must only be made as a last resort, and only in situations where civilian mechanisms have been fully utilised and found insufficient.
“Simply increasing arrests or deploying armed forces will not solve this systemic issues.”
Tikoduadua’s comments come amid growing calls for the military to be directly involved in the fight against drugs.
Referencing the role of the military as provided under section 131 of the 2013 Constitution, Tikoduadua said whilst it outlines the RFMF’s oversight of the country’s national security, defence, and the welfare of the Fijian people, there are “deliberate boundaries that exist between civilian governance and the role of the military.”
“One of our (Coalition Government) key priorities was to restore the balance between civilian governance and the role of the military. This included ensuring that the RFMF returned to the barracks and focused on its constitutional mandate, rather than being involved in civilian governance.”
Tikoduadua also outlined the government’s strategy to address the drug crisis which includes enforcement, prevention, education and rehabilitation. Efforts already underway include increased funding for law enforcement, specialised training for drug enforcement officers, and partnerships with various community organisations to curb the increasing drug issue.
While the military has been involved in past operations in in a logistical or intelligence-sharing capacity, Tikoduadua reiterated that direct intervention would only be considered when all other avenues had been exhausted.
“A request has been made,” Tikoduadua confirmed, in response to questions about police efforts to engage military support. “But at the end of the day, the determination on whether the RFMF is deployed will be made by the Commissioner of Police. It is his role under the Constitution.”
When questioned about how this decision aligns with or impacts the role of the Navy, a branch of the Fijian military responsible for maritime security in the country’s 1.3 million square mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ), Tikoduadua said that while the Navy operates under military command, it also enforces laws on behalf of other agencies, including customs and the police, due to its specialised equipment and expertise in protecting Fiji’s waters.
“The Navy, when it goes out to sea to do boarding…this role warrants them to board vessels, search vessels, protected vessels that might bear a threat to Fiji’s national security so it could mean anything. So in a lot of these cases, it’s the Navy exercising the powers that are vested in customs, its vested in the police, and it’s usually in this role that the Fiji naval division, or the RFMF Navy, does this services using the laws of other government department, but where there is a threat directly to Fiji [if it was something other than just drugs], obviously the Navy as part of the RFMF has a role to play to stop the threat coming to Fiji. But in cases of drugs, it’s the RFMF through the Navy, using the police to do that work out at sea because they’re the only ones that have the capability to do that.”
