Fiji’s chiefs have issued their strongest call yet to scrap the 2013 Constitution, calling it a hindrance to Indigenous development as the government turns to the Supreme Court for clarity on how the document can be amended.
On the final day of the Great Council of Chiefs (GCC) meeting today, Chair Ratu Viliame Seruvakula restated the council’s position, telling journalists that the chiefs no longer wanted anything to do with the current Constitution.
“The bottom line is the GCC wants this Constitution out. Done. We’ve had enough of it,” Ratu Viliame said. ” We want this constitution gone.
“With every corner we turn to try and improve people’s lives, there is this Constitution in the way.”
His remarks come amid mixed feelings about the 2013 Constitution, which was introduced following Fiji’s 2006 military coup and the 2009 abrogation of its previous constitution.
Critics, including the GCC, argue the document is illegitimate and imposes restrictive controls on Indigenous land and resource rights.
“There’s even suggestions that it came in through the back door – so it should go back through the back door,” Ratu Viliame said.
While Ratu Viliame said the chiefs don’t seek a new Constitution, they want key parts—especially land laws—removed or reformed to improve iTaukei rights and economic opportunities.
“We’re not talking about the Constitution as a whole,” he said. “But the ones that hinder progress for the iTaukei: the land laws, all the bill that restrict the full utilisation of the natural resources.
“Not all these rural laws were introduced by the previous government. A lot of the laws are from the colonial days, and they just need to go or be amended to meet the challenges of today, to become more meaningful.”
Despite the strong position, Ratu Viliame said the GCC will wait for the Supreme Court’s decision on the government’s move to amend the Constitution.
The Supreme Court of Fiji will hold a directions hearing tomorrow in a landmark constitutional case brought by Cabinet, which is seeking the court’s advisory opinion on how the Constitution can be legally amended.
Ongoing Concerns
The GCC’s calls to overhaul the 2013 Constitution are not new. During its November 2024 meeting in Suva, council members also raised concerns that the document continues to stifle Indigenous affairs and complicates the amendment of outdated or colonial-era laws.
At the time, the Solicitor General explained that while 16 out of 33 laws under review had been updated, significant legal barriers — all linked back to the Constitution — remained.
Awaiting the Court’s Verdict
For now, the chiefs say they will wait to see what path the court — and the government — take next.
“If that works, fine,” Ratu Viliame said. “If it doesn’t, we’ll take it from there.”
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