Fiji’s constitutional reform process has brought the question of who is or can be a ‘Fijian’ back to the fore.
Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka’s coalition government has begun the public consultation process on the Constitutional (Amendment) Bill 2026 in its efforts to replace the 2013 Constitution – a document widely criticised as being imposed on the country by the previous Bainimarama administration.
Public consultations on Rabuka’s bill started last week, two days after the country marked its 56th independence anniversary. It was tabled by the government earlier this month and passed its second reading for the Fijian people to give their feedback.
However, the consultations last week spotlighted why ethnic anxieties remain one of the most sensitive issues in the country, even four coups and four constitutions later.
Local media widely reported on submissions made by ordinary Fijian citizens as well as community and national leaders.
A large cross-section of society remains divided about who should be called a ‘Fijian’, as well as the role of traditional chiefs in Fiji’s governance and politics and whether Fiji should be a Christian or secular state.
These three pillars are the defining features of the 2013 Constitution, but also remain issues that were not debated during the FijiFirst administration’s time in power.
One prominent political figure with a minor party declared that the iTaukei (indigenous) people faced a “technical genocide” because Frank Bainimarama’s government created an equal national identity which made all citizens ‘Fijians’.
Some want the Great Council of Chiefs (or the Bose Levu Vakaturaga) – another indigenous institution that was removed by Bainimarama and has no constitutional legitimacy under the current constitution – to be given its rightful place in Fiji’s governance framework.
Submissions from Fijians of Indian descent have also been equally staunch, calling for several elements of the 2013 Constitution to remain, including keeping ‘Fijian’ as a shared national identity for all citizens.
Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka wants to replace the 2013 Constitution.
RNZ Pacific / Fiji Parliament
Fiji’s population is made up of two main ethnic groups: the iTaukei and the Indo-Fijians. While the indigenous Fijians own 90 percent of all land, the economic power, historically, has stayed in the hands of Indo-Fijians, mostly a handful of families.
The bread-and-butter issues, like the cost of living, lack of meaningful employment opportunities, and access to housing, affect all communities, but the indigenous population is more affected, despite being resource-rich.
But constitutional reform and the question of who is a ‘Fijian’ have enveloped much of the political debate under Rabuka’s coalition, after initial gains in human rights protections and opening up civic space for people with opposing views to be able to express themselves without fear – something which was not possible during the Bainimarama-era.
Fiji’s deputy speaker Lenora Qereqeretabua urged unity on social media over the weekend: “We need less division and more understanding. We are all Fijians,” she wrote.
The process, which is branded by its opponents as “rushed”, is expected to wrap up ahead of the next parliament session in the first week of November for the bill’s third reading. If it passes, Fiji is set to hold its first national referendum on 9 December.
Rabuka has received flak for announcing the referendum date prematurely.
For his part, the prime minister, who is the chair of the special parliamentary committee on the bill, has defended the constitutional reform process, downplaying concerns about it being rushed or lacking democratic principles.
He continues to urge the Fijian people to constructively participate in the process aimed at discarding a constitution that was “not accepted by the people”.
