ONE FIJI PARTYNATIONAL SECURITY PROPOSAL

AT A GLANCE RFMF FPF FCS NFA

RFMF

Background Once an institution of integrity and prestige within the region, the RFMF is now commonly blamed

by a great number of people in the country and the region as an instrument of instability. Needless to say, the RFMF has been used as a tool by selfish and short-sighted leaders to promote their own interests in the name of some noble cause for which history will forever remember it as otherwise.

However, such events should not be viewed with the resentment and hate that is so commonly seen today, it should be viewed rather with a learning spirit that any Bible believer will, and must have. A sense of spiritual maturity that such events are allowed to happen in order to either discipline or teach the recipients. It is also to remind us that the Lord does not allow anything to happen which he does not believe we are incapable of overcoming, either individually or as a nation.

David took the throne from Saul because Saul failed to adhere to the Lord’s instructions. David almost lost the throne again to Absalom when he again permitted what was forbidden in the sight of the Lord. Solomon had the northern tribes usurped from his kingdom because he had deviated from the instructions the Lord had given him.

With this in mind, one can say that the RFMF as an institution has been merely a physical mirror of the disobedience and pride of Fiji’s true-believers. Therefore, if three or four coups have brought us this far and we still have not woken up to our actions, then sooner or later the stones will start shouting themselves. Like Israel under Solomon, Fiji too was at its peak prior to the 1987 coup, and like Israel this position can only be re-claimed if those that deem themselves to be true-believers set themselves straight again. Our spiritual coup as a nation has been manifesting itself in the physical since 1987, and in order to win back the physical, the spiritual realm must be first won.

If there are individuals, families or citizens in this country who have been hurt by the upheveals of the past 27years, they are no more hurt than those who’ve had to carry out orders against their own vanua, against their own churches, against their own families, against their own people. A soldier’s one duty is to obey the orders of his superiors, there is no room for compromise, and failure to do so, at worst, may be seen in the events of the 2001 mutiny and the ensuing deaths.

The RFMF is not the enemy, it should not be blamed. It is an institution that has been misused by its leaders. Leaders which every Christian in Fiji has an obligation to be interceding for as instructed in 1 Tim 2: 1-2. Governments have come and gone and yet none have taken the time to feel the plight of those that forsake their personal freedom in the service of their brethren. The RFMF advances itself on a year to year basis with no long term vision of where it wants to be because those in government either lack the competency or the initiative to draft a defence white paper that would actually oblige them to take better care of their armed forces. This plight has only been realised, when those in need have assumed the seats of power themselves. Past governments have merely increased the pay and size of the RFMF as some sort of compensation for services rendered, none have actually analyzed its needs and modernised it to be relevant with the times, threats and changes.

This party if elected into government will address this plight.

PROBLEM Navy incapable of deterring incursions into

EEZ. Land forces focus limited to peacekeeping. Overall troop training deemed to be very basic. Equipment and vehicles deemed to be

rudimentary and obsolete. Need for renovation of current facilities. Need for state-of-the-art training facility that

will accommodate international trainers.

PLAN Reassess the RFMF’s focus to be in-sync with 21st century threats Realign training and procurement in line with focus Redefine its impact in the national, regional and global arena Reassure continuity for serving members Reintroduce retiring members into civil society via a transition scheme Expand naval capability to purely defence purposes to be able to counter

threats such as the ADF incursions of 2006, coastal patrol/border security to be handed over to a joint-Coast Guard task force.

Create air-lift capability Enhance ICT capability Improve overall training. Refit and re-equip army with state-of-the-art equipment and vehicles Renovate current facilities. Build state-of-the-art training facility that will accommodate international

trainers.

FPF

Background Just like RFMF, the FPF too has been used as a tool by selfish and short-sighted leaders

to promote their own interests however the FPF is just as much hurt and grieved with what it has had to do to its own people and country. An institution founded on ‘Service to the People’ it has at time compromised this in order to advance the orders of a few, which it is duty-bound to do.

The FPF is not the enemy, it is not rife with corruption, it has merely been misled. The leaders of this country have failed to understand and guide it properly. The FPF should not have to live in the shadow of the RFMF, though brother institutions, they are as different as they are alike and members of the FPF should be allowed to conduct themselves without fear of being compared to those in the army or ridiculed for being unable to due to other priorities that leaders may have.

This country needs to look at ‘Fiji’s Finest’ as an institution in dire need of recognition, understanding and modernisation. This climate of paranoia and insecurity will do no good to anyone, especially an institution that puts its people before their own welfare. If only the general populace could see the sacrifices ‘Fiji’s Finest’ make and the ridicule they receive in return, they’d be more appreciative of the FPF. No measure of compensation will ever equate to allowing the FPF to work in a setting where they can be confident of their career path and how their daily work makes everyday living for ordinary Fijians all the more better. This party understands the pain and aspirations of the FPF and if elected into government will address this plight.

PROBLEM Absence of maritime capability Absence of air-lift capability Lack of manpower Lack of patrols in the interior of the main islands Limited criminal intelligence and surveillance capability Limited forensic capability Limited border control assets Lack of robust crowd control vehicles Overall troop training deemed to be very basic. Equipment and vehicles deemed to be rudimentary and obsolete. Need for renovation of current facilities. Need for state-of-the-art training facility that will accommodate

international trainers.

PLAN Create maritime capability Create air-lift capability Increase manpower Consolidate and expand mounted capability in the highlands of the main islands Enhance criminal intelligence and surveillance capability Enhance forensic capability Enhance ICT capability Expand dog unit. Enhance border control assets eg. Issuance of 9mm small arms for the safety of

border control agents. Creation of robust crowd control vehicles Improve overall training. Refit and re-equip police force with state-of-the-art equipment and vehicles Renovate current facilities. Build state-of-the-art training facility that will accommodate international trainers.

FIS

PROBLEM Limited SIGINT capability Room for improvement with regards to

inter-agency information sharing Vulnerable to communications and

information systems penetration and network warfare

PLAN Enhance SIGINT capability Empower FIS to protect government communications and

information systems against penetration and network warfare Maintain national ground and coastal radar surveillance

system Establish national security coordination body Increase manpower Improve overall training. Refit and re-equip FIS force with state-of-the-art equipment

and vehicles Renovate current facilities. Build state-of-the-art training facility that will accommodate

international trainers.

FCS

NFA