Paul Seforana says those who attempt to overthrow an elected government must face the consequences, while urging forgiveness and reconciliation for past coups.
Tuesday 20 October 2026 | 12:00
Updated 20 October 2026 | 14:55 FJT
Intern Journalist
From left: Ba resident Paul Seforana with the Special Parliamentary Constitutional Committee member Parveen Bala at the public consultation on the draft 2026 Constitution (Amendment) Bill in Ba.
Photo: Katherine Naidu
A Ba resident has called for constitutional immunity to be removed for future coup perpetrators, saying those who attempt to overthrow an elected government must face the consequences.
Paul Seforana, originally from Rotuma, made the submission during a public consultation on the draft 2026 Constitution (Amendment) Bill in Ba yesterday.
“However, for the new constitution, there should not be any immunity clause,” he said.
Mr Seforana said removing immunity would deter members of the military and public service from contemplating an unlawful seizure of power.
“There should be a deterrence to those that are in the military and even those in public that may have these ungodly thoughts of usurping the government that they will know that there is a day of punishment,” he said.
While calling for accountability for future coups, Mr Seforana urged the country to forgive those responsible for past coups through truth and reconciliation.
He also proposed that both the Senate and the lower house have 55 members, matching the current size of the lower house. He argued that increasing the number of parliamentarians would add to the cost borne by the public.
Mr Seforana called for greater unity among Fiji’s ethnic communities, expressing concern about hostility on social media.
He supported retaining the term Fijian as a shared national identity and maintaining Christian values as part of the country’s foundations.
However, he questioned whether constitutional reform would improve the lives of ordinary people.
“My concern is, what has really happened to the common man, to those that are on the grassroots? It seems like most of our constitution has been amended just to suit a select few and not the general public,” he said.
Mr Seforana urged the committee to ensure the proposed Constitution improved living standards for all communities rather than benefiting a select few.
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