Home Affairs Minister Pio Tikoduadua

The National Security and Defense Review Report was launched by the Home Affairs Minister today which addresses key national security concerns and the path forward for the nation.

Speaking at the launch, Minister Pio Tikoduadua highlighted the comprehensive nature of the report, which focuses on building trust between the people and the institutions that serve them.

A number of recommendations have been made in the review report.

The review was led by an Independent Review Lead, James Sanday, with support from an Editorial Board comprising of Professor Satish Chand, Assistant Professor Ana Rokomokoti and Associate Professor Shailendra Singh.

Tikoduadua says the report emphasizes the importance of trust.

“Apart from one of the biggest observations that came out of this report is how to build trust, trust between the Fijian people and the people that are supposed to serve them, that includes all national institutions, including parliament, the executive government, the security forces, and everyone, which looks at national security as a national issue. That is what this report covers. So only a very small segment of this report touches our services in the uniform divisions, primarily the RFMF and the police.

Tikoduadua also highlighted the importance of implementing the recommendations in the report, describing the government’s role in ensuring that the national security strategy derived from the review is put into action.

“So that is the challenge for Fiji and the government, to make sure we have a report here that includes, you know, has come through the consultations with many of those that are here, which is a representative of Fiji society at large. And it will be a pity if we do not implement it. And it is really my role as the lead agency of government to make sure that this works for the betterment of Fiji and something we can hand over to whoever is going to be the next government in, you know, a year and a half or two.”

A validation workshop is also underway to review and assess the national security strategies.