Political Sociologist Professor Steven Ratuva

The Coalition Government faces inherent challenges in managing internal differences especially as the next election approaches.

This, according to Political Sociologist Professor Steven Ratuva.

He also acknowledges the risks of coalition governments which are often fragile by nature.

Prof Ratuva points out that while coalitions have the benefit of representing a broad spectrum of political positions, they can also be unstable as seen in several European cases.

The current coalition, he says is holding together due to shared interest’s particularly political survival.

Each member party, Prof Ratuva states is invested in ensuring its continuity which has led to a focus on maintaining the coalition’s stability rather than addressing national issues.

“We’ve talked about some of those issues of poverty, health, unemployment, and so forth. When you have that kind of situation, then it’s important that we should come up with a coalition strategy which addresses some of the fundamental issues of coalition, some of the challenges and how we can rectify some of those issues moving forward.”

Prof Ratuva points out that this emphasis on political survival has diverted attention from pressing concerns such as poverty, crime, health and unemployment.

He said these issues that require immediate and focused attention.

According to Ratuva, this calls for a strategic approach to coalition governance.

While coalitions can be difficult to manage, there are successful examples from around the world that Fiji can draw lessons from.

He said that the government must prioritize long-term national development over short-term political survival.

On the topic of leadership within the coalition, Prof Ratuva is cautious in his evaluation.

He suggests that assessing the effectiveness of individual ministers is challenging particularly when the overall focus is on maintaining coalition unity.

However, he reiterates the importance of ensuring that each minister has the capacity to manage their responsibilities effectively particularly in critical areas that require sustained leadership.

Prof Ratuva believes that Fiji’s coalition government has the potential to succeed but only if the focus shifts from political survival to tackling the country’s development needs.

He argues that a more strategic approach with attention to political and national priorities is necessary for the coalition to overcome internal tensions and deliver meaningful progress for Fiji.