Fiji witnessed another coup as the military commander, Frank Bainimarama, took control of the country last December 5, 2006. This marks the fourth coup in the country in the span of two decades.

Now, Fiji’s civil society is calling for peace, democracy, and security.

The Fiji Women's Rights Movement (FWRM) has hit out at the Fiji Human Rights Commission upon its acceptance of a military appointed Ombudsman and the chair for the Commission. FWRM executive director Virisila Buadromo described the current administration as an “illegal military regime.” She urged everyone to “hold strong to the principles of democracy and the rule of law, as enshrined in our Constitution.”

FWRM also strongly condemns any applicant for the illegal military-installed cabinet. Commander Frank Bainimarama announced that anyone interested in a cabinet position should tender their expression of interest.

FWRM said that civil society is monitoring and documenting the current crisis. NGOs will fully record any illegal appointments and will ensure anyone involved will eventually face the full consequences of the law.

“Members of the community should not make the mistake of thinking they are helping bring Fiji back to 'normalcy' and past the crisis. They may feel they're helping in the short term with this illegal act, but in the long term they are helping guarantee the coup cycle and the assumption that it is okay to solve our problems illegally with the gun,” said Buadromo.

Currently chaired by FWRM, the NGO Coalition on Human Rights (NGOCHR), an alliance of multiethnic and multicultural non-governmental organisations, that practices and promotes democracy, the rule of law, good governance, and human rights, released their statement and position on this current coup. 

The coalition expressed their strong support for the upholding of the principles of democracy and the rule of law condemning any attempt or threat to remove a government though unlawful means. They also underlined support to freedom of expression and recognise media's important role in democracy, particularly as a public watchdog.

The military's taking over of media outlets in Fiji is an unconstitutional act according to femLINKPACIFIC: Media Initiatives for Women. As a women's community media organisation, femLINKPACIFIC expressed their concerns about the safety and security of the personnel of all the Fiji media outlets, particularly women, who can be most vulnerable at these times.

At present, both Fiji Times, the country's leading daily newspaper, and Fiji TV, Fiji's only television station, have suspended operations after the military's attempts to censor their news, saying that they opted to close down rather than be used by the military in their propaganda. They said that will resume publishing and broadcasting when they regain independence.

Another civil society group, the Coalition for Democracy and Peace, have joined together to oppose the international sanctions for Fiji, begun by the New Zealand government. The group claims that the sanctions will pose major effects to the poor and marginalised citizens.

According to a network of young women graduates of the FWRM Emerging Leaders Forum, “What we have now is a ruined future for all of us, young people in particular. We have a future where young people might not have access to education through cancellation of international scholarships; unemployment will increase locally as well as international work schemes being stopped and our confidence in law keepers has reached an all-time low.”

“With 35 per cent of our population living in poverty, the illegal takeover will push more people into absolute poverty with no provision to support their children’s education and people will struggle even more to make ends meet.”

Another struggle faced by the NGOs and any voice against the military is the threatening phone calls made to human rights defenders and civil society. Human rights organisations and individuals have been threatened with violence, including rape, for speaking out on the current impasse in Fiji.

With all these threats and struggles confronting Fiji today, civil society groups are calling on all Fiji citizens to show their support for peace and democracy by wearing a Fiji blue ribbon.

The Fiji blue ribbon (from the colour of Fiji's flag) represents a unified stand for the promotion of peace, reconciliation and unity, based on the principles of human rights, democracy and the upholding of the 1997 Constitution.

First used by the women’s peace vigil coordinated by members of the National Council of Women Fiji (NCWFiji) in 2000, the blue ribbon campaign for peace and democracy is being revived by the NGO Coalition on Human Rights. It has also been adopted by the broad membership of concerned citizens and NGOs who are part of the Coalition for Democracy and Peace.