Mosese Raqio 
[File Photo]
The Tui Nayau, Ratu Tevita Uluilakeba Mara, is calling on Parliament not to approve the Fiji-Australia Vuvale Union or the Ocean of Peace Alliance (Veitacini Treaty) until the people of Fiji are given a full, fearless, and independent account of what these treaties commit the nation to.
Both treaties were signed in Suva on July 6, 2026.
Ratu Tevita states that under the Constitution, neither treaty binds Fiji until Parliament approves it. Both agreements are currently before Parliament’s Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence.
He stresses that this is the final opportunity for Fiji to examine them properly, noting that once ratified, they cannot easily be undone.
While welcoming the committee’s work, the Tui Nayau urged that its examination be given the necessary time, independent advice, and public participation that such critical decisions demand.
He emphasizes that his stance is not a rejection of Australia, but a defense of Fiji.
Ratu Tevita says that Australia is a valued friend, but an arrangement presented in the language of family and cooperation must still be read line by line.
He stresses that we must not accept terms whose deeper consequences become apparent only after Fiji is bound.
“Friendship must never require blindness. Cooperation must never become subordination. And no government has the right to gamble with the sovereignty of future generations,” he added.
