Chiefly Leadership in Fiji: Past, Present, and Future

Abstract

This Discussion Paper provides an account of the rise and fall of chiefly leadership and the apparent ebbing of a longstanding ideology of traditionalism among indigenous Fijians in the context of national politics and of the claims made in the name of indigenous nationalism. It begins with abrief survey of Fiji's colonisation in the late nineteenth century; the establishment of the GCC and the role of chiefs in the British colonial regime;and their domination of national politics, despite some challenges, up until 1987. The second section reviews the political dynamics surrounding chiefly leadership from 1987 until the Bainimarama-led coup of 2006. The final sections examine the nature of chiefly involvement in national politics in the lead-up to the 2014 elections and prospects for the future of traditional chiefly political leadership.