Fiji’s current drug epidemic has been the focus of public attention across the nation, with ripple effects through other parts of the Pacific. Fiji’s Minister for Home Affairs, Pio Tikoduadua, recently described the current drug surge as a threat to the fabric of Fijian society that requires a multi-front offensive — headlined by a new narcotics and drug enforcement bureau. But it is worth asking whether the Fijian government understands the fundamental shift this approach represents.
While the resounding outcry about this problem seems long overdue, it is not difficult to trace the factors that contributed to Fiji’s current crisis. Causes include growing global demand, Fiji’s porous borders, previous disconnected approaches to tackling illicit drugs, limited employment opportunities, exclusion of key stakeholders from the effort and a failure to act on previous warnings. Compounding these issues are inadequate rehabilitation and treatment facilities that have proven unable to break the cycle of addiction.
Fiji’s law enforcement agencies are doing an important job in tackling the overwhelming challenges by leveraging their external partners and internal resources. These efforts have continued despite more than a decade of talks about a consolidated approach to the problem, the need to improve local law enforcers’ capacities and reports of corruption and inefficiency within law enforcement agencies.
This has enabled criminal networks to operate with relative impunity. The Minister for Home Affairs’ announcement of a new bureau means these efforts will be bolstered by new law enforcement capacity. But law enforcement will always have a limited ability to address drug abuse.
Addressing Fiji’s drug problem requires moving beyond law enforcement as the primary solution. This need echoes calls over recent years by Fiji’s academics and community leaders for an integrated response. Such an approach would combine improved community prevention, greater support for rehabilitation and more effective coordination between law enforcement and the community.
The Minister for Home Affairs appears to accept as much when he stated, ‘we aim to not only disrupt the supply chains of drugs and criminal networks, but also to address the demand side by providing support, education and rehabilitation services to those affected’. But the devil will be in the detail. Such an approach marks a significant shift, requiring the government to cede authority and responsibility to the wider community.
Education and community engagement, as critical tools for reducing local demand for illicit drugs, are best coordinated and delivered from outside of government. This has historically been the domain of non-government organisations and churches in Fiji. Education programs can raise awareness about the dangers of drug abuse and promote healthy lifestyles and alternatives. Such initiatives can be one avenue of engaging and empowering Fijian communities to take ownership of drug demand in their own localities.
Promising results emerge when programs take a culturally informed path to preventing substance use. Culturally appropriate education and community engagement would require the authentic inclusion of Fijian community leaders, from the design to delivery phases.
Fijian security leaders agree that the country has inadequate rehabilitation facilities and approaches. In 2023, the Fijian government shifted its approach to addiction by announcing a plan to establish a National Drug Rehabilitation Centre. Yet the answer is not importing treatment models from around the world that many Fijian citizens cannot embrace for cultural or religious reasons. A successful program of drug rehabilitation and recovery should be localised, using culture, history and language to address the complex challenges of addiction.
The government cannot go it alone. It needs partners that are empowered to drive change. The Pacific Council of Churches General Secretary, Reverend James Bhagwan, has led an internal conversation to reconsider the role the church can play regarding drugs in Fijian society.
The medical support and drug and alcohol specialist services that a National Drug Rehabilitation Centre promises are also required in Fiji’s communities. They would complement churches and other civil society organisations. Investment in drug rehabilitation needs to fit with the people and institutions of Fiji — individually, socially and culturally.
There appears to be limited coordination and no overall strategy to connect law enforcement and Fiji’s vibrant civil society. Bringing together an effective whole-of-nation response will require giving voice and decision-making authority to non-government partners.
In 2018, the Tongan government established the National Drugs Steering Committee to bring all relevant players to the table for information sharing. Fiji’s solution may be quite different — but the country needs a platform where strategies can be developed and non-government partners can bring their insights and coordinate their contributions.
The success of all initiatives is premised on increased resources. While there is no clear formula for eradicating illicit drugs in Fiji and safeguarding the wellbeing of Fijian citizens, the way forward requires adopting a balanced approach to supply and demand. This would represent a fundamental shift in Fiji’s approach.
Jay Caldwell is a PhD candidate and former Deputy Director of the Australia Pacific Security College. He has worked extensively in national security with the Australian Government providing national security training needs analysis and he has led research and dialogue on the Pacific security environment, transnational crime in the region and national security policy development.
Dr Danielle Watson is Associate Professor and Research Training Coordinator in the School of Justice, Queensland University of Technology, where she researches security in Pacific Island countries.