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Lynda Tabuya said the death penalty could serve as a “deterrent” to address the drug crisis.
photo: Facebook/Fiji Government
A Fijian cabinet minister has floated the idea of reinstating the death penalty in the hope of sending a warning to international drug traffickers who use the island nation as a transit point – a call that has drawn mixed reactions from the public.
Fijian law enforcement agencies have been caught wanting to tackle the rapid spread of hard drug sales and consumption being trafficked into the country through: International drug cartels and criminal networks.
But Lynda Tabuya, the minister for women and children affairs, believes the death penalty, as a “deterrent”, can be a solution to protect communities.
“I want Fiji to introduce the death penalty for people who traffic large quantities of drugs,” she told local media at a press conference on Wednesday.
“We need to do this as a deterrent because Fiji is still being used as a transit point.
We are vulnerable, our borders are vulnerable, and we need to explore the possibility of the death penalty to protect our people.”
Fiji joins about 170 countries that have abolished the death penalty.
The United Nations Human Rights Office said: “There is a growing consensus around the world to abolish the death penalty.”
“Despite the trend towards abolition, the death penalty is still in place in a small number of countries, mainly because it is believed to deter crime.”
Although the Fijian government had not previously hinted at such a move, Tabua said Fiji needed to send a message to “all drug lords”, according to local media reports.
However, the minister’s comments caused division among ordinary Fijians, who took to social media to voice their support or opposition to the proposal.
“We all have our own beliefs and ideas about this, but hundreds of studies have shown that harsh sentences do little to deter crime. (Original text)” wrote one user on X (formerly Twitter), objecting to the idea.
Another wrote: “This is really dangerous talk,” and called on the minister to “please stop it”.
One person posted that Tabuya “needs to leave immediately”.
“It is the poor iTaukei youth who are most affected by this,” they wrote, adding, “These women are advocating for the death penalty to be carried out by the state, which could infringe on the rights of indigenous peoples. (Original text)“”.
But others on Facebook were more positive, saying the death penalty has worked in Southeast Asian countries such as Singapore and the Philippines, and could also work in Fiji.
One Facebook user said: “Totally agree (with reinstating the death penalty).”
“Fiji is a beautiful and peaceful country. But drug dealers are destroying the culture and future of this country. The death penalty will save our country. (Original text).
Another Facebook user added: “Totally agree. Fiji needs to impose tough penalties on drugs. There is no other way. We must learn from Singapore, there are no drugs in that country.”
“The death penalty should also be legal for rape and murder…(Original text)added a third.
RNZ Pacific has contacted the Fijian Government for comment.
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