Independent MP Rinesh Sharma has urged Parliament to establish a national 24/7 surveillance unit and a linked, multi-agency response to stamp out drug networks and protect Fijian communities. Speaking in Parliament, Sharma called for coordinated action across the Biosecurity Authority of Fiji, the Fiji Navy, the Republic of Fiji Military Forces, the Fiji Police Force and the Fiji Revenue and Customs Service to close off routes for trafficking at borders and ports.
Sharma outlined a two-tier surveillance approach: a central, always-on monitoring unit coupled with investments by municipal councils in street-level cameras and systems that would feed into a national monitoring network. He proposed that local authorities phase investment in street surveillance over a ten-year period so municipalities could progressively link cameras and other detection technologies to the proposed national system.
Going beyond surveillance, Sharma recommended the death penalty for deliberate drug manufacturing as a deterrent, pointing to countries such as China, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates and Malaysia as examples. He argued the scale of harm justified the measure, saying: “When a drug manufacturer sells drugs to let’s just say 10,000 Fijians, that is ruining 10,000 lives, 10,000 dreams, hopes, 10,000 families and this is destructive for Fiji’s economy and future.”
Sharma also warned that rising HIV cases and increasing youth involvement in drug activities are compounding threats to Fiji’s future and its economic stability. He framed the proposals as necessary not only to disrupt transnational trafficking but to protect families and reduce long-term social and health costs.
The MP’s proposals land amid an already active national effort to confront organised drug activity. Recent government moves include the recruitment drive for a new Counter Narcotics Bureau and steps to formalise partnerships with international counterparts, such as talks to deepen cooperation with Indonesia’s national narcotics agency and donor-supported prevention programmes targeting young people. Sharma’s push for a permanent, integrated surveillance network and a return to capital punishment would represent a marked escalation in both enforcement capacity and punitive law.
It was not immediately clear whether the government or relevant ministers would adopt Sharma’s recommendations. Implementing a national 24/7 monitoring system and linking municipal surveillance would require substantial funding, interagency coordination and legal considerations, while the proposal to reintroduce the death penalty would raise significant legislative and human-rights questions. The MP’s speech adds new urgency to an ongoing national debate over how best to balance enforcement, prevention and rehabilitation in Fiji’s response to drugs.
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