SUVA — Rewa high chief and former United Nations security executive Ro Naulu Mataitini has issued a forceful rebuke of Fiji’s handling of foreign policy, warning that the country is “undermining our own diplomats” by allowing outside powers and political spectacle to shape national decisions. In a blunt social media statement posted on 27 April, Mataitini urged a “strategic reset” of Fiji’s international engagement, saying years of political behaviour and poor strategic focus have left Fiji exposed as global competition in the Pacific intensifies.
Mataitini said politicians’ appetite for ceremony and external flattery has weakened institutional decision-making and sidelined career diplomats. “There is something about politicians. To get elected, they will promise anything. But once inside Parliament, too many follow their worst instincts,” he wrote, calling the self-confidence of some political leaders a “delusion embraced without self-awareness” that ultimately damages reputations, parties and governments.
Turning to practical diplomacy, the Rewa chief highlighted a steady increase in foreign representation in Suva — not merely consular or protocol posts but well-resourced missions and non-resident ambassadors who view Fiji as a platform for wider influence in the Pacific. “New embassies are opening. Non-resident ambassadors are flocking to Suva. They see Fiji as a platform for influence in the Pasifika. They send their best people. They resource them properly,” Mataitini said, and asked whether Fiji is matching that effort overseas.
“Do we place the same priority on our ambassadors in Canberra, Beijing, Wellington or Washington? The honest answer is no,” he argued, questioning whether Fiji’s missions abroad are being reduced to consular and protocol functions rather than being empowered to advance and defend national interests. He urged greater use of the insights of Fiji’s Heads of Missions and stricter management of the access foreign envoys have to ministers.
Mataitini singled out Australia as an example of the imbalance he sees. “We have now had three Australian High Commissioners who exerted and continue to exert enormous influence over our government. The current HC is selling Australia’s interests brilliantly. His success is built on our political gullibility,” he said, accusing successive envoys of leveraging close ties to shape policy to Canberra’s advantage.
The intervention adds a prominent local voice to an ongoing regional debate over sovereignty, influence and the resources needed to defend national interests as great power competition ramps up across the Pacific. Earlier reporting this year documented how Pacific islands, including Fiji, have been watching global tensions — such as the Middle East crisis that pushed oil prices higher — for their economic and strategic fallout, underscoring how external conflicts can affect small island states.
Mataitini’s call for a strategic reset comes amid a broader conversation about the role and resourcing of Fiji’s foreign service. He framed his critique not as an attack on bilateral relationships but as a plea for stronger, more coherent diplomacy that positions Fiji to shape, not just react to, international policy in the region. As of publication there has been no public response from the Fijian government or the Australian High Commission to his remarks.