SUVA, 27 April 2026 — A prominent Rewa high chief and former United Nations security executive has publicly warned that Fiji is “undermining our own diplomats” and allowing foreign influence to shape national policy, in a blistering social media statement that demands a rethink of the country’s foreign policy priorities.
Ro Naulu Mataitini told followers that Fiji’s foreign policy has been weakened by political behaviour that sidelines career diplomats and places too much emphasis on ceremonial and domestic politics. “There is something about politicians. To get elected, they will promise anything. But once inside Parliament, too many follow their worst instincts,” Mataitini wrote, accusing some politicians of succumbing to “ceremonial glorification” and flattery from external actors until “the damage to their reputation, their party, and the government becomes impossible to ignore.”
Mataitini said the problem matters now because the Pacific is becoming an increasing focus of global geopolitics. “Other countries are establishing a presence in Fiji at an accelerating pace. Not consular offices. Not protocol posts. Their presence is strategic — designed to advance their national interests in a region that is becoming increasingly important to global geopolitics,” he wrote, noting that new embassies and non-resident ambassadors are “flocking to Suva” with well-resourced teams.
He questioned whether Fiji is matching that level of strategic engagement abroad, and urged a reassessment of how the country values and deploys its Heads of Mission. “Do we place the same priority on our ambassadors in Canberra, Beijing, Wellington or Washington? The honest answer is no,” Mataitini said. “Are we resourcing our embassies to advance and defend Fiji’s interests? Or are we reducing them to protocol and consular offices? Are we leveraging the insights of our Heads of Missions (HOMs)? Or are we allowing foreign envoys in Suva — with unfettered access to our ministers — to shape our policy to their advantage?”
Mataitini singled out Australia as a striking example of the imbalance he sees, alleging sustained Australian influence inside successive Fijian administrations. “Take the case of Australia. 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, calling for reciprocal effort in Canberra to ensure Fiji’s interests are advanced.
The high chief concluded by calling for a “strategic reset” in Fiji’s foreign policy engagement. He urged leaders to prioritise professional diplomatic capacity and to treat postings as instruments to protect and promote national interests rather than as ceremonial outposts — a shift he argued is urgent given the intensifying attention the Pacific is receiving from major powers.
There was no immediate response from government ministers to Mataitini’s social media intervention. His comments are the latest public critique to spotlight Fiji’s external positioning as regional security and economic issues — from rising global energy prices to heightened great-power diplomacy — bring renewed international focus to the Pacific. The intervention is likely to fuel debate about how Fiji should resource and conduct its diplomacy at a time when small island states are increasingly courted by powerful actors.