The recent release of George Speight, the leader of the 2000 coup, and Shane Stevens, a former member of the Counter Revolutionary Warfare Unit, has sparked a range of reactions in Fiji. One person significantly affected by this event is Akeneta Naseka Seavula, widow of Corporal Filipo Seavula, a police officer killed by rebels at a Draiba checkpoint during the turmoil two decades ago.
Despite the tragedy, Ms. Seavula and her family have chosen to forgive Speight and the rebels involved. “We are all human beings. God Almighty encourages us to forgive those who have done you wrong,” she expressed from her home in Nakasi, Nasinu.
Corporal Seavula was killed while he was defending the nation during a standoff with rebel soldiers after they overthrew the government led by Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry.
Reflecting on the traumatic events of that day, Ms. Seavula shared her memories. “It was a Sunday, and we were living at the Nasese Police Barracks,” she recalled. Her husband had just left for duty when gunfire erupted in the vicinity. “Everyone was told to take cover,” she remembered, noting the arrival of military trucks and sirens in the area hours later.
An hour later, police officers delivered the heartbreaking news of Corporal Seavula’s death. “I was in shock. I didn’t cry until I saw my son Viliame coming down the stairs. That’s when it hit me, and I broke down,” she recounted, expressing the pain of raising three young children as a widow.
Ms. Seavula credited her Catholic faith for helping her through those difficult times, with prayer and the Holy Rosary providing her strength. “Even though what Mr. Speight did was wrong, God teaches us to forgive. And I forgive Mr. Speight, my family does too,” she affirmed. She emphasized that holding onto resentment hinders progress, and after losing Filipo, she learned to place her trust in God’s plan.
Now a grandmother of six, Ms. Seavula recognizes the ongoing impact of the 2000 coup on many families, but she advocates for forgiveness as a means to promote healing and rebuild the nation.
The death of Corporal Seavula on May 28, 2000, was one of the darkest moments in Fijian history. On that same day, rebels attacked Fiji Television Limited, and Prime Minister Chaudhry, along with members of the Labour government, were taken hostage for 56 days within the Parliament complex.