Fiji’s military will support the elected government and accept the outcome of the 2014 general election, the Fijian military commander said Wednesday.
Addressing military personnel who have just returned from the UN mission in Syria, Brig. Gen. Mosese Tikoitoga urged the 196 officers and others to remain apolitical at all times, Xinhua reported.
“We should not be involved in any political party activities nor should we be participating in any political party activities,” he said.
“Rather we should remain apolitical for the mere fact that we should be ready to accept the role of the custodian of any government that comes into power after the election,” Tikoitoga said.
“We can only do that if we remain neutral in preparation prior to the election, remain neutral during the election and accept the result of the election and subject ourselves to the government that comes into power after the elections,” he added.
The commander said the Fijian military will not favor any individual or political party and reminded those who had not read the constitution to familiarize themselves with the document.
“We will take our role in the constitution seriously and we will continue to uphold that role for the sake of upholding stability and maintaining law and order in our nation,” said Tikoitoga.
The South Pacific island country is set to hold a general election Sep 17, the first since the 2006 coup.