Lynda Tabuya says the death penalty can be used as a "deterrence" to tackle the drug crisis. Photo: Facebook / Fiji Government
A Cabinet minister in Fiji has floated the idea of bringing back the death penalty, hoping it will send a warning to international drug traffickers using the island nation as a transit point - a call that has attracted mixed reactions from the public.
Fijian law enforcement agencies have been found wanting to tackle the rapid spread of the sale and consumption of hard drugs trafficked into the country by international drug cartels and criminal networks.
But the Minister for Women and Children, Lynda Tabuya, believes capital punishment as a "deterrence" can be the solution to protect the community.
"I would like to see the death penalty brought to Fiji for those who traffic large quantities of drugs," she told local media at a news conference on Wednesday.
"We need to do this as a deterrence because as Fiji continues to be used as a transit point.
We are vulnerable, our borders are vulnerable, we need to explore the possibility of the death penalty to protect our people."
Fiji is in the company of about 170 nations that have abolished the death penalty.
"There is growing consensus for universal abolition of the death penalty," according to the UN Human Rights Office.
"Despite this abolitionist trend, the death penalty is still employed in small number of countries, largely because of the myth that it deters crime."
While the Fijian government has not previously hinted at such a move, Tabuya said Fiji needed to send a message "to all the drug lords", according to local media reports.
However, Minister's comments have divided the ordinary Fijians, who took to social media to express either their support or opposition to the suggestion.
"We can all have our beliefs & ideas about this but there are hundreds of studies that show that harsh sentences do little to deter crime (sic)," wrote one user on X (formerly Twitter), who was against the idea.
"This is really dangerous rhetoric," wrote another, calling on the Minister to "Please stop".
One person posted that Tabuya "needs to go immediately".
"The poor iTaukei youths will be impacted by this the most," they wrote, adding "This women is advocating for state-sponsored execution that could breach the rights of indigenous peoples (sic)."
But others on Facebook reacted with a more positively, saying the death penalty had worked for South East Asian nations, such as Singapore and Philippines, and could also work for Fiji.
"Totally agreed [to the death penalty brought back]," said one Facebook user.
"Fiji is a beautiful and peaceful country. But Drug peddlers has ruined the culture and the future of this nation. A death penalty sentence will save our country (sic).
Another Facebook user added: "100% agreed. Fiji needs harsh penalties for drugs. There's no other way. We must learn from Singapore, no drugs in that country."
"DEATH PENALITY SHOULD ALSO BE LEGALISED FOR RAPE AND MURDER..(sic)," a third added.
RNZ Pacific has contacted the Fijian government for comment.