Military commander Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama should now realise that the majority of the people in this nation do not support the so-called transition, in whatever form, he is planning.
He must realise that his plans, no matter how good the intentions, are illegal. He should accept that his advisers are essentially ill-advisers.
Then again, given the barrage of stupefying remarks he has uttered, which are unbecoming of any leader, one wonders whether all sense let alone good sense has abandoned him.
The nation is teetering on the edge of uncertainty. Her people, at least the majority, are hurting as hundreds have lost their jobs and thousands more hang in the balance.
Yet the army chief refuses to see his actions for what they really are. He refuses to accept the blame for the pain he has caused. But no matter how he ignores the consequences of his wrongdoing and no matter how many times he misleads the nation and himself, the wrongs he has committed can never be otherwise.
He needs to back down and resume talks with the Government. There is still a window of opportunity to do this but to do so, egos must be taken out of the equation. A possible solution is for both parties to agree to call for a national referendum on several pertinent issues, including those linked to the army chief's list of demands.
The issues should include whether the three controversial Bills should be reviewed or shelved for good, whether immunity should be granted to the commander and his men some who coldbloodedly killed colleagues during interrogation, and whether the Police Commissioner should be allowed to return to do what he does best.
It is hard to believe today that the same man who stood up for the rule of law in 2000 is today its main threat.
As for civil society, the onus is on ourselves to rise up and peacefully resist the military's planned takeover. Wear the pink ribbons to symbolise your disgust for the proposed "clean-up". Talk to your associates, friends or family in the army to help them see reason. Put up pro-democracy placards in your yards or join public demonstrations or group vigils. Civil society groups need to lead the way and make their voice irrevocably clear.
The silent majority should not stay silent any longer. We should take heed of those wise words that when good men do nothing, evil flourishes.
Ultimately, soldiers should follow their conscience and protest by not turning up for duty. Do the same as the hundreds of their colleagues in the reserves have done. It is one way they can remain loyal to their oath of allegiance.
For when they declared their oaths, they essentially pledged their allegiance to Fiji. It was not a pledge to serve the interests of one man but of a nation.
