How a single golf game helped trigger two military coups in 1987 Fiji

History · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: In 1987, Lieutenant Colonel Sitiveni Rabuka seized control of Fiji’s government, citing ethnic tensions. While he claimed to protect indigenous interests, he later revealed that the former Prime Minister had encouraged the takeover during a casual round of golf. The resulting political upheaval dismantled the monarchy and reshaped the nation.

The 1987 political crisis in Fiji was rooted in long-standing demographic shifts. Following British colonial labor policies that brought workers from India to the sugar industry, Indo-Fijians became a majority of the population from 1956 until the late 1980s. By 1987, indigenous Fijians and Indo-Fijians made up approximately 46% and 49% of the population, respectively. When a multi-ethnic, Labour-led coalition defeated the conservative government of Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara in April 1987, the political balance shifted, triggering unrest.

On May 14, 1987, Sitiveni Rabuka, a high-ranking military officer, led a small group of armed soldiers into the House of Representatives to arrest the government. The coup was bloodless, and the Governor-General, Ratu Sir Penaia Ganilau, initially attempted to negotiate a compromise through the Deuba Talks. However, fearing these efforts would restore the previous administration, Rabuka launched a second coup on September 25. He subsequently declared Fiji a republic, removed the Governor-General, and abrogated the constitution.

The international response was swift. Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States suspended aid, while the Australian labor movement imposed a trade embargo. Fiji’s economy suffered, contracting by up to 7.8% between 1987 and 1988 as tourism and sugar production plummeted. The political instability also spurred mass emigration of skilled Indo-Fijians, who became a minority by 1994. Although a 1990 constitution institutionalized indigenous control, these provisions were eventually reversed in 1997.

The true origins of the coup remained obscured for decades. In 2014, Rabuka admitted that Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara had privately urged him to discard the constitution during a golf game. This revelation added a layer of complexity to the narrative of ethnic grievance. In December 2024, the government established a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate the 1987, 2000, and 2006 coups, with Rabuka pledging in January 2025 to identify the individuals behind the initial military takeover.

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