A former Fiji prime minister and the leader of the first coup, Sitiveni Rabuka, says Fiji is turning into a nation of parasites because of a culture of spoon-feeding and vote buying.
Mr Rabuka told scholars and diplomats at the Otago University Foreign Policy School at the weekend that Fiji is in that mode now.
He says there is inceased political polarisation, and a nationalistic wave because of the weakening of indigenous institutions and customary values.
Mr Rabuka alluded to more problems ahead despite the clear course set for elections and parliamentary rule.
"Like in all maritime tragedies the courses set for ships are clear but the captain's decisions and icebergs are not negotiable and our national captain in Fiji is a commodore."
Sitiveni Rabuka says Fiji needs some serious self-examination like that which happened during the Soviet Union's period of Perestroika.
