Renowned Fijian academic Professor Steven Ratuva believes that Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has tried to assert his powers within the coalition.

Ratuva highlighted this to Fiji One News in an exclusive interview, when asked about the Prime Minister’s decision to make the former Education Minister Aseri Radrodro a backbencher in parliament, instead of reinstating him.

The Political Analyst says the Prime Minister has been trying his best to try and hold the coalition together but with some challenges.

When asked if this could be a fallout of the coalition, Ratuva says the Prime Minister’s decision is the accumulation of different instances in the past.

He says this situation also happens with coalition governments around the world.

Aseri Radrodro presented a matanigasau to the Prime Minister yesterday.

Rabuka says he accepted Radrodro’s traditional apology, but he did not agree with the resolution from the SODELPA Management Board to reinstate him.

However, Rabuka has confirmed that Radrodro will now serve as a backbencher.