People will now have easier access to critical information and documents on Fiji’s constitutional review process, with the launch of the Fiji Constitution Hub aimed at helping them make informed and meaningful submissions on the proposed constitutional changes.
The Hub was launched by the Centre for Democracy and Dialogue to address the lack of readily available information amid the fast and furious constitution review process currently unfolding in Fiji.
CDD Executive Director Nilesh Lal says people are being expected to make submissions on the Constitution Amendement Bill, but often do not have access to the critical information.
INSERT: Lal on Constitution Hub 16th Oct
Lal says many people, including technically savvy individuals, have told him that they have not seen either the Government’s draft constitution or the Constitution Review Commission's draft.
He says the hub is not just a repository of documents, but also a digital constitutional library, a historical archive, a research platform and a civic education platform.
He says it brings together Fiji’s constitutions and constitutional drafts, documents relating to the review process, timelines, historical records, plain-language explainers and CDD’s constitutional analysis and publications.
Lal says the platform also provides comparative information on previous constitution-making processes, including the consultations undertaken, the number of submissions received and the outcomes.
He says this information is critical in allowing people to assess the legitimacy of the current process based on facts rather than politically motivated information.
Lal says the hub is particularly important given the limited time available for public consultations, with barely 10 to 11 days for people to make submissions.
He says the consultation process started yesterday, while the third reading of the Constitution Amendment Bill is planned for 2nd November.
He says CDD is proposing at least six months of meaningful public consultation on the bill and at least 12 weeks for referendum preparation and campaigning.
Lal says the constitutional requirement that at least 30 days must pass between the second and third readings does not mean Parliament must proceed with the third reading within 30 days.
He says the 30 days is the minimum period, not the maximum.
He says the hub also allows users to examine Fiji’s constitution-making history and compare the 1997 and 2013 processes with the proposed 2026 process.
He says Fiji has had four constitutions in just over 50 years of post-independence history and is now well on its way to having a fifth.
The hub includes the 1970, 1990, 1997 and 2013 constitutions, as well as the Constitution Review Commission's draft and the Government’s proposed draft.
Lal says the platform is particularly useful at a time when people are forming opinions based on what others are saying and writing on social media.
He says some long essays being shared on social media are generated using artificial intelligence tools, with people sometimes not understanding the technical material they are sharing.
Lal says in a context where misinformation is rampant, resources containing official information and key documents become very useful.
The Fiji Constitution Hub is now available at:
cdd.org.fj/constitution
