The National Federation Party has taken a firm stand that its MPs will vote against the Constitution Amendment Bill in its third reading in Parliament next week.
Party Leader Professor Biman Prasad says the NFP Management Board, with the endorsement of the party's Working Committee, has directed all NFP Members of Parliament to vote against the Constitution Bill in its third reading.
Professor Prasad says he has written to Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, advising him of their position and urging the People's Alliance Party to withdraw the Bill from Parliament's consideration next Monday, the 2nd of November.
He says he did so out of respect for their coalition partnership, which has often endured difficult circumstances since 2022.
He adds that cooperation in government does not require them to abandon their principles, as demonstrated in May 2024 when they, in compliance with a party directive and their principles, voted against the parliamentary salary increase.
Professor Prasad says the NFP supported Bill No. 32 at its second reading on the 2nd of October in good faith.
He says they believed the proposed Constitution deserved public scrutiny and that genuine consultation, dialogue and negotiations in good faith could produce common ground.
The NFP Leader says that, having participated in the Special Parliamentary Committee's consultations, he is convinced that their initial concerns about the rushed timetable were justified.
He says many Fijians have barely had time to read the draft, much less understand its implications.
Professor Prasad adds that the proposed Constitution has not been translated into vernacular languages, and even those appearing before the committee have faced restrictions on the time available to present their views.
The NFP Leader says when citizens are being hurried through their submissions on the supreme law of their own country, something is fundamentally wrong with the process.
He says when there is no interaction whatsoever between members of the Special Parliamentary Committee and Fijians making submissions, particularly through questions and answers, consultations become meaningless.
He adds that when the provisions of the Bill are not outlined in Vosa Vakaviti and Hindi for ease of understanding, consultations become worse than a cosmetic exercise.
Professor Prasad also highlighted that the committee itself has not collectively examined the Bill clause by clause, and fundamental questions remain unresolved.
He says the exclusion of opposition parties from the earlier review process has made national consensus even more difficult.
He adds that this is because there is a timeline of just 19 days from the 12th to the 31st of October, with three days of around six hours of preliminary proceedings, 13 days of restrictive public consultations and just two days for finalising and writing a report to be presented to Parliament on Monday, as outlined by the Prime Minister yesterday.
Professor Prasad says they cannot condemn the imposition of the 2013 Constitution while accepting an inadequate process for replacing it.
He says they would be hypocrites if they did so, replacing one imposed Constitution with another.
He further says there is no compelling reason to complete constitutional reform before the next general election.
He adds that the process can continue afterwards, facilitating thorough and proper consultation, intensive parliamentary scrutiny and an informed decision by the people in a referendum.
Professor Prasad is urging the People's Alliance to reconsider its approach.
He says the NFP remains committed to constitutional reform and constructive engagement with its coalition partners.
The NFP Leader says they have exhausted all avenues to convince the Prime Minister and the committee to extend the timeline beyond the general election to allow the process to continue.
He confirms that he will therefore no longer participate in the Special Parliamentary Committee, nor will he be a signatory to the committee's report to Parliament.
He says Fiji deserves a Constitution made with its people, not hurried past them.
