The Fiji CSO Alliance for COVID-19 Humanitarian Response says they are disappointed with the manner in which the Speaker of Parliament fails to hold elected MPs accountable when utilising non-parliamentary language and behaviour however Speaker of Parliament, Ratu Epeli Nailatikau says they are entitled to their opinion.
The Alliance in a statement says they are reminding the Speaker of the important role he plays in Parliament.
They say the Constitution provides that the Speaker is independent and only subject to the Constitution and any other law.
The Alliance says in performing the functions of the Office, the Speaker must act impartially and without fear, favour or prejudice and he is also required to secure the honour and dignity of Parliament.
They say MPs play a critical role in a democratic system of governance, as they are officially elected by the citizens of Fiji to speak on their behalf, to represent their interests and to express their opinions with regards to actions, policies and laws of the Government that affect every citizen.
The CSO Alliance states it is imperative that MPs utilise this time allocated to engage in constructive debate and discussion on issues at hand and more importantly refrain from personal attacks and derogatory remarks.
They say derogatory remarks passed in Parliament, insults the sanctity of the Institution.
They Alliance has also highlighted that Prime Minister, Voreqe Bainimarama in a 2016 statement had said that such careless insults and accusations have no place in modern Fiji or in Parliamentary debates, as clearly seen under Standing Order 62(4) (a) and (d)… that are likely to promote or provoke feelings of ill-will or hostility between communities or ethnic groups within Fiji.
According to Standing Order 62 (4) (a) "It is out of order for a member, when speaking, to use— offensive words against Parliament or another member".
They say Bainimarama had said that given our history, Parliament must never allow such reckless behaviour to go unchecked and we have rules in place designed to ensure our democracy operates fairly and accountably and those rules need to be enforced.
The Alliance says they are calling on the Speaker to uphold his duties responsibly as per the Constitution and never allow such reckless behaviour to go unchecked as stated by the Prime Minister.
They say the second wave of the pandemic and the widespread community transmission and increasing deaths which have now resulted in the Western Division having a higher 7-day rolling average of COVID-19 deaths than the Central Division, and with increasing transmission on Kadavu, call for MPs constructive and purposeful debate, as this humanitarian crisis continues.
They also call for the promotion of dialogue and more debate and discussion in Parliament that centres around the COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts on all Fijians.
Meanwhile, Speaker Ratu Epeli Nailatikau says everybody is entitled to their opinion.
He says everyone will never agree.
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