Chaudhry welcomes retraction of the Draft Police Bill consultations and calls for reconsideration of bills to amend the Political Parties Act and Electoral Act

Fiji Labour Party Leader, Mahendra Chaudhry has welcomed the retraction of the Draft Police Bill following intervention by the Prime Minister.

Chaudhry says he is pleased that the draft bill has been retracted but he is rather dumbfounded by the fact that the Ministry of National Security and Defence had proceeded to the public consultation stage without obtaining official clearance.

He says the draft bill was strongly opposed by opposition political parties, civil society organisations and members of the public for the draconian measures proposed therein.

He calls on the government to similarly reconsider the objectionable provisions of the proposed bills to amend the Political Parties Act and Electoral Act currently before the Parliamentary Committee on Justice, Law and Human Rights.