FijiFirst Party President being used just like Bainimarama – Bulitavu

FijiFirst Party MP, Mosese Bulitavu is alleging that former party General Secretary, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum is using the Party President, Ratu Joji Satakala to issue a statement under Satakala’s name.

Following Satakala’s statement issued on the FijiFirst facebook page that the 17 FijiFirst MPs’ seats have been vacated for not following the party’s directive on the pay rise vote, Bulitavu says Fiji knows who wrote the statement for the poor Party President to rubber stamp.

He says he does not know whether the Party President understands the statement that has been put out under his name while the drafters hide behind him.

Bulitavu stresses that the FijiFirst Party President and those who wrote the statement for him need to understand the precedent set by the former Speaker, Ratu Epeli Nailatikau on 13th August 2021.

He says the SODELPA Leader and General Secretary wrote to the Speaker to vacate his seat however the former Speaker wrote back to them that Bulitavu disputed the directive that was issued by the party.

Bulitavu says the Speaker then told SODELPA if they want to vacate his seat, they are free to go to the court.

Bulitavu adds that the FijiFirst Party does not have the power to vacate their Parliamentary seat as the Party President puts it in prepared statement 'they no longer hold seats as Parliamentarians.'

He adds that the Party President in the same statement contradicts himself saying 'while we have not heard from the Speaker as to when the 17 replacement members will be replaced..." which only proves that the power to vacate the Parliamentary seats vests in the ruling of the Speaker.

Bulitavu says to also correct the Party President, the Electoral Commission will only award the seats to the replacing candidates once they are notified by the Speaker.

He says the whole of Fiji and those abroad are fully aware of the situation that FijiFirst has been put on notice on it's Constitutional breaches.

Bulitavu says the 17 MPs say that the directive was unlawful, the FijiFirst Party Constitution does not have a dispute system and that the former Prime Minister, Voreqe Bainimarama is being used again despite his conviction that prevents him to hold any political party office to sign the letter of notification addressed to the Speaker.

He says in addition, the Supervisor of Elections/Registrar of Political Parties has said that Bainimarama’s name would be removed from the National Voter Register due to his conviction similar to Bulitavu’s vacation of seat in April 2018 when he was convicted by the court.

Bulitavu says the Speaker has the discretion to make a ruling and reply to both parties. He adds if the FijiFirst Party President comes around in Parliament this week, he will still see the 17 MPs at the Opposition Chambers busy engaged in their Parliamentary duties.

Bulitavu calls on Satakala to please stop being used by whoever wrote his statement because they are the very ones that put the former Prime Minister, Bainimarama into a lot of problems.

The FijiFirst MP says whoever wrote Satakala’s statement was even responsible for writing the former Prime Minister, Bainimarama's maiden speech last year that resulted in his suspension from Parliament.

We have sent numerous questions to former General Secretary of the FijiFirst, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum and Acting General Secretary, Faiyaz Koya. They have not been responding to any questions.