FijiFirst President statement internal process, it does not affect the work of Opposition MPs for now - Seruiratu

Leader of the Opposition, Inia Seruiratu has today said the statement of the FijiFirst Party President, Ratu Joji Satakala regarding the salary and benefits vote is a party internal process and for now does not affect the work of Opposition MPs.

Seruiratu says there has been a lot of publicity on the recent statement of the President of the FijiFirst and intention of instigating disciplinary action on FijiFirst Members of Parliament who voted for the Motion on the Emolument Review Report last Friday.

The FijiFirst Party President has said on the official facebook page that they will be taking action against 16 MPs, including Leader of the Opposition Inia Seruiratu, who went against the party directive and voted for salary and benefit increases for the President, Prime Minister, Ministers, Assistant Ministers, Deputy Speaker, Whips, Speaker, Leader of Opposition and Members of Parliament.

He says these members were Mosese Bulitavu, Sanjay Kirpal, Semi Koroilavesau, Shalen Kumar, Virendra Lal, loane Naivalurua, Sachida Nand, Vijay Nath, Viliame Naupoto, Ratu Josaia Niudamu, Penioni Ravunawa, Taito Rokomatu, Inia Seruiratu, Alipate Tuicolo, Naisa Tuinaceva and Jone Usamate.

Ratu Joji, in a post on the party's Facebook page says all FijiFirst supporters and Fijian citizens are informed that all FijiFirst Members of Parliament were directed specifically by the Acting General Secretary, Faiyaz Koya in a caucus meeting on Friday morning and in writing after lunch on the same day to vote against or abstain from voting on the salary and benefit increase.

This morning, Seruiratu has released a statement saying that the Opposition MPs are currently working very hard in the six Parliamentary Standing Committees that they are members of to scrutinize the reports assigned to them from Parliament. Seruiratu says in addition, four very important Bills were brought to Parliament in the last sitting that are required to go through the Committee process and to be tabled back to Parliament in the August sitting. The Leader of the Opposition says these are important Bills that need to be thoroughly vetted by the Committee and to be enacted by Parliament at the earliest opportunity.

Seruiratu says the Opposition MPs are continuing and working hard on their Committee roles and he would like to assure the people of Fiji that they will continue to diligently do their work as mandated to them through Parliament.

According to Section 63 of the Fijian Constitution, the seat of a Member of Parliament becomes vacant if the member votes or abstains from voting in Parliament contrary to any direction issued by the political party for which he or she was a candidate at the time he or she was elected to Parliament, without obtaining the prior permission of the political party; or if the Member of Parliament is expelled from the political party for which he or she was a candidate at the time he or she was elected to Parliament and the expulsion was in accordance with the rules of the political party relating to party discipline.

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