Politician Mick Beddoes wants the term Fijian to remain for only indigenous Fijians and Fiji Islanders to be the term for all the citizens of Fiji.
Beddoes suggested the country’s name should also change to the Fiji Islands as he made his personal submission to the Constitution Commission in Nadi yesterday.
Beddoes suggested that there should be changes in relation to the eligibility of election candidates for 2014.
He said anyone convicted or imprisoned after the 2006 coup should be allowed to register and contest in the next elections.
Beddoes said the independent inquiry’s findings should then determine whether a person stays in parliament.
He has also suggested that there should be 72 seats in parliament and the breakdown to be 39 for Fijian, 26 for Indian, 1 for Rotuman and 3 for minorities.
Beddoes suggested that all voters should be allowed to vote for these seats.
He said this will ensure that most of the ethnic communities in Fiji will have representation in parliament and the majority indigenous community will no longer have to fear being marginalized in their own land by migrant communities.
He also said that there should be provincial representation in parliament, 25 percent of the seats to be reserved for women and there should be reserved seats for the youth, the disabled, the senior citizens and pensioners.
Beddoes also said that he objects to immunity for those who carried out the coup in 2006 and he also rejects the idea that the people involved will have political immunity until the next elections.
Beddoes said if these people expect compassion and forgiveness, they should have done the same to former Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase.
He also raised concern that Qarase is the only former prime minister who is not being paid his pension as former PM and MP.
The Constitution Commission is currently in Nadi and Lautoka taking public submissions.
Story by: Vijay Narayan
Feature
Fijian for iTaukei’s, Fiji Islanders for others - Beddoes
