While reacting to a statement by FemLink Pacific, Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre and the Fiji Women’s Rights Movement on the makeup of the Constituent Assembly, immunity and the non-negotiable principles, Commodore Bainimarama said the constitution process is not for grandstanding where one thinks that they are important.
He said these people are not important.
FemLink, the Women’s Crisis Centre and the Women’s Rights Movement said some of the non-negotiable principles are matters for the people to decide, not for the state to dictate.
They said they may agree with the state about the way in which people should vote and the voting age, however, they said people who disagree with this should be heard and their views taken into account.
Women’s Crisis Centre coordinator Shamima Ali said they do not think it is right for the prime minister to appoint the members of the Constituent Assembly and wants to know how the selection process will be carried out.
They also said that the state should not have any control of the process.
The prime minister said these NGOs should think seriously about their participation in the process if their views are worth considering.
Commodore Bainimarama said the Constituent Assembly will be made up of credible people who think positively about Fiji’s future and he said “tell Shamima Ali from me she is not in that league”.
Ali said it is her right to raise these concerns.
Story by: Vijay Narayan & Gwen McGoon
