We dispute our termination - Usamate

The 17 FijiFirst Members of Parliament say they are disputing the legality of the termination letter issued to them earlier today.

The MPs include Inia Seruiratu, 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, Alipate Tuicolo, Naisa Tuinaceva, Jone Usamate and Alvick Maharaj.

16 MPs voted for the change in salaries and benefits in parliament on Friday while Maharaj did not vote although he was in parliament.

FijiFirst MP, Jone Usamate says as far as they are concerned, they are still Members of Parliament.

He says they have received letters from the Acting General Secretary of the party, Faiyaz Koya notifying them that their seat in parliament has been vacated.

Usamate says they will await the full process of the law to take its course.

Koya has not been answering our calls despite many attempts by us to get him to clarify issues to the people of Fiji on what the Fiji First is doing.

The 16 FijiFirst Members of Parliament met with Speaker, Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu, with the Secretary General of Parliament in attendance, seeking clarification on the processes of Parliament yesterday.

Usamate says this follows the statement posted on the FijiFirst Party Facebook page that the party will take action against the FijiFirst Members of Parliament who have been alleged to have voted against the party directive.

Usamate says the Speaker has stated that all the due processes of Parliament will be followed, should such a notification be received by his office.

The 16 FijiFirst MPs were not told to give any explanations and they were only made aware of the FijiFirst Party President Ratu Joji Satakala’s comments on the party’s official facebook page where he said on Sunday that the party will take action against the 16, including Leader of the Opposition Inia Seruiratu, who went against the party directive.

Ratu Joji said 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.

The Central Executive Committee is made up of the party President Ratu Joji Satakala, Vice President Selai Adimaitoga, Acting General Secretary Faiyaz Koya, Treasurer Hem Chand, party leader and founder Voreqe Bainimarama, former General Secretary and founder Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum and founder Salesh Kumar.

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.