Fiji Labour Party Leader and former Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry says the Great Council of Chiefs proposals to the Constitution Review Commission risk relegating non-iTaukei citizens to the status of second-class residents in their own birthland.
While commenting on reports that the GCC seeks to reserve the name "Fijian" exclusively for the iTaukei, repeal the secular state status, and alter the appointing authority for the Head of State, Chaudhry describes these moves as a distressing retreat from the principles of modern democracy and international human rights.
He says Fiji is a proud signatory to the United Nations International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
Chaudhry says these are solemn global
commitments to equality that cannot be ignored.
He says to suggest that one group of
citizens should have a monopoly over the national identity, or that the State
should abandon its secular character, is a direct affront to these treaties and
the very spirit of our Independence Day Declaration, which envisioned a nation
where every citizen belongs.
The former Prime Minister says such regressive constitutional shifts would also
have a devastating impact on Fiji’s economic stability; global investors do not
bring their capital to nations that are moving toward institutionalized
discrimination.
He adds economic growth requires the rule of law and a sense of shared
belonging, and by signaling that some citizens are less "Fijian" than others, we
tell the world that Fiji is no longer an inclusive place for global partnership.
Chaudhry highlights that Fiji’s development to date has been built on the
sweat and sacrifice of all its people—iTaukei, Indo-Fijians, and all minority
communities alike.
He says from our sugar industry and tourism to our professional
services, every community has poured its lifeblood into this nation.
Chaudhry says to now suggest an electoral system or a national identity that disempowers or excludes these contributors is an act of gross ingratitude and political shortsightedness.
The Labour Leader expressed particular alarm at the proposal to delete "sexual
orientation" and "gender" from anti-discrimination protections and the
removal of protections for children, noting that stripping away the fundamental
rights of our most vulnerable is a violation of universal human rights.
He says this is not just politics; it is about the survival of the social fabric of Fiji.
Chaudhry stresses that our national
identity must be a source of unity, not a tool for division.
He says we must move forward as one people with equal rights, or we risk losing everything we have worked so hard to build since 1970.
