Concerns continue to be raised over the time given to the public to understand the proposed changes made to the Constitution Amendment Bill and Deputy Prime Minister Manoa Kamikamica says his understanding is that there will be a debate and vote on the third reading of the Bill by the end of next week.
While responding to concerns from the audience and panellists during the Fijian Media Association's Town Hall Forum at the Fiji National University in Nasinu, Kamikamica says if the people of Fiji don't believe the Government then they can turn up at the referendum on December 9th and vote it down.
He says the Joint Parliamentary Select Committee will prepare a report, including amendments to the Constitution, which will be tabled in Parliament.
He says he understands from the business committee that there is going to be some discussions about what the timeline is after that.
Kamikamica's comments came after a member of the public, Rajesh Prasad questioned why the Government believed it is the only government with a mandate to amend the Constitution, as he raised concerns about the rushed process, changes to the Constitutional Review Commission’s recommendations and a possible hidden agenda behind the proposed amendments.
INSERT: Prasad on rushed process 29th Oct
Prasad also says that there appears to be an agenda that was not transparent.
He says the Constitution is the supreme law of the country and people need time to understand the proposed changes.
Responding to the concerns, Kamikamica says the Government had adopted 75 percent of the CRC’s recommendations and had carefully considered the remaining proposals.
On the question of whether there was another agenda behind the changes, the Deputy Prime Minister says the agenda was to change the Constitution, as promised during the 2022 general election.
He says the Government had initially tried to change the Constitution in March last year but did not secure enough votes in Parliament.
He says the Government then went to the Supreme Court and, following its ruling, continued with the constitutional process.
He maintained that there was no hidden agenda behind the proposed changes.
Meanwhile, National Federation Party leader and Member of Parliament Professor Biman Prasad says the timeframe is too tight and the process is rushed.
Professor Prasad says they have written to the Prime Minister outlining the party’s position on the process and its proposals.
He says the party would hold a press conference to inform the public and media about its decision on how to proceed.
He says the NFP had proposed that the process be reported back to Parliament next week and continue after the general election by the new Parliament; this would address concerns about the timeline and give people the opportunity to examine the Constitution carefully and make their views more widely known.
When asked by fijiVillage News Director Vijay Narayan on whether the NFP had decided to support the Constitution Amendment Bill, Professor Prasad confirmed that the party would not support it if the current timeline remained unchanged.
SODELPA Leader and Education Minister Aseri Radrodro confirmed that his party would not support the Bill in its current form.
Radrodro says the party had held a special general meeting after reviewing the Bill and consulting members around Fiji.
He says members had identified several provisions requiring clarification, adding that SODELPA would write to the Prime Minister outlining the areas it wanted reviewed and the party’s position on those provisions.
Radrodro also says the Bill needed to be translated into iTaukei and Hindi as concerns had been raised about people not knowing what they were saying yes or no to, despite some Government members visiting communities and settlements to explain the Bill.
Opposition MP Premila Kumar says the time given for public consultation is insufficient, particularly given the importance of the Constitution.
Kumar says more time is required for people to understand the rights and electoral processes set out in the Constitution.
She pointed out that only 11 days has been provided for written submissions and questioned whether it is enough for people to understand the different aspects of the Constitution, compare provisions and discuss them with others.
She says she agreed with both the NFP and SODELPA that the time provided was not enough.
Fiji Labour Party Leader and former Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry says he had questioned the process from the beginning.
Chaudhry says Parliament had been excluded from the process and argued that the review was executive-driven and lacked legitimacy.
He says the country is dealing with the Constitution, not ordinary legislation, and argued that the decision should come from the representatives of the people rather than the executive.
Chaudhry also says that the CRC’s draft should have been presented as the Constitution Amendment Bill instead of what he described as the PM's amended version.
He also described the process as divisive, undemocratic and manipulative.
He also questioned the proposed Senate arrangements, arguing that the changes would transfer power from the people to an elite group, and alleged that the Bill would give the Great Council of Chiefs significant power.
He questioned whether Fiji needed a Senate and said that, if one was retained, it should be elected.
Unity Fiji Leader Savenaca Narube also questioned the urgency of the process.
Narube says the concerns being raised by the public about the timeframe and their ability to understand the Constitution are sensible and questioned why the process is being rushed when people are saying they do not understand the proposed changes and need more time.
He also questioned whether there was an agenda behind the process, saying that any agenda needed to be transparent.
He says the will of the people must prevail, rather than the will of those in Government.
One Nation President Roko Tupou Draunidalo says her party is against rushing the process and agreed with the concerns raised by Kumar and Chaudhry.
Draunidalo says the country needs to take a few steps back and properly consider the proposed changes, stressing that the Constitution is the country’s supreme law and that laws are important for maintaining peace, order and good governance.
She also raised concerns about the impact of the process on investor confidence, saying investors consider the risks of putting money into a country and questioned what impression they would have when they see how Fiji was handling its supreme law.
She says political stability is important to attract local and foreign investment and warns that a rushed process is giving investors a bad impression.
