Constitution public consultations start May 4: PM

Nationwide public consultations on the review of the 2013 Constitution will begin on Monday, May 4 and run for about two months.

Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka announced the timeline on Friday while updating Parliament on the work of the Constitution Review Commission (CRC).

Mr Rabuka said the process would give ordinary Fijians a direct opportunity to contribute to reviewing the country’s supreme law.

“The constitution is the system, and the system dictates the outcome,” he said.

Face-to-face community engagements under the Public Awareness and Civic Education (PACE) programme, designed to prepare the public for the consultations, concluded this weekend after beginning on April 20.

Teams were deployed across all provinces, including Rotuma and Rabi Island. They included retired teachers, retired civil servants, practising lawyers and translators.

Mr Rabuka said the PACE programme was educational rather than advocacy-based.

“Its purpose is to equip the people with knowledge, not to influence outcomes,” he said.

The CRC was formally established by Cabinet in January and appointed by the President in March. It is tasked with conducting nationwide public consultations and receiving written submissions.

It will then prepare a comprehensive report and draft constitution bill, which must be submitted to the President Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu and Cabinet before being tabled in Parliament.

Opposition Leader Inia Seruiratu welcomed the process and urged all parties to respect submissions, including those from the Great Council of Chiefs.

“Let the process take its course,” Mr Seruiratu said.

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