FLP: Constitution Review report must be made public
Mr Chaudhry said Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka’s assurance that Cabinet had not yet adopted the Commission’s recommendations did not address public concerns.
Tuesday 01 September 2026 | 17:00
The Fiji Labour Party (FLP) has called for the immediate public release of the full Constitution Review Commission report, saying proposed constitutional changes should be openly debated by the people.
FLP leader Mahendra Chaudhry said provisions circulating in the media raised questions about equal citizenship, how the President would be chosen, the place of the Great Council of Chiefs in the constitutional order and whether the secular character of the State would be weakened.
“A constitution belongs to the people. It must be debated in the open, or it has no legitimacy.”
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Mr Chaudhry said Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka’s assurance that Cabinet had not yet adopted the Commission’s recommendations did not address public concerns.
“The Prime Minister tells the public to remain calm because Cabinet has not yet adopted the recommendations. That is not an answer to the people’s anxiety.”
He said withholding the full report while details of the draft were appearing in the mainstream media risked creating unnecessary concern.
“When such material appears in the mainstream media and the Government does not publish the full report and draft for every citizen to read, it creates unnecessary tensions and apprehensions, particularly in a plural society.”
Mr Chaudhry said while the 2013 Constitution was not beyond criticism, it contained provisions protecting equal citizenship and the rights of Fiji’s communities.
“The 2013 Constitution is not beyond criticism. But it contains a clear framework of equal citizenship and rights that protect every community.”
He said any proposed changes that appeared to weaken those protections would be closely scrutinised.
“Any review that appears to dilute those protections, or to place the highest office of the State in the hands of a small appointed committee, will be judged first by those who have the most to lose if they become second-class citizens in their own country.”
The FLP is calling for the full Constitution Review Commission report and draft to be made public so Fijians can examine and debate the proposed changes.
