Kamikamica defends Constitution changes

Deputy Prime Minister Manoa Kamikamica has defended the proposed constitutional amendments, describing them as balanced and inclusive and insisting they contain nothing racist.

Mr Kamikamica said the amendments sought to address the concerns of different communities while bringing the people of Fiji together.

He said the proposed changes reflected public views expressed during the Constitution Review Commission (CRC) process, with the Government contributing to the document later tabled in Parliament.

“The 2013 Constitution was an imposed Constitution,” Mr Kamikamica said, adding that after 12 years, people had differing views on what needed to change.

He said the amendments sought to address issues surrounding national identity, equal citizenry, the Bill of Rights and land, while restoring some mechanisms that had existed under the 1997 Constitution.

Mr Kamikamica said the document attempted to balance different concerns and urged the public to read the proposed amendments before judging them.

He acknowledged concerns about references to Christianity but said the proposed changes did not compel anyone to practise the religion.

“The legislation clearly says religious liberty is protected,” he said, adding that the country needed to respect every community.

Mr Kamikamica said the Bill of Rights reflected the need to respect all communities in Fiji.

He also acknowledged concerns about the number of representatives, saying he hoped the committee would be able to address those issues.

He maintained that the proposed amendments were intended to unite the people of Fiji and challenged critics to identify provisions they considered racist.

“As far as I'm concerned, we have really tried our best to balance all the concerns in this country,” he said.