NFP wants constitutional reform delayed until after election

The National Federation Party (NFP) has called for Constitution Amendment Bill No. 32 to be stopped before its third reading, arguing that constitutional reform should continue after the next general election through a more inclusive and deliberate process.

In its submission to the Special Committee considering the Bill, NFP assistant general secretary Apenisa Vatuniveivuke said there was no constitutional emergency requiring the proposed changes to be enacted before the election.

He said the election could proceed under existing constitutional arrangements without extending the term of the current Government.

“The work of the Commission and this Committee need not be discarded. It can provide the foundation for a more deliberate, representative and comprehensive constitutional process after the election,” he said.

The NFP acknowledged that its position could disappoint those who wanted constitutional reform completed during the current parliamentary term.

However, the party said the work already undertaken by the Constitution Review Commission and the parliamentary committee should not be discarded.

The party formally recommended that the committee advise Parliament against proceeding with Bill No. 32 to its third reading under the present arrangements.

“We make that recommendation not because we have abandoned our commitment to constitutional change, but because we believe that commitment demands a process worthy of the Constitution we hope to create,” Mr Vatuniveivuke said.

He said the party believed Fiji needed a constitutional settlement that would restore lasting public confidence, warning against allowing the desire to complete the process quickly to override the responsibility to do it properly.

The NFP also drew comparisons with the 2013 Constitution, arguing that Fiji should not repeat what it described as the mistakes of that process while attempting to correct them.

“The Constitution does not belong to the Prime Minister, to the Government, to Parliament or to the National Federation Party. It belongs to the people of Fiji.”

Mr Vatuniveivuke said Fiji had endured repeated constitutional disappointments and that future generations would live with the consequences of decisions made today.

The party urged political leaders to put constitutional responsibility ahead of political convenience and give Fijians a proper opportunity to determine the country's constitutional future.