Rabuka: Let Parliament decide PM term cap

Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka says it is up to the people and Parliament to decide whether a prime minister should be limited to two terms.

He labelled the Constitution Review Commission's (CRC) proposal "a good suggestion".

Mr Rabuka, who has served as prime minister twice, said the recommendation came from people who made submissions to the CRC and must now be voted on by Parliament.

“It is a good suggestion, and it’ll be up to the people,” he said outside his office yesterday.

He said the 2013 Constitution stated that no one should be discriminated against on the grounds of health, age and other factors.

“If we do not change that part of the Constitution, then it may be contradicting itself by putting a limit,” Mr Rabuka said.

Mr Rabuka was elected prime minister in 1992, but his government collapsed in 1993 after dissidents in his own party voted down his budget.

He called a snap election in 1994, won it and led a new government until 1999. He returned as prime minister in 2022.

What CRC recommended

The CRC recommended that the prime minister serve no more than two four-year terms.

It also recommended removing Chapter 10, the immunity clause, which grants “absolute and unconditional immunity” for the 1987 and 2006 coups.

Asked about the CRC’s options on immunity, Mr Rabuka declined to comment.

“I’ll leave it to the debate,” he said.

Chaudhry, Narube

Fiji Labour Party leader Mahendra Chaudhry said his party did not recognise the CRC report because Parliament did not approve the committee.

He still described the term limit as “a good recommendation”.

Unity Fiji Party leader Savenaca Narube did not agree.

“I do not see any reason why a term for a PM, which is elected from within the party that wins, to be limited at all,” he said.

Too fast?

Both men said the process was being rushed, with the general election due by February 6.

“Just leave it for the next government to look at the constitution,” Mr Chaudhry said.

“Now, stop it now, leave the rest of it to after the election,” Mr Narube said.

Mr Rabuka said the process was not rushed, as the Government had taken up the bill before, it was defeated, and it restarted after the Supreme Court ruling.

Numbers

Mr Rabuka said he could not guarantee the numbers for the second reading vote this week.

“It depends on how well we present the case for the amendment and we leave it to the members to vote,” he said.

He said it was unclear whether two-thirds meant 55 members or two-thirds of the 53 sitting MPs. The Speaker would give the directive, he said.