Referendum Bill to be ‘dealt with’ this weekend

The Referendum Bill is expected to be “dealt with” this weekend as Fiji moves closer to establishing the legal framework for the country’s first referendum on constitutional change.

Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka said he had not been briefed on the progress of the Bill but confirmed the Cabinet sub-committee overseeing it would be meeting soon.

“It’s going to be dealt with. Our people in the Cabinet sub-committee will be meeting,” he said.

The development comes as questions remain over the timeframe for the Bill and whether Fijians will have enough time to understand the referendum process.

When asked if the process was being rushed, leaving people not fully aware of the process, Mr Rabuka said there would be time.

“They will have time. We’ll make sure they have time to look at all the things.”

The Bill will provide the legal framework for Fijians to vote in Fiji’s first referendum on constitutional change.

It remains before Parliament’s Standing Committee on Justice, Law and Human Rights, with no clear indication of when it will return to the House.

Committee chairperson Ratu Rakuita Vakalalabure told this masthead on Monday that he could not say when the committee would report back to Parliament.

He said the committee was still deliberating.

Mr Rabuka has said the Constitutional Review Commission’s draft Constitution could reach Parliament during the September 28 sitting.

Whether a referendum question is included will depend on how MPs vote on the Constitution Amendment Bills.