Constitution talks date back to 2013, says PM

Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka says he and National Federation Party (NFP) leader Biman Prasad have been discussing constitutional change since 2013, dismissing suggestions that the current reform process has been rushed.

Mr Rabuka was responding to the NFP’s public stance that it would not support a rushed process after the Constitution Review Commission (CRC) report was tabled in Parliament this week.

“I believe there has been no rush ever since the leader of the Federation Party and I had been involved in politics from after 2013,” Mr Rabuka told this masthead.

“We had been talking about changing the constitution. So, we have been thinking about it all those times.”

The Prime Minister also confirmed the Government had the numbers needed to pass constitutional amendments.

“I believe so,” he said, when asked if the Coalition had secured two-thirds parliamentary support.

However, Mr Prasad, in a statement issued the same day, maintained the NFP’s cautious position.

“But participation does not mean that we will support a rushed process,” Mr Prasad said.

He said any changes to the “supreme law” must meet the “highest standards of transparency and accountability.”

The NFP leader said Fijians needed enough time to understand the proposed changes before Parliament proceeded further.

The Government wants a new Constitution in force by December 24, the earliest date the 2026/2027 General Election can legally be called.

Mr Rabuka said Cabinet’s sub-committee had spent two weeks reviewing the proposed amendments, which would soon go before Parliament for debate.

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