Sashi Kiran rules out second term as election draws closer

Minister for Women, Children and Social Protection Sashi Kiran says she does not intend to seek another term in Parliament as the general election draws closer.

Ms Kiran, who entered Parliament under the National Federation Party (NFP) banner, said her decision to serve only one term had been made from the beginning and communicated to the party.

“My thing was I had given one term to politics and I do not have any intention of doing another round,” she said.

Ms Kiran said she remained committed to her decision.

“My decision was that I will do one term and I’ll do one term to the best of my ability, so that’s where I am at the moment. From the beginning I told the party that I will do this one round.”

She said the timing of the election was also a factor.

“It’s too close to the election and none of us are preparing or campaigning or anything.”

NFP leader Biman Prasad acknowledged Ms Kiran’s position but said supporters would likely want her and other NFP MPs to continue.

“All I can say is that they’ve all been great members of Parliament, and they’ve been great ministers,” he said.

“In politics, everybody thinks about their future and choice, but all I can say is that I think they’re all really great members of Parliament, ministers, and I’m sure people would want them to continue.”

Fiji Women’s Rights Movement (FWRM) executive director Nalini Singh said women’s voices were needed at the decision-making table amid calls for greater representation of women in Parliament.

Ms Singh said FWRM respected decisions by women on whether to contest elections but stressed the wider importance of women’s representation.

“FWRM respects that decisions about whether or not to contest an election are deeply personal, and we would not want to speculate on the reasons behind any individual woman’s decision not to stand.

“However, the broader issue of women’s representation in Parliament is one that FWRM has consistently advocated for. We need more women at the decision-making table because women make up half of our population, and their experiences, perspectives and priorities must be reflected in the laws, policies and decisions that affect everyone.”

Ms Singh said the discussion should not focus only on whether women were willing to enter politics.

She said questions should also be asked about political systems that either enabled or prevented women from participating and succeeding in politics.